Continuing on with spring game observations, this installment will cover the notable storylines in the Mid American, Mountain West, Pacific 12, Southeastern, and Sun Belt conferences as well as the independent teams. If you would like to view part one of the spring game observation series that looks into the AAC, ACC, BIG 12, BIG 10, and C-USA click here.
MAC
Kato Nelson is the guy for Akron
This should come as a surprise to no one after a late-season surge from sophomore quarterback Kato Nelson, who capped off last season with a huge win over the Ohio Bobcats and secured the MAC East for the Zips for the first time since 2005. Nelson’s postseason performance was underwhelming, to say the least, but his spring was solid. Nelson was able to connect with Senior wideout Kwadarrius Smith, whose speed makes him an intriguing prospect this season if Nelson continues to progress.
Nathan Rourke is close to a full return
Nathan Rourke is considered a top 10 fantasy option for this upcoming season by most college fantasy experts (want proof? check it out here). Rourke underwent surgery in the offseason and was limited in the spring, but he’s still considered the man under center according to thepostathens.com. I for one can’t wait to see the dynamic running back AJ Oullette return this season behind the Bobcat O-line that returns four of its starting five from 2017.
Future optimism for the Redhawks
Gus Ragland returns for his fourth and likely final season as a Redhawk and is the day one starter for Miami. Ragland was able to hit receiver Quentin Hardy for a five-yard touchdown pass in the spring in limited action. The real story comes from freshman quarterback Jackson Williamson, who finished the day with 96 yards of offense — 71 passing and 25 on the ground while scoring twice using his arms and his legs. Ragland, as we all know, isn’t exactly a superstar fantasy option but he’s above average. In the long run Williamson has potential to be something special.
Jarret Doege finding his rhythm
Jarret Doege had an efficient freshman season with a 63.8% completion percentage and a 12:3 touchdown/interception ratio. This season, Doege looked incredibly comfortable in Mike Jinks’ offensive system. Doege played for two drives and when 6-for-7 for 106 yards (17.14 yards per completion!) with touchdown passes on both drives. If Doege continues to progress now that he has a year of the system under his belt, he could bring fantasy prestige back to the Bowling Green quarterback spot.
Defense dominates Kent State spring game
The Golden Flashes have adopted an up-tempo offensive system under new head coach Sean Lewis, which is great. However, last season the profitable fantasy defense was the one playing Kent State that week and it doesn’t matter how fast the offense is if they can’t score. Nick Holley has graduated, which leaves a massive hole in the production of the Golden Flashes. Dustin Crum seemed to be the most fitting of Lewis’ system based solely on his passing ability but it’s still too early to call the quarterback battle.
Toledo moving on from Woodside
Toledo’s loss of Logan Woodside is one that certainly can’t be ignored as the current Cincinnati Bengals quarterback led the Rockets to the MAC championship last season. Woodside is third all-time in passing yards and second all-time in passing touchdowns for his career. The heir seems to be junior Mitch Guadagni, who saw most of the first-team snaps in spring practice and has, more importantly, built good chemistry with one of the best returning MAC receivers Diontae Johnson. Guadagni should maintain relevance at the Toledo QB spot with Johnson, the returning Cody Thompson, and sophomore Shakif Seymour who averaged 6.1 yards on 116 carries in 2017.
Poljan outplays Lazzaro in CMU spring game
With the departure of Michigan-transfer quarterback Shane Morris, the Chippewas are back where they were a year ago. Central Michigan’s pass-heavy offense makes any fantasy owner at least consider the CMU quarterback as a legitimate fantasy option. Tony Poljan was able to nail two touchdowns in the spring game and contributed on the ground as well. Poljan is an intriguing prospect because he spent time not only at quarterback but wide receiver last season which brings a combination of passing and athleticism that Lazzaro just doesn’t have. Lazzaro was also able to throw for a touchdown in the spring game, which keeps him in the running. I just can’t see him getting past Poljan.
Ball State looks to build depth
Last season, Ball State lost three of its best offensive players for a combined 44 games as Riley Neal, James Gilbert, and Corey Lacanaria all missed significant time. These losses resulted in a huge dip in production from an otherwise effective offense. The Cardinals spring game featured a monster return for Lacanaria who had 111 yards on eight receptions with an early touchdown from Riley Neal, who played a limited role. Another big development was backup running back Markice Hurt who carried the rock nine times for 62 yards and a touchdown. With the key three back for Ball State (Riley Neal, James Gilbert, and Corey Lacanaria), the Cardinals will continue to produce fantasy relevant players. It will be interesting this year to see the offensive role that Lacanaria has after being so heavily targeted in the spring.
