College Fantasy Football: New coaches that could impact drafts
There were a bunch of coaching changes at the FBS level heading into this season that could have a significant influence on your fantasy draft. Here is a breakdown of each new coach and what to expect from their offenses and defenses in some cases.
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MEL TUCKER, Colorado
Tucker has coached defense for his entire career so it might be difficult early on to gauge just how Colorado’s offense is going to run - or how smoothly. New offensive coordinator Jay Johnson doesn’t provide a tremendous read either for fantasy purposes as he comes to Colorado after being a quality control coach at Georgia last season. He previously was OCs at Minnesota and Louisiana. A focus on the running game could help fantasy owners of running back Alex Fontenot as a late-round pickup but Colorado’s bread-and-butter will be getting the ball to receivers Laviska Shenault and then K.D. Dixon. With a lot of weapons at receiver, quarterback Steven Montez might be worth a consideration. The Buffaloes’ defense won’t be great to start, either, so scoring points to stay in games will be a priority.
GEOFF COLLINS, Georgia Tech
If there is a flashing red light for fantasy owners that says Do Not Touch, this might be it. Not that Collins isn’t an excellent coach and in time could very well turn the Yellow Jackets into an ACC contender but this is not the year since most of the team is still coach Paul Johnson’s guys and they were brought to Georgia Tech to run the triple-option offense. There was a ton of moving players all over the field during spring ball and there are legitimately no proven playmakers at quarterback or receiver in a traditional offense. Because of that, fantasy owners should look elsewhere for now. Even on defense where the secondary should be solid, there runs a chance of a lot of three-and-outs for Georgia Tech’s transitioning offense so the defense could be on the field a lot. A whole lot. A tough early-season schedule doesn’t help, either.
LES MILES, Kansas
We know many things about Miles and one of them is that he loves to run the football. And we know this about Kansas: If there’s any hope for this team to be competitive this season it’s to control the ball and hand it off a lot to Pooka Williams behind a decent offensive line. That is good news for fantasy owners of Williams, who rushed for 1,125 yards and seven touchdowns last season. Only Kansas State’s Alex Barnes averaged more yards per game in the Big 12 a year ago and Williams should have even more opportunities this season. Other than Williams, Kansas is probably a no touch for fantasy owners as the Jayhawks will continue to be a mess even as Miles starts a long turnaround.
CHRIS KLIEMAN, Kansas State
Bill Snyder has been Kansas State football for decades but now Klieman is running things so we will all see how it turns out for him in Manhattan. By all reports, quarterback Skylar Thompson is really comfortable in the new system and the receivers could be fantasy gems and especially early as K-State still figures out who’s going to be the main running back. From a fantasy perspective, taking a shot on the Wildcats' skill players and defense would not be a bad call in the first two weeks of the season against Nicholls and Bowling Green but then the schedule gets brutal and it might be time to look elsewhere. There is inherent risk betting on Klieman and his staff to score lots of points early and hold underwhelming opponents to low output but my guess is that he’ll have this K-State team ready to play.
SCOTT SATTERFIELD, Louisville
If there is one team to proceed with extreme caution, then it would be Louisville heading into this season. Satterfield has a complete disaster to clean up so from a fantasy perspective there should be many other options to pursue until we see what the Cardinals have to offer on both sides of the field. Quarterback is a question mark. Running back is a question mark although Hassan Hall could emerge as a legitimate running back in the ACC. There is talent at receiver but can the Louisville QBs be trusted to deliver the ball? The defense gave up an astronomical 44.1 points per game last season. Satterfield had great success at Appalachian State but this rebuild could take time so steer clear until real results are seen.
