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. TJ Finley to Auburn
One of the biggest stories of the week is whether or not TJ Finley can take the starting gig away from Bo Nix. Outside of size and arm strength Finley hasn’t shown to be a special talent. Finley moving over to Auburn doesn’t really move the needle for me in 2021. In 2022, that might be another story but Finley is a fine prospect with a lot of upside but he’s got a long way to go to reach that potential. After his first start against South Carolina, Finley was barely able to complete 50% of his passes with a 3:4 TD to INT ratio. With a very poor 5.6 YPA to finish out the final four games of his tFR season. Finley isn’t quite the savior that he’s being made out to be. Can he develop into a fine SEC QB, sure, but he’s not the type of QB right now to carry Auburn on his back. Taking the job from a seasoned SEC performer is a big stretch in my mind.
2. Zach Charbonnet
Charbonnet has been one the biggest risers in our recent Devy mock drafts. Slightly perplexing due to the fact that Charbonnet isn’t even going to be the starter in 2021 as it sits today. The veteran back Brittain Brown has been the talk of UCLA Spring Practice. “Brown has clearly benefitted from an off-season at UCLA, looking leaner and quicker than he was a season ago. We didn’t have too many nitpicks with Brown last year, since he did average 6 yards-plus a carry and so many of his runs were stunning. But if we did say there was one element he could improve it would be his quickness and overall speed, and from what we’ve been able to eyeball in spring practice it appears he’s succeeded in improving in that dimension. The fact that he looks a little slimmer and little quicker makes you have to double-take on who he is when watching him in spring practice every so often. We don’t want to raise expectations too much for Brown, and he still doesn’t have NFL-type speed, but he’s looking like a potential pro on Spaulding Field.”
Brown is the back-to-chase in the UCLA backfield especially if you are looking for a cheap college fantasy option for your C2C team. I’ve been down on Charbonnet since his freshman year despite some solid production. His lack of ability to create for himself isn’t ideal for an NFL future and hasn’t displayed much ability in the passing catch to date.
3. Late Freshman QBs in C2C
Behren Morton, Texas Tech: 247’s sixth-rated Pro-Style QB, Morton capped his HS career off with 3,600 Yards and 37 TDs to 6 INTs. Morton adds some rushing upside, he added 127-897-19 as a rusher. Morton will have the chance to be a three to four-year starter in a high-powered fantasy offense.
Donaven McCulley, Indiana: Given a year or two of coaching, I believe McCulley has a really high ceiling. He’s got size, athletic ability, and good arm talent…a lot to like. Michael Penix Jr., most likely only has a year left in Bloomington. Depending on what Jack Tuttle does in 2022 (this would be his 5th year in college), McCulley has an outside chance of being the starting QB. If Tuttle comes back to IU for his 5th year, I would expect him to get the starting nod. McCulley is a great late C2C draft selection. A potential starter as an rFR with a rushing upside.
Clay Millen, Nevada: Millen is a former Arizona Wildcat commit who flipped to Nevada following ‘Zonas coaching change. Due to COVID, Millen was unable to compete as a senior in the state of Washington until this spring. In his junior year of high school, Millen threw for over 3,600 yards and 34 TDs to 1 INTs. Millen is listed at 6’3” but doesn’t stand up straight in the pocket, he kind of hunches over and has a weird throwing motion. Millen has good arm strength and arm talent. Outside of the occasional tuck and run, Millen isn’t a threat with his legs.
With Carson Strong departing following the 2021 season, Millen has the chance to battle for the starting gig in 2022. Millen can be a multi-year starter for a high-powered college offense. Good value in a C2C league. Mullen could develop into a premier G5 QB.
4. UofL Transfers
The Cards grabbed a couple of interesting offensive transfers this cycle.
Luke McCaffrey, QB: McCaffrey finds his way to UofL after a couple of seasons playing for Scott Frost at Nebraska. McCaffrey was one of Nebraska’s leading rushers in 2020 and brings an interesting dynamic to Louisville. He leaves a lot to be desired as a passer but his rushing ability is top-notch for a QB. Once Malik Cunningham departs after 2021, McCaffrey looks to have first dibs on the starting spot. His rushing ability alone makes an intriguing C2C stash.
Shai Werts, WR: Werts leaves Georgia Southern as a 3,000-yard rusher and passer. He’s making the transition from quarterback to receiver for the 2021 season in hopes of having an NFL career. “As a quarterback, you get a pretty good feel for where you want your guys to be within those routes,” Satterfield said. “I think that helps you when you start running routes as a receiver. He’s just got to refine route running. Understanding blocking assignments is probably the biggest thing for him. As the quarterback, he didn’t have to go out there and block anybody, so that’s a new mentality that you got to get…again, he’s still learning, and I’m glad we got four or five more months before we start practicing. But I think he’ll be a guy that gives us depth at the receiver room, and we need it.” Werts could develop into a very sneaky 2022 late rookie pick if he can catch onto the position. He’s already displayed good athletic ability that he now just has to adapt to the wideout position.
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. West Virginia snagged a major steal in Kaden Prather. He’s already made a splash in WVU Spring Practice after sitting out his senior year due to the state of Maryland canceling fall sports. As a junior in 2019, Prather hauled in 42-895-9 (21.3 YPC). Prather capped off a good spring with 3-62 in the Mountaineers Spring Game.
Listed at 6’4” and 209lbs, Prather already has a great build for a tFR receiver. Can easily grow to 215-220lbs even if that 209lbs listing is slightly inflated at the moment. As a big-bodied receiver, Prather has the skill to win on the outside and in red-zone situations. Shows above-average overall speed with good acceleration. Not sure that Prather has the speed to win deep in college, but his contested catch abilities will allow him to win vertically. He’s got the makings of a future alpha receiver for Neal Brown and the Mountaineers.
In a recent C2C supplemental draft (incoming freshman and free agents from the prior year, FA pool was much larger than normal due to the league taking a hiatus in 2020 with no waivers or trades all year) I grabbed Prather in the 7th round. In a normal year with fewer free agents in our pool, he would have been a third or fourth-round selection so grabbing him in the 7th was delightful. No WVU receiver has caught more than 700 yards over the last two seasons. So his ceiling in the Campus portion of C2C might be capped by WVU’s offensive approach.