MWC
Rypien it up in Boise
Brett Rypien’s offensive production took a big hit last season, going from 3,646 yards of offense in 2016 to 2,877 yards in 2017. It seems as though Rypien has found his mojo in the offseason by throwing for 267 yards and three touchdowns in the spring game. The Broncos usually feature one big receiver and the race for the top spot seems to be between Octavius Evans and AJ Richardson who combined for 241 yards and four touchdowns. Time will tell which one apparent starter Brett Rypien prefers.
Tyler Vander Waal named Josh Allen successor
Whether you liked Josh Allen or not, he’s gone and Tyler Vander Waal is the new starting quarterback for the Cowboys. Vander Waal is a redshirt freshman with no college in-game experience, compared to Nick Smith who served as the backup to the departing Allen. Vander Waal outplayed Smith in the spring game and led a game-winning drive for his Gold team to defeat Smith’s Brown team. Coach Bohl did announce that Vander Waal was the starter but made no promises that he will be the guy week zero when Wyoming takes on New Mexico.
Vander Waal can sling the ball, which was evident in his 123-yard passing performance in the spring game, and he used his legs on the crucial final drive to defeat the Brown team. Wyoming needs to figure out who their starting running back is as well. The Cowboys have thrived when they’ve utilized one back (see Brian Hill or Shaun Wick) so a three-way RBBC between Kellen Overstreet, Nico Evans and Trey Woods isn’t exactly ideal.
Transfers make an impact for Rams
The Colorado State Rams will have to go without star receiver Michael Gallup and veteran quarterback Nick Stevens this season. Although he didn’t contribute in the spring game, Preston Williams is presumed to carry the torch. Williams is a former 5-star receiver who lost his way at Tennessee and has done nothing but impress with his talent and leadership since stepping foot on campus. The real story in Fort Collins is the transfer steal of KJ Carta Samuels.
Carta Samuels left Washington after graduating and had initially announced that he was transferring to UCLA. Then the San Jose product switched his commitment shortly after Collin Hill’s ACL tear was announced. KJ has enough talent to take the job and be a huge success, much like Jeff Driskel was for Louisiana Tech after losing the starting job for Florida. The only issue right now is that he has to wait for the summer before he can get to work for the Rams.
Utes must utilize big receivers
Utah State had issues at quarterback last season with an ongoing battle between Kent Myers and Jordan Love. Love seems to have a firm grasp on the job going into the season after being handed the reigns late last season. An interesting development out of the spring is Ron’quavion Tarver, who caught five passes for 76 yards and a touchdown in the spring game. Tarver is larger than most corners he will face and has the ability to win 50/50 balls thrown to him. Love has a solid deep ball and should the Aggies emphasize the pass more than their inconsistent run game then Tarver has an incredibly high fantasy ceiling.
Nothing we don’t already know from Fresno
Fresno State’s spring didn’t offer much that we didn’t already know coming out of last season. Marcus McMaryion is still the number one guy at quarterback and had a big run in the spring game. Jamire Jordan and Keesean Johnson still seem to be the top targets for the Bulldogs with Da’Mari Scott likely to make an impact. The offense looks to be more efficient in year two under Jeff Tedford and looks to be adding more RPO than last season to utilize McMaryion’s strengths. The offensive line has been rearranged and looked stellar against a tough Fresno State defense.
Ty Gangi to McLane Mannix…
Ty Gangi is the unquestioned starter for the Wolfpack in 2018 and he further cemented his standing by throwing four touchdown passes. The big development from the day was McLane Mannix, who was the number two receiving option last season and emerged as the favorite target for Gangi after hitting him twice for scores. Other receivers to watch are the two 6-foot-4 receivers Elijah Cooks and Brendan O’Leary-Orange. Cooks was targeted several times in the red zone for scores and O’Leary-Orange was targeted downfield several times but was overthrown. Mannix, however, appears to be Gangi’s go-to receiver and the guy to own in 2018.
