CFW Preseason 2024 - The Running Backs and Other Positions

 CFW Preseason 2024 – The Running Backs and Other Positions

Here we are – Oma, Quin and Ollie

 

Remember Kukla, Fran and Ollie? Two puppets and a comedian. How about Oma, Quin and Ollie? But let me tell you, these guys are no puppets and there is nothing funny about them. Omarion Hampton of North Carolina, Quinshon Judkins of Ohio State  (via Ole Miss) and Ollie Gordon of Oklahoma State are three of the best running backs in the country. The best of the three is Gordon. He is a dragon on the football field.

 

The Big Ten and the Big 12 have the best group of running backs. In the Big Ten, Ohio State is loaded with Quinshon Jenkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Combined, they rushed for 2,084 yards and 26 touchdowns last season.

 

Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is the best running back among the Group of Five teams.

 

 

The Running Backs – 2024

 

Oklahoma State junior Ollie Gordon (6-2, 215), North Carolina junior Omarion Hampton (6-0, 220), Boise state junior Ashton Jeanty (5-9, 215), Ohio State senior TreVeyon Henderson 5-10, 208) and Ohio State junior Quinshon  Judkins (6-0, 219) are definitely the five premier running backs at preseason.

 

Last season at Oklahoma State, Gordon rushed for 1,732 yards and 21 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards a carry. At North Carolina, Hampton rushed 1,504 yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 5.9 yards a carry.

 

Jeanty dominated at Boise State last year, rushing for 1,347 yards and 14 touchdowns, averaging 6.1 yards a carry. At Ohio State, Henderson rushed for 926 yards, averaging 5.9 yards a carry. This year, Ole Miss transfer Judkins joins Henderson in the backfield in Columbus. At Ole Miss, last season, he rushed for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns.

 

 

ACC

 

The ACC is not blessed with an abundance of good running backs, but the conference does have two of the best ones in the country. They are California junior Jaydn Ott (6-0, 210) and Miami junior Damien Martinez (6-0, 232). Last year Ott rushed for 1,302 yards and 12 touchdowns. He averaged 5.3 yards a carry. Martinez is an offseason transfer from Oregon State to Miami. With the Beavers last season, he rushed for 1,185 yards, averaging 6.1 yards a carry.

 

Two other promising running backs in the ACC are Clemson senior Phil Mafah (5-11, 230) and Pitt senior Rodney Hammond (5-9, 200). They are worth keeping an eye on.

 

 

Big 12

 

The Big 12 has a number of good running backs led by Texas Tech senior Tahj Brooks (5-10, 230). Brooks rushed for 1,538 yards in 2023. In the Big 12, Brooks will have competition from Kansas senior Devin Neal (5-11, 215). Last year, Neal rushed for 1,280 yards. He averaged 6.3 yards a carry.

 

Two more quality running backs in the Big 12 are UCF senior R.J. Harvey (5-9, 205), and Kansas State junior D.J. Giddens (6-1, 210). Last season, Harvey rushed for 1,416 yards and 16 touchdowns. He averaged 6.3 yards a carry. Meanwhile, Giddens had a productive season in 2023. He rushed for 1,226 yards.

  

West Virginia is fortunate to have not one but two talented running backs. They are senior C.J. Donaldson (5-11, 201) and sophomore Jaheim White (5-7, 185). Together, they rushed for 1,640 yards in 2023 – 798 yards for Donaldson and 842 yards for White.

 

 

Big Ten

 

The Big Ten’s strongest running back appears to be Michigan senior Donovan Edwards (6-1, 210). If Edwards doesn’t show up, likely Penn State junior Nick Singleton (6-0, 226) and Rutgers senior Kyle Monangai (5-9, 210) will. Last year Singleton rushed for 752 yards. Monangai rushed for 1,262 yards.

 

Also, keep your eyes on Maryland junior Roman Hemby (6-0, 208).

 

SEC

 

At preseason, the SEC has five running backs of note. The best of the four appears to be Georgia junior Trevor Etienne (5-9, 205). Etienne transferred to Georgia from Florida during the offseason. Last year, with the Gators, he rushed for 753 yards, averaging 5.8 yards a carry. Watch out for Auburn senior Jarquez Hunter (5-10, 209). Hunter rushed for 909 yards in 2023.

