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. Arik Gilbert
Finds his way to Athens, Georgia, the home of wasted talent. No coach gets less out of his talent than Kirby Smart. Gilbert claims he’s going to UGA as a receiver, I’ll believe it when I see it, but ultimately his NFL future is in a TE role. The lone bright spot of Gilbert to UGA is to quiet down the Darnell Washington truthers. There’s really no comparison between the two talent-wise despite people claiming that Washington is the TE1 in the 2023 class (LOL!). Over the last two seasons, UGA’s TE1 only managed to haul in a total of 20 passes. This is a really uninspiring landing spot for Gilbert compared to the alternatives of a Florida or LSU who both are willing to heavily use a TE in the passing game. Gilbert is still my TE1 for now, but Michael Mayer is chomping at his feet. Mayer is going to be the focal point of the Irish passing game this fall and will have his talents fully on display in a TE-friendly offense.
2. Keilan Robinson
Robinson signed with Alabama as a top 15 composite back in the 2019 class. He saw limited action in 2019 rushing for over 250 yards but sat out the 2020 season. Robinson is a compact back, listed at 5’9” and around the 200lbs mark. Robinson was always an odd fit for the Crimson Tide. Not many backs of his stature and playing style have excelled under Saban so far. Robinson fits the mold of a jitter-bug back with a good ability to contribute in the passing game. Far from the mold of traditional Alabama backs like Mark Ingram, Derrick Henry, or Najee Harris. He received some great praise this spring from Coach Saban “He’s doing great,” Saban said. “He’s got great speed. He’s gotten bigger and stronger. He’s really playing fast. He’s playing really good on special teams. He’s a potential kickoff returner for us. He was before when he was a freshman, so that’s certainly a role, and he’s made great progress as a running back. He’s got pretty good carryover, knowledge and experience-wise, from the year before. I’m really pleased with what he’s been doing so far.“
I’m very excited to see where Robinson ends up. He’s a back that could have big college fantasy relevance if he’d end up at a school like Memphis or any G5 school where he could walk in day one as the top back. As @DW_BMack pointed out, Maryland might be an early favorite with its proximity to his hometown of DC and the connection with former Alabama OC Mike Locksley. Robinson has enough talent to walk in and become Maryland’s starting back in 2021. If Robinson is unowned in your C2C, he’s a great pickup in your freshman/free agent drafts this summer or a priority waiver wire add. We should know landing spot rather quickly with players starting to trickle back to campus for summer school and summer workouts.
3. Tre Bradford Hits the Portal
Bradford was one of my personal favorites from the 2023 RB class. He hit the transfer portal this week with rumors already swirling that he’s Oklahoma bound.
“We got on him a little late and he wasn’t a five-star or nothing like that,” coach Ed Orgeron told reporters. “We always thought he was a good player. I didn’t know him very well, to be honest with you because we got on him late. Man, has he surprised me as far as his toughness, his athletic ability, his speed. He’s better than I thought he would be, which is really good because I wouldn’t have signed him if I didn’t think he was good enough to play here…Kevontre Bradford has been phenomenal. Kevin Faulk has done a tremendous job coaching those guys.”
Above, is a quote from Coach Oregeron Bradford. Much like Coach O, I was late to the Bradford party. I was assigned to watch Bradford for the 2020 Devy Watch Guide. Upon the first review of his junior film, I wasn’t a big fan and expected him not to make The Watch. About a week before our deadline to write up players, Bradford’s senior film was uploaded to his Hudl page. Then, I saw a totally different player. He’s since become one of my favorite backs in this freshman class. Below is my write-up for the 2020 Devy Watch Guide on Bradford:
“Bradford signed with LSU after getting some late attention from Florida State and the in-state Texas Longhorns. He capped his senior year off by rushing for over 1,500 yards at 9.3 yards per carry along with 23 TDs. He got a late bump in recruiting ranks, ending up as the nation’s 13th best RB and a top 130 overall player. Since he enters LSU behind John Emery and Chris Curry, playing time as a true freshman will most likely be sparse.
Bradford has good musculature on his frame and should easily reach at least 210 lbs. by the time he leaves Baton Rouge. Bradford also plays with great speed and acceleration. He hits the line of scrimmage with a strong burst, and once he reaches the open field, he is not caught from behind. He’s one of the biggest big-play threats in his class. When Bradford plants his foot in the ground, he’s able to show great suddenness into his change of direction. He can line up in the slot and is an able receiver. In his film, you rarely see Bradford use his power. His senior highlight clip is just six minutes of running right up the middle, untouched. You rarely see a defender get more than a hand on him. His power, physicality, and contact balance are in question until we see it on the field.”
I’m excited to see where Bradford ends up. He should be the man in Oklahoma following the 2021 season if both Gray and Brooks are gone as expected.
4. David Bailey Finds A Home
Bailey reunites with his former Head Coach Steve Addazio at Colorado State. In 2019, Bailey managed an impressive 148-844-7 as AJ Dillon’s backup at Boston College. As the full-time starter in 2020, Bailey didn’t fare as well (127-503-7). The BC offensive line was trash and the team passed the ball a lot more than they had under the previous coaching staff. Even with the lackluster 2020, Bailey looks to have some light at the end of the tunnel now.
In just four games in 2020, Addazio ran the ball 40 times a game with little success at 3.2 YPC. His last two years at BC they ran 50 times and 46 times per game. Bailey gives some solid upside in C2C leagues now that he’s reunited with the run-heavy approach of Addazio. Addazio is about as old school as it gets. When you continue to rush the ball 40 times a game despite only averaging 3.2 YPC you aren’t easily deterreD from running the ball. Look for Bailey to have a big workload in 2021 with the Rams. Based on previous on-field success and relationship with Addazio, I’d expect Bailey to be CSU’s RB1 this fall. I foolishly dropped Bailey in a C2C a month back before waiting to see his landing spot. Kyle Francis pointed out, and I completely agree, I don’t think Bailey could have found a better landing spot with the blend of scheme, depth chart, and relationship with the staff. A step down in competition is also a nice added bonus.
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. Ke’Travion Hargrove signed with Mississippi State as one of the most underrated backs in this class. He’s a versatile prospect with a great fit in the Bulldogs offensive scheme. He was a one-time Louisiana Tech commit before seeing his recruitment take off last spring. As a junior, Hargrove rushed for over 1,500 yards and caught another 400 yards, and scored 26 total TDs. He only managed 793 yards and 11 TDs in 2020 in a season shortened from an MCL injury. Hargrove seems to be fully healed from his injury after running a blazing 10.38 100-meter this spring.
Hargrove plays with great speed and has game-breaker ability at the running back position. Right now, Hargrove has a pretty lanky frame, his lower body has quite a bit of way to go to be fully developed. Hargrove plays with a bit of an upright running style. He’ll need to fix that before getting lit up by SEC defenders. My favorite part of the Hargrove and Mike Leach fit is that Hargrove is a top-notch pass-catcher. He should have ample opportunity to excel in the passing game. Hargrove is a great mid-round pick in a C2C freshman draft this summer. While he’s got NFL upside, his college production is what piques my interest.
