Spring Ball 2025

[catdaddyp]

The amount of spring coverage we’ve gotten from the program has been disappointing. To be fair, spring coverage across college football has taken a hit in general. As of this writing, only two SEC schools are even televising their spring games.

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a vote next year to allow schools to play other programs during the spring. Colorado and Syracuse gave it a shot, but the NCAA shut it down, saying it wouldn’t be fair since other schools had already wrapped up spring ball and didn’t have the same opportunity.

 

In any case, here’s my take on the current roster and what I’ll be keeping an eye on during our spring event.

 

 

QB:

Finley is one of the few returning starting quarterbacks in the MAC, and with a full year in the system under his belt, he should be in the mix for an all-conference season—assuming he stays healthy.

 

With Bullock hitting the portal, the QB-run threat takes a hit, so that element of the offense will have a different feel in 2025.

 

Roggow didn’t look like an overwhelmed freshman during spring ball in 2024, and there's a good chance he’s ready to lock down the backup role as a redshirt freshman.

 

Then there’s true freshman Cibastian Broughton. He’s a bit undersized for the position, but he’s physically gifted and could force his way into the conversation if he puts it together quickly.

 

 

RB:

Top rushers Simmons and Kellom have moved on after the 2024 season, opening the door for new faces to step up and take meaningful snaps.

 

Jordan Gant, a transfer from Tennessee State, looks like the best bet to grab the starting job, while Chris Gee out of Colgate might end up being a sneaky good pickup.

 

Don’t sleep on redshirt freshman Sean Patrick, either. He was electric in high school and may be ready to make an impact this season.

 

 

WR:

Golden and Norton decided to go portaling, which leaves a production void—but honestly, I don’t think we’re looking at much of a drop-off.

 

Adams returns, and if he can stay healthy, we’re getting back a former 1st team All-MAC player.

 

Polk showed real growth late in the season, and that development should keep trending in the right direction.

 

Walker, Louis, and P. Davis should be ready to step in and contribute.

 

Redshirt freshman Kyan Mason was an absolute nightmare to cover in high school. He flashed that ability with a tough touchdown grab last year, and if he’s added some mass, he should start seeing regular snaps.

 

And I’m pretty high on the upside of Brandon Hills, the Washington State transfer. He’s got the physical tools to become a big-time player in this offense.

 

 

TE:

Newell and Cravaack form what is likely the best tight end duo in the MAC. 

 

I’m curious to see what strides redshirt freshman Khalil Witherspoon has made. 

 

 

OL:

What the starters at this position will look like is anyone’s guess. Coach JRod has done a fantastic job recruiting the high school ranks since he got here—but keeping those kids around has been a challenge.

 

We lost starters James and Williams to the portal, and Blanchard is out of eligibility, but we might actually be in a spot where we can replace them without too much of a drop. The new additions don’t lack size or athleticism, that’s for sure.

 

Morris and K. Davis will be locked in as starters somewhere on the interior, and we’ll have to see how the tackle spots shake out. If he’s healthy, Mann could be ready to make a push at right tackle.

 

 

DE:

1st Team All-MAC Nunnally took advantage of his extra year and hit the portal to Purdue, and his running mate Adler is out of eligibility—so we’re looking at some new faces at this spot.

 

Arizona transfer Cyrus Durham will battle it out with redshirt sophomores Cheatom and Dall for the starting jobs.

 

Right behind them are the Frazier brothers, both redshirt freshmen. 

 

None of these guys are short on length or athleticism.

 

 

DT:

This position probably concerns me the most on the defensive side right now. Moore surprisingly moved on to Bowling Green, and Kapongo is out of eligibility, so we’re thin.

 

This would be the perfect time for Murphy to finally tap into his potential and lock down a starting role. Redshirt freshmen Ronald Hull and Elijah Davis definitely have the talent, but the question is whether they’re ready to handle the workload.

 

Madden flashed at times last season, but even as an upperclassman, he’s still pretty green.

We’ve added two JUCO signees, but I don’t know when they’ll actually get on campus. We probably need a few more DTs before we can start feeling good about depth.

 

 

LB:

Starters McCoy and Fish have moved on—Oklahoma State and Sam Houston snagged them—but there’s some good news: Cooper looks to have been granted an extra year, and Summers is listed on the spring roster.

 

I’m actually really high on this group. All the young guys have a ton of upside—it’s just a matter of when the light comes on for each of them. If it clicks, this unit could surprise.

 

 

NB:

D. Lewis and Greenwood will once again handle the snaps at Nickel, barring injury. They have plenty of experience and provide stability to the secondary.

 

 

CB:

Golden-Nelson transferred out, but outside of his departure, we didn’t really lose much at this spot. Reed, DeWalt, and White are the top returners and should collect the meaningful snaps.