MIKE LOCKSLEY, Maryland
Locksley is a breath of fresh air for a Maryland program that had to deal with on-field struggles and then scandal in recent years. He is 3-31 as a head coach but that was mainly at New Mexico and that was a nearly-impossible situation. He has been working under Alabama coach Nick Saban in recent years and the turnaround in College Park could be happening. There is absolutely some skill players and sleepers on offense who can score points quickly. Running back Anthony McFarland is a game-breaker who could be a big-time pickup on fantasy teams and transfer quarterback Josh Jackson could assist a wide receiver corps filled with sleepers like Jeshaun Jones, Dontay Demus and others. In later rounds, some Maryland players could be nice additions.
MANNY DIAZ, Miami
There was so much hope for Miami in the season opener against LSU last season and then the Hurricanes got throttled, 33-17. But coach Mark Richt is gone and while Diaz has some things to figure out offensively, the defense should be solid and force lots of three-and-outs. First, the quarterback situation needs to be settled and if N’Kosi Perry, Tate Martell or Jarren Williams emerges then there are lots of skill players to like. Jeff Thomas is a big-time threat at receiver, Buffalo transfer K.J. Osborn could catch lots of passes and there are many others down the line. Running backs DeeJay Dallas and Lorenzo Lingard have tons of ability but need to run behind a better offensive line - and against defenses that have to honor Miami’s passing ability. Drafting the Miami defense early makes sense especially early in the season when the Hurricanes have North Carolina, Bethune-Cookman and Central Michigan on the schedule. Another big opener - against Florida - could set the tone.
MACK BROWN, North Carolina
There is a feel-good thing going on with Brown back in Chapel Hill and recruiting is off to a fantastic start but for fantasy owners there isn’t much meat on the bone yet. Taking a shot at the Tar Heels’ running backs in Michael Carter or Antonio Williams could be intriguing after each rushed for more than 500 yards last season. The offense should be faster and could score more points but the quarterback situation is unsettled, the receivers have not been consistent and we’ll see if the defense improves. Brown is a great coach and his recruiting success has been noticed but on the field this season could be a little choppy.
RYAN DAY, Ohio State
The Buckeyes lose a lot of talented players at quarterback, wide receiver and on the defensive line but my thinking is that Day still has a lot of weapons and he’s going to unleash them in every attempt to prove Ohio State is still a national contender and making sure there is little to no drop-off from the Urban Meyer days. That is motivation enough. But Ohio State is dealing with an emerging Michigan team this season and the early-season schedule is a gift to fantasy owners with Florida Atlantic, Cincinnati, Indiana and Miami (Ohio) before a late September game at Nebraska. Quarterback Justin Fields, running back J.K. Dobbins and a bunch of receivers have high fantasy value. And the Ohio State defense could be one of the best as well. The Buckeyes need to replace some key pieces on defense but the secondary should be outstanding. Believe in Day and don’t hesitate drafting Ohio State players early.
MATT WELLS, Texas Tech
Kliff Kingsbury is gone but the Air Raid should live on in Lubbock and the Red Raiders should be clicking on all cylinders on offense this season. Quarterback Alan Bowman is worth a look early in fantasy drafts along with receivers T.J. Vasher and Seth Collins and running back Ta’Zhawn Henry. Wells was a fantastic coach at Utah State who took his team to Michigan State last season, scored 31 points and almost won the game. This is arguably a coaching upgrade at Texas Tech and the offense is in great hands with offensive coordinator David Yost. Texas Tech hosts Montana State and UTEP in the first two weeks - lots of points are coming to Lubbock.
NEAL BROWN, West Virginia
In years past, West Virginia has shown it can score points - and the Mountaineers averaged more than 40 points per game last season - but there are big pieces to replace especially at quarterback and receiver. Oklahoma transfer Austin Kendall will probably be the starting QB and T.J. Simmons and Marcus Simms should be his top targets but first-year coach Neal Brown will probably lean even more on running back Kennedy McKoy this season. For fantasy owners, McKoy could be a steal. If you’re dead-set on having West Virginia players on your fantasy team, take a shot early in the season when the Mountaineers could play some teams out (James Madison, Kansas) or get into shootouts (Missouri, NC State) but once October hits look for better options because the schedule gets pretty rough.