College Football 2024 Stock Up, Week 0: College football is back baby!
It's time for the first stock update article of the 2024 college football season
We finally have meaningful football after a seven-month break. This year marks the debut of the realigned conference format and 12-team College Football Playoff. Both changes alter how games are scheduled and opportunities to evaluate prospects for the 2025 NFL Draft, but we don’t have to worry about that just yet. All we need to focus on is the wild Week 0 chaos.
This series used to be called “Stock Up, Stock Down.” I slowly eliminated the stock down element last year. It’s much more enjoyable to focus on the positive elements of the weekend, and there are usually more than enough performances to write about. I will include stock down segments occasionally, but they won’t be weekly occurrences.
Only draft-eligible players appear in this series. All heights and weights are unofficial and shared by football programs unless specified. Pressure data and snap counts are courtesy of Pro Football Focus.
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Stock Up: Romello Height, Edge Georgia Tech
Height transferred to Georgia Tech this summer following two-year runs at Auburn and USC. He only played 277 defensive snaps for the Trojans last year, which makes no sense based on his performance against the Seminoles. He stood out the most among players in the trenches on either side of the ball during the Dublin upset.
Height is a tall, lean defender with a high-cut frame. This limits his bend on the outside track, but the fifth-year defender is an explosive athlete. His burst out of his stance immediately puts tackles on their heels, causing them to overset and open the B-gap for counters. Height almost recorded a sack on Saturday, but a facemask call overturned the play.
Height also has long arms that he uses to stack and shed blocks in a timely manner. Hopefully he plays 500+ snaps this season because there are so many possibilities for him to fill out his rush plan with counters off his speed rush and long-arm moves.
Stock Up: RJ Maryland, TE SMU
Maryland made eight of SMU’s 21 receptions in the team’s comeback win against Nevada. He also amassed 162 of the team’s 308 receiving yards and caught its only passing touchdown. For reference, Nevada had 150 passing yards in the full game.
Maryland unofficially stands at 6'4", 237 lbs., making him a mismatch creator in the slot. Slot corners and safeties are too small to counter Maryland’s catch radius while linebackers aren’t fast enough to match his downfield speed. This makes Maryland an ideal fit for the emerging slot-dominant tight end role that the NFL is slowly adopting.
Maryland produced four plays of 20 or more yards against Nevada, including the game-winning touchdown that gave SMU the lead with less than 1:30 remaining. He tapped into his burst to stack the off-man safety. Not many tight ends have a second gear quite like Maryland, who will contend for All-ACC honors this season.
Stock Up: Marcus Wehr, RG Montana State
Wehr began his college career as a defensive lineman before bulking up and becoming an FCS All-American right tackle. The Bobcats kicked him inside to right guard this year, which is the best move for Wehr’s long-term outlook since he lacks the arm length and stature to play tackle in the NFL.
Wehr is still more comfortable operating in space at tackle than at guard, but that didn’t stop him from making beautiful blocks in the run game against New Mexico. The team captain plays with a low bad level and relentless leg drive to displace defenders or widen gaps. His anchor can be tested in pass protection, but he has the mobility and quickness to mirror pass rushers.
Wehr is a sudden mover in the run game who is comfortable executing long pulls or climbing to the second level to erase linebackers. This makes him an ideal fit for offenses that run wide zone concepts.
Stock Up Week 0 Honorable Mention
Marvin Jones Jr., Edge Florida State
The Seminoles have a lauded defensive line with as many as five prospects for the upcoming draft. They got their butts kicked by Georgia Tech’s offensive line. Jones wasn’t much different in that regard. He failed to set a consistent edge and often found himself caved in or driven outward to widen the B-gap.
However, the Georgia transfer had a sick spin move that almost resulted in a sack. Jones needs to recover from Florida State’s overall poor showing, but he had a better game than his more hyped teammates like Joshua Farmer, Darrell Jackson Jr., and Patrick Payton.