Welcome back to another installment of this spring game news and notes series. In part two of this two-part series, I will focus on the remaining teams from which I believe we can draw some relevant information as we make our way through the college football offseason. To reiterate a sentiment from the first part of this series, these games are glorified practices that should be used to find additional information about returning players with question marks and as a way to view new additions to a team.
LSU
The former 4-star recruit is set to take over the starting job for the LSU Tigers in the 2024 season. Unfortunately, he won’t have any highly-talented receivers in the mold of Justin Jefferson, Malik Nabers, or Brian Thomas that we have seen come out of LSU in the recent past. Despite this lack of top-end talent at the receiving position, new co-offensive coordinators Cortez Hankton and Joe Sloan showed in the spring game that this offense can still provide some fireworks. Nussmeier was able to connect with Zavion Thomas and Kyren Lacy for 45 and 59-yard touchdown receptions respectively. He finished 7-for-7 for 187 yards and two touchdowns in the game. Nussmeier will have the chance this year to show the world that he can elevate the players around him, and I’m a believer that he can do just that. He is my current devy QB14 with some room to grow if we do see him take some steps forward as a starter. Now is a great time to buy before the cost gets too high. He is also my dark horse for the first quarterback selected in the 2025 NFL draft.
LSU didn’t add any talent in the portal that should scare Kaleb Jackson believers off. He stands to be the workhorse running back for the Tigers this season. He rushed for 165 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.3 yards per carry, and added 6 catches for 53 yards last season. There are 328 vacant rushing opportunities available for the taking this year as well, which could see Jackson explode statistically. In the spring game, Jackson rushed 14 times for 59 yards and the game’s only rushing touchdown. He showed improved patience behind his offensive line (which returns all of its starters this season) and a better ability to get north and south, as shown in his 32-yard touchdown run from this game. Jackson is a player I could see ascending to the top Devy RB after the 2025 draft class graduates.
Miami
Ward stepped on the field for the Hurricanes and looked like he had been there for years already. It looks like his decision to return to play college football in 2024 could pay off in the long term, especially if the Miami offensive can be anywhere near as prolific as it was in the spring game. Ward finished 19 of 24 for 324 yards and three touchdowns and had a clear favorite target in Xavier Restrepo. Ward is a strong season with the Hurricanes away from being considered a first-round NFL draft pick.
Restrepo is set to be the WR1 for the Hurricanes. He was peppered with targets in this spring game and I fully expect that to continue throughout the season. Miami should be in a ton of high-scoring affairs in the 2024 season and Restrepo will be Cam Ward’s go-to receiver to keep them in games. Ward commented after the game on Restrepo’s ability to “win versus mean and find soft spots in zone” which leads me to believe that he will be a frequently targeted safety valve. You could tell the two have quickly established a chemistry between themselves, as Restrepo hauled in 7 catches for 103 yards and a touchdown on the day. At 5’ 10” and ~200 lbs., he profiles as an NFL slot receiver in the future. I wouldn’t consider him a “big slot” in the mold of A.J. Brown, but he is a very physical player who runs good routes to create separation. With good quarterback play this season, Restrepo could find himself in consideration as a late first-round or early second-round dynasty selection in 2025 rookie drafts.
Jojo Trader
Trader didn’t do much in the spring game but has been frequently referred to as a bright spot this spring. He did get some reps with the first-team offense, which is always encouraging to see for a freshman wide receiver. Trader was originally committed to the Buckeyes before flipping to Miami, which we can also view as encouraging. The Buckeyes have had a knack for identifying talent at the wide receiver position, so an endorsement from Brian Hartline can be another feather in the cap for Trader. I currently have him as a top 6 receiver in the freshman class. It will be difficult for him to overtake some of the talented receivers above him in my rankings, but he is certainly a player to watch in year one to see if he can get on the field.
UGA
The Running Backs
The Georgia Bulldogs have historically been a factory for producing NFL running backs, but have not been able to find a star workhorse guy in the recent past. Enter Trevor Etienne. He transfers in from Florida, where he had 131 carries for 753 yards and eight touchdowns for a poor Gators team in 2023. He also caught the ball 21 times for 172 yards and one touchdown. In an otherwise average RB room, Etienne should quickly step in and be the feature back for the Bulldogs in 2024. The younger brother of Travis Etienne (current starting RB for the Jacksonville Jaguars), Trevor is a do-it-all player who will be a factor in both the running and passing game. In the Georgia spring game, he averaged six yards per carry and added 33 yards through the air. He is a bit smaller than I like my workhorse running backs to be, but it shouldn’t stop him from being productive. He may be suspended to start the season due to an offseason arrest, but I expect him to be a top-3 player at the position in the 2025 NFL draft.