Hawaii looks to fly like a “Byrd” in 2018
last season saw the emergence of John Ursua as a big-time fantasy player in PPR leagues before his injuries got in the way. Whether the quarterback for the Warriors this season is Cole McDonald or Jeremy Moussa, Cedric Byrd has stepped up as their favorite target. Byrd caught more than 10 passes in the spring game and showed off his speed and elusiveness by making the Hawaii defense miss repeatedly. Byrd will likely make any fantasy owner proud, especially in PPR leagues, and he will be available in most drafts as long as it comes before his week zero game against Colorado State. Also, be on the lookout for players transferring from Hawaii to Oregon State because apparently that’s been a thing this offseason.
San Jose State has four quarterbacks who can’t throw downfield
San Jose State had a total of five passes for more than 30 yards in their spring game and they played five quarterbacks. Montel Aaron had a productive day with 106 passing yards in limited action while Josh Love led in passing with 148 yards on seven passes. Freshman quarterback Terrell Carter showed off his running ability with 25 rushing yards and two touchdowns. Bailey Gaither cemented himself as the top target for the Spartans with 105 yards on three receptions and a touchdown. San Jose looks good passing in the short to mid-range going into the 2018 season and if I were to call the quarterback race now Montel Aaron is the guy.
Pac 12
Could Stanford actually start a former walk-on at quarterback?
I’m not saying that this will actually happen, but check this out. Jack Richardson earned a scholarship after he threw for 176 yards and two touchdowns on 21 completions in the spring game. Stanford’s passing game finished with fewer total passing yards than LSU, Wisconsin, and Kansas last season. This is partly due to Bryce Love but also due to them playing three different quarterbacks. Could Richardson be the answer?
Another interesting bit of info out of Stanford is sophomore Connor Wedington. Stanford’s biggest fantasy players are players that do it all. In the past several years Ty Montgomery and Christian McCaffrey put up monster fantasy points by contributing in the rushing, receiving, and return game. Wedington saw time at running back and return man while catching five passes for 68 yards. Love is no doubt the centerpiece of the offense but don’t sleep on Wedington.
Possible fantasy relevant tight end at UW
Jake Browning returned for his final season at Washinton after taking a step back in 2017. Part of Browning’s dip in production was the loss of John Ross and the injury to Dante Pettis. Max Richmond has the biggest day at receiver for the Huskies with 86 yards and a touchdown on two catches. However, the top target for the Husky quarterbacks seemed to be tight end Hunter Bryant.
The sophomore tight end was the third leading receiver last season with 22 receptions, 331 yards, and a touchdown but he wasn’t heavily targeted week to week. Bryant caught five passes for 50 yards in the spring game and any tight end that heavily targeted is hard to ignore.
Washington State’s 2018 offense will be too “sweet”
The position everyone is watching in the spring is the Washington State quarterback. Mike Leach’s offenses produce fantasy quarterbacks like they are going out of style and it looks like Trey Tinsley is the next in line. Tinsley passed for 213 yards and three touchdowns, outplaying any other quarterback in the process. The real story for this team was wide receiver Kyle Sweet. The Cougars lost Tavares Martin, Isaiah Johnson-Mack, and Jamal Morrow who accounted for 1,865 of the 4,497 passing yards last season. Sweet hauled in eight receptions for 138 yards in the first half of the spring game alone and looks to be the big dog for the Cougars at receiver this season.
Cristobal hasn’t clarified a no. 1 quarterback
As strange as it may seem, Mario Cristobal hasn’t clarified Justin Herbert as the QB1 for the Ducks. Herbert had a good day despite throwing the only interception of the day with 126 yards and a touchdown. Braxton Burmeister had the least spectacular stats of the quarterbacks with 64 yards and a score. Freshman quarterback Tyler Shough enrolled early and threw for 102 yards and two touchdowns in his debut. Herbert is likely still the guy for Oregon, based on the way he’s played when he’s healthy, but don’t be surprised to see Shough as the next man up. Tony Brooks-James didn’t contribute in the spring game but has been pushed as the guy all spring.
Golden Bears show off lackluster quarterback play
It’s hard to describe California’s offense last season. At times they looked stellar and other times they looked ineffective. They didn’t look good in the spring game. Ross Bowers had the best day passing going 6-for-11 with 66 yards and a touchdown. The next best was Chase Garbers with 8 completions for 35 yards. The offense needs another playmaker outside of Patrick Laird to truly do some damage in 2018. I for one can’t wait to see what Brandon McIlwain will do for the Golden Bears at the end of baseball season.
