Let’s face it: You don’t see a ton of jobs won during spring practice. Still, it’s a phenomenal showcase for mid-term freshmen where coaches learn about their depth and where they first see guys who will truly help their team.
There is immense value in spring drills, and even though you see a lot of players miss it due to health reasons or precautions, those who go through it get a leg up on competition.
These days, it’s vital for newcomers of all types, including freshmen and transfers, to establish themselves in new surroundings.
That’s exactly what we’ve seen during spring 2024 so far.
A handful of freshmen are on this list, including a trio of talented pass-catchers; a name is emerging in a high-profile quarterback race; and some transfers are making splashes too.
Here are a group of guys who are making waves during spring practices around college football.
Opportunity abounds for the Tennessee Volunteers in the secondary, where they are trying to upgrade virtually every position in the unit.
The talent is there for the Vols, who revamped the personnel with elite youngsters and vital transfers, but there aren’t any guaranteed spots.
One kid who has seized an opportunity is mid-term enrollee Boo Carter, who started his high school career in nearby Chattanooga but transferred to Bradley Central High School for his final season where he became a do-it-all star.
Carter can return kicks and punts, catch passes and is a terrific defender, and the Vols see him most likely as a safety or a “Star” nickelback. So far, Carter is playing mostly at safety.
Tennessee sees him as a probable option to return kicks and punts, too.
Simply put, Carter is too talented not to play. He will be a factor somewhere, and maybe several somewheres.
Vols defensive coordinator Tim Banks told the Chattanooga Times-Free Press‘ David Paschall he is “super excited” about Carter’s ability.
“We love his skill set and his athleticism and his toughness,” Banks said. It isn’t easy breaking in as a youngster for defensive backs coach Willie Martinez, but it would be a shock if Carter didn’t find a way to break out in ’24.
It would be a surprise if Cam Coleman wasn’t making an impact for Auburn in the Loveliest Village on the Plains.
As the Tigers head into Hugh Freeze’s second season as coach, they desperately need playmakers around fifth-year senior quarterback Payton Thorne, and the former 5-star recruit and current freshman is the perfect candidate.
The 6’3″, 188-pound Phenix City, Alabama, native seemed set on going to Texas A&M when Jimbo Fisher was the coach, but he opened things back up when Fisher was let go. The Tigers never stopped recruiting him, and proximity paid off.
Now, Coleman is running with the first team and looks like he could be special. He is big, fast, and while he doesn’t know everything yet, it isn’t hard to make an impact right away at receiver based on sheer ability.
Coleman has an abundance of that.
In late February, Freeze couldn’t quit gushing about Coleman when he told the Montgomery Advertiser‘s Richard Silva: “Can’t tell you how excited I am about him. … When you watch him run around out there, we’ve improved ourselves. He’s naturally gifted. I expect him to play as a freshman.”
Everybody does. It’s the perfect marriage of a remarkable talent and a team that needs an injection of it everywhere.
Whether Joseph Jonah-Ajonye gets the chance to start for a loaded national championship contender in 2024 remains to be seen. But the Georgia Bulldog looks the part and has the type of makeup that is turning heads already.
With Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins out for the spring and the Bulldogs looking for defensive end/outside linebacker hybrids to go along with Mykel Williams, the native of Nigeria who was a 6’4″, 275-pound defensive line recruit out of Conroe, Texas, may surge into the rotation.
Will McBroom of UGAWire believes that Jonah-Ajonye is the type of freshman who could be a “major producer” right away, which isn’t easy to do in light of how loaded the Bulldogs are in Athens.
Kirby Smart is trying to pump the brakes on all the excitement, regardless of Jonah-Ajonye’s stellar start, his strength, his athleticism and size.
“No defensive lineman comes in here and just dominates their freshman year. We haven’t had any. I think he can provide depth, I think he can get a lot better,” he said, according to DawgsHQ’s Palmer Thombs.
It’s hard to separate headlines of those who are making an impact because of a lack of depth or injuries and those who are true candidates to play a lot of snaps in the fall, but it’s big news for the Dawgs that Jonah-Ajonye is building buzz.
The Florida State Seminoles play the portal as well as anybody, and when coach Mike Norvell lost a wealth of playmakers, he needed to outfit the roster with quality players from around the nation.
