Welcome to “I Got 5 On It”, each week I’ll be picking five news-worthy subjects based around college football to cover. Ranging from views on Devy prospects, general college football talk, interesting stats, and a little bit of hip-hop music mixed in now and then.
1. Kaleb Eleby
You might be asking who? Eleby just completed his redshirt sophomore season for Western Michigan. He was among the most efficient QBs in the nation for the 2020 season. Eleby was a 3-star recruit out of Missouri picking WMU over offers from Arkansas State, Ball State, and Illinois among others. He played in the final five games of 2018 after WMUs starting QB went out for the season. As a true freshman, he completed 62% of his passes along with 7.4 Yards Per Attempt in that five-game stretch. Eleby didn’t see any action in 2019 and redshirted behind a healthy Jon Wassink.
Eleby took over the reins at WMU in 2020. He finished second in the nation, only behind Mac Jones, in ANY/A (Adjust Net Yards Per Passing Attempt). This is a stat that I began tracking for college quarterbacks this season. Over the past two seasons, only Tua (12.6) and Mac Jones (12.18) have scored higher than Eleby’s (12.06). His 11.1 Yards Per Attempt was once again only second to Alabama’s Mac Jones. PFF graded Eleby as the 8th best QB (in just the passing category). Eleby completed 64% of his passes with an 18:2 TD to INT ratio. WMU only played in six games due to the shortened MAC season. So Eleby’s efficiency numbers are in a pretty small sample compared to guys like Mac Jones, Zach Wilson, or even Tua’s 2019 season who all played in 12 games or more. And all faced much better competition as well.
Eleby is on the shorter side. Listed at 6’1″, it wouldn’t be a shock if he was sub-6-foot. He’s got a stocky build for his height. Eleby is limited with his mobility. He won’t be much of a threat at all with his legs for fantasy purposes. While he might not be able to run, he sure doesn’t lack arm talent. Eleby throws one of the more pretty balls in the nation. Throws an incredibly tight spiral that gets to his receivers on a rope. He has borderline elite arm strength but needs to learn when to take some heat off his passes. Eleby throws a very accurate deep ball. More times than not gives his receivers a chance to haul in the pass. Eleby struggled when pressured. He was among the bottom third in the nation when pressured (adjusted completion percent and QB rating). Eleby shredded the MAC in 2020, but it’s only the MAC. While he’s very impressive on film, I want to see him do it against some better competition. Eleby is a very intriguing name to monitor this coming season.
2. Kevin Harris
Harris just completed one of the most impressive 2020 seasons that nobody is really talking about. He signed with the Gamecocks as a 3-star and the 60th rated back in his class. He was coming off back-to-back 1,600+ rushing seasons in high school before enrolling at South Carolina. Harris tallied 200 total yards and 4 TDs as a true freshman in 2019. After a preseason injury to Marshawn Lloyd, Harris grabbed the starting role for 2020. Harris accounted for 36.5% of the ‘Cocks total offensive yards and ended the year with a 45.9% Dominator Rating. Harris was among the leaders in the nation with 612 yards after contact and avoided 37 tackles on the season. At 225lbs, Harris cranked off 15 rushes of over 15 yards or more on the year. The sophomore hauled in 21 receptions in 10 games and totaled just a hair under 1,300 yards and 15 total TDs.
Harris is built like a tank. At 5’11” and 225lbs, Harris will be BMI’d up. Harris runs with a low center of gravity and is a handful to bring down on the first contact. Harris has good speed and has a great burst for a man of his size. Harris is a player that’s just scratching the surface at this point. Not sure Harris can keep up the same production in 2021 with MarShawn Lloyd expected back healthy. While Harris should still be the RB1, Lloyd will force the South Carolina staff to split up the workload.
I currently rank Harris as my 15th overall Devy prospect, as we say goodbye to the class of 2021 now. Look for Harris to skyrocket up rankings as more people start to dig into him. I would expect Harris to have a lofty ranking in the 2021 Devy Watch Guide. People will catch on then.
3. Transfer Portal Madness
The regular season ended barely a month ago and the Transfer Portal has been utter madness. So who are some potential impact transfers that have landed to this point. I’ll talk WRs and TEs this week after discussing QBs and RBs last week.
WR:
Wan’Dale Robinson, Nebraska to Kentucky: With a new revamped UK offense, Robinson is a pretty intriguing fantasy option. His versatility as a pass-catcher and rusher already piqued my interest. The downside with Robinson and UK is the lack of a QB right now. I imagine they have to be looking in the portal if they are bringing in a more open pass-oriented offense (compared to prior years).
Mookie Cooper, Ohio State to Missouri: The Buckeyes signed a monster WR class in 2020. Cooper was always the odd man out compared to prospects like Julian Fleming, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and Gee Scott Jr. So his transfer following one year on campus wasn’t a big shock. Cooper hasn’t played ball in two years due to HS transfer rules forcing him to sit out his senior year. Cooper is short but has a thick build. He’s a great getter of yards after the catch. He can be an immediate impact player for the Tigers. Will be utilized in the short and intermediate passing game.