 

Upper Iowa transfer Ben Kamara is definitely one to watch. He has all the physical tools to be a really good player—it’s just a matter of how quickly he adjusts to this level.

 

 

S:

P. Lewis is off to try his hand at the pro level after a one-and-done, all-conference season.

 

David and Anderson should be the starters heading into the year. Quality depth was a real issue last season—once David went down or anyone else missed time, it really showed.

 

We’ve added two transfers to help shore things up: Jamarii Somerville from James Madison and Mehki Flowers from Penn State. I’m not sure if Flowers is on campus yet, but if he’s able to pull it all together as a former 4 star, he could be a game-changer.

 

 

ST:

We fielded one of the best special teams units in the conference in 2024, but now we’re looking at a full reset—our starting kicker, punter, kickoff specialist, and long snapper have all moved on.

 

Wiley and Castle will both have shots to earn starting roles. They have been in the program for several years now and should be noticeably improved from their freshmen campaigns.

 

I’d imagine we’ll see a few more specialists brought in after the spring for competition purposes.

 

 

 

Ending Thoughts:

I’m sure we’ll lose a handful of players after the spring when the next portal window opens. By my count, we still have nine scholarships to fill, not counting the three usually allocated to special teams.

 

There are still plenty of players out there who could help us, whether from JUCO or the portal, so we’ll see how everything shakes out over the next few months.

 

Edited Saturday at 07:27 PM by catdaddyp

[zzx]

4 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

QB:

Finley is one of the few returning starting quarterbacks in the MAC, and with a full year in the system under his belt, he should be in the mix for an all-conference season—assuming he stays healthy.

 

With Bullock hitting the portal, the QB-run threat takes a hit, so that element of the offense will have a different feel in 2025.

 

Roggow didn’t look like an overwhelmed freshman during spring ball in 2024, and there's a good chance he’s ready to lock down the backup role as a redshirt freshman.

 

Then there’s true freshman Cibastian Broughton. He’s a bit undersized for the position, but he’s physically gifted and could force his way into the conversation if he puts it together quickly.

 

 

 

 

 

In my opinion, another QB should be added to the roster 

 

In addition, I think Broughton may be utilized sparingly as a wildcat QB

[LZIp]

Great analysis as usual @catdaddyp

 

I agree that DL seems to be the biggest weakness. Question marks at a number of position groups, but should have good potential/good competition in all of them where a starter isn't already solidified...looking forward to see how it all shakes out. With 9 open scholarships still to fill, we can still get quite a bit better.

[72 Roo]

Unfortunately Catdaddy's post is the most publicity football has received since the season ended. Somebody has to accept responsibility to post 3 minute interviews on the team every damn day to keep what interest there is alive.

 

I believe Catdaddy's analysis is realistic. My worry is that there are too many question marks on the team. One respected coach told me that when you have question marks, at best, only 50% of them turn out OK. Believing that I see this team winning 5 games. That's progress but not what is capable with commitment from all facets of the program, inside and out. 

[MangoZip]

20 hours ago, catdaddyp said:

The amount of spring coverage we’ve gotten from the program has been disappointing. To be fair, spring coverage across college football has taken a hit in general. As of this writing, only two SEC schools are even televising their spring games.

 

I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a vote next year to allow schools to play other programs during the spring. Colorado and Syracuse gave it a shot, but the NCAA shut it down, saying it wouldn’t be fair since other schools had already wrapped up spring ball and didn’t have the same opportunity.

 

In any case, here’s my take on the current roster and what I’ll be keeping an eye on during our spring event.

 

 

QB:

Finley is one of the few returning starting quarterbacks in the MAC, and with a full year in the system under his belt, he should be in the mix for an all-conference season—assuming he stays healthy.

 

With Bullock hitting the portal, the QB-run threat takes a hit, so that element of the offense will have a different feel in 2025.

 

Roggow didn’t look like an overwhelmed freshman during spring ball in 2024, and there's a good chance he’s ready to lock down the backup role as a redshirt freshman.

 

Then there’s true freshman Cibastian Broughton. He’s a bit undersized for the position, but he’s physically gifted and could force his way into the conversation if he puts it together quickly.

 

 

RB:

Top rushers Simmons and Kellom have moved on after the 2024 season, opening the door for new faces to step up and take meaningful snaps.

 

Jordan Gant, a transfer from Tennessee State, looks like the best bet to grab the starting job, while Chris Gee out of Colgate might end up being a sneaky good pickup.

 

Don’t sleep on redshirt freshman Sean Patrick, either. He was electric in high school and may be ready to make an impact this season.

 

 

WR:

Golden and Norton decided to go portaling, which leaves a production void—but honestly, I don’t think we’re looking at much of a drop-off.