Early returns say he’s done a good job.
FSU fifth-year senior quarterback DJ Uiagalelei, Alabama transfer Malik Benson and plenty of others are making headlines this spring as the ‘Noles try to get back to the caliber of team that owned the ACC a season ago.
It looks like Indiana running back/return specialist transfer Jaylin Lucas is going to be a big part of things.
The Seminoles need a lot of help in the running back room, and Alabama transfer Roydell Williams is a bruiser who can carry the load, but Lucas is a change-of-pace player who can catch balls out of the backfield and will be a weapon on special teams.
That much is evident this spring for the former Hoosier, who rushed for 275 yards and two touchdowns, and amassed 572 punt return yards and a touchdown.
Jack Williams of the Tallahassee Democrat named Lucas as one of the top five performers of FSU’s spring drills so far, and others have mentioned his quality play, too. He’s a guy who will impact the ‘Noles in a lot of ways.
One of the storylines that has emerged in spring practice that perhaps many of us weren’t expecting is coming out of Los Angeles, where everybody just assumed Miller Moss was going to win that quarterback job.
UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava isn’t making things easy.
Last year’s Mountain West Conference Freshman of the Year transformed the Runnin’ Rebels program in Barry Odom’s first year, and then he promptly left Vegas for Hollywood.
Now, he’s trying to write a storybook script.
“He’s a poised kid,” USC coach Lincoln Riley told the Los Angeles Times‘ Thuc Nhi Nguyen. “You can tell he’s not like, some true freshman coming in there, just wide-eyed. He’s played, he’s learned how to prepare, you can see that out of him.”
This isn’t just a regular transfer. He’s better than where he was a season ago, and that was evidenced by all the interest in him once he hit the portal. He originally committed to Georgia, but he flipped to the Trojans the very next day.
At 6’4″, 220 pounds, he’s big, athletic and can do it all offensively. With three years of eligibility remaining, he has a ton of upside. Moss had a terrific bowl game a year ago, but Maiava has him on experience.
It’s going to be a big-time battle to lead the Trojans into the Big Ten. Don’t sleep on Maiava.
With JJ McCarthy expected to be a top-10 NFL draft pick, you can’t fault him bypassing his senior season at Michigan. But the timing of his decision made it difficult for the Wolverines to secure their quarterback situation for next year.
Still, every Michigan fan, player and coach out there would trade a bit of certainty for the national championship they just won.
With new coach Sherrone Moore setting things up his way in Ann Arbor, the biggest question for the Wolverines and perhaps the biggest in spring practice around the nation is, “Who’s going to play quarterback for Big Blue?”
People have even speculated that Michigan’s starting ’24 quarterback isn’t yet on campus, but junior Alex Orji may be changing those minds.
He has reportedly put together a brilliant spring, and even though he didn’t attempt a pass during the title run of ’23, he displayed incredible athletic ability in designed quarterback runs.
Things have been quiet in Michigan camp, but Orji was impressive during Rose Bowl preparation, and he is doing some good things now, too.
“I’d probably say—I mean they’re all doing a good job—but Alex Orji can make plays with his legs,” veteran defensive tackle Mason Graham told Wolverines Wire’s Isaiah Hole. “So he’s a really big threat when it comes to that. He keeps us on edge. You don’t know what he’s doing, even when he doesn’t have the ball because he’s a weapon. Creates opportunities.”
Moore told The Wolverine’s Clayton Sayfie that Orji is an impressive athlete, and those guys are difficult to defend, so it wouldn’t be out of the question to see him play much like the guy he imitated on the scout team last year in the playoffs, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe.
It’s a tantalizing upside.
When you haven’t played in more than a year and you mean so much to your football team, your sheer presence is important.
That’s the case in Salt Lake City, Utah, where Cameron Rising is back on the practice field after missing all of last season recovering from a gruesome knee injury.
Rising’s back for a final season, and while there are plenty of questions about whether he’s completely ready to go full-tilt, he said he is.
If he’s not turning heads, nobody is.
He’s more mobile, and he is beginning to shake off the rust and look a little more like himself. After such a down year for the Utah Utes, they desperately need him as they enter the Big 12.
