Gator Football: The Franz List

June 29, 2023

A few thoughts to jump start your Thursday morning:

It’s that time of the year, a month before August camp begins, two months before the college football season cranks up in earnest. So here are some rankings while we wait. Today the top 10 running backs in the SEC and a ranking of the running back rooms at all 14 schools.

The top 10 running backs in the SEC

1. Quinshon Judkins (5-11, 210, SO), Ole Miss: If he had been eligible for the NFL Draft, he would have gone in the first round. He ran for 1,565 yards and 16 TDs as a freshman and caught 15 passes out of the backfield. Eight games of more than 100 yards, four more with at least 87.

2. Raheim Sanders (6-2, 227, JR), Arkansas: An absolute workhorse who had 222 carries for 1,443 yards (10 TDs) and caught 28 passes for 271 yards (2 TDs) as a sophomore last year. He might be the toughest back to tackle 1-on-1 in the entire country.

3. Montrell Johnson Jr. (5-11, 218, JR), Florida: Led the Gators with 841 yards (10 TDs) after transferring in from Louisiana, where he ran for 838 yards (12 TDs) as a freshman. Exceptional at breaking a tackle and getting back to a full stride quickly.

4. Ray Davis, Kentucky: You’re a stud when you can run for more than 1,000 yards at Vanderbilt. The blocking should be better at Kentucky, but remember, this is a line that gave up 46 sacks and paved the way for 116.23 yards rushing per game (3.26 per carry).

5. Kendal Milton (6-1, 220, SR), Georgia: He was one of the top two backs in the country coming out of high school but he has only carried the ball 166 times in three years. Expectations are very high that he will have a breakout 2023. Gained 592 yards on 85 carries (8 touchdowns) a year ago.

6. Trevor Etienne (5-9, 217, SO), Florida: A threat to go the distance every time he touches the ball. A year ago he ran for 719 yards and six touchdowns. He will get a lot more than 118 carries in 2023.

7. Jace McClellan, Alabama (5-11, 212, RJR): Gained 655 yards (7 TDs) and caught 14 balls out of the backfield (3 more TDs) backing up Jahmyr Gibbs. He will be the featured back in a ground and pound attack.

8. Jaylen Wright (5-11, 205, JR), Tennessee: He’s a real threat in a spread attack where he only has one man to beat the line of scrimmage. Can he carry a team if they need to grind in the fourth quarter. A year ago he ran for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns

9. Jarquez Hunter (5-10, 202, JR): He can run (675 yards, 7 TDs) and he can catch (17-224, 2 TDs). He may not get a lot of carries because Hugh Freeze prefers to spread the ball around but he’s capable of big plays.

10. Daijun Edwards (5-10, 201), RJR, Georgia: He’s a grinder who can get big yards once he gets to the second level. He ran for 719 yards and seven TDs last year, plus caught 14 passes out of the backfield.

Ranking the running back rooms in the SEC

1. Ole Miss: Judkins is an absolute stud and just a sophomore. His backup is Ulysses Bentley IV, who was hurt a lot last year, but in 2020-21 at SMU ran for 1,523 yards and caught 40 passes for 264 yards. He’s a great change of pace back and a real threat coming out of the backfield.

2. Arkansas: How did Dan Mullen not lock up Rocket Sanders when he was in high school at Rockledge? The Hogs back him up with AJ Green, who ran for 412 yards a year ago, and sophomore Rashod Dubinion (293 yards, 5 TDs), a name you will be hearing more of in the future.

3. FLORIDA: Montrell and Etienne are true studs, but the Gators supplemented the running game by adding Cam Carroll, a 228-pound battering ram from Tulane, freshman Treyaun Webb, and juco transfer Ja’Kobi Jackson. Carroll ran for 1,938 yards and 19 touchdowns at Tulane. It is no secret what the Gators plan to do this year: grind opponents with the running game, then throw it over the top when it’s 1-on-1 and the box is loaded up.

4. Georgia: Milton and Edwards are an exceptional 1-2 punch. Sophomore Branson Robinson (330 yards, 3 TDs) is recovering from foot surgery, but he’s going to be a force when he gets healthy. With Stetson Bennett gone and Georgia breaking in a new QB, the Bulldogs will probably rely on the running game more, particularly early in the season.

5. Alabama: For all the widespread panic about the quarterback position following the spring game, the reality is the Crimson Tide will be ground and pound. McClellan can be beastly and everyone has been waiting for redshirt sophomore Roydell Williams Jr. (250 yards, 4 TDs last year) to have a breakout year. These guys may take a back seat to 5-star freshmen Justice Haynes, who scored three spring game touchdowns.

6. LSU: The LSU running game got a tremendous boost when Louisiana native Logan Diggs (822 yards, 4 touchdowns) transferred in from Notre Dame. He will start but with Josh Williams (535 yards, 6 touchdowns) and Noah Cain (413 yards, 4 touchdowns) the Tigers have the kind of rotation that will keep QB Jayden Daniels from running too much).

7. Tennessee: Wright and Jabari Small (745 yards, 12 touchdowns) are a very good 1-2 punch running out of the Vols hurry-up spread. Can they carry the load if the passing game shuts down and the Vols have to grind it out?

8. Missouri: Mizzou has a pair of pluggers in Cody Shrader (744 yards, 9 TDs) and Nathaniel Peat (425 yards, 2 TDs). Not a lot of speed here so the running game really doesn’t scare anyone.

9. Kentucky: Ray Davis can really run, but who’s going to block for him? Last year’s line was a sieve.

10. Auburn: Jarquez Hunter had an outstanding sophomore season, but there isn’t much behind him, Therefore, freshman Jeremiah Cobb better be ready to play from day one. The Hugh Freeze offense gets multiple backs involved so at least one or two newbies has to get ready to go.