 

Florida still has a good running back in senior Montrell Johnson (5-11, 213). Johnson may be the second best running back in the conference. Last season, he rushed for 817 yards. One other running back to keep an eye on in the SEC is Tennessee junior Dylan Sampson (5-11, 192).

 

 

AAC

 

The American Athletic Conference has four good running backs. Tulane sophomore Makhi Hughes (5-11, 205) may just be the best of the four. Last year, as a freshman, Hughes rushed for 1,378 yards. He averaged 5.3 yards a carry.

 

Along with Hughes, Tulsa senior Anthony Watkins (5-11, 210) is a very capable runner. Last season, Watkins rushed for 889 yards. Another good back in the AAC is Navy junior Alex Tecza (6-0, 204). Last year Tecza ran for 758 yards. The fourth back to keep your eye on in the AAC is UTSA junior Kevorian Barnes (5-9, 220).

 

 

C-USA

 

The best back in Conference USA is, without a doubt, Liberty senior Quinton Cooley (5-7, 210). Cooley put up some impressive numbers last year. He rushed for 1,401 yards and 16 touchdowns, averaging 6.3 yards a carry.

 

 

MAC

 

At preseason, there are three good running backs in the Mid-American Conference. They are Northern Illinois senior Antario Brown (5-10, 219), and Toledo senior Jacquez Stuart (5-9, 178). Last season, Brown rushed for 1,296 yards, averaging 6.1 yards a carry. Also, Western Michigan sophomore Jalen Buckley (5-11, 210). Buckley rushed for 1,003 yards last year.

 

 

MWC

 

Aside from Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, the three top running backs in the Mountain West Conference are Fresno State senior Malik Sherrod (5-8, 173), Wyoming senior Harrison Waylee (5-10, 203) and UNLV sophomore Jai’Den Thomas (5-9, 180). Last year, Sherrod rushed for 966 yards, while Waylee had 947 yards rushing.

 

 

Sun Belt

 

The Sun Belt Conference has three standout backs. They are Georgia Southern senior Jalen White (6-0, 215), and Texas State senior Deon Hankins (6-0, 225). Last year White rushed for 889 yards and Hankins galloped for 812 yards. Also, Texas State junior Ismail Mandi (5-9, 180). Mandi rushed for 1,331 yards last season.

 

 

TT’s Top 10 Favorite Running Backs at Preseason

 

1.      Ollie Gordon – Oklahoma State

2.      Ashton Jeanty – Boise State

3.      Jaydn Ott – California

4.      Kyle Monangai – Rutgers

5.      Tahj Brooks – Texas Tech

6.      D.J. Giddens – Kansas State

7.      Donovan Edwards – Michigan

8.      R.J. Harvey – UCF

9.      Harrison Waylee – Wyoming

10.  Quinton Cooley – Liberty

 

However, I’m keeping my eye on Quinshon Judkins (Ohio State); Omarion Hampton (North Carolina); Devin Neal (Kansas); C.J. Donaldson (West Virginia); Trevor Etienne (Georgia); Jahiem White (West Virginia); Montrell Johnson (Florida), and Alex Tecza (Navy).

 

 

The Other Positions – 2024

 

Wide Receivers

 

Wide receivers are some of the most exciting players on the field. That means there should be lots of excitement at Oregon and in the Mountain West Conference this year.

 

Oregon has two top-notch receivers in senior Tez Johnson (5-10, 160) and junior Evan Stewart (6-0, 175), a transfer from Texas A&M. In 2023, Johnson’s receptions tallied 1,182 yards. Stewart had 82 receptions for 1,191 yards. Also in the Big Ten, senior Emeka Egbuka (6-1, 205) is an outstanding receiver.

 

Meanwhile the Mountain West Conference has three of the country’s best receivers. They are UNLV senior Ricky White (6-1, 190), Colorado State senior Tony Horton (6-2, 190) and Utah State senior Jalen Royals (6-0, 210). Last year White had 88 receptions for 1,483 yards and Horton had 96 receptions for 1,136 yards. Royals had 71 catches for 1,080 yards.  

 

The ACC has three top receivers of its own. They are Miami senior Xavier Restrepo (5-10, 198), NC State sophomore Kevin Concepcion (5-11, 187) and Louisville senior Caulin Lacy (5-10, 190). Last season Miami’s Restrepo had 85 receptions for 1,092 yards, while Lacy had 91 catches for 1,316 yards.

