I’m not quite done yet, ladies and gentlemen. I gave you Spring Observations – Part One of my Spring observations last week and now I present to you Part Two!
In Part Two, I look through countless articles and local news websites to cover everything from the MAC to the SEC and everything in between. This time, I dive into 50 teams across the MAC, MWC, Pac 12, SEC, Sun Belt, and I throw a few more teams from the ACC who had late-April Spring Games.
As with my last piece, if you are a homer for a certain team and know something about a certain player or believe I’m reading too much into something please let me know @justinheisey on twitter or in the comment section below. Thanks.
Ready to give College Fantasy Football a go? Head on over to Fantrax.com to see what it’s all about.
Spring Games from the MAC
Western Michigan
A few snippets from WMU’s Spring “Game.” From what I’ve gathered from the Bronco Spring Game it was nothing more than a glorified practice. Kaleb Eleby has continued to take the first-string snaps with Jon Wassink still recovering from his foot injury. D’Wayne Eskridge is playing as a receiver and a defensive back which could make Jayden Reed a more focal point on offense. The Broncos will also feature Dashon Bussell who missed all of last season with an Injury and had the most memorable moment for a WMU player with a jump ball touchdown from Eleby.
Ball State
So, the Cardinals might not be so bad without Riley Neal. Both Drew Plitt and John Paddock missed on two picks and four of their five drives ended with touchdowns. Plitt came in as the successor to Neal and left Spring as the successor. Running Back, Caleb Huntley beefed up to 222-pounds while sidelined last season and is the lone wolf in this backfield with James Gilbert leaving for Kansas State. Wide Receiver, Yo’Heinz Tyler finished the Spring game with a touchdown and a fair amount of yards. His 6’3” frame makes him a difficult matchup for most MAC corners and if he pays off on his potential that he flashed last season he’s on the right track to fantasy relevance.
Kent State
Sean Lewis’ high paced offense hit some snags last season but some late November success from Jo-El Shaw has the coaching staff optimistic. Auburn-transfer Woody Barrett appears to have improved over the offseason and went 15-for-21 with two TDs in the Spring Game. I’m likely to pick up a few shares of Barrett this offseason but the player I’m most excited about is Shaw. Shaw topped 100 yards and scored twice in the Spring Game. He also dropped over ten pounds in the offseason to build up his explosiveness. This offense works, have their personnel developed enough for it to click in 2019?
Ohio
Another one of these Spring Games that was focused more on situational or limited plays. The Bobcats gave Nathan Rourke 10 plays and he tried to force some things given he had limited time. I’m really not worried about his performance. The Bobcats also gave us the heir apparent to AJ Ouellette and Maleek Irons in freshman O’Shaan Allison who took the snaps with the first team. He had a few long runs and even punched in a score. Ohio’s offense is largely based on the ground and it’s nice knowing who’s the beneficiary of that.
Central Michigan
The Chippewas are the team to welcome the return of Jim McElwain to the G5 ranks. McElwain was an incredible coach at Colorado State and CMU, who didn’t win a single conference game last season, is hopeful for something grand. The battle for quarterback is down between Houston-transfer Quinten Dormady, Tommy Lazzaro, and JUCO-transfer David Moore. None of the guys have really earned the spot yet but the winner could be a huge playmaker if McElwain can get his offense back in order. Also, Jonathan Ward has impressed many during the offseason and has a high ceiling if he can return to 2017 form. Virginia Tech-transfer Kalil Pimpleton is a name to know at receiver as he’s the fastest player on the CMU roster.
Buffalo
The Bulls enter Spring in an incredibly rough spot. They lost quarterback Tyree Jackson and Wide Receiver Anthony Johnson to the NFL. They also lose four other pass catchers in KJ Osborn, Tyler Mabry, George Rushing, and Charlie Jones. Although Emmanuel Reed transferred, the Bulls retain both Jaret Patterson and Kevin Marks who led the team in rushing yards last season. The quarterback job remains between Kyle Vantrease, Dominic Johnson, Myers and Trevor Bycznski. Even if a winner were announced for this job, I’m not touching any of these guys until I know they have someone who can catch a pass.
