We’ve had several requests to cover more G5 prospects. This is part two of a four-part series on incoming G5 recruits. I’ll do some breakdowns on the top 20 recruits to sign at each offensive skill position. I’ll gauge how much value each prospect has for College Fantasy owners as well as Devy owners.
The below table is sorted by 247Sports Composite ranks. The CFF and Devy columns are my attempt to gauge the value of each prospect on a 1-5 scale.
Lamy Constant, Toledo:
Toledo added to their already stacked backfield by signing the top-rated G5 RB recruit. Constant was a one-time West Virginia commit but backed out after some issues with the Mountaineers. Constant had a very lackluster senior year, playing in seven games rushing for 422 yards and four touchdowns. There were rumors that he had some off the field issues leading to missing games and splitting carries. Listed by Toledo as 6’ and 180lbs, Constant still has a lot of room to fill out his frame. Shows above-average speed and can be a shifty runner. An upright running style that will need some adjustment in college. Lacks pass-catching opportunities thus far. The Veteran heavy running back room will make it tough to see early playing time. Toledo also signed Micah Kelly last year, one of the top players regardless of position to sign in the MAC.
Nathaniel Jones, New Mexico:
Another heavily recruited P5 recruit finds his way to the G5 level. Jones was a long-time UCLA commit before flipping to New Mexico during the second signing period. Jones was a one-time promising recruit before tearing his ACL prior to his junior year. He rushed for 600 yards as a senior while getting back into shape after his knee injury. Jones comes into New Mexico at 5’11” and 215lbs, and he looks like a bowling ball on the field. Shows average speed with a good burst. Downhill between the tackles runner. Has some college fantasy value with the potential of being a three-year starter for the Lobos.
Jordon Ingram, Central Michigan:
Ingram was recruited at a number of positions, linebacker, athlete, and running back. Central Michigan plans to deploy Ingram at the running back position. He was a very late signee, who didn’t join the class until early March. Rushing for nearly 1,400 yards and 18 TDs, his high school coaches claim he was the best back in the state of Alabama as a senior. Claiming offers from ACC and SEC schools, Ingram appears to be a possible academic casualty that made him dip down to the G5 level. Big-bodied downhill runner. Has great size for a running back and above-average straight-line speed, lacks lateral quickness. Potential multi-year starter.
John Gentry, Utah State:
Recruiting indecisiveness must run in the water at North Shore. Zach Evans has had one of the most bizarre recruitments in recent memory, but his backup, John Gentry, has had as much drama on a much smaller scale. Gentry committed to two different P5 schools before ultimately signing with Utah State. Gentry made the All-District team as a running back and wide receiver during his high school career, tallying 3,586 all-purpose yards and 48 TDs in his career. He’s also clocked a 4.56 40 along with a 10.86 100 meter. Versatile player that had to adapt to flexing out wide to see playing time while five-star Zachary Evans collected the bulk of carries. Gentry’s pass-catching ability gives him the most upside of any back on this list to this point.
Elijah Turner, Charlotte:
Despite a very late official visit to the USC Trojans (no official offer), Turner signed with Charlotte. Turner is an impressive runner from Buford Georgia where he attended a heavily recruited high school that has sent numerous backs to FBS schools, so his signing with Charlotte is a surprise. Rushed for nearly 800 yards as a senior while he battled injuries. He possesses decent size with ample room to grow. A very fluid runner with good speed. Shows the ability to be an asset in the passing game. I like what I see from Turner, he can develop into a premier G5 RB.
Kimani Vidal, Troy:
Claiming ACC and SEC offers, Vidal signs with Troy. He was part of a loaded Marietta, Georgia football team that had freak TE Arik Gilbert. On their way to a state championship, Vidal was the MVP of the state title game and capped off a 1,600-yard, 24 TD season, while adding 25 receptions for almost 400 yards. Listed at 5’7” by 247Sports, this had to stunt his ability to go P5. Vidal is a small, shifty runner, with above-average speed but lacks top-end speed. A tough runner that plays physical beyond his size. An asset in the passing game that will give him good college fantasy value. Future All Sun-Belt performer.
Eric Wilson, Florida International:
Very early in Wilson’s recruitment, he was considered a borderline four-star recruit. His ranking slowly dipped over the last year and a half of his recruitment. Eventually signing with FIU and he expects to be in good shape for carries in 2020. On the smaller side, he needs to bulk up a bit to handle a college workload. A fluid runner with good speed. An asset in the passing game. Wilson will have the opportunity to make an impact this year. Multi-year starter potential with pass-catching upside.
Stacy Sneed, Houston:
Like many other backs on this list, Stacy was once committed to a P5 school. He was a Colorado commit until backing out upon the commit of 4-star running back Ashaad Clayton. Sneed had a monster junior year that saw him gain 1,700 all-purpose yards while averaging nearly 11 yards per carry and almost 20 yards per receptions. His numbers as a senior were slightly down due to playing some quarterback as well. He ended his high school career with 53 catches for almost 1,000 yards. Big play threat with great speed. Has the ability to influence the game as a running back or flexing out wide. Natural pass-catcher, wouldn’t surprise if he was a full-time receiver at some point.
Frank Gore Jr., Southern Mississippi:
The son of a future NFL Hall of Famer finds his way to Southern Mississippi after being a long-time FAU commit. As a senior, the younger Gore rushed for over 1,100 yards on nearly 10 yards per carry with 13 TDs. Gore is severely undersized, listed at 5’8” and 170lbs (more than likely smaller than his list measurements). Gore is quicker than he is fast, he has slightly above-average speed. Shows good laterally quickness and fluidness. Potential starter down the road but nothing too special outside of his name.
