LSU, Boise State, Tennessee, and More!

CFB Roundup – August 19, 2024

Good morning, and welcome back to CFB Roundup from CFB Home – the first daily newsletter that’s all college football, all the time with no bias, no slant, and no fluff.

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4-Star CB Kade Phillips Flips from Texas to LSU

Consensus 4-Star CB Kade Phillips flipped his commitment from Texas to LSU yesterday after originally committing to Texas on July 6th of this year.

Even though he had committed to Texas, the LSU coaching staff, namely Blake Baker and Corey Raymond, did not let up. Every time Phillips visited LSU, he said that LSU’s vibe was great and the environment was amazing, which really helped him decide to flip to LSU.

Phillips is ranked highest on the recruiting services by On3, who ranks him 65th nationally and 7th at the CB position. On3’s industry composite ranks him 164th nationally and 18th at his position.

This is LSU’s 19th Blue Chip commitment and 24th commitment overall for a class which ranks 3rd nationally and 2nd in the SEC.

For Texas, the Longhorns still have 9 Blue Chip commitments and 16 commitments overall for a class which ranks 13th nationally and 7th in the SEC.

Boise State QB Battle: Maddux Madsen Beats Malachi Nelson

Returning Boise State QB Maddux Madsen surprisingly beat out a former #1 QB recruit and one-time consensus 5-star QB transfer from USC, Malachi Nelson.

Malachi Nelson transferred in and was expected more or less to be the presumed QB for the Broncos, but it’s Madsen who beats him out after serving as Taylen Green’s primary backup last season. After Green transferred to Arkansas, it created a two-QB competition between Madsen and Nelson, with Madsen having the experience of 1,191 passing yards across 9 appearances last season.

Boise State opens up on a road trip, starting the season at Georgia Southern before heading to Eugene to face #3 Oregon.

4-Star LB Jaedon Harmon Flips from Alabama to Tennessee

Consensus 4-Star LB Jaedon Harmon flipped his commitment from Alabama to Tennessee yesterday after originally committing to Alabama back in mid April.

Harmon was no stranger to Knoxville, having visited the program several times throughout his recruitment, and the people at Tennessee always stood out to Harmon. For Harmon, how he was treated as a recruit with no offers being the same as a 4-star with offers everywhere was a big part of why he loved Tennessee throughout the recruiting process.

Harmon is ranked on On3’s industry composite as the 168th ranked prospect nationally and 16th at his position.

This is Tennessee’s 14th Blue Chip commitment and 23rd commitment overall for the 2025 class, a class which ranks 6th nationally and 4th in the SEC.

Alabama still has 15 Blue Chip commitments and 20 commitments overall for a 2025 class which ranks 2nd nationally, still, and leads the SEC.

Deion Sanders: Throwing Against Us Is Going To Be A Problem

Colorado head coach Deion Sanders recently took some time to warn Colorado’s opponents about the Buffaloes’ secondary.

“Throwing the football against us is going to be a problem. You can see the secondary is upgraded, as well. The back end, the safeties, they’re as physical as ever. Shilo [Sanders] is doing his thing. Cam’Ron [Silmon-Craig] is doing his thing.”

Coach Sanders also specifically named Trevor Woods, LaVonta Bentley, and Jeremiah Brown as improved talents in the secondary, as well, praising the depth of the Buffaloes secondary.

The Buffaloes return 3 of its top defensive backs from last season, in Travis Hunter, Trevor Woods, and Shilo Sanders. The team also added some solid names in the portal, including LB Nikhai Hill-Green and CB Colton Hood.

Florida State Shares Depth Chart For Week 0 Against Georgia Tech

Florida State released its first depth chart ahead of its Week 0 contest this weekend against Georgia Tech in Dublin, Ireland.

Based on how many transfers Florida State added, it should come as no surprise how many starters are transfers, including QB1 DJ Uiagalelei and RB1 Roydell Williams.

There are also some familiar faces in the program who are expected to see significant time on the field, including RB Lawrance Toafili, DE Patrick Payton, and DT Joshua Farmer.

Mike Elko: QB Conner Weigman Looks Comfortable In Offense, Is Healthy

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko shared that Conner Weigman is healthy and clear heading into the season and the Aggies’ Week 1 contest against Notre Dame.

Elko also shared that Weigman looks comfortable in new OC Collin Klein’s system. In this system, Elko believes that Weigman has the potential to go out there and operate a high level consistently.

“[Weigman] leading us into Notre Dame? We’re really excited about that.”

Shane Beamer: Rocket Sanders Looked Great in Scrimmage

South Carolina coach Shane Beamer recently shared that transfer RB Rocket Sanders looked “great” in their final scrimmage.

In South Carolina’s first scrimmage of the camp, Sanders did not play in the scrimmage portion due to injury, but had participated in a pre-scrimmage 7-on-7 and some of the practices.

Beamer described Sanders as a pro, and said he ran the ball hard. Sanders also got to show some of his skillset in the passing game as a blocker and pass catcher, as well, an unsung facet of his game that Beamer wanted to make sure Sanders got credit for.

Marcus Freeman Opens Up on New Director of Analytics Role for Anthony Treash

Notre Dame’s Marcus Freeman confirmed that Anthony Treash was recently hired as the Fighting Irish’s new Director of Analytics, a role that was just created at Notre Dame.

Additional to the given of helping with gameday decision making on 4th downs, Treash is also going to help with identifying trends of prospects and the team as the season goes on. Freeman shared that he believes creating a new position specifically with these responsibilities will help maximize the football program’s potential.

Mike Elko Provides Timeline for Rueben Owens’ Injury

Texas A&M coach Mike Elko recently took some time to open up about Rueben Owens’ injury, and there’s a pleasant surprise for an injury that originally looked like it would be season-ending: there’s “an outside chance that if the season extends beyond the regular season, [the Aggies will] have a chance to get him back for something.”

So, it sounds like Owens could be ready to go some time in December or January if everything goes about as well as it can. Even if Owens cannot come back, running backs Le’Veon Moss and Amari Daniels were the leading rushers last season, who return. EJ Smith, son of legendary RB Emmitt Smith, was also brought in from Stanford to provide some depth at the position

Aside from Owens, Elko shared that the Aggies have generally remained healthy and had a really strong camp. The Aggies open the season with a tough contest at home against #7 Notre Dame.

Nebraska’s Matt Rhule: True Freshman QB Daniel Kaelin Has “It”; Predicts NFL Futures for Kaelin & Raiola

Matt Rhule recently shared about true freshman QB Daniel Kaelin that Kaelin has the “it” factor. Rhule went so far as to proclaim that both Kaelin and fellow true freshman Dylan Raiola will both be playing in the NFL in the future.

For Rhule, he described Kaelin as having swagger, as having juice, and as having the sky as his limit. He reportedly put on 20 pounds since getting to Nebraska’s program, and has improved on his arm strength without losing his mechanics that made him a 3-star recruit and successful high school quarterback in the first place.

Rhule made sure to point out that a lot of people will link Kaelin’s and Raiola’s journey because they’re competitors in the QB battle, but Rhule does not see it that way. Rhule believes each QB is on their own journey, and with Kaelin’s anticipation, footwork, and processing, that’s why the sky is the limit for his own, separate journey from Raiola.

Other Commitments/Decommitments

3-Star (83) ATH Luke Stuewe commits to Virginia Tech