 

In the SEC, the two best receivers are Missouri junior Luther Burden (5-11, 208) and Ole Miss senior Tre Harris (6-2, 205). In 2023, Burdern had 86 receptions for 1,212 yards, while Harris had 54 catches for 985 yards.

 

The final two top receivers for 2024 are Arizona junior Tetairoa McMillan (6-5, 210) and South Florida senior Sean Atkins (5-10, 178). Last year McMillan had 90 catches tallying 1,402 yards. Atkins had 92 catches for 1,054 yards.   

 

 

Tight Ends

 

There are four good tight ends out there and among the best is Ole Miss senior Caden Prieskorn (6-5, 255). Prieskorn was dynamic in Ole Miss’s win over Penn State in last season’s Peach Bowl.

 

The other three top tight ends are Michigan junior Colson Loveland (6-5, 245), Notre Dame senior Mitchell Evans (6-5, 260) and Utah senior Brant Kuithe (6-2, 236).

 

 

Centers

 

Two of the best five centers in the country come from the SEC and two come from the Big Ten. The SEC gives us Alabama junior Parker Brailsford (6-2, 275) and Tennessee senior Cooper Mays (6-4, 310).

 

From the Big Ten are USC senior Jonah Monheim (6-5, 305) and Iowa senior Logan Jones (6-3, 290).

 

The fifth top tight end is Oklahoma State senior Joe Michalski (6-5, 300).

 

 

Offensive Linemen (Guards and Tackles)

 

It will be tough trying to stop Georgia’s offense this season. The Dawgs have three of the best offensive linemen in the country. They are senior Tate Ratledge (6-8, 310), sophomore Earnest Greene (6-4, 320) and junior Dylan Fairchild (6-5, 315).

 

LSU is not exactly hurting on the offensive line. The Tigers have two of the best with junior Will Campbell (6-6, 320) and junior Emery Jones (6-6, 322). Three other top lineman in the SEC are Texas junior Kelvin Banks (6-4, 234), Alabama junior Tyler Booker (6-5, 352) and Texas A&M sophomore Chase Bisontis (6-6, 320).

 

Oregon is in good shape on the o-line with junior Josh Conerly (6-4, 305) and senior Ajani Cornelius (6-5, 308). Three more tough offensive linemen from the Big Ten are Minnesota senior Aireontae Ersery (6-6, 325), Ohio State senior Donvan Jackson (6-4, 320) and Penn State senior Sal Wormley (6-3, 330).

 

The ACC counters with three of the best offensive linemen. They are Miami junior Jalen Rivers (6-5, 325), Florida State senior Darius Washington (6-4, 310) and Clemson junior Blake Miller (6-6, 310).

 

In the Big 12, West Virginia has one of the better o-linemen in senior Wyatt Milum (6-6, 317). Cincinnati counters with senior Luke Kandra (6-4, 323).

 

From the Group of Five, Jacksonville State has an outstanding offensive lineman in Clay Webb  (6-3, 290).

 

 

Defensive Linemen (Ends and Tackles)

 

Opponents of Ohio State will find it difficult to move on the Buckeyes this fall. Ohio State is loaded on the defensive line with three of the country’s best. They are senior J.T. Tuimoloau (6-5, 269), senior Jack Sawyer (6-5, 260) and senior Tyleik Williams (6-3, 327).

 

Three more good defensive linemen from the Big Ten are Michigan junior Mason Graham (6-3, 318), Penn State junior Abdul Carter (6-3, 250) and USC junior Bear Alexander (6-3, 313).

 

In the SEC, Ole Miss has two of the finest d-linemen in senior Princely Umanmielen (6-5, 255) and junior Walter Nolen (6-4, 290). Four other top defensive linemen in the SEC are Tennessee junior James Pearce (6-5, 242), Georgia senior Nazir Stackhouse (6-3, 320), Kentucky junior Deone Walker (6-6, 348) and Texas A&M junior Nic Scourton (6-4, 280).

 

Florida State leads the way on the defensive line in the ACC with junior Patrick Payton (6-5, 254) and junior Joshua Farmer (6-3, 318). Elsewhere in the ACC the best defensive linemen are Louisville senior Ashton Gillotte (6-4, 275), Miami sophomore Reuben Bain (6-3, 275) and Virginia Tech senior Antwaun Powell-Ryland (6-3, 246).