Miami (OH)
The Group of Five lost many household names at quarterback and Miami OH were not immune. Gus Ragland leaves Miami third all-time in passing touchdowns and fourth all-time in passing yards. The prospects to win out the job Jackson Williamson and true freshman A.J. Mayer. Williamson looked good on the ground but went 3-for-11 through the air during the Spring Game. I like AJ Mayer to win out given he’s more consistent and he’s also younger and will play longer. Also, Mitchell Burton switched from Corner to running back and scored twice in their scrimmage.
Bowling Green
I’m not really sure how to feel about Bowling Green this season. The hiring of Scot Loeffler has me concerned for Jarret Doege’s upside given what we’ve seen from Loeffler at Boston College over the past several seasons. Boston College rarely saw success out of quarterback Anthony Brown and now I’m concerned that the Eagles are looking to venture away from their 2,500+ yard passer and lean on more of a ground game. Andrew Clair was specifically mentioned by Loeffler as someone who impressed and now I’m looking for where I can pick him again this year.
Toledo
For some reason, Toledo is back in QB Competition mode for the second year straight. As expected, Mitch Guadagni clearly outplayed Eli Peters and was efficient in the process. Toledo’s receiving group appears solid despite losing an incredible group from last season. Bryce Mitchell and Desmond Phillips were specifically pointed out by Eli Peters as guys who have made plays all Spring. Darius Corbett had a huge Spring with 82 yards on four receptions. Mitchell is 6-foot-3 and will pose a matchup problem for a lot of the MAC defensive backs with his size and length.
Spring Games from the MWC
San Diego State
Nothing ventured, nothing gained from SDSU’s Spring Game. They appear to only be looking for backups for the positions that matter for the Aztecs and that’s Quarterback and Running Back. Chase Jasmin and Nebraska-transfer did okay with their chances (Jasmin, 16 carries, 65 yards; Bell, 13 carries, 38 yards) but Jasmin did fumble. The big kicker from the SDSU Spring game is that they only have nine healthy O Linemen which will hinder Washington who’s coming off an injury-riddled 2018 season.
UNLV
The Rebel’s don’t have many questions in their Spring as they get Armani Rogers back in 2019 after he missed most of the 2018 season due to injury. Rogers appeared to have improved as a passer in the offseason with a gorgeous 27-yard strike to Darren Woods in the endzone. Lexington Thomas left a massive void in the ground game for UNLV and his role is up for grabs between Tariq Hollandsworth, Charles Williams, Biaggio Ali-Walsh, and JUCO-transfer Darran Williams. Williams received interest from Virginia Tech and Texas before landing at UNLV. He’s being looked at as a player that is in JUCO but could make a D-I Star.
Boise State
The Broncos still don’t have a sure-fire answer at quarterback. They had several players play incredibly well at the position including Jaylon Henderson who began the game running the first-team offense. Henderson hit six quick runs to start the game then threw a 53-yard touchdown pass. Henderson, Hank Bachmeier, and Chase Cord who will return in the fall. Replacing Alexander Mattison comes down between Andrew Van Buren, who led the team in rushing during the Spring Game, and Robert Mahone. Khalil Shakir and John Hightower led the squad in receiving with a combined six receptions and 188 yards. Shakir and Henderson look like favorites to fill in the production lost from Sean Modster and AJ Richardson.
Fresno State
Fresno State loses Marcus McMaryion and Keesean Johnson and the Spring Game didn’t do much to inform us who was going to pick up their production. New Offensive Coordinator Ryan Grubb mentioned that FSU was going to take more shots downfield and although they did, a lot of them went incomplete. Jorge Reyna is the new starting quarterback for the Bulldogs and his longest completed pass was 35-yards. There weren’t many new developments from the receiving game. They return Jared Rice at tight end who is coming off of a 55 reception season but the loss of McMaryion has me skeptical as to how often he will be targeted this season.
