Fresh starts are needed in life from time to time; fantasy football is no different. In the NFL, they happen all the time through trades or free agency. College football players rely on the transfer portal to allow those to happen.
During the 2023 season, there have been several players who have made it apparent they need a fresh start.
Needing a fresh start isn’t a knock on any player. Certain citations turn out they aren’t meant for the player or coaches to recruit for a position. For the players on this list, they all could be fantasy-relevant, some more than others, when they get drafted.
All of these players are draft eligible, all of them are playing in some capacity for their teams currently, but they could have more. These landing spots attached to these players are suggested to get the maximum out of their potential.
Tyler Van Dyke, QB, Miami (FL)
Van Dyke has been forced to grow up while playing for a major program. He was a 4-star recruit with tons of promise who has seen the good and bad in every way imaginable. The idea was that Mario Christobal would come in and build an offense from the ground up for him, and that hasn’t exactly happened. Recruiting around him has been strong, but the coaching is holding him back. In the right program, Van Dyke has the physical tools and ability to be a first-round pick.
Ideal Devy Landing Spots: Oklahoma State, South Carolina, or Louisville
Donovan Edwards, RB, Michigan
The best player in this article will be Edwards, and with him comes an immediate impact. If he were to hit the portal, would be fielding calls from every top program in the country. Edwards is a dual-threat running back who has tons of tread left on his tires for any program to get the maximum out of him. In terms of his NFL projection, he is very likely to be a top running back on any team he is drafted to. He is what the league likes in terms of skillset, so once he gets to a program that uses him, look for that top-end draft talk to ramp up.
Ideal Devy Landing Spots: Texas, Alabama, or USC
Beaux Collins, WR, Clemson
A former 5-star player who set records as a freshman, Collins seemed destined for greatness. Clemson had been churning out receivers when he joined the team, and he seemed to be next in line. Since his freshman year, however, Collins has been lost in the shuffle of a Clemson offense that has no identity. He hasn’t been able to find a groove with Cade Klubnik and he hasn’t been able to produce as a result. The talent is there for Collins, with the right landing spot where he can be involved in an efficient passing offense to get the eyes of the NFL on him.
Ideal Landing Spots: Arizona, UCLA, or Ole Miss
Ja’Corey Brooks, WR, Alabama
Everyone has been rooting for Brooks to break out in devy but it just hasn’t happened. Presently, in this Alabama offense, he is fighting through an identity change as they go from pass first to run first, which may result in a change of scenery. Alabama gave Brooks every chance to earn a meaningful prior to that change, but he just couldn’t. For his benefit, however, so many schools are still embarrassing the pass-first mentality, and for some, they could use someone with his skill set and size to gameplan with.
Ideal Devy Landing Spots: Colorado, Penn State, or Miami (FL)
Will Rogers, QB, Mississippi State
Rogers may be a surprise name to be included here, but don’t hang the phone up yet. No, this isn’t a telemarketing call, but it is a call to arms to defend the talent of Rogers. The late Mike Leach had the Mississippi State offense firing on all cylinders, and Rogers looked like a legitimate NFL prospect. After his passing, the team saw a new look on offense. Now Rogers looks like a shell of himself. The ideal landing spots listed have all shown they can take transfer quarterbacks and let them blossom into something special. Rogers has the talent to do that, and he won’t be a first-round pick, most likely. He could make waves in a watered-down 2025 quarterback class if he comes back and gets a fresh start.
Ideal Devy Landing Spots: Tennessee, TCU, or Washington
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