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Alex Hickey
Saturday Tradition
Spencer and Tyler on the list
Change your scenery, change your life.
Last year, Charlie Jones found that out the easy way in his lone season at Purdue. After starring primarily as a return man at Iowa, Jones wanted to play his final collegiate season for an offense that could actually give him some more touches as a receiver.
And there was little better place for that than Purdue, which featured Jeff Brohm’s offensive scheme combined with former Pee-Wee league teammate Aidan O’Connell at quarterback.
As a Hawkeye in 2021, Jones caught 21 passes for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns. As a Boilermaker in 2022, that production ratcheted up to 110 receptions for a single-season Purdue record of 1,361 receiving yards to go with 12 touchdowns.
The move paid off for Jones, who was selected by the Bengals in the 4th round of the NFL Draft.
Jones wasn’t the only Big Ten playmaker who made the best of his lone season at a new stop last year.
Trey Palmer transferred from LSU to Nebraska and finished 4th in the B1G in receiving yardage and touchdowns. And at Penn State, newcomer Mitchell Tinsley led the Nittany Lions in receptions after coming from Western Kentucky.
The year before, the Big Ten’s top playmaking transfer wasn’t a receiver at all. It was Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III, who led the Power 5 in rushing.
Either way, it seems quite likely that a newcomer will be among the B1G’s top offensive playmakers this season — which by our definition constitutes a receiver or running back.
And these are the 5 players we most look forward to seeing.
Why the hype? Penn State’s running game should be among the Big Ten’s best behind Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. But if the Nittany Lions are to reach their ceiling, it will because Cephas is the real deal helping new quarterback Drew Allar push the ball downfield.
With Parker Washington leaving early for the NFL and Tinsley being a 1-and-done player at Penn State, Cephas fills an immediate need that demands plenty of touches. He was a back-to-back all-MAC selection at Kent State, gaining better than 100 yards on 10 different occasions.
He had the No. 2 individual performance by any FBS receiver last year with 246 yards on 13 receptions against Ohio.
This could be a huge year for a Pittsburgh native ready to prove he belongs at college football’s top level.
Why the hype? Prather would have been West Virginia’s top returning receiver this year after grabbing 52 catches for 501 yards in 2022. Instead, the Maryland native came home to the Terps to try and make an impact for a receiving corps that’s replacing Rakim Jarrett, Jacob Copeland and Dontay Demus Jr.
We know Taulia Tagovailoa loves throwing to Jeshaun Jones and tight end Corey Dyches, but that leaves plenty of room for other playmakers.
And although Prather is our top pick for the Terps, there’s a chance Florida International transfer Tyrese Chambers proves himself to be that guy. He already did it moving up from FCS Sacred Heart to FIU, where he was a first team all-Conference USA player.
Why the hype? Last year the portal taketh Charlie Jones from the Hawkeyes. But this year it giveth a potentially fair return in the form of Brown.
Skeptics will scoff at the notion of a receiver doing much of anything at Iowa, particularly given the display Jones put on after escaping Brian Ferentz’s offense. But things are changing.
The Hawks brought in quarterback Cade McNamara, who has a track record of completing passes to his actual teammates instead of the opponent. Brown is a former 4-star recruit who just wants to get on the field after redshirting at Ohio State. And given what the Buckeyes have returning at the position, that wasn’t going to happen this season if he stayed in Columbus.
Jameson Williams became a star at Alabama after being buried on Ohio State’s receiver depth chart. It could be a similar path to success for Brown.
Why the hype? Success typically follows when one rows the boat from Kalamazoo to the Twin Cities, and Tyler was Mr. Everything at Western Michigan.
He’s got nearly 500 career carries — 495 to be exact — with an average of 5.7 yards per carry and 23 touchdowns. When Tyler catches the ball out of the backfield, he almost always does something with it — 43 receptions for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tyler also averages 23.9 yards per kickoff return with 3 career touchdowns, which means he has a Charlie Jones-type game.
Minnesota’s offense is very running back-friendly. And though Tyler has a very different running style than Mohamed Ibrahim, the numbers he puts up as Ibrahim’s replacement could end up deceptively similar.
Why the hype? Can you believe it, folks? Potentially not 1 but 2 explosive Gophers at once?
It sounds like something out of an informercial. Which kind of makes sense given PJ Fleck’s behavioral resemblance to an informercial pitchman. If it wasn’t for football the man could have been the next Billy Mays.
Fortunately for Minnesota fans, Fleck is strictly a football guy for now.
As a sophomore at Charlotte, Spencer ranked fifth in Conference-USA in receiving yardage, sixth in yards per catch and sixth in touchdowns. Among players with at least 50 receptions, he was 10th in the country with 16.5 yards per catch.
If we want to dream big, Spencer could become Minnesota’s first all-conference receiver since Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson did it in 2019.
saturdaytradition.com
Saturday Tradition
Spencer and Tyler on the list
Change your scenery, change your life.
Last year, Charlie Jones found that out the easy way in his lone season at Purdue. After starring primarily as a return man at Iowa, Jones wanted to play his final collegiate season for an offense that could actually give him some more touches as a receiver.
