Welcome to “I Got 5 On It.” Each week, I’ll pick five news-worthy subjects based around college football to cover. Topics will range from views on Devy prospects, general college football talk, interesting stats, and a little bit of hip-hop music (mostly 90s rap).
1. Tennessee Freshman WR Class
“They’re very talented,” Chaney said. “They’ll go fast, man. They might go the wrong way fast, and that creates some problems, but they’re going fast on the football field. I’m very pleased with the kids that we brought in here as young wide receivers. I think they’re gonna be just fine. I think you’ll see ‘em on the football field helping us quite a bit.” A recent quote from Tennessee OC on the Vols freshman receivers.
Malachi Wideman:
Wideman is the highest-ranked of the new WR trio. The 4-star and borderline top-100 prospect has a very high ceiling. He’s a former Florida State commit, ironically enough he gives me some Tamorrion Terry vibes from his game. He’s big, athletic, and very raw. He’s listed as 6’4” and 195 lbs, and his size greatly aids him on the field. Wideman is considered a blue-chip basketball recruit as well. He plans to play both sports in college, which could be a slight hindrance to his football development. It’s also a bigger concern since he’s very raw as a receiver. On the field, he has tremendous size and athletic ability. He can out-leap high school defenders and dominate 50/50 balls. Recently, he had a 4 TD performance in a scrimmage for the Vols.
Jalin Hyatt:
Hyatt is a pure burner. Clocking a 4.31 40-yard back in 2018 along with a 10.4 100-meter time. The South Carolina native is coming off back-to-back 1,300+ yards and 20+ TD seasons, while averaging just a tick under 20 yards per catch over that two-year span. Hyatt has the potential to be an instant impact player this fall. He’s rumored to be among the starting three receivers at this point. His speed will add a much-needed dimension to the Vols offense in 2020.
Jimmy Calloway:
Calloway is another speedster added to this unit. Claiming a 10.7 100-meter time. As a senior, Calloway was mainly a wildcat QB for his high school team. He’ll have a bit of a transition to being a full-time receiver as he enters college. Calloway will be able to add some big-play ability and yards after catch skills to the Vols receiving unit.
2. Don’t forget about Kyren Williams
Williams is a former 4-star prospect that saw action in just four games in 2019. Williams is a big-time high school producer. During his senior year, Williams tallied 2,035 rushing yards, 725 receiving yards, and 40 total touchdowns in 2018. Responsible for 354 total yards, including a state championship game record 289 yards rushing, in the state final victory. The redshirt freshman had over 50 receptions in each of his last two seasons in high school. Williams is a great pass-catcher and has the skill set to flex out wide and run routes as a receiver. It would not surprise me to see Williams as the RB1 this fall. While people will be drafting Jafar Armstrong and Chris Tyree in college fantasy drafts, I would be willing to bet that Williams ends the season as the top fantasy producer for the Irish backs. “Kyren Williams has really emerged and someone who has gained an advantage as the top back.” – Brian Kelly. The previous quote came after I wrote the above section so it’s pretty clear Williams is now the man in South Bend. He’s still got four years of eligibility if he’s somehow not owned in your college fantasy league, add him.
3. Pittsburgh impact freshman
The Pitt Panthers welcome in a couple of potential instant impact freshmen this fall. Pitt hasn’t been a Devy hotbed over recent years but Jordan Addison and Israel Abanikanda will be talked about for the next three to four years in the Devy community.
Jordan Addison, WR:
Addison was a four-star athlete with the potential to be an impact defensive back. Addison clocked a 4.51 40-yard dash in the spring of 2019. As a senior, Addison caught 25 balls for 544 yards (21.8 YPC) and 8 TDs. Addison plays faster than his 4.51 time, I’d expect that time to be in the 4.4 range by time he gets to the NFL Combine after some time in a proper college strength program. If Addison isn’t able to crack the field on offense, I would be certain he’s a return man at the least. He appears to be an excellent kickoff returner. He even lined up and played some running back as a senior. Addison is a versatile and fast player. He’s very explosive. I see a great YAC receiver and a deep threat for the Panthers. Addison is a playmaker, and you just need to get the ball in his hands, whether he’s receiving, taking a handoff, or as a return man. I’ll fully admit, I’m late to the Addison party. He’s more than likely still available in your Devy league and like me, you’ll have to grab him next spring.
Israel Abanikanda, RB:
The New York native is a four-star and a top-15 All-Purpose Back recruit. As a senior, Abanikanda rushed for over 1,300 yards and 20 TDs. Despite being listed as an APB, Abanikanda doesn’t have a lot of pass-catching on his high school resume. Like Addison, Abanikanda ran a 4.51 40-yard dash in the spring of 2019. Both will be bringing a new speed element to the Panthers. If Abanikanda’s date of birth is correct on his Pitt bio page, he won’t turn 18 until early this October. While he and Addison clocked the same 40 times, Addison appears to be a touch faster on film. Abanikanda does still have good speed, but unlike a lot of speed backs, he loves to run between the tackles. He’s more of a downhill runner who doesn’t try to bounce it outside too often. Like his teammate Addison, Abanikanda shows the potential to be a good returner as well.
Both prospects will be big-play threats in the Pitt offense when they see the field. When both players are entering their third years on campus, Pitt could have a sneaky good offense.
4. Danny Gray
Dykes on speedy WR Danny Gray: “Everybody pretty quickly is going to know who Danny Gray is.” Sonny Dykes just called WR Danny Gray “probably the fastest player I’ve seen week in and week out.” Those are a couple of recent quotes on JUCO transfer Danny Gray. Gray looks to have immediate playing time for SMU. During Gray’s final year of JUCO, he hauled in 54/877/8 before signing with SMU over TCU. The Blinn College transfer was a monster at getting YAC and taking line of scrimmage passes to the house. He’s a big play threat from all three levels of the field. While Gray will get a lot of touches at and around the LOS, he can also vertical-stretch a defense. Gray looks to be the next JUCO transfer to take over the AAC. I can see the Mustangs working Gray in a big way this fall.
5. SMU -21.5
I’m eating the points with a potential high-scoring SMU offense. SMU was top 10 in yards per game and points scored in 2019. While Texas State was in the bottom 10 in each category. I don’t see a vastly improved Texas State that will be able to hang with Shane Buechele and the rest of the Mustangs offense. Buechele had a big first year in the AAC, another year of development I see SMU rolling week 1 over Texas State.
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