College football is finally back! It has been quite an interesting 2021-2022 offseason with all the coaching moves, player transfers, NIL deals, potential division/conference swaps, and so much more. We are excited to bring the Devy Primer back this season and can’t wait for the first kickoff of the year. Do we care if it is Austin Peay vs. Western Kentucky? Nope! It’s real, and it counts. CJ Lang, Christian Welch, and Britt Sanders will guide you this season through all the college football storylines, player profiles, and game previews you will need. Enjoy!
Favorite Storylines
The PAC-12 implosion
Usually, it is a big story when a single school changes conferences, but we have seen major shake-ups this year. Pac-12 is probably the conference hit the hardest. They already suffer from an inferior commissioner in Larry Scott. Now they’re suffering a very steep loss losing USC and UCLA, leaving the front-liner teams being Oregon and Utah. No disrespect to those schools, but that is hardly a motivator for fans to tune in. I’ve also heard rumors swirling about Oregon finding a new conference. If, and more realistically, when that happens, that will be the death knell to the PAC-12. A mostly under-the-radar storyline that will shake the college football world to its core when it unfolds. (Britt)
Aunt Becky was just a bit early
Lori Loughlin, affectionately known as Aunt Becky from the show Full House in the 80s and 90s, paid $500K to a foundation in 2019, disguised as a donation so that USC would admit her daughters to the school’s rowing team. She went to jail, and the daughters were never accepted. If only they could have waited until 2021 when the NCAA adopted the Name, Image & Likeness (NIL) Policy. Now, student-athletes can utilize NIL opportunities as long as they are consistent with state laws. This has revolutionized the way that recruiting is done, as I am sure you have seen the little spats between Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss. Quite comical, actually. But take, for instance, Quinn Ewers, the 5-star QB prospect who recently transferred from Ohio State to Texas. He has not played a single down in the NCAA but already has a $1.5M NIL deal from Wrangler Jeans. Do you think that had anything to do with where he landed? Most schools have a “collective” where boosters and fans can compensate their athletes. The University of Texas has a collective just for their offensive lineman, which pays each roughly $50K for their NIL rights. Last year the University of Tennessee distributed $4M to 130 of their student-athletes, and the plan is for them to have a $25M collective soon. So it would not be surprising to see some of your favorite college athletes touting the newest tech gadgets, automobiles, or clothes in TV commercials real soon. For many athletes, who won’t make it to the NFL, this may be a huge opportunity for them to cash in while they can. (CJ)
Player Spotlights
Quarterbacks
Drake Maye (RS-FR – North Carolina) 6-5, 220
Week Zero tends to offer matchups that don’t have the signature marquee feel. However, North Carolina is the team I am most excited to watch. There are a plethora of reasons why, but Drake Maye is the main reason. Having redshirted his freshman year, he is the starting quarterback filling Sam Howell’s shoes. While I’m interested to see UNC’s offense post-Howell, Maye’s rushing upside is extremely intriguing. In just two games, he logged 62 rushing yards, averaging 10.3 yards per rush. He also gets what can only be defined as a ‘cupcake’ matchup to begin his college career when they face Florida A&M at home. Maye is an athletic pocket passer who should lead the Tar Heels to victory while providing a very exciting performance for all. (Britt)
Jordan Travis (RS-JR – Florida State) 6-1, 212
In 2021, Jordan Travis started 8 of 10 games for the Noles, splitting QB duties with recently recovered McKenzie Milton. The team went 5-7 and missed a bowl game, meaning you now have to go back to the 2019 Sun Bowl to find FSU’s last bowl appearance and even further back to find their last win, the 2017 Independence Bowl. But that should change this year with a healthy and more experienced Jordan Travis. In 2020, he broke Heisman Trophy winner Charlie Wards, FSU QB rushing record with 559 yards, and last season, he ran for 530 yards. He has consistently thrown for over 1,000 yards in each season, eclipsing last year, and will not have to compete for the starting role as Milton has graduated and there are no recruits or transfers pushing him. Losing RB Jashaun Corbin to the NFL hurts, but Treshaun Ward looked like he could easily pick up the 143 touches that Corbin will be leaving behind. We should see Travis throw for close to 1,800 yards and run for over 600 yards this season en route to a bowl appearance for the Noles. (CJ)