Charleston Rambo, Oklahoma to Miami: While Rambo had a pretty disappointing 2020 compared to expectations, he’s still an upgrade to the Canes receiving room. In 2019, with Jalen Hurts at the helm. Rambo hauled in 43-743-5 and followed that up with a subpar 25-312-3 in 2020. With a healthy D’Eriq King, Rambo can add a new element to the Canes passing game.
Ahmarean Brown, Georgia Tech to South Carolina: Brown had an impressive true freshman season in 2018. He hauled in 21-396-7 but that dropped in 2020 11-183-1. That was only good for 5th on the Yellow Jackets. Brown never seemed to gel with new QB Jeff Sims. Brown adds some speed to the ‘Cocks receiving core. Not sure if we see improved QB play from South Carolina, but Brown gives the new QB a deep threat in 2021.
Keeping an eye on: Jahcour Pearson to Ole Miss, Pearson had a big 2019 for WKU (76-804-7). The Rebs are losing a lot of receiving production, look for Pearson to slide into a starting role quickly. A pass-heavy offense gives Pearson fantasy upside… Nykeim Johnson to Kent State, while Johnson doesn’t have much NFL upside due to his size, he has elite speed and is a great deep threat. Dustin Crum and Johnson will tear apart MAC defenses in 2021. Johnson might be a top add for C2C leagues… Andrew Parchment to Florida State, much like Pearson, Parchment managed a big 2019. As a Jayhawk, Parchment hauled in 65-831-7 from 2019. FSU needs a veteran presence in the receiving core, Parchment can be a steady contributor for the Noles…Shamar Nash to Memphis, two years at Arkansas resulted in no stats for Nash. A fresh start in Memphis could give the former IMG Academy player his chance to shine. 6’3” and 215lbs, Nash has the chance to be the next Memphis WR darling…Tyrell Shavers to San Diego State, why? Because I can’t quit Shavers. I’ll hold out hope for one more year for Shavers. Could have some nice nights against MWC defenders on SDSU play-action deep ball throws…Dylan Wright to Minnesota, Wright was a 4-star recruit from just one cycle ago. The former Aggie is a big-bodied and outside receiver who can make an immediate impact for the Gophers… DJ Matthews to Indiana, I can see Matthews taking over the Whop Philyor role in 2021. Matthews is a bit smaller and shiftier than Philyor. Matthews presents some fantasy upside.
4. Transfer Portal Madness
The regular season ended barely a month ago and the Transfer Portal has been utter madness. So who are some potential impact transfers that have landed to this point. I’ll talk WRs and TEs this week after discussing QBs and RBs last week.
TE:
Jalin Conyers, Oklahoma to Arizona State: Conyers was a big recruit in the 2020 recruiting class. After just one year at OU, he found a new home. Conyers is an elite pass-catching TE. He was even listed as a WR on OUs roster in 2020. Another young and big option for Jayden Daniels.
Grant Calcaterra, Auburn(ish) to SMU: The former OU Sooner was forced to medically retire in late 2019. Earlier in 2020, Calcaterra decided to give football one last shot and committed to the Auburn Tigers. Well, a coaching change later, Calcaterra finds his way to SMU. The playmaking TE reunites with his former OU teammate Tanner Mordecai. If Calcaterra is anywhere near his former self, the veteran TE can be an elite fantasy producer for the TE spot.
5. Freshman Spotlight
Moving forward until next fall, when we have some game action again, I’ll be highlighting an incoming freshman each week in the 5 spot. This week I’ll be discussing Alabama receiver signee Jojo Earle.
Earle comes from Aledo, Texas, the same high school as sophomore running back Jase McClellan of the Tide. Recently, Earle just topped off his high school career with Aledo’s third straight Texas 5A State Title. In this game, Earle caught six passes for 133 yards and a TD. He added another 91 yards on 12 carries. I can’t find complete senior year stats for Earle just yet, but as a junior in 2019 he tallied 84-1601-15 through the air and added 57-429-11 as a rusher. Earle is listed at 5’9.5” so odds are he’s even smaller than that unfortunately and only weighs in at 170lbs as well. Both numbers appear to be from March of 2019, so fingers crossed that Earle has added some good weight to his frame. Earle projects as a future slot receiver for the Tide. He has tremendous ability after the catch to create for himself. I would expect him to be used a lot in the short and intermediate passing attack to utilize his YAC skills. Earle is explosive off the line of scrimmage, he’s able to gain early separation from his defender. The future Crimson Tide receiver is able to change directions and evade defenders without losing his speed.
Earle’s NFL projection is a bit cloudy due to his size, but that won’t stop him from being a dynamic SEC receiver. Earle could be a better C2C selection than just in a pure Devy league. He’s got the chance to be a good college fantasy producer attached to an explosive Alabama offense with top-notch QB and offensive line play.