Utah State
Utah State welcomes Gary Andersen back into the fold after Matt Wells departed to Texas Tech over the offseason. To no one’s surprise, Jordan Love put on a show with multiple touchdown passes and great accuracy in the Spring Game while Gerold Bright punched in a score. The loss of receiving talent from last season is concerning for Love’s potential but Savon Scarver and Sam Lockett both contributed with touchdown receptions. Bright certainly has ample opportunity to show out this season with the departure of Darwin Thompson.
Hawai’i
I really hope that Cole McDonald plays all season as he did in this Spring Game. McDonald threw two touchdown passes (both to Jason-Matthew Sharsh) and hit Cedric Byrd twice for two-point conversions. The highlight of his day was a 50-yard bomb to JoJo Ward to set up one of his two touchdown passes. Chevan Cordeiro scored a scrambling touchdown in the first quarter but took five sacks while in the game. We all know what we can get from McDonald, will we get that again this season?
Colorado State
This season is far different from last season when it comes to the Rams. Collin Hill is the guy for Colorado State and it’s not even close in a good way. Warren Jackson was on the receiving end of all the Rams big plays in the Spring so we don’t have to draft all of their receiving corps this season. Lastly, Marcus McElroy looked great on the ground with over 100 yards on the ground. Mike Bobo announced that he wants to run more and McElroy is the benefactor of this decision.]
Nevada
I have no clue who’s going to play quarterback for the Wolfpack this season but if you don’t pick up Elijah Cooks you’re missing out. Cooks caught nine balls for 173 yards in Nevada’s Spring scrimmage and stands at a whopping 6-foot-5. Dominic Christian also caught eight for 85 yards and is a name worth knowing. Christian Solano and Carson Strong were considered the front-runners for the starting job but, the former-Five Star quarterback turned Last Chance U player, Malik Henry lit it up in the Spring 211 yards.
Wyoming
Sean Chambers looked substantially better later in the Spring than he did in the early part of the Spring. Chambers didn’t light up defenses through the air last season but he did create a spark with what he could do on the ground. Nico Evans finished off the year with 1,325 yards and eight scores on the ground. To replace Evans, the Cowboys have brought in Trey Smith from Louisville who is desperately looking for some time in the spotlight compared to Louisville’s crowded backfield.
Spring Games from the Pac 12
Arizona State
Arizona State kicked off their Spring Game at the end of February in order to avoid the hot temperatures of Tempe, Arizona. Dillon Sterling-Cole looked the best of the four quarterbacks who are vying for the job with Jayden Daniels also showing some flashes. Daniels and fellow freshman Joey Yellen both threw picks but showed more consistency than Yellen. The big question for the Sun Devils is, who is going to replace N’Keal Harry? Well, Geordon (Jordan) Porter caught two touchdown passes and made a great catch that was unfortunately called out of bounds where he created separation without getting called for P.I..
California
I don’t think anyone is paying attention to the Cal QB competition this Spring but the RB competition is very much in play. Patrick Laird not only led the team in rushing yards but also in receptions last season and his departure leaves a huge void in the Cal offense. The contenders are DeShawn Collins, Marcel Dancy, and Alex Netherda. Collins ran nine times for 35 yards and a score, Dancy had 30+ yards on the ground and through the air with two scores (one receiving, one rushing), and a Netherda ran for a team-high 70 yards. The competition for running back is still very much open and the winner is the future focal point of the offense. Also, supposedly Garbers has improved but really how much better is he after an aggressively-okay debut season.