 

Three remaining top defensive linemen in the country are Notre Dame senior Howard Cross (6-1, 277), Cincinnati junior Dontay Corleone (6-1, 320) and Boise State senior Ahmed Hassanein (6-3, 272).

 

 

Linebackers (Inside and Outside)

 

Georgia is stacked at the linebacker position with junior Mykel Williams (6-5, 265) and senior Smael Mondon (6-3, 225). Three other top linebackers in the SEC are LSU junior Harold Perkins (6-1, 220), Alabama junior Deontae Lawson (6-2, 230) and Oklahoma senior Danny Stutsman (6-4, 241).

 

Iowa is loaded with senior Jay Higgins (6-2, 233) and senior Nick Jackson (6-0, 237). Two more outstanding linebackers in the Big Ten are Oregon senior Jeffrey Bassa (6-2, 230) and Northwestern senior Xander Mueller (6-3, 215).

 

Oklahoma State has the two best linebackers in the Big 12. They are junior Nickolas Martin (6-0, 210) and senior Colin Oliver (6-2, 235). The other top linebacker in the Big 12 is Arizona junior Jacob Manu (5-11, 225).

 

The three best linebackers in the ACC are Clemson senior Barrett Carter (6-1, 230), North Carolina senior Kaimon Rucker (6-2, 265) and Miami senior Francisco Mauigoa (6-3, 230).

 

Among the best linebackers, we can’t overlook Old Dominion senior Jason Henderson (6-1, 237), Miami (Ohio) senior Matt Salopek (6-1, 230) and Memphis junior Chandler Martin (6-0, 215).

 

 

Defensive Backs (Cornerbacks and Safeties)

 

The Big Ten is loaded in the defensive secondary and two of the best d-backs in the conference reside in Columbus. Ohio State sophomore Caleb Downs (6-0, 205) and Ohio State senior Denzel Burke (6-1, 193).

 

But that is just part of the story in the Big Ten. Michigan counters with junior Will Johnson (6-2, 202) and Purdue has sophomore Dillon Thieneman (6-0, 205). The remaining three best defensive backs in the Big Ten are Iowa senior Sebastian Castro (5-11, 205), Oregon senior Jabbar Muhammad (5-10, 183) and Wisconsin senior Hunter Wohler (6-2, 215).

 

Among the defensive backs in the SEC, Georgia has two of the best. They are junior Malaki Starks (6-1, 205) and junior Daylen Everette (6-1, 190). The other two top d-backs in the conference are Oklahoma senior  Billy Bowman (5-10, 191) and Alabama senior Malachi Moore (6-0, 198).

 

Notre Dame is stacked in the secondary with senior Xavier Watts (6-0, 202) and junior Benjamin Morrison (6-0, 183).

 

The Big 12 has four good defensive backs. They are Colorado junior Travis Hunter (6-1, 185), Kansas senior Cobee Bryant (6-0, 170), Arizona junior Tacario Davis (6-4, 195) and Iowa State senior Beau Freyer (6-2, 220).

 

In the ACC, the top d-backs are NC State senior Aydan White (6-0, 189) and Virginia senior Jonas Sanker (6-1, 210).

 

From the Group of Five, the best defensive back is East Carolina senior Shavon Revel (6-3, 185).

 

 

Kickers

 

Two of the best placekickers in the country are Alabama senior Graham Nicholson (6-0, 185) and Texas senior Bert Auburn (6-0, 183). The remaining three best placekickers are Boise State senior Jonah Dalmas (5-8, 180), Miami (Florida) senior Andres Borregales (5-11, 170) and Minnesota senior Dragan Kesich (6-4, 240).

 

 

Punters

 

The SEC brandishes three of the country’s best punters. They are Alabama senior James Burnip (6-6, 220), Georgia junior  Brett Thorson (6-2, 220) and Florida senior Jeremy Crawshaw (6-4, 205). Rounding out the other top punters in college football this season are Florida State senior Alex Mastromanno (6-1, 240), Miami (Ohio) senior Alec Bevelhimer (6-3, 211) and Boise State junior James Ferguson-Reynolds (6-2, 183).

 

 

See you Monday morning (August 19) with Touchdown Tom’s Consensus Top 40 for 2024, along with my forecast for Week 0.  

 

Touchdown Tom

August 16, 2024

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