Kejon Owens, Florida International:
Another undersized back, listed at 5’9” and 165lbs. Owens signed with FIU with very little information on his recruitment and final year of high school stats. Quicker than fast, with average speed. Good laterally quickness. Runs with good vision. Future contributor for the Panthers.
JJ Davis, Marshall:
Davis signed with the Thundering Herd after being expected to go to West Virginia but academics held up his commitment. During his senior year, he ran for nearly 2,000 yards and 26 TDs. Above-average speed, claims a 4.51 40-yard dash. Lacks burst and explosion, takes a bit to build up to full speed. Tough runner shows the ability to fight through defenders. Potential of being a solid contributor for Marshall in a few years.
Jevyon Ducker, Northern Illinois:
The Nebraska native finds his way to Northern Illinois. He had a monstrous senior season, rushed for 2,448 yards and 44 TDs, and caught 25 passes for over 300 yards. Outside of the poor competition, it’s hard to see why Ducker is ranked so low. Shows above-average speed with good lateral quickness. An asset in the passing game. Shows toughness and ability to break tackles. Ducker should have a very high ceiling for college fantasy and can develop into a dynamic runner with good pass-catching ability.
Rahjai Harris, East Carolina:
Harris finds his way to ECU after a 1,445 yard and 21 TDs during his senior season, he also caught at least 17 balls his final three years of high school. He had nearly 4,300 all-purpose yards in his high school career along with 55 total TDs. Big-bodied back, listed at over 200lbs already. Short and compact build. Downhill between the tackles runner with average speed. A powerful runner with a head of steam behind him. Shows the potential to be a pass-catcher in college. Potential multi-year starter for the Pirates. [EDITOR’S NOTE: Former Arkansas RB Chase Hayden signed with ECU since this article was written]
Kenny Tracy, Miami-OH:
The Redhawks made their way over to Indianapolis to grab a versatile all-purpose back. Tracy rushed for just over 1,000 yards after having over 1,400 as a junior. He hauled in over 500 receiving yards in back-to-back seasons. Tracy lined up in a number of different roles in high school. Playing running back, wide receiver, and defensive back as well. Tracy severely lacks the speed or he’s just running at half speed in all of his clips. Outside of some pass-catching ability, not much to like here.
Emani Bailey, ULL:
Bailey had a really big senior season that saw him rise up the 247Sports ranks (but his composite rank stayed low due to other sites not bumping him up). Playing against some of Texas’s best teams he racked up 1,700 yards 24 TDs and 21 receptions for 262 yards. Bailey runs with a good burst and shows the ability to be a big-play threat. He’s also shown the ability to be an asset in the pass-catching game. The Ragin’ Cajuns have shown an impressive rushing attack over the past couple of years, and Bailey has the chance to add to that. Potential multi-year starter.
DJ Smith, Eastern Michigan:
Smith originally signed with San Jose State during the 2019 cycle but backed out of his NLI and sat out the 2019 season. Only rushed for a 1,000 yards over his last two years of high school ball but tallied 3,100 all-purpose yards over four years. Smith can get up and move. He’s one of the fastest players on this list, if not the fastest so far. Quick, fluid, and good lateral movement ability. Surprising that the best he could do was San Jose State and Eastern Michigan, coming out of high school. It will be interesting to see how he looks after sitting out a year of football.
Quadre Nicholson, Miami-OH:
Nicholson owned offers from ACC and Big-10 schools but ended up signing with Miami-OH. Average speed and burst but runs tough. Good size with some room to grow. Not much to be excited about.
Nathaniel Noel, App. State:
Noel averaged 12.5 yards per carry as a senior on his way to 1,556 yards and 26 TDs. Noel played at Miami Northwestern, one of the top college producing schools in southern Florida, playing against top talent. Possesses great straight-line speed with good acceleration. Very thin, built like a track runner (4X100 opening leg state champion). Potential to be a true game-breaker but doesn’t possess a lot else in his game at this point.
Harlan Dixon, Louisiana Tech:
Dixon ended his high school career with back-to-back 1,400 rushing yard seasons. As a junior, he hauled in 37 passes for 708 yards, and as a senior, he caught another 45 balls for 588 yards. He totaled over 2,000 all-purpose in both years. Clearly, by his stats, Dixon is a great pass-catching asset. Able to line up out wide and run good routes. Above-average to good speed, ability to break off long runs. Another guy that I am genuinely surprised by the low offers and low rankings. Dixon has a big upside in college fantasy with his pass-catching ability. Wouldn’t surprise me to see him having a role in 2020 for the Bulldogs.
Elelyon Noa, Utah State:
Even if Noa doesn’t do much in college, at least he can hang his hat on breaking Reggie Bush’s rushing record for Helix High School. He rushed for over 5,800 yards in his career, which includes just six games as a senior due to injuries. As a junior, he averaged over 200 yards per game on his way to 2,300 yards. He picked Utah State over Boise State where his older brother plays. He’s the second Utah State player to make this list, Noa will have a tough time battling Gentry for the starting gig over his career. Noa has good size, average speed, and lacks long speed. Tough, downhill between the tackles runner. Much different style than Gentry but has his own niche to get on the field.
Johnny Richardson, Central Florida:
Richardson finished as 247sports’ 12th ranked All-Purpose Back and the highest on this list but was ranked considerably lower by the 247Composite rankings. Richardson has a 10.8 100-meter dash time on his record. As a senior, he rushed for 2,681 yards on over 13 yards per carry and 34 TDs. He ended his high school career averaging over 10 yards per carry. Richardson is a blazer, he’s a touchdown waiting to happen. Has the makings of another Adrain Killins for the Knights. Thin frame with not a lot of physicality in his running style.
