Can he do it on a cold, wet night in Muncie, Indiana?
– CFF Wiseman, year unknown
The MAC is an enigmatic conference. We all know this. We are all also painfully aware that the MAC sucked ass last season for CFF. That could be a function of the transfer port, or just a down year, or a bit of both. Whatever the reason, it didn’t leave CFFers feeling particularly cheery about the prospects this season.
However, it’s in these ‘buy when everyone is selling’ windows where real treasure can be found. Hedging your bet that the MAC could have a major rebound this year is not a bad idea at a low price. With that in mind, I have highlighted four players who are either fairly unknown or forgotten souls in CFF who could catch lightning in a bottle once conference play kicks off.
Kadin Semonza, QB (5’11″, 195) – BALL ST.
2023 PPG: 5.1
It’s tough to know what to make of Semonza—the 5’11″ Californian king—as he enters only his second year of CFB after playing in a limited capacity last year. I can’t say he is a dual-threat player based on the four-game sample size, but he very well could turn out to be (yeah, thanks for enlightening us, VP). Kial Kelly was his main competitor last year, and it appears the staff has gone all in on Semonza being the guy this year, with Kelly switching positions.
Ball State has a track record of success in this conference under head coach Mike Neu. Typically, the CFF value in this program has come through virtually every other position besides the quarterback position, but 2024 might change that. He gets a big receiver back in Ty Robinson who himself was dealing with injury last year.
Of all the MAC programs, Ball St.’s OOC schedule might be the most forgiving, with Miami, Missouri State, and Vandy on the docket. Only Miami scares me, but I’ll never put it past those tossers to find themselves in a close one against Ball-so-hard University, aka Ball St. of the MAC.
Ky Thomas, RB (5’11″, 200) – KENT ST.
2023 PPG: NA
Thomas originally began his career with known degenerate PJ Fleck in Minnesota. A slew of injuries in October to Minnesota’s backfield provided the runway for Thomas to break out in his second year of CFB. Shortly thereafter, he transferred over to another pig farmer’s program—Lance Leipold’s Kansas Jayhawks. Those of us around here know Leipold as a degenerate pig farmer, a fierce competitor, and a great man.
Unfortunately, things didn’t turn out as planned for Thomas with the Hawks, prompting a move to the conference of chaos last offseason. Puzzlingly, he was ruled ineligible for the season (apparently, the NCAA still enforces this from time to time) and sat out all of last year.
Now, the reigns appear to be his. He’ll have to battle Gavin Garcia and Xavier Williams for touches, but Thomas is probably a lot better than either of those two. We are still talking about a former P4 prospect here. Thomas is definitely a name where, once MACtion starts, he could turn into a league winner before you know it. Don’t worry; I’ll be keeping a vigilant eye, and should the pig signal be lit at any point, his name will be included in the weekly pig market articles.
Jacqez Barksdale, RB (6’0, 225) — BUFFALO
2023 PPG: 3.8
New UB head coach Pete Lembo last coached Ball State when he was a head coach back in 2011-2015. Of those seasons, three produced three seasons with a 1,000-yard rusher. Jahwan Edwards was the player to do it each season.
In the seasons where Edwards went over 1,000 yards, he carried the rock 262, 212, and 232 times. KEEP YOUR EYES PEELED on this backfield as we enter MACtion in October.
Adrian Norton, WR (6’0, 185) — AKRON
2023 PPG: 1.8
Norton has been singled out on numerous occasions by those who cover the team as a name to watch out for this season to have a breakout. We were hoping last year that Alex Adams would go nuclear in that offense, but alas, it was not meant to be. Adams is currently nursing an injury, and his status is still unknown for the season opener.
There’s a new OC in town, and he comes over from Montana, where his offense was one of the tops in the FCS. The quarterback position is a question mark, but Norton could be a beneficiary of some major volume, volume, volume, baby. He’s only a second-year player, too, so if you’re in a dynasty or C2C league looking for a potential multi-year CFF producer, this could be your man.
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