Oregon State is changing the recruiting game
So, first things first, Oregon State’s spring has revolved around the quarterback. Jonathan Smith took over the reigns in what is sure to be a pass-heavy offense considering the system he ran as OC for Washington and the fact that the Beavers lost their entire ground game in the offseason. The Beaver quarterbacks in play are the returning Jake Luton, JUCO quarterback Jack Colletto, and freshman Conor Blount. Blount had the best spring of the three and finished with two touchdowns in the spring game. Luton got a touchdown in the spring game but threw two picks and fumbled twice off the snap. Blount looks like the best man for the job but has to work on his deep ball.
Hunter Mattson served as the most productive rusher in the spring and will likely take over for the departing Ryan Nall. Noah Togiai sat out the spring game with injury and has all the potential in the world to be a monster tight end if he can stay on the field. As stated earlier, Oregon State was caught sending letters to Hawaiian players trying to get them to transfer. This likely means some sort of punishment in the future for the Beavers.
USC focuses on the run game
USC loses quarterback Sam Darnold, running back Ronald Jones II, and slot receiver Deontay Burnett, so a switch to an offense based off the run make sense. Stephen Carr returns and is poised to headline the offense in 2018 along with Aca’Cedric Ware who got bigger and more aggressive in the offseason. Neither Matt Fink nor Jack Sears established themselves as the next man up heading into the summer. This doesn’t bode well for either Sears or Fink because summer is the beginning of the JT Daniels era at USC.
Arizona’s run game… enough said
Khalil Tate is likely the top fantasy option this season after becoming the Lamar Jackson of the West after rushing for 1,411 yards and 12 touchdowns. Kevin Sumlin’s addition only means more for the Wildcat running game in 2018 as Sumlin’s Texas A&M offense was based around a power running game. JJ Taylor is, of course, the feature back for the upcoming season but this spring has given us a new name to look for — Nathan Tilford. Tilford finished with two short-range touchdowns and absolutely buried a corner with a stiff arm.
After a few big runs on the drive Nathan Tilford punches it into the endzone from the 1-yard line!#BearDown | #EraZona pic.twitter.com/D8CdaHMVAm
— Arizona Football (@ArizonaFBall) April 15, 2018
Arizona State is waiting for the summer
Arizona State made headlines with the hire of the energetic Herm Edwards in the offseason instead of pursuing someone who had recent coaching experience. Blake Barnett transferred, which is fine due to the return of Manny Wilkins. The key issue for the Sun Devils is depth. Arizona State currently has three running backs on campus and they have to replace Kalen Ballage and Demario Richard and it looks like we will have to wait until the three freshmen (AJ Carter, Brock Sturges, Demetrious Flowers) and the JUCO-transfer Isaiah Floyd arrive on campus.
UCLA’s offense vamping up the run game
UCLA’s run game has been atrocious since the graduations of Paul Perkins and Brett Hundley, which makes little to no sense considering Soso Jamabo was the second-best running back recruit in the nation in 2015. Chip Kelly taking over for UCLA made fantasy owners excited after his historic success at Oregon. This spring showed that Kelly is implementing some triple-option tendencies in an effort to turn things around for the Bruins. Devin Modster and Matt Lynch are battling it out for the top spot for now. The real battle begins when Dorian Thompson-Robinson and Michigan-transfer Wilton Speight arrive on campus.
Venturing back to the UCLA run-game, the UC Davis transfer running back and former 2-star Joshua Kelly has led first-team reps at times this spring and has competed on the same level as Soso Jamabo and Bolu Olorunfunmi.
Montez needs to clean up the mistakes
I’ve been a big supporter of Steven Montez since he first came in to relieve Sefo Liufau in 2016. Montez showed off his potential in the spring game with two touchdowns but he also showed his inaccuracies with two interceptions. Luckily, Montez won’t have to worry too much about who he’s to throw to this season after a big spring from the elusive Laviska Shenault.
SEC
Fields pushing Fromm
Last season saw the emergence of Jake Fromm, as Jacob Eason went down early with injuries before transferring to Washington. Fromm’s deep ball seems to have improved some in the offseason but there’s still plenty of work to be done. Justin Fields looked good in the spring with the second string offense but throws just as hard on screen passes as he did on long bombs. D’Andre Swift seems to be the only back worth looking at after a weak showing from the backups and Zamir White’s recovery delaying his debut.
