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. Jameson Williams
Exactly what the college football world wanted…more talent for the talent-deprived Crimson Tide. Alabama adds Jameson Williams formerly of the Ohio State Buckeyes. Williams was rumored to be the fastest Buckeye on the entire roster. He holds the Missouri state record for the 300-meter hurdles. Williams brings an element of speed plus college experience that I don’t think Alabama already has on its roster. tFR Christian Leary might give Williams a run for his money speed-wise, but Williams has two years of college experience and started the entire 2020 season. Williams didn’t produce much due to being overshadowed by Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave in 2020, but don’t get it twisted, Williams is talented. I would expect Williams to be heavily involved in Alabama’s receiver rotation in 2021. Williams will be able to step right in and become a field stretcher along with John Metchie. Alabama is bringing in a lot of talented freshmen receivers, but they are still freshmen. Outside of Agiye Hall, I wouldn’t be surprised if no other tFR made a major impact in 2021 due to veterans like John Metchie and Jameson Williams along with a group of talented second-year receivers that the Devy world is just skipping over due to the shiny new toys that are the freshmen.
2. 2022 1st Round QBs
2022 NFL Mock Drafts are firing off everywhere and the QBs being selected in the first round are after interesting. Guys like Spencer Rattler, Sam Howell, Carson Strong, and JT Daniels are all understandable names being linked to the first round but there’s a few head-scratchers.
Malik Willis, Liberty: The top five overall draft hype is too rich for my blood, but it’s not out of the question that Willis ends up in the first round. He has traits that NFL scouts will fall in love with during the draft process. His rushing ability is among the best in all of college football. When I take a step back and compare Willis to Lamar Jackson at the same time in their careers I don’t think Willis is too far off from Lamar. I think he’s a step below Lamar as a rusher but as passers they are comparable. Originally I was totally against Willis in the first but I’m opening up to what the NFL is seeing. Especially when I look at how Willis stacks up to a college Lamar Jackson as a passer and rusher.
Phil Jurkovec, Boston College: He’s got the size and arm strength that NFL teams will love but the rest of his game is lacking. Jurkovec produces 4-5 highlight-reel plays a game but the 8-10 plays between each highlight are bad. Could an NFL team fall in love with Jurkovec and take him in the first round, sure, but they won’t be happy with that decision in a few years. Jurkovec has some good mobility in the pocket and is incredibly difficult to sack but his rushing upside is very limited.
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati: Ridder has great rushing ability but is severely lacking as a passer. Accuracy and decision-making are just not good enough to be a first-rounder for me. Ridder had the chance to seal the deal and win the Sugar Bowl for the Bearcats. On 4th down, he had a wide-open receiver. I mean nobody within 10 yards of him wide open, but his pass was so inaccurately thrown it allowed the defenders to make up 10 yards and break up the pass costing the Bearcats the game. Ridder is a comparable rusher to Willis, but Willis is a much more advanced passer between the two. Ridder’s numbers under pressure over the last two years have been near the bottom in the nation for both years. Out of 113 QBs in 2020 that attempted at least 30 passes under pressure, Ridder ranked 108th in the country in ANY/A. His 29.3% completion rate under pressure also ranked 108th.
The NFL is all about drafting upside, so I can see why these QBs are getting mocked in the first. But what are the odds that they actually meet their upside? The NFL has wasted too much premium draft capital on QBs that had no business being first-round picks (Christian Ponder, EJ Manual, and Jake Locker for example).
3. Impact JUCO Players
Let’s take a look at some incoming JUCO transfers with the potential to make an impact in 2021. The canceled JUCO Fall season really appears to have limited the number of JUCO signees.
Tiyon Evans, RB, Tennessee: Evans was the top-rated JUCO back and a top 3 overall prospect. Listed at 5’11” and 220lbs, Evans is a hoss of a back. Following Spring Practice Evans appears to be in the running for the starting RB job despite missing some time with an ankle injury. Big powerful back but still nimble. Ran a 11.06 100-meter in high school. His combination of power and speed could lead to a breakout year in 2021.
Qua Davis, WR, Ole Miss: Davis played a lot of running back in high school rushing for over 3,700 yards and it shows in his play as a receiver. Davis is BMI’d up at 6’1 and 210lbs. The JUCO product has already made a name for himself in Spring ball. “Itawamba CC Qua Davis made his presence known immediately when he caught a screen pass and took it 54 yards while breaking four tackles on his way to the red zone. I watched a lot of film on Qua coming out of juco and the first thing that jumped out at me was how many tackles he could break and make you miss. Reminded me of another Ole Miss receiver, AJ Brown. No, I’m not predicting Qua is the next AJ, but he sure does have a lot of the same characteristics as AJ.” Davis was running with the 1s at some points during Spring Practice. If Davis stays with the 1st he’ll be a great late C2C add.
CJ Moore, WR, Washington State: Moore is a former 4-star who signed with Oklahoma State with minimal playing time as a Cowboy. Listed at 6’4” and 180lbs, Moore has ideal size for an outside receiver. WSU lists Moore as a rJR so he’ll have two years of potential production for the Cougars.
Jarren Williams, QB, USF: Former Miami Hurricane had some success as the ‘Canes starting QB in 2019. Williams split first-team reps in Spring ball with UNC transfer Cade Fortin. Williams has the potential to be a solid AAC starting QB and give USF a more steady QB production in 2021. I was very high on Williams coming out of high school but hasn’t quite lived up to expectations yet.
4. Cole Turner
Turner made the switch from receiver to tight end for the 2020 season. This move paid off in a big way. Prior to 2020, Turner totaled 6-88-1 through two years. In 2020 he blew up with 49-605-9, becoming Carson Strong’s favorite red zone target. Listed at 6’6” and 240lbs, Turner has the build of a big receiver. He’s a great contested catcher and red zone target. Turner averaged just over 18 fantasy points in 2020. This should make him one of the top TE options in C2C leagues but he’s being drafted as the TE13 and 169th overall. In the couple of CFF mocks that I’ve participated in, Turner is being drafted as the TE1. Giving you amazing value in C2C leagues. He’s a must draft in any of my C2C startups this offseason. I already grabbed him in the 14th round in one startup this Spring. Not only does Turner give you elite football fantasy production he’s also got the potential to be a top 5 TE selected in next year’s NFL Draft.
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. Incoming Hoosier QB Donaven McCulley. McCulley had a good senior year in 2020. Completing over 70% of his passes for 22 TDs and 4 INTs and tacking on 500 yards as a rusher. McCulley plays against the best talent that Indiana has to offer. He’s got a tall and lanky build. McCully has a ton of run to grow and add strength. The future Hoosier has good running ability, and I think it’ll only get better as he gets in a weight room and bulks up. McCulley has a nice, quick release. He shows good touch on his intermediate to deep passes.
“We saw that natural, quick release that you just can’t coach,” Head Coach Tom Allen said. “He’s a 6-4, 6-5 guy, and he was long and lean as a younger player, but it was just the physical part, you watch, and you see how effortlessly he throws the football, and you just knew he was going to get better and better, and he did.”
I don’t believe I’ve seen McCulley’s name uttered once among the Devy community. This is very surprising with his talent. Given a year or two of coaching, I believe McCulley has a really high ceiling. He’s got size, athletic ability, and a good arm not much to not like. Michael Penix Jr., most likely only has a year left in Bloomington. Depending 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 a rFR with rushing upside.
