By Alec Nederveld
As players leave for the portal, opt out of bowls, or are physically unable to play due to injury, reps open up for young guys and sparingly used players to make a name for themselves.
This bowl season has already seen one of these guys, Ohio RB Rickey Hunt. The true freshman only had seven touches before, but put up 133 total yards and five scores in the Bobcats Myrtle Beach Bowl win.
5th touchdown of the day salute9
Rickey Hunt Jr. went nuclear today. the future is so bright pic.twitter.com/J5mmQgnZbh
— Liam Blutman (@Blutman27) December 16, 2023
Here’s who I think can do the same in other bowls.
Freddie Brock
Running Back, Georgia State
12/23, Famous Idaho Potato Bowl vs. Utah State
A senior and transfer from Maine, Brock had been sparingly used, with only six carries and 31 yards on the season. However, fellow backs Marcus Carroll, KZ Adams, and Jaquan Dixon have all entered the portal. Carroll specifically ran for 1350 yards and 13 touchdowns with an additional 23 receptions and 234 yards, and has already announced that he will be heading to Missouri.
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Utah State, the Panthers’ opponent, has a very porous run defense. They are last in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns allowed among Mountain West teams. Brock is a step down from Carroll, but against this defense, does it really matter?
💎Portal Gem Alert 🚨
🔋🔌 RB Freddie Brock
☑️ 5100 | 195
📆 x2 Eligibility📍Hometown; Rochester, NY
“Electric, savvy, smooth runner with good vision, game changing burst, and toughness. High intangibles with upper tier athletic traits.” – Marc Vitticore pic.twitter.com/SyYVJNquqh
— NGP (@NextgenProspect) April 15, 2023
Avery Johnson
Quarterback, Kansas State
12/28, Pop Tarts Bowl vs NC State
This four-star freshman is the future of Kansas State and will get his first chance to play a full game. Will Howard, who threw for 2,643 yards and 24 touchdowns, is into the portal in large part because of Johnson. The former #1 player in Kansas was used alongside Howard in QB running packages. Johnson’s young career was highlighted by 77 passing yards, 90 rushing yards, and five rushing scores vs Texas Tech.
Coach Chris Klieman stated this about Johnson: “He’s played good football when we’ve asked him to earlier in the year, but now it’s his show.” The NC State defense is tough but can be susceptible to the QB run and is beatable if you don’t turn the ball over. Drake Maye ran for 106 yards and a score. I think Johnson does something similar to that on the ground and holds onto the ball better.
Jackson Arnold
Quarterback, Oklahoma
12/28, Alamo Bowl vs. Arizona
The future of the OU program will be making his first career start after Dillon Gabriel entered the portal and committed to Oregon. A consensus five-star and one of the best players in Texas, Gabriel has completed 18 of 24 passes for 202 yards and two touchdowns as a backup.
The Arizona defense is solid, but Arnold can put numbers on it. Michael Penix Jr. passed for 363 yards with a 75% completion percentage. Shedeur Sanders finished with 291 yards and three total touchdowns. With Oklahoma’s history of developing quarterbacks, Arnold looks next in line.
Oklahoma may have another Heisman QB 👀 pic.twitter.com/k9EZ6ACyAh
— Momentum Podcast (@momentumpod) December 16, 2023
Jaden Greathouse
Wide Receiver, Notre Dame
12/29, Sun Bowl vs. Oregon State
Greathouse put up decent numbers in a young Notre Dame receiving corps. The true freshman caught 16 passes for 252 yards and five touchdowns. However, numerous missing contributors have made Greathouse more valuable. Rico Flores, Braylon James, Tobias Merriweather, Chris Tyree, and TE Holden Steas have all entered the portal. Fellow TE Mitchell Evans is injured, and RB Audric Estime has declared for the draft.
Oregon State’s defensive backfield has also been depleted. Talented DBs Jermod McCoy and Akili Arnold have entered the portal. While the Beavers’ defense was very good all year, somebody has to step up. I think that person will be Greathouse, despite no Sam Hartman throwing to him.
Carnell Tate
Wide Receiver, Ohio State
12/29, Cotton Bowl vs Missouri
Bowl games have been kind to talented but overshadowed Ohio State receivers in the past. Tate is seen as the next Chris Olave, a receiver who finished with 2,711 yards and 35 touchdowns in his four-year Ohio State career. However, with future NFL stars like Marvin Harrison Jr. above him, Tate hasn’t broken out yet
The five-star finished the regular season with 17 receptions, 260 receiving yards and a touchdown. Above him, Julian Fleming has already entered the portal, and Harrison Jr. is unsure if he’ll declare for the draft and opt out. Kyle McCord has transferred, but Devin Brown is a similar caliber quarterback.
Missouri’s offense is elite with guys like Luther Burden and are good but not great on defense. With that, I predict a shootout and a big Carnell Tate performance, especially if MHJ doesn’t play.