USC
Graham Harrell came over from North Texas to run the Air Raid at Southern Cal. While none of the quarterbacks were mentioned in their open competition, running backs were something mentioned. Markese Stepp stood out this season which is amazing for the Trojans who couldn’t find an answer at the position last season. John Jackson III snagged an impressive pass from Jack Sears on the sideline, JT Daniels set up a touchdown drive with a pass to Erik Krommenhoek, and Matt Fink found Amon-Ra St. Brown to set up a touchdown run. I would assume that Daniels gets the job back in the fall but who really knows with what USC has going on in the coaches room.
Utah
The biggest observation from Utah’s Spring Game is Tyler Huntley’s passing ability. Huntley went 8-for-9 with 158 yards with huge connections to Bryan Thompson and Devonta’e Henry-Cole of 30+ yards. Devin Brumfield led the Utes in rushing with 67 yards which is solid but Zack Moss is entrenched as the guy in that backfield so long as he’s healthy. Huntley worked his way up my rankings this spring and will likely make his way onto a few of my rosters in 2019.
Stanford
Stanford’s Spring Game was vastly limited by injuries. Simi Fohenko was one of those players limited but that didn’t stop Coach Shaw from comparing him to JJ Arcega Whiteside. As far as vertical threats, Connor Wedington is a name I like that was mentioned along with Osiris St. Brown. Costello had two interceptions dropped and that was mentioned to be more on the talent of the defensive backs. I wasn’t too concerned with the running game, especially with Austin Jones not on campus yet.
Arizona
Eh, not much to gain from this. For starters, OC Noel Mazzone said he wanted Khalil Tate to be less flashy so Tate’s probably in for another dud year. JJ Taylor was limited in the Spring Game but after a huge 2018, it’s hard to see a strong showing from Nathan Tilford getting in the way of that. Tre Adams looked great in the receiving game with 73 yards and a score while Drew Dixon also had 54 yards but fumbled. I hate what Arizona has become under Kevin Sumlin. It’s hard to believe that a coach would just completely misuse a talent like Khalil Tate.
Oregon
Oregon’s offense revolves around the play of NFL hopeful Justin Herbert whose return came as a huge shock. It seems to have already paid off for Penn State-transfer Juwan Johnson who already has great chemistry with the senior signal-caller. Travis Dye was named starter over CJ Verdell who is coming off of a 1,000-yard season. This is probably more for competition purposes but it is worth noting. Freshman Mycah Pittman is also likely to start given the open opportunity and his pure talent.
Oregon State
Nebraska-transfer Tristan Gebbia took first-team reps for the Beavers. On his opening drive, he helped the Beavers score a touchdown but that may not have been enough to win the job away from Jake Luton who appears to have improved a bit over the offseason. It’s also worth mentioning that Jesiah Irish killed it during the Spring game and is the next man in line to be the next great Oregon State receiver.
UCLA
UCLA has to find ways to replace key playmakers Theo Howard and Caleb Wilson. Jaylen Erwin is certainly that guy. Erwin is speedy and elusive and caught a few long balls in the Spring Game. He looks the part and the defenses in the Pac 12 aren’t exactly the best around. DTR also looked better than he did last season which has me hopeful for a successful season.
Washington State
No Gage Gubrud made all the difference for Anthony Gordon who outplayed Trey Tinsley and Cammon Cooper. Gubrud is the presumed starter but not all Grad-transfers pan out how coaches expect (i.e. Dakota Prukop). Max Borghi, who replaces James Williams, had an impressive outing. There’s also Renard Bell and Travell Harris who made their presence felt all over the field in their Spring Game.
Washington
We expected Jacob Eason to appear as the top dog for Washington coming out of the Spring and he did that… But not much else. Eason mustered up 42 yards while going 7-for-12. A bittersweet not to add was his 15-yard touchdown pass on the run highlighting his day. I would like to chalk this up to the offensive players going up against one of the best secondary units in football over the past several seasons but I among others really expected more from Eason. Salvon Ahmed didn’t pop much but on one of the final drives, he sliced and diced the defense going up the field and capped it all off with a five-yard score.