“I’m pretty dang close [to 100 percent],” he said, according to SI.com’s Austin Ames. “Yeah, I don’t know what exactly a hundred percent is always, but yeah, I think I’m close to it.”
Two years ago, he completed 65 percent of his passes for 3,034 yards, 26 touchdowns and eight interceptions and ran for 465 yards and six more scores. If coach Kyle Whittingham can inject that type of talent along with his leadership into the offense, big things can happen.
Utah may just be the favorite in the Big 12 if Rising is all the way back.
Out of all the potential difference-makers in the 2024 recruiting class, Chaminade-Madonna Prep School wide receiver Jeremiah Smith was the No. 1-ranked player.
The combination of 6’3″, 215-pound size, exceptional speed, silky-smooth playmaking ability and great hands was one that scouts just couldn’t ignore. And with him going to Ohio State, it just made sense for him to become a candidate to replace elite pass-catcher Marvin Harrison Jr.
Apparently, Smith is doing that already.
Even with Emeka Egbuka leading the way and tons of talented weapons like Carnell Tate in the receiver room, Smith is a starter right now. When you draw comparisons to Julio Jones out of high school, you’ve certainly got the ability.
Smith is making a believer out of everybody. The latest spring scrimmage was yet another step.
“Personally, I was like, ‘How can this guy live up to this?'” The Athletic’s Cameron Teague Robinson asked rhetorically after Smith became the first freshman to get his black stripe removed, signaling his arrival as a difference-maker with the Buckeyes. “After Saturday’s practice, I’m not sure it’s high enough.”
The Columbus Dispatch noted he’s pushing to become a starter in a room that could have the best group of receivers in the nation.
While a lot of spring practices are in their second or third week, the BYU Cougars are done with theirs.
After a rough first year in the Big 12, Kalani Sitake’s team carries a lot of question marks, and the biggest one concerns the quarterback battle. Unlike at Ohio State, where the Buckeyes have their own competition, there aren’t a ton of stars in BYU’s room. The Cougars are just trying to find the best one.
One thing is certain: A major weapon for whoever wins the job will be elite true freshman tight end Ryner Swanson, a 4-star recruit from California who is showing everybody that he may be the nation’s top first-year player at his position.
The Laguna Beach, California, native was a standout for the Cougars all through spring, and his upside is exciting.
Sitake had lots of glowing things to say about Swanson in spring drills, and offensive coordinator Aaron Roderick told the Deseret News‘ Jay Drew, “Ryner’s got a chance to be special.”
Indeed, the self-proclaimed surfer dude from Laguna Beach is on campus and poised to make an impact before he goes on his Latter-Day Saints mission, and he could be a huge piece of the puzzle for the Cougars in ’24.
Starting isn’t even out of the question. This spring is heralding good things to come.
Jeremiah Smith has the eye of national media everywhere, and rightfully so. Cam Coleman is going to be a fun one to watch at Auburn, and there are talented pass-catchers everywhere who could make an impact in their first year.
But don’t forget about Bryant Wesco at Clemson.
The 6’2″, 170-pound Midlothian, Texas, native was a top-50 player out of high school, and he chose to head to Clemson to play with fellow Texas native Cade Klubnik in Garrett Riley’s offense.
Simply put: The Tigers haven’t had many talented weapons at wideout like him in the past couple of seasons, so he could team with Antonio Williams to give them a major threat on the outside who can stretch the field and make huge plays downfield.
Transforming the offense to one that instills fear in folks is why Riley was brought onboard, and coach Dabo Swinney certainly won’t outfit his roster with portal talent, so incoming youngsters like Wesco have to.
He’s looked the part in his brief time on campus. Riley told The Clemson Insider’s Gavin Oliver he’s “very pleased” with Wesco this spring. Teammates agree, according to the Charleston Post and Courier‘s John Blau.
“He’s different, man,” receiver Troy Stellato said. “He’s the real deal,” linebacker Wade Woodaz confirmed, all according to Blau.
Everybody’s taking notice of Wesco.
All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference unless otherwise noted. Recruit rankings courtesy of 247Sports unless otherwise noted.
Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter, @Brad_Shepard.