 

Adams returns, and if he can stay healthy, we’re getting back a former 1st team All-MAC player.

 

Polk showed real growth late in the season, and that development should keep trending in the right direction.

 

Walker, Louis, and P. Davis should be ready to step in and contribute.

 

Redshirt freshman Kyan Mason was an absolute nightmare to cover in high school. He flashed that ability with a tough touchdown grab last year, and if he’s added some mass, he should start seeing regular snaps.

 

And I’m pretty high on the upside of Brandon Hills, the Washington State transfer. He’s got the physical tools to become a big-time player in this offense.

 

 

TE:

Newell and Cravaack form what is likely the best tight end duo in the MAC. 

 

I’m curious to see what strides redshirt freshman Khalil Witherspoon has made. 

 

 

OL:

What the starters at this position will look like is anyone’s guess. Coach JRod has done a fantastic job recruiting the high school ranks since he got here—but keeping those kids around has been a challenge.

 

We lost starters James and Williams to the portal, and Blanchard is out of eligibility, but we might actually be in a spot where we can replace them without too much of a drop. The new additions don’t lack size or athleticism, that’s for sure.

 

Morris and K. Davis will be locked in as starters somewhere on the interior, and we’ll have to see how the tackle spots shake out. If he’s healthy, Mann could be ready to make a push at right tackle.

 

 

DE:

1st Team All-MAC Nunnally took advantage of his extra year and hit the portal to Purdue, and his running mate Adler is out of eligibility—so we’re looking at some new faces at this spot.

 

Arizona transfer Cyrus Durham will battle it out with redshirt sophomores Cheatom and Dall for the starting jobs.

 

Right behind them are the Frazier brothers, both redshirt freshmen. 

 

None of these guys are short on length or athleticism.

 

 

DT:

This position probably concerns me the most on the defensive side right now. Moore surprisingly moved on to Bowling Green, and Kapongo is out of eligibility, so we’re thin.

 

This would be the perfect time for Murphy to finally tap into his potential and lock down a starting role. Redshirt freshmen Ronald Hull and Elijah Davis definitely have the talent, but the question is whether they’re ready to handle the workload.

 

Madden flashed at times last season, but even as an upperclassman, he’s still pretty green.

We’ve added two JUCO signees, but I don’t know when they’ll actually get on campus. We probably need a few more DTs before we can start feeling good about depth.

 

 

LB:

Starters McCoy and Fish have moved on—Oklahoma State and Sam Houston snagged them—but there’s some good news: Cooper looks to have been granted an extra year, and Summers is listed on the spring roster.

 

I’m actually really high on this group. All the young guys have a ton of upside—it’s just a matter of when the light comes on for each of them. If it clicks, this unit could surprise.

 

 

NB:

D. Lewis and Greenwood will once again handle the snaps at Nickel, barring injury. They have plenty of experience and provide stability to the secondary.

 

 

CB:

Golden-Nelson transferred out, but outside of his departure, we didn’t really lose much at this spot. Reed, DeWalt, and White are the top returners and should collect the meaningful snaps.

 

Upper Iowa transfer Ben Kamara is definitely one to watch. He has all the physical tools to be a really good player—it’s just a matter of how quickly he adjusts to this level.

 

 

S:

P. Lewis is off to try his hand at the pro level after a one-and-done, all-conference season.

 

David and Anderson should be the starters heading into the year. Quality depth was a real issue last season—once David went down or anyone else missed time, it really showed.

 

We’ve added two transfers to help shore things up: Jamarii Somerville from James Madison and Mehki Flowers from Penn State. I’m not sure if Flowers is on campus yet, but if he’s able to pull it all together as a former 4 star, he could be a game-changer.

 

 

ST:

We fielded one of the best special teams units in the conference in 2024, but now we’re looking at a full reset—our starting kicker, punter, kickoff specialist, and long snapper have all moved on.

 

Wiley and Castle will both have shots to earn starting roles. They have been in the program for several years now and should be noticeably improved from their freshmen campaigns.

 

I’d imagine we’ll see a few more specialists brought in after the spring for competition purposes.

 

 

 

Ending Thoughts:

I’m sure we’ll lose a handful of players after the spring when the next portal window opens. By my count, we still have nine scholarships to fill, not counting the three usually allocated to special teams.

 

There are still plenty of players out there who could help us, whether from JUCO or the portal, so we’ll see how everything shakes out over the next few months.

 

“DT:

This position probably concerns me the most on the defensive side right now. Moore surprisingly moved on to Bowling Green, and Kapongo is out of eligibility, so we’re thin.”
 

Thanks for the great/only info we see Catdaddy! I saw that Marcus Moore is already back in the portal at BG

Edited 10 hours ago by MangoZip