Spring Games from the SEC
Vanderbilt
As most of us figured, Riley Neal looks to take over as the Vandy starting quarterback in 2019. He completed 8-of-12 passes and looked as confident as a man can by the strong winds. Deuce Wallace didn’t play due to a strange infection in his armpit. Vanderbilt returns most of their offense from last season in Keshawn Vaughn, Kalija Lipscomb, and Jared Pinkney and the only missing piece is a quarterback. Neal has made it difficult for Wallace to step in and win out which was expected from the fantasy players watching. Coach Mason didn’t feel it necessary to name a starter yet but Neal has made a great case to win out.
South Carolina
Jay Urich was the Spring Game for the South Carolina Gamecocks. Urich is a crazy athletic player who made the switch from quarterback to wide receiver over his tenure as a Gamecock. He stepped in and passed for 84 yards on six completions and then caught nine passes for 120 yards and a score. If Will Muschamp doesn’t feature this kid at receiver this season then he needs to leave Columbia, SC. I’m not sold that Jake Bentley is as immune to a quarterback switch as some think he is but neither Ryan Hilinski nor Dakereon Joyner did anything to steal the spotlight away. Joyner is likely out of contention for a starting job of Hilinski is as advertised and he’s mobile so watch out for his transfer in a few seasons.
LSU
LSU’s running game wasn’t what it had been last season. Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Nick Brossette were okay but didn’t show the same flash that Leonard Fournette and Derrius Guice showed. This season looks to show more promise. Edwards-Helaire took nine carries for 57 yards while Lanard Fournette and Chris Curry both took double-digit carries. Curry calls himself “beast mode” and he summoned his inner Marshawn Lynch with two touchdown runs and a hit stick truck move over Safety Kenan Jones. The competition for carries will continue into the Fall with John Emery Jr. and Tyrion Davis coming in. Both Myles Brennan and Joe Burrow looked good but neither are fantasy relevant.
Arkansas
I really only checked out Arkansas’ Spring Game for the quarterbacks and the receivers. The quarterback play wasn’t the greatest. Ben Hicks threw for 100 yards while going 8-for-18 and John Stephen Jones threw for 112 yards while going 13-for-22. The receivers caught my attention. I’ve mentioned Treylon Burks on the Pod over the past few weeks but Trey Knox has really gotten my attention. Knox caught three passes for 57 yards and a score but listening to Morris talk about him after the game has me sold. Burks still has a shot of being the guy in the Fall but Knox won the Spring by far.
Ole Miss
Matt Corral came out Saturday and continued to prove me right. I’m very high on Corral’s upside after what I saw from him last season and his 240 yards and touchdown has me even more confident. It’s also important to note that Corral and Elijah Moore have made an excellent connection and Moore is now ranked ahead of Braylon Sanders. Dontario Drummond is likely the third name to know for the Rebel offense after an impressive outing.
Florida
Is… Is… Is Feleipe Franks a good player now? Franks went 13-for-17 for 327 yards with four passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Dan Mullen mentioned that Franks had improved over the offseason but I didn’t realize he’d have a QBR over 400, average 19.23 yards per attempt, and have five total touchdowns. Franks played out of his mind, now I’m hoping that it translates to the season and that it’s not a one-time occurrence. Trevon Grimes is the Florida receiver I’m targeting the most this offseason. His role last season was small, but it appears that he’s now a featured player in this offense and I’m loving it. They also return Van Jefferson, Tyrie Cleveland, and Josh Hammond.
Alabama
Alabama’s offseason is a lot less interesting than it was last season. Tua’s still the guy, we know who’s going to play running back, and the wide receivers are all back. Their Spring Game just showed us that the future isn’t quite where it needs to be when Tua leaves and that they’re having some issues at interior linebacker.
