College Football Round-Up: May Edition

Andy Pham wraps up all the college football news you need to know form the month of May!

Intro

The round-up will be a monthly article in which I can include non-devy-related content while discussing more general players, position rooms, and opportunities in the college football landscape. If you play in C2C or CFF leagues, these monthly articles are meant for you. If you’re a college football diehard, this article is for you.

Incoming Freshman

While we enjoy the early enrollee program, not all can do so. Depending on obstacles that include quarters versus semester programs, some incoming freshmen still have to finish courses at their high school and cannot graduate early. Track athletes also have their season in the spring that they want to finish before enrolling in the summer at their college destination. It’s not the end of the world if they aren’t able to enroll early; the old saying “cream rises to the top” comes to mind. We have several highly coveted recruits who will enroll next month.

Quarterbacks

When it comes to the quarterbacks, we usually see them enroll early so they can get their feet wet, but every year, we do have a few that aren’t able to and end up enrolling in the summer, which has a more significant learning curve. 

This year, we saw that from Texas A&M signee Miles O’Neill, who won’t be the starter or the backup. Enrolling in the summertime will allow him to get into the strength and conditioning program and learn from the incumbent starter, Connor Weigman. 

In 2023, while the offensive coordinator for the Colorado Buffaloes, Sean Lewis, was on the recruiting trail and targeted Danny O’Neill, an exciting prospect out of Indiana. Lewis got him to commit early on. When Lewis became the head coach at San Diego State, he quickly recruited O’Neill to the Aztecs. 

While redshirt Freshman AJ Duffy has been named the starter, O’Neill has been handpicked by Lewis for two programs now. If Duffy struggles, O’Neill could be given the keys to the Aztec kingdom as a freshman. 

Liberty is in good hands with Kaidon Salter, should the transfer portal tempt Salter. Liberty was able to snag its highest-rated recruit in program history, Jayden Bradford, who at one point appeared locked in with Florida State.

Running Backs

We usually see a slew of running backs enroll in the summer each year, and their ability to grasp the playbook is an easier transition as it’s mainly read and react. Oklahoma’s Taylor Tatum is a dual sport athlete who was on the diamond for his high school this spring. Tatum should still be able to make an impact as a freshman in the fall. 

LSU’s Caden Durham, Georgia’s duo of Nate Frazier and Dwight Phillips, and Arizona State’s Jason Brown are some names who finished their track and field commitments and will be looking to impact the field this fall. Other high-profile guys who could not enroll early include Michigan’s Jordan Marshall, Miami’s Jordan Lyle, Alabama’s Kevin Riley, Missouri’s Kewan Lacy, and Wisconsin’s pair of Dillin Jones and Darrion Dupree.

Wide Receivers

Where being an early enrollee has the most benefit is at the wide receiver position, it’s not a death knell if they can’t enroll early—high-profile names arriving on campus in the next month or so.

Alabama’s Ryan Williams should be getting ready for his senior season in high school. The Saraland product was prolific in his three years, so he reclassified late in the process and will be enrolled this summer. Williams will be young when he suits up for the Crimson Tide, but he is advanced in his ability to separate and has good speed that will cause chaos in the SEC. He’ll be an exciting player and can make an impact in year one. 

Before we leave the state of Alabama, we must mention Auburn’s Perry Thompson. Other names coming in this summer will be Ohio State’s Mylan Graham, who could very well be the punt returner for the program, Missouri’s Courtney Crutchfield, LSU’s Kylan Billiot, who scorched the tote board in his final track meet, and last two are good receivers who come into subpar circumstances. They are Colorado’s Dre’lon Miller and TCU’s Gekyle Baker.

Potential Breakouts

Every year, new names break out in college football. Here are some names to watch for each position.