11. Mississippi State: The Air Raid has been abandoned by new coach Zach Arnett. Jo’Quavious Marks (582 yards, 5 TDs; 48-288 receiving) is an unknown quantity in a more traditional offense. Dillon Johnson (488 yards, 5 TDs; 48-285 receiving) could be a between the tackles banger.

12. Texas A&M: Devon Archane (1,102 yards) left for the NFL. Freshmen Reuben Owens and Dalton Brooks better be ready from day one.

13. South Carolina: MarShawn Lynch transferred to California and Jaheim Bell transferred to Florida State. JuJu McDowell is a 180-pound scatback and Mario Anderson is a Division II transfer.

14. Vanderbilt: Ray Davis transferred to Kentucky, taking his 1,081 yards with him. There is nobody in the wings with any experience or speed.

Gators finish No. 5 in final Director’s Cup after whirlwind last 8 weeks

On May 1, the Gators were in 23rd place in the Director’s Cup standings, but that’s before a whirlwind finish of two national titles (men’s golf and men’s outdoor track) plus two runner-up finishes (baseball and women’s outdoor track), propelled UF to a fifth place finish, just 14 points behind fourth place Virginia. Florida is the ONLY athletic program to finish in the top 10 of the Director’s Cup standings for 39 consecutive years.

Top 10 finishes for UF in 2022-23: 1. Men’s golf; 1. Men’s outdoor track and field; 2. Baseball; 2. Women’s outdoor track and field; 2. Gymnastics; 3. Men’s indoor track and field. 3. Women’s indoor track and field; 6. Men’s swimming and diving; 9. Women’s swimming; T-9. Lacrosse; T-9. Women’s tennis; T-9. Volleyball

Top 20 final standings plus SEC finishers: 1. Stanford; 2. Texas; 3. Ohio State; 4. Virginia; 5. FLORIDA; 6. Tennessee; 7. Georgia; 8. North Carolina; 9. LSU; 10. Southern Cal; 11. Michigan; 12. Alabama; 13. Arkansas; 14. UCLA; 15. Penn State; 16. Duke; 17. Florida State; 18. Kentucky; 19. North Carolina State; 20. Notre Dame; 24. Texas A&M; 33. South Carolina; 36. Auburn; 39. Ole Miss; 50. Missouri; 56. Vanderbilt; 57. Mississippi State

SEC sports

Alabama: The Crimson Tide landed a highly coveted basketball transfer in North Dakota State big man Grant Nelson, who averaged 18 points and 9.3 rebounds in 2022-23 in the Summit League … New Alabama baseball coach Rob Vaughn is getting a 5-year deal that pays a base of $900,000. Previous head coach Brad Bohannon was paid $475,000 per year.

Auburn: Former walk-on offensive lineman Cort Bradley, who played in one game in 2022, has reportedly left the program.

Georgia: The 2-time national champion Bulldogs are now the priority target for Michigan this year. Jim Harbaugh has installed a “Beat Georgia” segment to every practice, which is interesting since we were thinking Michigan’s chief focus was, is and will always be Ohio State.

Kentucky: Amid all the talk that John Calipari is on the Kentucky hot seat, he’s doing just fine on the recruiting trail, landing a commitment from Nigerian Somto Cyril (6-11, 240, Lagos, Nigeria/Atlanta, GA Overtime Elite). Florida, Ole Miss and Tennessee were also in hot pursuit of Cyril.

LSU: Matt Hayes of Saturday Down South seems fixated on LSU’s chances to win the national championship in 2023, believing the Tigers are in better shape to win it all than 2-time champ Georgia and perennial championship contender Alabama. Hayes writes, “This team is loaded, from QB Jayden Daniels to the best tackle combination (Will Campbell, Emery Jones Jr.) on offense. To the best defensive player in college football (LB/EDGE Harold Perkins), the return of the most talented interior defensive lineman (Maason Smith) in the SEC, and the addition of star Oregon State LB Omar Speights.”

Mississippi State: Star outfielder Dakota Jordan, who hit .307 with 10 home runs and 43 RBI in 2023, has withdrawn his name from the NCAA transfer portal.

Tennessee: Former North Carolina State catcher Cannon Peebles has committed to the Vols. Last season he hit .352 with 12 home runs and 50 RBI.

ONE FINAL PITHY THOUGHT: Name the sport and head coaches are almost unanimous in their complaints about the transfer portal. Nearly every one of them agrees that players should have the right to transfer. That’s not the problem. The problem is timing, which is why the Division I Council is proposing new rules that would alter the portal windows.

For football, the sport that pays the bills at most D1 schools, the new proposal will shorten the transfer window in December to 15 days (down from 45) and keep the 15-day window in May. This isn’t a perfect solution but it certainly beats the rule that is currently in place. Two 15-day windows are adequate. It is better for coaches and it forces players to make adult decisions instead of shopping around for the highest bidder before the commit to the portal. There still needs to be a rule that requires an athlete (particularly freshmen) to be on campus for fall and spring before being allowed to transfer, with the exception of a coach firing. Academic requirements would also be a good thing.

Another rule proposal that is recommended would require schools making the jump from D1AA to D1 to have 90 percent funding for at least 210 scholarships over a 2-year period before they’re allowed to make the move and they have to have 77 full scholarships funded out of the 85 allowed. This is a good idea on the surface but what really needs to happen is to trim about 30 or so schools from Division I and send them back to D1AA. An ideal setup for football in my opinion: Eight 12-team conferences. The conference championship game is the first round of the playoffs, then the eight conference champions play for the national championship.