Devy Digest: Monday Musings Week 1

Devy Risers

UCLA- WR J.Michael Sturdivant was my riser of the year. In his first game with UCLA he compiled 5-136-1 an he served as a security blanket for the quarterbacks when they needed to be bailed out. The chemistry between Sturdivant and Dante Moore is evident and if Moore is named the starter, all systems are a go for Sturdivant as he is my WR3 for the 2024 draft class.

Stanford- TE Benjamin Yurosek is the Stanford offense. In the new system, he still showed why he will be selected in the upcoming NFL draft as he hauled in 9 receptions for 138 yards and a touchdown.

Devy Quandaries

Utah- RB Ja'Quinden Jackson was an offseason riser among the devy community and I never got on board for a few reasons. 1. His pass protection is poor and is a liability when on the field 2. When he's out there, it's to scheme something up 3. As a former Quarterback, he still has a lot to learn about the nuances of the position. He showed flashes last year but was never someone that rose up the rankings due to his volatility. It looks more and more that the Utah backfield will be a timeshare.

Michigan- WR Roman Wilson has always shown glimpses of ability l, but he's never been able to string together games. He hauled in 6 catches and 3 touchdowns and seems to have stepped into the WR1 role of Michigan, but it's still a question mark at this time. Jim Nagy, who is the Executive Director of Senior Bowl, has touted him for awhile now. He might be someone that becomes an early day 3 pick in the NFL draft.

Alabama- WR Malik Benson was someone that was volatile as a devy asset. His best bet of playing time this year was to be in the slot, but he couldn't beat out Isaiah Bond and Benson was regulated to garbage time work. Benson appears to be 5th in the pecking order, and for someone who was picked early in supplementals, those managers are now stuck on what to do with him as a devy and even a C2C asset.

The entire Colorado offense- TCU only returned 15% of the roster from last years team that made it to the National Championship game. We don't know how good or bad TCU is, so we should pump the brakes on everyone from Colorado.

Devy Fallers

Alabama- QB Ty Simpson lost out on the starting role and Jalen Milroe has always been the guy with more ability. If Milroe struggles, the window could be there for Simpson but as of now, Alabama has a top recruit at QB coming in next year. If Simpson stays at Alabama, his chances are slim that he pays off as a devy asset.

Miami (FL)- RB TreVonte' Citizen stock keeps falling. Henry Parrish and Mark Fletcher have shown to be a formidable duo for Miami and Citizen is still recovering from his ACL, where he had a setback last fall. He still isn't near 100% and those that have shares on him know his value is plummeting. Miami also has recruited the position in the upcoming class, the odds that Citizen pays off his draft capital seems unlikely.

C2C names to watch

Arizona State- RB Cameron Skattebo transferred to a Power 5 school and showed he belonged. He ran for 71 yards, 1 touchdown, and contributed in the receiving game with 4 catches for 41 yards... including a long of 26. He was the back that showed the most juice for Arizona State and should handle the workload going forward.

TCU- RB Emani Bailey was the starter and his early fumble allowed Trey Sanders to get into the game. While Sanders had 3 touchdowns, Bailey was the more efficient runner, as he outgained Sanders by 118 yards on the ground with one less opportunity. It does appear to be a rotation but Bailey was more efficient.

NC State- WR Kevin "KC" Concepcion won the starting slot position as a true freshman and went out and led the team with 4 receptions and showed good route running and elusiveness on the field. Expect to see more chemistry as the season progresses with QB Brennan Armstrong

Tulsa- WR Marquis Shoulders had himself a day. We knew someone in the Tulsa receiving room would step up and early indication from the spring and fall reports made it seem like Malachai Jones would be the guy, but Shoulders stepped up for a stat line of 5-132-2. One of his touchdowns was an absolute blown coverage. I would hesitate to make him a waiver priority due to starting Tulsa Quarterback Braylon Braxton was knocked out of the game early due to an ankle injury and the chemistry might not transfer over.

Hawaii- WR Pofele Ashlock once again shows up on this list as he gave quite an encore from his debut last week with 8 catches, 114 yards, and 2 touchdowns. He continues to be a savvy route runner and finds ways to get open to make a play for his team.

South Carolina- WR Xavier Legette had a career game with Juice Wells being ruled out early. South Carolina has always needed another wide receiver to step up opposite of Wells, and Legette might be that guy. He showed out against North Carolina with 9-178-0 stat line and made key plays when the team needed it.

Texas A&M- WR Noah Thomas is more than likely on the waiver wire in a lot of C2C leagues. After a slow Freshman season, he stepped up as a viable secondary option in this offense with a stat line of 6-74-3, which eclipsed what he did all of last year. The 6'6" WR could very well be the redzone threat for this offense.

Fresno State- WR Erik Brooks is another one that had a career game going 9-170-2. He's building on what he did last year and is a name to mention.

Cincinnati- WR Xzavier Henderson was Emory Jones favorite target and could be a sneaky waiver wire add. With a 7-149-1 statline, the big bodied wide receiver is someone Jones looked for all game.

Musings wrap up

Let's not overreact to week 1. If you have any of the Colorado players, see what you can get for them. People will overreact and if you get great value, it may be an offer you should ponder. TCU only returned 15% of their roster from last year and early in the season, it's a guessing game on how good any of these teams are. TCU's defense has always been porous. We have Clemson vs Duke tonight and it should be a great Quarterback matchup. The player I'm looking at is Antonio Williams, the wide receiver for Clemson, and how he will be utilized in this new offense. For Duke, it's Jordan Moore, the QB convert to WR. He flashed late last year and it will be interesting to see how he developed this offseason and if he can become a devy asset.