Welcome to The Broto “Devy Dives” series, a once-a-week dive into some of the biggest names and breakouts in College Football. Throughout the season, we will take an in-depth look at five players who either shinned bright or fell on their face and examine the impact their performances had on their fantasy football future. With the Devy and Dynasty Fantasy Football communities becoming more and more popular, this quick read is your one-stop-shop for weekly updates on the players you need to keep your eye on!
WARNING: This article is for HARDCORE FANTASY FOOTBALL PLAYERS ONLY!
Shedeur Sanders, QB, Colorado (Sophomore)
The son of legendary NFL cornerback and unabashedly-talented college football coach Deion Sanders, Shedeur made a major leap in the offseason, following his father and brother (and a whole host of additional transfer athletes) to Colorado. Their journey to turn the laughingstock of the 2022 season around went off with a bang, as the completely-overhauled Buffalo’s roster went punch-for-punch with the defending National runners-up, ultimately handing TCU a 45-42 loss.
While a number of players on the team made major marks in the game of the week (one of whom appears later in this article), it was all Sanders on the offensive side of the ball. The Sophomore showed that he was more-than-ready after jumping from the HBCU ranks into the PAC-12, tossing for a school-record 510 yards and four touchdowns en route to the upset. Sanders made a point to spread the love around as well, supporting four different 100-yard receivers in the game. His next big test comes in late September, when Colorado hosts 6th ranked USC and the star quarterback, who is next on the list.
Caleb Williams, QB, USC (Junior)
The preseason favorite for the top pick in the 2024 NFL draft has done nothing to dispute that notion through the team’s first two games of the season. In Week 0, Williams and USC handled San Jose State with relative ease as the superstar signal caller completing 18-of-25 pass attempts for 278 yards and four touchdowns, methodically beating down an inferior opponent despite being pulled in the fourth with the Trojans up big.
In his second outing of the season against Nevada, Williams was even better. In a complete demolition that saw USC win by over 50 points, the Junior quarterback completed 18 of his 24 attempts for 319 yards and five touchdowns while also chipping in 42 yards on the ground. In just two games, he already has 597 yards passing and nine passing scores, with the latter number having him on a twelve-game pace of 54 touchdown passes, good to tie for fourth all-time in CFB history. The schedule gets tougher for USC as the season moves along, but don’t expect much to stop Williams’ march to the first pick the NFL draft.
Kimani Vidal, RB, Troy (Senior)
Ignore for just a moment that Vidal failed to score in Troy’s 48-30 victory over Stephen F. Austin. Quarterback Gunnar Watson passed for four touchdowns and didn’t leave much room in the end zone for anyone else. Instead, let’s take a look at the yardage numbers. In doing so, we can see just how effective and dominant Vidal was in the game, as the big-play threat took 27 touches and turned it into the season’s first 300+ scrimmage-yard game.
The Lumberjacks had no answer for the Trojan running back on the ground, as Vidal carried the rock 25 times while nearly breaking double digits in his per-carry numbers, finishing the game with 248 yards on the ground. Despite only catching two passes, the Senior managed to pace the team in receiving yardage as well, pilling up 54 yards through the air, 44 of which came late in the first half to set up a score before halftime. While his name didn’t show up in the end zone all day, Vidal made sure his presence was felt early and often for Troy.
Jadyn Ott, RB, California (Sophomore)
Another callback name, Jadyn Ott was one of a handful of Freshman running backs to appear in the Devy Dives series last season , and the only one to show twice. Moving into his second season, many expected good things from the Cal back, and in week one, he delivered in a major way and helped his team join all twelve other PAC-12 schools to 1-0 (or 2-0 in USC’s case) starts.
In the game against North Texas, Ott was a star, tallying 188 rushing yards and two scores on his twenty attempts. While fellow back Isaiah Ifanse stole some of the spotlight with three ground scores of his own, Ott did much of the heavy lifting for the afternoon. He tallied runs of 38, 41, and 66 yards before ending his day early in the third quarter with his team up by a sizeable margin. Cal will play host to Auburn and Idaho over the next two weeks before taking a road trip for Ott’s first big test of the season against 8th ranked Washington.
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado (Freshman)
Ohtani who?. The generational Freshman from Colorado was lights out on defense, snagging a red-zone interception and forcing three more incompletions while in coverage, good for the highest PFF grade among power-five cornerbacks.
Offensively, Hunter hauled in 11 passes for 119 yards, showing speed, strength, and agility all over the field. While Hunter’s touchdown reception was overturned after review, Hunter displayed enough to show why he was deservingly rated as both the top receiver and cornerback in the class. Oh, and to reiterate what you’ve already seen countless times elsewhere: 144 snaps. As long as the volume doesn’t catch up to him in the form of injury, Hunter might just become the greatest weapon in the history of college football and, potentially one day, the NFL.
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By Trenton Roberts
For a second straight season, I am betting against Mahomes.