Running Backs
Dedrick Parsons (SR transfer – Hawaii) 5-8, 205
Hawaii has had 270 vacated rush attempts leave the team this year. The only remaining player who logged rush attempts for Hawaii in 2021 was Parsons, and he had the most touches at the running back position. Parsons last year averaged 5.3 yards per carry and 10 yards per reception. Given the opportunity with all of the vacated backfield touches, Parsons figures to be used at a high rate this year. He will be facing a Vanderbilt team that was pummeled all year through the ground, allowing an average of 193 rushing yards per game. Parsons may not be a prominent NFL name, but he is going to be fun to watch this week. (Britt)
D.J. Jones (JR – UNC) 5-11, 205
It’s been a rough offseason for the UNC Tar Heels rushing attack, and now it all falls on junior RB D.J. Jones. Last year, the leading rushers for the Tar Heels were Ty Chandler and Sam Howell. Well, both of them are playing in the NFL this season. The next leading rusher was SR RB British Brooks, but he is injured and out for the 2022 season. Behind Jones on the depth chart are two true freshmen because both sophomore RBs Caleb Hood and Elijah Green are out with injuries. So you can see there’s no pressure, right? Jones is no slouch now, either. Coming out of high school, ESPN had him as the 16th best player coming out of North Carolina, and he was seen as a Top 50 RB in the nation. He got little work his freshman year with Michael Carter and Javonte Williams at the helm, and last season he had 253 yards on 60 carries. That’s 4.2 yards per carry which is not bad at all. Add on that in that limited playing time, he also had 12 receptions, and with some added volume, he could be a very productive back on an offense that is known to utilize the RB in all phases of the game. And they may need him because their opponent, Florida A&M, ended 2021 on a 4-game winning streak where their defense allowed an average of only 78 rushing yards to opponents. (CJ)
Wide Receivers
Ja’Mori Maclin (RS-FR – North Texas) 5-11, 185
The last name may sound familiar. That is because Ja’Mori is Jeremy’s little cousin. Well, not so little anymore. Ja’Mori was a 3-star prospect out of Missouri who committed to Mizzou but only played one game his freshman year and had one catch for five yards. He was hurt the next season and did not play and has now transferred to North Texas. We really don’t have much film on him, so the scouts think he plays a lot like his cousin. Not real tall, but he can go up and get those contested balls; not super quick, but he is fast, and he has the ability and body control to create separation. North Texas does return their starting QB, Austin Aune, from last year, who threw for 1,991 yards, and their starting WR Roderic Burns, who literally caught half of those passing yards, but behind Burns, there is plenty of targets and yards to be had, and Ja’Mori could easily fill that role of WR2. Will he be a 1st Round NFL draft pick like his cousin? Too early to tell, but getting off to a nice start against UTEP on Saturday night would be a step in the right direction. (CJ)
Joshua Downs (Jr – North Carolina) 5-10, 165
Josh Downs is a name in Devy circles that has been circulated a lot this off-season. Mostly due to his breakout sophomore year. In that breakout year, Downs had a target share of 19.8-percent yet a receiving yards share of 27.1 percent. His efficiency is also reflected in his 1.89 yards per pass attempt. Downs, still the alpha of the receiving room, will look to start his junior career off with a bang. I’m most excited to see the connection between Maye and Downs grow as the year progresses. (Britt)
Tight Ends
Trent Thompson (SR – UTEP) 6-1, 248