South Carolina offense making strides
South Carolina’s offense was its best asset last season, yet something that needed improvement. In their nine wins, they were out-gained three times by NC State, Mizzou, and Vanderbilt. Jake Bentley has improved over the offseason as the offense has gotten faster and threw for 174 yards and two touchdowns. Bryan Edwards had the best outing at receiver with seven receptions, 117 yards, and a touchdown. The Gamecocks really get things going when the dynamic Deebo Samuel returns from his 2017 injury.
Dan Mullen is still searching for his man
I went into the spring believing that Felipe Franks was the guy for Florida and left thinking the opposite. Franks had a solid spring outing with 117 yards and a touchdown, but Kyle Trask killed it. Trask threw for 178 and two touchdowns and neither quarterback threw an interception. Emory Jones had a good showing but Mullen isn’t going to force him into anything out the gate. As we’ve seen with Dak Prescott and Nick Fitzgerald, the more time a quarterback studies the Mullen offensive system the better, and Emory Jones hasn’t even played his first season yet. If Trask or Franks play this season, don’t think that Jones won’t play the next one.
Tennessee is hard to read
Jeremy Pruitt has taken over his first head coaching job after serving as the defensive coordinators for Florida State, Georgia, and Alabama. Pruitt has played his cards close to his chest this offseason by not opening practices to the public, not naming starters, and responding critically to all of his players. The Volunteers will likely look to Keller Chryst and Ty Chandler this season but time can only tell as Chryst is finishing up his final semester at Stanford.
Alabama spring gives clarity to skill positions
Not much can be said about Alabama’s quarterback battle as Tua Tagovailoa missed most of the spring with a hand injury. Looking into things that can be determined, the Crimson Tide will feature a strong set of receivers with Henry Ruggs, Jerry Jeudy and DeVonta Smith with Ruggs taking the Z-Spot left vacant by the departing Calvin Ridley. Bo Scarborough is the only Bama back leaving, which means that Najee Harris and Damien Harris will split time in the backfield. Harris was highly touted out of high school and expectations are incredibly high for the sophomore, but the burden is lessened with the returning Harris.
In my own opinion, you should check out the top Spring position battles to see who I’ve selected to take the quarterback spot in 2018.
McMillan deserves the start for LSU
Okay, LSU has struggled at quarterback for years now and has had one of the most one-dimensional offenses in recent memory. I’m not going to say that Justin McMillan will contend for a Heisman trophy or anything in 2018, but he took the first snaps in the spring game and finished with 182 passing yards with a touchdown and was actually able to run the ball nine times for 69 yards. McMillan ran for one yard short of Danny Etling’s career rushing mark of 70 in his first spring game.
LSU also doesn’t seem to be too sure about their running back situation considering they were after former-California (now Texas) running back Tre Watson. It’s believed that Nick Brossette is the week one starter for LSU, but don’t be shocked if Clyde Edwards-Helaire steals the show before the end of the year. Edwards-Helaire had a scrimmage this spring where he carried the ball 18 times for 109 yards and five touchdowns, but can he get his game to translate in the regular season?
Quick Mississippi State takeaways
Not much was gathered from Mississippi State’s spring game from a position battle standpoint but there are a few interesting factoids. State’s lines look really good on both sides of the ball, which bodes especially well for Aeris Williams and the returning Nick Fitzgerald. Kylin Hill was used often with the first team offense on passing plays which should be worth noting. Joe Moorhead’s offense focuses on making as many explosive plays as possible so the run plays were less up the middle and more to the outside.
Multiple receivers were used in different ways. Jamal Couch and Reggie Todd were used on the outside while Deddrick Thomas took over the slot. In other sets, Jesse Jackson and Devonta Jason took the outside while Austin Williams took the slot.
Fisher found his weapon
We all know what Kellen Mond and Nick Starkel have to offer, and no decision has been made, so there’s no need to spend too much time on it. Kellen Mond finished going 19-of-26 for 180 yards and three touchdowns. Nick Starkel went 26-for-42 for 373 yards and a score. The more interesting player in the Aggie Spring Game was JUCO transfer tight end Jace Sternberger. Sternberger finished the day with eight catches, 147 yards, and two touchdowns. If you didn’t know, that’s is a lot of targets and yards for a tight end. Jimbo has used tight ends heavily in the passing game with Nick O’Leary at Florida State. If you’re drafting earlier than the projections this season, pick up Sternberger because he is going to be a force to be reckoned with this season.