Mississippi State
Situational Spring Games are never my favorite but they are telling nonetheless. The key players to watch from Mississippi State were Keytoan Thompson, Kylin Hill, and Stephen Guidry. Thompson struggled due to the rain but I’m still high on him going into the season. Hill looked really good and finished the day with 47 yards and a score. The best part of Hill’s day was no Aeris Williams and that’s what will drive him up draft boards this Fantasy season. Thompson threw three touchdown passes and could’ve had more if Stephen Guidry didn’t drop a huge pass. That doesn’t look great for the JUCO transfer and it looks even worse that Austin Williams caught two of those three scores.
Texas A&M
Despite injuries to Jashaun Corbin and UCF-transfer Cordarrian Richardson, they were still able to establish a run game and give us a few nuggets as to future fantasy producers. Kellen Mond continued to improve and seems more patient in the pocket. Jashaun Corbin may have some competition for that top spot in the form of Jacob Kibodi who ran for 159 yards and a score on 20 rushes. Baylor Cupp might not be the guy in his first year. Glenn Beal is a better blocker and looked good in the passing game with a 29-yard touchdown reception. If you’re dedicated to landing the TAMU tight end then you’ll likely want both guys in redraft leagues until a man proves the Alpha.
Auburn
The biggest notes to make out of this one come from Malik Willis and Seth Williams. Seth Williams had a huge day for the Auburn Tigers and appears to have cemented his role as the top target in the Tigers offense next season. But while Williams was having a day, Willis was riding the pine. Willis was expected to take first-team snaps in the Spring after waiting behind Jarrett Stidham but took second-team reps behind Joey Gatewood. To make matters worse, five-star freshman Bo Nix came in and tossed two touchdown passes before halftime. I’m buying into Nix before I buy into Willis this offseason.
Missouri
Missouri didn’t have to look far to replace Drew Lock with Clemson-transfer Kelly Bryant already on his way. Bryant and Lock couldn’t be more different but they are both really good at what they do best. Bryant missed on a few passes but touch football Spring Games have never really played out well for him… He needs to use his legs. He did, however, favor Barrett Bannister all game long with Johnathan Johnson sidelined and also liked Johnathan Nance as well. Outside of Bryant and Albert Okwuegbunam, Larry Rountree III looked really well last season and in the Spring. Without Damarea Crockett in the way, I expect huge things from the Junior back. Kelly Bryant was named the starter almost immediately after he arrived.
Tennessee
I watched the Tennessee Spring Game expecting to come away with a fantasy stud running back but instead found a solid quarterback and a potential breakout receiver. Jarrett Guarantano threw four touchdown passes and has only gotten better as time has gone on in his career which is great to see from someone with so much promise. Jauan Jennings has the potential to be what most CFF experts expected him to be several seasons ago after torching Georgia. Jennings caught five passes for 57 yards and two scores. I’m liking the direction of Tennessee, let’s see if it translates into reality.
Spring Games from the Sun Belt
Georgia Southern
I must point out that Shai Werts is an exception to my golden rule about triple option quarterbacks and is worth a draft pick this season. Other than Werts being great in the Spring game. The spot left open by Wesley Fields is still very much up in the air as Jared Daniels, Wesley Kennedy III, Logan Wright, Grant Walker, and Matt LaRoche are still vying for time. Daniels was the best on the ground with 94 yards on seven carries. It’s also worth noting that Oklahoma State-transfer JD King had a wonderful Spring and will be a dynamite player in 2020.
App State
Nothing from App State that we didn’t already know. Darrynton Evans played explosively as we all know he can and Zac Thomas threw a touchdown pass to Malik Williams. Eli Drinkwitz inherited a strong lineup in Boone, North Carolina and I’m a firm believer in his offensive system. Most of the positions are covered for the Mountaineers except for who the dominant receiver is. Given that most of the quarterbacks at App are mobile it’s hard to judge receivers until the season begins.
