Let’s highlight the G5 players who moved up to the P4 and made the right choice for CFF purposes. Chris Kay and I have long discussed the idea of opening a consultation firm to help direct these poor portal souls to the appropriate landing spot, and selfishly, for CFF purposes.
Here are some guys who understood this assignment and would be given high marks from our consulting firm. This doesn’t necessarily mean their CFF stock is on the rise. In fact, most of these guys should be expected to produce less than they did in 2025. But these guys at least salvaged their value and should be rostered or even drafted fairly early.
The North Texas Triplets to Oklahoma State
Let’s snatch the low-hanging fruit first. QB Drew Mestemaker, RB Caleb Hawkins, and WR Wyatt Young have turned in their Mean Green for orange by following Eric Morris to Stillwater. This is about the best you could have hoped for if you own any of these three. They know the system, they were paid handsomely to follow their coach, and the level of competition is manageable.
I don’t expect Mestemaker to lead the country in passing again, or Hawkins to approach 30 TDs again, but shootouts should be plentiful given how this program is having to hit the rest button. However, Oregon, at ASU, at Houston, and Texas Tech all loom as more challenging opponents than anything UNT faced last year.
Alonza Barnett III, QB – James Madison to UCF
Barnett didn’t follow his staff to UCLA, but honestly, a move up to the B10 is probably less appealing than a new staff in the B12. He will be a clear upgrade for that QB room, and while things haven’t looked particularly tantalizing at QB under Scott Frost lately, he does have a history of producing with dual-threat QBs in Adrian Martinez and McKinzie Milton.
Pitt is the only decent defense they face in the non-con, and they avoid Utah and Texas Tech in conference play. The O-Line and WR room will be a big factor in his hopes of repeating as a viable CFF option, but another year removed from the ACL injury and no Matthew Sluka to steal reps should keep his floor from bottoming out.
Cam Cook, RB – Jacksonville State to West Virginia
After a pretty abysmal 2024 at TCU, Cook found his home at Jax State and led the entire country in rushing. It was no surprise he entered the portal, but joining Rich Rod in West Virginia was a solid discovery. The Rodriguez RB1 has a volatile production history, but when he hits, he hits HUGE. Cook’s failure at TCU does temper expectations with him back in the B12, but maybe the Briles scheme just wasn’t the right fit for his running style. There is no denying the talent. Now we wait and see how the rest of the RB room shakes out for WVU.
Evan Dickens, RB – Liberty to Boston College
The freshman finished 2025 with maybe the strongest November of any RB not named Caleb Hawkins. His landing spot at BC was unexpected. Talk about a shift in culture and academics from Liberty. Whoa! But Bill O’Brien has been serviceable for RBs in his return to CFB. Turbo Richard finished as RB34 in fantasy PPG, and BC voids over 1400 total yards and 15 TDs with the loss of Richard and McDonald. BC’s schedule will be one of the toughest ones in the ACC, but it is still the ACC. All hope is not lost for the top five RBs in 2025 by facing B10 or SEC defenses and battling for the starting gig.
Yannick Smith, WR – ECU to SMU
Smith was disappointed in 2025, taking a backseat to Anthony Smith. But we know the talent is there. Landing in the ACC with a proven staff and QB is really solid for Smith’s potential in 2026. Jordan Hudson quietly had a WR35 season and improved each month, averaging just shy of 22 PPG in November. SMU loses five of its top six pass catchers from last season, including both its boundary WRs, where Smith will most certainly play.
Chase Hendricks, WR – Ohio to Cal
This one is totally dependent on the assumption that Jacob de Jesus is done at Cal, but a waiver is pending to determine that. If so, Hendricks could slide into a fairly coveted slot WR spot at Berkley. It is a new staff, so changes are inevitable, but Nick Rolovich was actually promoted from analyst to QB coach, and his run-n-shoot influence, and the slot production that comes with that, could still be very much alive here.
Hendricks finished as the WR29 with abysmal QB play from Navarro. Now, imagine him filling into the slot with 158 vacated de Jesus targets and JKS passing him the ball. You have to like what Cal is doing with the addition of Hendricks and Ian Strong.