Trent Thompson is a guy who, up until 2020, played Linebacker and Fullback his entire life. Now he is the starting tight end for the UTEP Miners coming off his best collegiate year with nine catches for 133 yards and 4 TDs. The guy who threw every one of those passes to him will be back this season in QB Gavin Hardison, and head coach Dana Dimel has said that “He brings so much to the team and is one of our very, very best players on the team and at his position.” This is coming from the guy who was the TE coach at Arizona in 2007, where a guy named Rob Gronkowski played tight end. No one is saying he is the next Gronk, but at 6’1″ 248 lbs. for a guy who can run and catch as he can, Trent Thompson could be “Smashing” his way to some much better-receiving yards this year. (CJ)
Camren McDonald (R-Sr – FSU) 6-4, 245
The pickings are slim this week, but Camren McDonald is my guy. The reason? He was on the Mackey Award watch list last year. The guy has the size and is one of the most senior players on the team. Usually, that would be a bad thing, but in this case, he may carry the most chemistry with FSU’s QB. (Britt)
Jaleel Skinner (FR – Miami) 6-5, 210
Skinner has only played three games this season and only has two receptions. Those two receptions have averaged 22.5 yards. The reason I am highlighting Skinner is because he is facing the Tarheels, who have, as I mentioned above, an actual turnstile for a defense. Skinner is also extremely athletic. Check out this play. Skinner has shown his ability, now we just have to hope head coach Mario Cristobal chooses to go against his nature and utilize him. (Britt)
Games of the Week
Nebraska vs. Northwestern (-13)
Nebraska ended 2021 on a six-game losing streak, and their last win was on Oct 2nd against Northwestern, which was a 56-7 blowout at home. This time the game won’t be played outside of Chicago; it will be played in Dublin, Ireland! Northwestern also ended the season with a six-game losing streak, and both teams finished their season at 3-9. More than likely that will be Nebraska. Since college football now has “free agency” in essence, they were one of the most aggressive out there. They brought in 22 transfers who had a combined 184 collegiate starts, one of which included Casey Thompson. The former Longhorn QB who led the Big 12 in passing TDs in 2021. On the other sideline, Northwestern did not do much but got worse on a defense that was already ranked 101st in the nation when their 5th-year Senior Linebacker Chris Bergin graduated to the NFL. Bergin led the NCAA in tackles in 2021. I think the 13-point spread may be generous at this point, but we will see if Northwestern can pull a four-leaf clover out of their helmet.
Duquesne vs. Florida State
There has not been a line for this game put out yet. It is one of the only games in Week Zero that does not have one yet. Is that foreshadowing a blowout, or is that a sign that Vegas has no idea how to value this FSU team? I guess we will find out closer to game time. This is FSU head coach Mike Norvell’s third year at the helm, and he has almost as many losses at FSU in two seasons (13) as he did as the head coach at Memphis for four seasons (15). They are also coming off of FSU’s first loss to an FCS team ever when they lost to Jacksonville State in Tallahassee last season. With NIL in full swing, I am not sure how long Norvell will be able to stick around without some proven success. Willie Taggart only got two seasons, so we will see if Norvell stays on through the end of his six-year deal. Duquesne is coming off a 7-3 year with their core offense and defense still in place. But outside of FSU RB Jashaun Corbin leaving for the NFL, FSU also returns most of its core, so this game will basically be FSU’s to lose. This would be a perfect opportunity for Junior QB Jordan Travis to have a breakout game with some crazy stats because it doesn’t get easier next week when the Noles have to travel to the Superdome for what they are calling a “neutral site” game vs. LSU. Our prediction: FSU will be playing backups by halftime.
Hawaii (+8) vs. Vanderbilt
Last year, Hawaii won four out of their six home games. Those four occupied 66 percent of the season wins. Vanderbilt only won two games last year and did little to improve this off-season. Hawaii, a team that was mostly balanced, is likely to lean on the run this matchup, given Vanderbilt allowed an average of 193 rushing yards a game. The game is a late slate 10:30 ET start. This spread to me is ripe to be a leg in a teaser or a parlay.
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