Coastal Carolina
Jamey Chadwell appears to want to run tempo as long as he’s the coach at Coastal. He mentioned that he wants to run read options so that they can make quicker snaps based on defensive schemes. This Spring featured a quarterback battle between Fred Payton and Bryce Carpenter who both played in games last season. Carpenter threw a 65-yard touchdown pass but threw for only 96 yards and Payton averaged less than 7 yards per attempt (10-for-15, 69 yards). Payton did, however, show off his legs on a 9-yard touchdown run which makes me believe that Peyton is better suited for such a system.
It’s hard to say anything else about the skill positions with the new coach evaluating all of his prospects during the spring game. Seven non-quarterbacks recorded at least one carry and 15 receivers caught passes. Freshman Javion Heiligh led all receivers with two receptions for 79 yards and a score.
South Alabama
A name that pops up often in CFF circles is Cephus Johnson. Johnson entered Spring as the frontrunner for the Jaguars quarterback spot. He barely topped 50% passing but still came close to 10 yards per attempt with a score. The top performers in this one were Tre Minter, Tank Miller, Jalen Tolbert, and Zach Crosby. Minter and Miller combined for 98 yards and two scores on 10 carries. Jalen Tolbert caught two touchdowns on two receptions with 91 yards. The Jags utilized tight ends in the past with Wes Saxton Jr. and Zach Crosby has found his way onto my radar. Crosby caught three passes for 76 yards and should be in for a bigger role in this offense in 2019.
Louisiana Monroe
We all know about Caleb Evans. Evans completed many of his passes and had two touchdowns so I’m not too concerned in deep diving his potential that we all know he has. It appears that Marcus Green’s replacements come in the form of Markis McCray and Zach Jackson who combined to make 10 receptions for 136 yards.
Louisiana
I really liked what we got out of the Rajin’ Cajuns last season. They almost ended up with two thousand yard rushers in Elijah Mitchell and Trey Ragas and they return both of them. Neither quarterback Andre Nunez nor Levi Lewis really shined last season and now it looks like Lewis won’t shine ever. Jai’ave Magalei came into the Spring Game and absolutely lit the world on fire. I’m honestly surprised Billy Napier didn’t name him the starter on the spot. On top of the players mentioned, wideout Brian Smith caught nine passes for 161 yards. Smith is 6-foot-4 and 214 pounds. This makes him a matchup nightmare for G5 corners and could make him a top flight receiver in fantasy leagues that allow him.
Troy
To no one’s surprise, Troy’s defense was excellent in their Spring Game. This, however, did not stop the offense from giving me something to write on. Sawyer Smith looked good with a fair amount of yards and a score on his day. Texas A&M-transfer Charles Strong took off for a 30-yard score as well. Strong will likely wait until 2020 to play due to inconsistent transfer rules and DK Billingsley is another name to know for the future. BJ Smith has received a bulk of the carries this Spring and there’s no need to question his potential for 2019 as the featured back.
Late Spring Games
Virginia
The offense wasn’t exactly Virginia’s strong suit in their Spring Game. Bryce Perkins tossed two picks and completed 4-of-11 pass attempts. There were several running backs that scored but PK Kier, who is the presumed starter, did not play due to undisclosed issues. Coach Mendenhall chalked everything up to stellar defensive play but I was really expecting more from Perkins.
Georgia Tech
The Jackets began the first drive with a wishbone formation before audibling out into an empty-back Shotgun and the crowd erupted. Most of Tech’s production came from Freshmen and Sophomores and a tight end caught a pass for the first time since 2007. Jordan Mason already seems off to a great season with two scores. Lucas Johnson took the first reps for the Jackets and completed most of his passes and looked solid considering Tech is in the process of a large scheme change. As is stands, I’m very interested in Jordan Mason who not only had two touchdowns but also led the team in receptions. Triple Option running backs have shown success in traditional systems over the past several seasons and Mason looks in a position to make a name for himself in 2019.
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