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, and interesting stats.
1. Risers
Prospects that will see a big bump after 2021.
Devin Leary, NC State, QB: Leary attempted 53 passes in 2020 that traveled at least 10 yards in the air making 14 “Big Time Throws”. Over 26% of his attempts were considered BTTs leading the nation. While only having 2 Turnover Worthy Passes out of his 53 attempts downfield. Being the full-time starter in 2021 will give the football world a glimpse at Leary’s potential.
Blake Corum, Michigan, RB: OC Josh Gattis called Corum a special talent, and I agree with him. Corum is rocked up and has elite speed, burst, and pass-catching abilities. He’ll have a big 2021 if UM gets him the rock. While everybody else is acquiring Donavon Edwards you should have been grabbing Corum for 1/100th of the price.
Ajou Ajou, Clemson, WR: Ajou is a freak, plain and simple. Size, speed, and athletic ability all in one. His arm length is unreal, giving him an insane catch radius. I’ve been an Ajou fan dating back to August of 2019. Ajou is what we all thought Joseph Ngata was going to develop into.
Kole Taylor, LSU, TE: I wrote about Taylor when he committed to LSU two years ago but has since been overlooked due to Arik Gilbert. “The Tigers went outside of their traditionally southern recruiting roots and landed a pass-catching TE out of Colorado. Taylor committed to LSU over Colorado, Penn State, and Washington. He’s rated as the 10th best TE by 247 Composite rankings. In 11 games as a junior, he caught 29/510/8. Taylor is a tall lanky TE that flexes out wide regularly. He uses his height to his advantage to defeat defenders. Runs crisps routes and gets off the line of scrimmage quickly. Isn’t asked to do a lot of blocking in high school, improvement will be needed before seeing the field. Taylor appears to be one more piece in LSU’s attempt to run a revamped offense. The Tigers already have a tremendous haul at the WR position. Now, they’ve added a legit pass-catching threat at TE.”
No more Arik Gilbert, it’s now Taylor’s time to shine.
2. 2021 Hot Takes
Quinn Ewers hits the transfer portal following the spring after not being able to take CJ Stroud’s job. Stroud is no slouch and will have a great 2020 season. I can’t see a scenario where Stroud leads OSU to 12/13 wins and performs well then loses his job.
Dillon Gabriel finds a new home post-2020. I don’t see the Gabriel and Gus Mahalzan experiment working out well. Gus is going to try to fit a square peg into a round hole. Gabriel will be QBing at a major P5 program in 2021. Gus has made it loud and clear what type of QB he wants at UCF and Gabriel doesn’t fit that mold. By taking a transfer from Joey Gatewood and taking a commitment from a kid who everybody else wants to play RB in college, the picture is becoming clear what he wants.
Neither Phil Jurkovec nor Desmond Ridder takes enough of a step forward to be first-round picks. That really shouldn’t be a hot take but both keep receiving unheralded praise.
BUT WMUs Kaleb Eleby will work himself into first-round consideration.
Alabama will lose two regular-season games. I think this is the year Saban falls on the side of bad luck.
3. ESPN High School Showcase
For the 12th year, ESPN has its yearly HS Showcase weekend. Numerous top-ranked schools and prospects will be shown across various ESPN platforms.
Friday, August 27
Milton (Ga.) vs. North Cobb (Ga.)
7 p.m. on ESPN2
Who to watch:
North Cobb
4* De’ Nylon Morrissette, WR, UGA commit
4* Samuel Mbake, WR, uncommitted
Malachi Singleton, QB, HS Junior
Milton
3* Jack Nickel, TE, Mich. St commit
3* Devin Farrell, QB, VT commit
Saturday, August 28
St. Frances Academy (Md.) vs. St Thomas Aquinas (Fla.)
Noon on ESPN
Who to watch:
St. Frances
5 defenders rated 4* or higher
3* Ike White, WR, Minnesota commit
3* John Griffith, QB, uncommitted
St. Thomas Aquinas
4* Mason Taylor, TE, LSU commit
3* Anthony Hankerson, RB, uncommitted
3* Zion Turner, QB, uncommitted
3* Camden Brown, WR, Pitt commit
3* Jalen Rogers, WR, Tulane commit
Oakland (Tenn.) vs. Madison-Ridgeland (Miss.)
3 p.m. on ESPN2
Who to watch:
Oakland
4* Jordan James, RB, UGA commit
4* Isaiah Horton, WR, Miami commit
Madison-Ridgeland
0* Davis Dalton, WR, USM commit
Pace Academy (Ga.) vs. Rabun County (Ga.)
6 p.m. on ESPN2
Who to watch:
Rabun County
4* Gunner Stockton, QB, UGA commit
Bridgeland (Texas) vs. Klein Cain (Texas)
9 p.m. on ESPNU
Who to watch:
Bridgeland
5* Conner Weigman, QB, Texas A&M commit
Klein Cain
4* Matthew Golden, WR, TCU commit
Sunday, August 29
IMG Academy (Fla.) vs Bishop Sycamore (Ohio)
1:30 p.m. on ESPN
Who to watch:
IMG Academy
4* Jaleel Skinner, TE, uncommitted
4* AJ Duffy, QB, FSU commit
4* Kaytron Allen, RB, Penn St commit
4* Jack Pederson, TE, UCLA commit
3* Shawn Miller, WR, Illinois commit
4* Carnell Tate, WR, HS Junior
4. Rising Senior Spotlight
As much as I hate to say it, the Tennessee Vols got a good one in Tayven Jackson. The Indiana native picked the Vols over offers from Auburn, Florida, and Ole Miss out of many offers. To my dismay, my Fightin’ Irish never stepped into Jackson’s recruitment, why? I have no idea. Jackson completed over 62% of his passes in 2020 while facing the toughest competition the state of Indiana has to offer. While it’s not Florida, Georgia, or Texas level of competition. Jackson has faced many FBS level defenders over his two years of starting. Center Grove has a run-centric offense (as a team they rushed for nearly 400 yards last Friday night), Jackson only threw for 1,756 yards on 183 attempts in 2020. As a sophomore in 2019, he led Center Grove to the state runner-up and orchestrated a perfect 14-0 and State Title in 2020.