And there was little better place for that than Purdue, which featured Jeff Brohm’s offensive scheme combined with former Pee-Wee league teammate Aidan O’Connell at quarterback.
As a Hawkeye in 2021, Jones caught 21 passes for 323 yards and 3 touchdowns. As a Boilermaker in 2022, that production ratcheted up to 110 receptions for a single-season Purdue record of 1,361 receiving yards to go with 12 touchdowns.
The move paid off for Jones, who was selected by the Bengals in the 4th round of the NFL Draft.
Jones wasn’t the only Big Ten playmaker who made the best of his lone season at a new stop last year.
Trey Palmer transferred from LSU to Nebraska and finished 4th in the B1G in receiving yardage and touchdowns. And at Penn State, newcomer Mitchell Tinsley led the Nittany Lions in receptions after coming from Western Kentucky.
The year before, the Big Ten’s top playmaking transfer wasn’t a receiver at all. It was Michigan State running back Kenneth Walker III, who led the Power 5 in rushing.
Either way, it seems quite likely that a newcomer will be among the B1G’s top offensive playmakers this season — which by our definition constitutes a receiver or running back.
And these are the 5 players we most look forward to seeing.
1. WR Dante Cephas, Penn State
Previous school: Kent StateWhy the hype? Penn State’s running game should be among the Big Ten’s best behind Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. But if the Nittany Lions are to reach their ceiling, it will because Cephas is the real deal helping new quarterback Drew Allar push the ball downfield.
With Parker Washington leaving early for the NFL and Tinsley being a 1-and-done player at Penn State, Cephas fills an immediate need that demands plenty of touches. He was a back-to-back all-MAC selection at Kent State, gaining better than 100 yards on 10 different occasions.
He had the No. 2 individual performance by any FBS receiver last year with 246 yards on 13 receptions against Ohio.
This could be a huge year for a Pittsburgh native ready to prove he belongs at college football’s top level.
2. WR Kaden Prather, Maryland
Previous school: West VirginiaWhy the hype? Prather would have been West Virginia’s top returning receiver this year after grabbing 52 catches for 501 yards in 2022. Instead, the Maryland native came home to the Terps to try and make an impact for a receiving corps that’s replacing Rakim Jarrett, Jacob Copeland and Dontay Demus Jr.
We know Taulia Tagovailoa loves throwing to Jeshaun Jones and tight end Corey Dyches, but that leaves plenty of room for other playmakers.
And although Prather is our top pick for the Terps, there’s a chance Florida International transfer Tyrese Chambers proves himself to be that guy. He already did it moving up from FCS Sacred Heart to FIU, where he was a first team all-Conference USA player.
3. WR Kaleb Brown, Iowa
Previous school: Ohio StateWhy the hype? Last year the portal taketh Charlie Jones from the Hawkeyes. But this year it giveth a potentially fair return in the form of Brown.
Skeptics will scoff at the notion of a receiver doing much of anything at Iowa, particularly given the display Jones put on after escaping Brian Ferentz’s offense. But things are changing.
The Hawks brought in quarterback Cade McNamara, who has a track record of completing passes to his actual teammates instead of the opponent. Brown is a former 4-star recruit who just wants to get on the field after redshirting at Ohio State. And given what the Buckeyes have returning at the position, that wasn’t going to happen this season if he stayed in Columbus.
Jameson Williams became a star at Alabama after being buried on Ohio State’s receiver depth chart. It could be a similar path to success for Brown.
4. RB Sean Tyler, Minnesota
Previous school: Western MichiganWhy the hype? Success typically follows when one rows the boat from Kalamazoo to the Twin Cities, and Tyler was Mr. Everything at Western Michigan.
He’s got nearly 500 career carries — 495 to be exact — with an average of 5.7 yards per carry and 23 touchdowns. When Tyler catches the ball out of the backfield, he almost always does something with it — 43 receptions for 338 yards and 3 touchdowns. Tyler also averages 23.9 yards per kickoff return with 3 career touchdowns, which means he has a Charlie Jones-type game.
Minnesota’s offense is very running back-friendly. And though Tyler has a very different running style than Mohamed Ibrahim, the numbers he puts up as Ibrahim’s replacement could end up deceptively similar.
5. WR Elijah Spencer, Minnesota
Previous school: CharlotteWhy the hype? Can you believe it, folks? Potentially not 1 but 2 explosive Gophers at once?
It sounds like something out of an informercial. Which kind of makes sense given PJ Fleck’s behavioral resemblance to an informercial pitchman. If it wasn’t for football the man could have been the next Billy Mays.
Fortunately for Minnesota fans, Fleck is strictly a football guy for now.
As a sophomore at Charlotte, Spencer ranked fifth in Conference-USA in receiving yardage, sixth in yards per catch and sixth in touchdowns. Among players with at least 50 receptions, he was 10th in the country with 16.5 yards per catch.
If we want to dream big, Spencer could become Minnesota’s first all-conference receiver since Rashod Bateman and Tyler Johnson did it in 2019.
Hickey: Who will be the Big Ten's 2023 version of Charlie Jones? Here are the 5 top contenders
Receiver Charlie Jones made a massive impact in his lone season at Purdue. Which B1G newcomers are likely to follow his footsteps in 2023?
saturdaytradition.com
