Despite the title, I contend it is never too early to discuss college fantasy supplemental drafts. As we inch closer to the declaration deadline, the landscape for 2025 targets seems to open up and gives us a better idea of player status for the next season.
For the uninitiated, supplemental drafts are drafts in college fantasy football leagues that include incoming freshmen and upperclassmen who are not currently rostered. Some leagues, especially Campus2Canton and Devy (developmental), have limits on waiver claims, meaning this pool can have some serious value.
The Campus2Canton recruiting team is nose-down in prospect evaluation for the incoming class, and you can find those rankings here. This article aims to find targets that fit the second bucket described above, unrostered upperclassmen.
Owen McCown, UTSA
The first few weeks of the Owen McCown experience left much to be desired as UTSA struggled to move the ball in any capacity. A far cry from 2023 with Frank Harris, through the first five weeks, UTSA averaged 22 points per game. The offense averaged 40.1 points in the following eight, including scoring 38+ in six of those eight. This early-season split provides a small buy window for this offense in supplemental drafts.
McCown’s 2024 season mirrored the total offense, averaging 14.6 fantasy points per game through the first five. Over the next eight, he averaged 24.5 points per game. An in-conference schedule here helps, but he added 331 yards rushing in these weeks and had more than 20 in all but one game. Using his legs in this offense increases the offensive level and provides a huge rushing floor weekly when the offense struggles to pass. McCown isn’t a true world-beater, and better quarterbacks are available, but he’s a great bye-week option and late-season start. He’s a must-add in college fantasy supplemental drafts.
Target: Rounds 7-8
Reese Poffenbarger / Drew Mestemaker, North Texas
Prior to the First Responder’s Bowl, this just said Reese Poffenbarger. However, Mestemaker played lights out in his first start, throwing for 393 yards and two touchdowns while adding 55 yards rushing and a touchdown. Mestemaker hasn’t had a start since his freshman year of high school and dazzled in a bowl game for the Mean Green. Although he threw two interceptions while mounting a comeback, his performance lends credence to the idea this is a real competition.
Poffenbarger is a Campus2Canton favorite coming out of Albany after a year sitting behind top-three NFL pick Cam Ward. Poffenbarger was exceptional for the Great Danes, throwing for over 3,600 yards and 36 touchdowns in his final season at Albany. He also showed plus mobility and operates as a true dual-threat. However, he sat all of 2024 before transferring to North Texas this offseason.
Eric Morris has had two seasons with North Texas, and while 2024 was a step back from a hair-on-fire 2023 season, both were above average in Pass EPA/play and Rush EPA/play. However, the real key to quarterback success comes in when looking at neutral game script tendencies. Morris ranked seventh in neutral game script pass rate (57.5%) and fourth in neutral game script pace (2.73 plays per minute). This team clearly wants to pass early, often, and at a borderline frenetic pace. The combination of the two spells out college fantasy success.
We’re too early in the offseason to pick winners in this competition (although Poffenbarger would be my guess). Both will need to be drafted, as the upside for the starting quarterback in this offense is too much to ignore.
Target: Rounds 7-10
Micah Alejado, Hawai’i
Micah Alejado (IYKYK) was drafted quite a bit in 2024 supplemental drafts, especially in college fantasy dynasty leagues, but may have slipped through the cracks in spots. The heir apparent to Brayden Schager, Alejado wowed in limited action. In his only start, Alejado threw for 469 yards, five touchdowns, and added 54 yards on the ground. He will get the first crack at the 2025 starting job, and given his start, it’s his to lose.
Alejado is not an NFL-level prospect, as he’s listed at a generous 5’10, 180lbs. However, his intersection of plus athleticism and Hawai’i’s pass-happy offense gives him real upside for the remainder of his collegiate career. The Rainbow Warriors struggled to move the ball in 2024 behind a struggling Brayden Schager but still managed to rank fourth in neutral game script pass rate (60%). Alejado steps into an offense that has ranked in the top ten in this category since Chang took over, leading the country in 2023 at 67%.
Alejado is one of Hawai’i’s top recruits at the quarterback position recently. The Bishop Gorman product set records in Nevada high school and was the 33rd overall quarterback in his recruiting class per ESPN, but he was a three-star otherwise. It also helps his long-term value for Alejado, as he was born in Honolulu and has roots in Hawai’i, potentially keeping him tied to head coach Timmy Chang for multiple years. He is one of the top quarterbacks to consider in college fantasy supplemental drafts.
Target: Rounds 3-4
Maverick McIvor, Western Kentucky
Another Western Kentucky FCS quarterback transfer? Don’t mind if I do. McIvor, a one-time Texas Tech recruit, spent the last three seasons with Albeline Christian, one of the top offenses in FCS, throwing for more than 8,000 yards. He now joins pass-happy Tyson Helton’s Hilltoppers offense that utilizes many of the same air raid principles from ACU.
McIvor also teams up with his offensive coordinator, Rick Bowie, who is expected to be the Western Kentucky quarterback coach and co-offensive coordinator in 2025. Stylistically, finding a player more comfortable in a system with this much starting experience is hard. Continuity with Boiwe should help his adjustment at Western Kentucky, and without a true competitor for QB1 on the roster, he’s the clubhouse leader.
McIvor isn’t a zero on the ground mobility-wise but is unlikely to add significant value with his legs, limiting his production to the passing game. He will run a similar offense, with Bowie calling plays, and has weapons in the passing game that should provide a significant floor. However, given the offense hasn’t quite reached the same heights as the Bailey Zappe-era in recent seasons and McIvor’s lack of FBS experience, he is a mid-round college fantasy supplemental draft selection.
Target: Rounds 6-8
Colton Joseph, Old Dominion
The Monarchs retained their best player from the 2024 team, quarterback Colton Joseph. Joseph didn’t start until the Coastal Carolina game, but in the seven full starts, he averaged 227 passing yards and 83 rush yards per game. Joseph was spectacular on the ground, providing an elite weekly floor, especially as he averaged over a touchdown per game. His average rushing performance was 16.9 points per game down the stretch. It’s hard to find that of any quarterback, let alone one with a charmin-soft schedule.
Joseph’s 2025 outlook is just as rosy as his end-of-season performance as the Monarchs gear up for another season in the Sun Belt. Like most Group of Five players, Joseph may struggle in out-of-conference matchups like Indiana and Virginia Tech (although recent history disagrees). Joseph’s best attribute is his multi-year eligibility. Although players are moving at a feverish clip, Joseph elected to stay for the 2025 season and could do so again. It isn’t as surefire as it was two to three years ago, but it helps.
Target: Rounds 5-6