Listed at 6’5” and 185lbs, Jackson has a long lanky frame with plenty of room to develop his body. Despite his poor rushing stats (46-191-6), Jackson is an above-average athlete for a quarterback. Jackson shows accuracy and good touch on his passes but still has some refinement to be done. Here’s a quote directly from Jackson. “Definitely accuracy,” he said of what he wants to improve on. “I can hit routes but at the Elite 11 I struggled with the accuracy thing. That’s because to be honest we don’t pass a lot here at Center Grove and everyone else throws a lot. I think me getting to Tennessee and getting in that offense I’m going to go up. The staff they like to rip it a lot and going out there and throwing the rock and getting better every day with technique. Coach (Joey) Halzie preaches base and everything and that’s something I struggle on so I can’t wait to get down there and showcase my talents.”
“Coach (Josh) Heupel wants this class to be the best class he’s ever had coming in,” Jackson said. “He kind of tells me I’m a mini Mahomes, I can throw a step up, throw on the run, use different arm angles. I think he’s going to use me well in his offense and he throws a lot and I can’t wait for that.”
I love Jackson’s upside and Tennessee might have actually found themselves a decent QB and it pains me that it comes from my backyard without Notre Dame getting involved in his recruitment. His high school offense isn’t doing him any favors to get prepared for college. He only attempted 18 passes in Center Grove’s first game of 2021, and they won’t get him involved in the running game. His stats won’t impress many, but he’s going to be a key target for me next offseason, especially being teamed with Josh Heupel’s offensive scheme.
5. Freshman Spotlight
Deep dives to wrap up the series for the summer!
Taylen Green, QB, Boise State: Boise State went down to the Lone Star State to grab the signature of a 6’5” and 215lbs (looks closer to around 200lbs) QB. He completed just over 62% of his passes for 2,600 yards and 24 TDs. Green added nearly 700 yards and 8 TDs as a rusher. Green is tall with a lanky frame. He’s got a lot of room to bulk up during his time in college. Green has good arm strength and shows good touch on his deep passes. He’s got good mobility and can be an above-average runner. Green has a 4.64 40-yard dash on his resume.
Outlook: Green is a pretty intriguing prospect. He’s got the size and arm, Green has the potential to blossom once he gets into a college weight room. Green can develop into a top-level G5 QB with some NFL upside. He’s got a lot of tools that are coveted in a QB.
Joseph McKay, ECU: The ECU coaches raved too much about him to McKay. McKay walks into a backfield with only two other scholarship backs (both are true sophomores though). McKay claimed offers from schools like Alabama, Florida State, Memphis, and Ole Miss. ECU’s new RB Coach on McKay “You watch this guy’s film and it’s like, ‘Man, how did we get this guy here?’” Foster said. “He’s a guy that has a very special talent. Another bigger back that can run. He’s physical and can make you miss. He’s got a little bit of everything.”
As a junior, McKay tallied over 1,200 yards and 20 TDs. As far as I can find for his senior year, McKay rushed for over 1,000 yards again. McKay has great size, listed at 6-foot and 216lbs. He’s got a documented 4.97 40-yard dash in March of 2019, not ideal. His speed is what prevented him from going to one of his bigger offers. On film, McKay has trouble running away from high school defenders so that slower 40 is probably pretty accurate. Outside of his below-average speed, McKay has a lot to like. He’s a downhill runner with some wiggle. McKay has good vision to bob and weave through a defense.
Outlook: McKay has the potential for some early reps. The Pirates only have three scholarship backs including McKay. The only issue with that is the two backs in front of McKay are both true sophomores who performed well as tFR in 2020. While he might get some early playing time, not sure he can snag a full-time role for a year or two. McKay has intriguing talent but the sheer lack of speed caps his upside.
Jimmy Horn Jr., USF: Horn didn’t have any FBS offers as of November of 2020. He signed with USF over offers from Georgia, Tennessee, and even Oklahoma tossed in a late offer. Horn missed the majority of the 2019 season with a wrist injury. He had less than 100 receiving yards, not exactly what colleges are looking for. As a senior in 2020, Horn racked up 44-748-9 (17 YPC) and 29-196-3 on the ground as a rusher. Listed at 5’9” and 160lbs, that’s certainly not ideal for Devy, but I have no concerns for C2C. Horns’ 247 page claims an 11.72 100-meter time, I don’t see that at all on the field. He’s much faster. Future slot receiver with great lateral quickness and yards after the catch ability. Versatile player that has the skills to line up in the backfield and get some touches. USF Head Coach Jeff Scott compared Horn to Tyreek Hill and Sammy Watkins. He’s received more great reviews in fall camp.
Outlook: Great C2C selection. I grabbed Horn in the second to last round of a startup C2C a couple of months back. Great college fantasy upside.