Kelley vs Storey
Arkansas’ offense is now under the offensive expertise of Chad Morris. Coach Morris brings in a spread option system from SMU that proved to do really well against SEC teams during his time at Clemson. The Razorbacks have an interesting battle between the safe game manager Ty Storey and Cole Kelley who has all the makings of a star quarterback. Kelley showed flashes of greatness last season, but he often times went for the home run play when the gamble wasn’t quite worth it. Given Morris’ past, I’m going to go with Kelley as the guy going forward (that’s if Kelley avoids suspension for the offseason DWI). Morris likes the misdirection, the mobile quarterback, and the big play potential and Kelley just simply fits the bill compared to the more laid back play of Ty Storey.
Sun Belt
Troy utilizes Louisville transfer receiver
Troy lost a ton of production in 2017 with Brandon Silvers and Jordan Chunn both graduating. The battle between Kaleb Barker and Sawyer Smith ended with no known victor given that there were so many offensive injuries this spring. Traveon Samuel, however, gave the Troy fans something to watch this spring as the Louisville transfer showed what made him a D1 player. Samuel was fed the ball all day long in both the receiving game and the rushing game. His biggest moment came from a 65-yard touchdown pass from Barker. Troy coach Neal Brown said that he intentionally got Samuel the ball and knows he has potential to be a key player for the Trojans in 2018.
Georgia State doesn’t know a quarterback but has weapons for days
Georgia State’s feature player is still without a doubt wide receiver Penny Hart. Outside of him, though, the Panthers now have Camryn Johnson and Tamir Jones who both made incredible touchdown receptions while Terrance Dixon showed off his speed in the slot. Tight ends Camrin Knight and Ari Wertz were both unstoppable in the red zone and made great catches inside the 20. The quarterback still remains a question, though. JUCO-transfer Dan Ellington seemed to be the most polished in the pocket during the spring game but it was Junior Aaron Winchester who stole the show with his athleticism.
New Mexico State looking to replace Tyler Rogers
The New Mexico State Lobos lose a ton of production from last season in Tyler Rogers. The options for his replacement are senior Nick Jeanty and JUCO Transfer Matt Romero. Beaty is considered the starter if they were to play tomorrow, but Romero will likely edge him out as the offseason moves on. Romero led the first-team Lobo offense to back-to-back touchdown drives during the spring scrimmage while Beaty had a very uneventful performance. Jason Huntley also gave fantasy owners something to look forward to as he stepped right up to where Larry Rose III left off.
Dallas Davis leaves South Alabama
They biggest development from the Jaguars in the spring is the sudden transfer of veteran quarterback Dallas Davis. After losing out the starting job to Cole Garvin last spring, Davis split time with Garvin for most of the year. Given that Davis is leaving the program, it’s safe to assume that Cole Garvin has won the job and will lead the South Alabama Jaguars in 2018. Kawaan Baker had a big day for the Jaguars in the spring game with touchdown receptions from Cephus Jhnson and Cole Garvin while raking up 105 yards.
App State looking for next man up at quarterback
App State has to replace one of the best quarterbacks in the history of its program in Taylor Lamb. Lamb currently leads all Mountaineer quarterbacks in career passing touchdowns and is behind only Armanti Edwards for career passing yards. Scott Satterfield clarified in the Winston-Salem Journal that “Zac (Thomas), I think, might be a leg up on all three guys.” This makes sense considering Thomas has in game experience for the Mountaineers with a few passes here and there last season and also has the benefit of youth on his side being a sophomore. Offensive line remains a concern for App State with 13 of the 19 linemen on the roster being sophomores or younger. This greatly affects Jalin Moore in 2018 if the inexperience gets in his way.
Independents
Wimbush still stands as starter
After the conclusion of Notre Dame spring camp, it’s hard to say who will take over the hole left by Josh Adams but it’s easy to say who the quarterback is. After some late-season changes, Ian Book tried to make a case for why he should run the Irish offense going forward. Neither quarterback could really establish himself as the better option, but it seems that Brandon Wimbush is still on top. Neeither quarterback is really better and the Irish don’t necessarily need to throw Phil Jurkovec into the mix just yet because neither Book or Wimbush are really struggling.
In other news, Miles Boykin has emerged as the top receiving target for the Irish in 2018. In the past several seasons, Notre Dame has offered at least one really good fantasy option at receiver and Boykin seems to be that guy in 2018 as emphasized by a 64-yard touchdown reception from Wimbush in the spring game.
Utah State is the Aggies, not the Utes.