Roderick Robinson II was a freshman running back for the Bulldogs last season but unfortunately suffered a preseason knee injury that never really allowed him to get going during the season. He finished his freshman campaign with 24 carries for 196 yards and 2 touchdowns. He has a rare combination of size and speed at 240+ lbs. and the ability to hit 22 mph which has many people intrigued. The concern is that though he is a great athlete, he runs a bit too much like Jerome Bettis (a north and south power runner who isn’t very dynamic). He will be a great complement to Trevor Etienne in the Bulldogs backfield, but we will need to see more from him in the upcoming season before we should expect him to produce on Sundays.
Lovett entered the Georgia program last year after spending some time at Missouri. He exploded during the spring game with 7 catches for 104 yards and a touchdown and was hands-down the best receiver on the field. We may have been a year early in projecting a Lovett breakout, especially with Bowers still hogging most of the targets last season. After a full season in the Georgia system and a year of building chemistry with Carson Beck, Lovett should have a career year. In the few games without Brock Bowers last season, Lovett was the go-to guy for Beck as well, and this carried into the spring game. I expect Lovett to be the leading receiver for the Bulldogs this year and could find himself in the first-round conversation next spring. He is a better receiver, athlete, and player than his teammate, Ladd McConkey, who was just selected 34th in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Penn State
The highest-ranked QB in the 2022 class, Drew Allar was expected to be a game-changing pro-style quarterback for the Nittany Lions. Unfortunately, he has not lived up to his billing. It is difficult to figure out if this is a coaching problem or a player problem, but what we have seen on the field has not created a compelling argument for Allar to be a first-round NFL Draft Pick. Though he has shown flashes of brilliance with his strong arm and high velocity, he has been wildly inaccurate throwing the football. This continued in the spring game this year and worries me for his long-term outlook. The Nittany Lions did bring in a new offensive coordinator, Andy Kotelnicki, this season who was able to work wonders with Jalon Daniels during his time at Kansas. If anyone can bring out the best in Drew Allar, it’s Kotelnicki, but only time will tell if James Franklin allows him to fully take the reigns of the offense.
Andrew Rappleyea
Penn State has a problem at wide receiver (and they have for a while). They recently lost their top wide receiver, KeAndre Lambert-Smith, to the Auburn Tigers while bringing in Julian Fleming as a replacement from The Ohio State Buckeyes. Fortunately for the Nittany Lions, what they lack at wide receiver they make up for with exceptional tight ends. Andrew Rappleyea looks to be the next in a long line of great Penn State tight ends. At 6’4” ~240 lbs., Rappleyea was my top tight end in the 2023 class last year. He is a skilled pass-catcher and good route runner who should receive plenty of targets as the safety blanket for Drew Allar this season. His large frame and receiving ability remind me of a young Mark Andrews. Keep an eye out for a huge season from Rappleyea.
Quenton Martin
Quentin Martin is my top-ranked running back in the 2024 class and is a true dual-threat player. He stands at 6’2” 205 lbs. which is a very good size for the position. In high school, he finished with 82 touchdowns and hauled in 92 passes for over 1,400 yards. Martin played well in the spring game, and though he didn’t rush for a high yardage total he did score two touchdowns on the ground. He will be a player that Penn State will look to get the ball in his hands and let him go to work. For year one, he will need to develop behind the duo of Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen, but assuming both leave for the NFL next offseason, he will take over the primary ball carrier duties with a chance to be a Barkley-esque workhorse for the Nittany Lions. His combination of size, athleticism, and versatility will surely be enticing for NFL teams when he eventually declares for the NFL draft.
Thank you for reading! If you have any thoughts or questions about the player mentioned above, or players/teams that I did not cover in this article, you can reach out to me on Twitter/X @Evan_Kerr_. #DFFArmy #Devy #AlwaysBeBuilding#AlwaysBeScouting
