Your weekly serving of college football roster acquisition thoughts -- recruiting, transfer portal, you name it -- from 247Sports Director of Scouting Andrew Ivins.
A meeting of the roster management minds
With preseason practices underway around the country, everyone's focus has quickly shifted to the upcoming season. That is, of course, unless your job is to worry about the future.
Earlier this week, some of the top minds in roster management and talent evaluation traveled to Nashville for the annual Personnel & Recruiting Symposium. Just over 700 people registered for the three-day event, which brought together off-field staff members from all different levels of football.
There were general managers from College Football Playoff regulars, directors of player personnel from the Power Four, Group of Five and FCS levels, as well as area scouts from the NFL. Keynote speakers included former NFL executive Mike Tannenbaum and AFCA executive director Craig Bohl.
To get an idea of how quickly the personnel and recruiting space has grown in recent years, when the symposium was first held in 2018, only 125 people were in attendance. Now, it's a can't-miss date on the calendar.
By far the biggest two talking points inside the halls of the Residence Inn Convention Center were the looming revenue share and roster expansion.
As we noted last month in this space after Ohio State athletics director Ross Bjork revealed that Buckeye football players received "around $20 million" in name, image and likeness (NIL) money from collectives and brand affiliates this past year, there's a rush to figure out how to divvy up what will essentially be a salary cap. And after talking with multiple sources who are crunching the numbers, there doesn't appear to be any clear-cut consensus on a proper course of action.
The same goes for the additional 20 scholarships that football programs are set to receive after the NCAA recently decided to increase roster-size limits from 85 players to 105 players. One might assume that schools can't wait to sign more players, but it actually might make more sense for schools to only carry 10 additional counters instead of 20 as that allows some roster flexibility. After all, what happens when a key contributor goes down with an injury during spring camp? A seasoned veteran from the transfer portal will likely be more appealing than a green freshman.
Below are some additional takeaways.
College football is operating more and more like the NFL
Having attended previous editions of the Personnel & Recruiting Symposium, this year felt like it had more presence than ever from the NFL. Multiple scouts were involved in breakout sessions and led various panels. They shared trade secrets but also asked questions while trying to get a better grasp of how talent acquisition works in college.
What also really stood out was the number of former NFL scouts now running collegiate scouting departments. It wasn't too long ago that bluebloods focused exclusively on high school recruiting, but with the transfer portal booming, more and more Power Four programs have tabbed former NFL evaluators to spearhead their college scouting operations. And this trend isn't going away, not with the money that's being invested in the transfer portal.
One director from an SEC program estimated they'd broken down film and written up reports on close to 3,000 current college players in the past year. Some of that work will be used for advanced scouting, but a majority of it is in preparation for transfer portal windows as they want to be ready to pounce on players they think can help them win.
Placing a heavy emphasis on in-league scouting directly reflects the NFL model, where some scouts study the draft class (high school recruiting) and others prepare for free agency (the transfer portal).
Game-changing interior DL are extremely valuable
We always classify pass rushers as a premium position, and for good reason. But when most people hear or read "pass rusher," they automatically assume it means the edge player. It's probably time for that to change.
Don't be mistaken, the guys who can attack the corner at a high level are extremely important, but one could make the case that interior linemen who absolutely wreak havoc in the middle are more valuable as they are the ones who can make it difficult for opponents to operate on a snap-to-snap basis.
Think about it. You can scheme away from Von Miller. You can't really scheme away from Chris Jones. The players on the inside are the closest to the football, and they are the ones who can push pockets or hold up traffic. Now, this isn't some proclamation that all defensive linemen should automatically be held in higher regard than edge rushers, but what makes difference-making 0-, 1-, and 3-techniques even more valuable is the fact that there just aren't a ton of them, especially coming out of the high school ranks.
In the most recent NFL Draft, five edge rushers went in the first round, but the second defender to be selected was defensive tackle Byron Murphy II at No. 16 overall. He's known for his ability to be a disruptor at the point of attack, which is also the case, albeit to different degrees, with Ruke Orhorhoro, Jer'Zhan Newton, T'Vondre Sweat, and Braden Fiske. All four of those defensive linemen were among the first six picks in the second round.
The new cheat code: High-IQ safeties
What is the hardest position to scout? It's a question that gets asked all the time and one that was posed to a room stuffed to the brim with some of the brightest personnel minds. An NFL scout instantly replied "quarterback," but the more interesting answer probably came from a high-ranking Power Four staffer, who said "safety."
With everyone trying to air it out these days, complex defensive systems have become the norm, and those schemes tend to ask a lot of the safeties. Athleticism is critical on the back end, as one must be able to cover, but you also want players with a high IQ who can read and react. It's certainly not easy to identify a prospect's ability to process on a highlight tape, but the individuals with advanced instincts and ball production are the ones who tend to make the biggest impact.
Take Caleb Downs, for example. The former five-star recruit had a remarkable rookie campaign at Alabama and managed to somehow exceed expectations. But was his play really all that surprising? A quick review of the prep scouting report would suggest no. Downs, who transferred to Ohio State this winter, always seemed to be in the right place at the right time, totaling 19 interceptions and 43 pass breakups in 51 career varsity games.
One other lasting thought on defensive backs: Corners must be able to tackle, but safeties have to tackle well. With NCAA rules limiting full-contact practice periods, colleges no longer have much time to teach tackling technique. That instead needs to be introduced in high school.
Sneaky-good commit of the week
CB Chris McCorkle to Kansas
Lance Leipold has done wonders in a short amount of time at Kansas, and the on-field success for the Jayhawks is starting to make a difference on the recruiting front. Earlier this week, cornerback Chris McCorkle picked Kansas over multiple Big Ten schools. He instantly became Kansas' highest-rated commit in the 2025 Class.
The high-three-star 89 rating for McCorkle might not raise many eyebrows nationally, but he was arguably the best player on the field during Florida's 1S title game last year as he caught the game-winning touchdown pass before coming down with the game-sealing interception. McCorkle, who checks in as the No. 31 corner in the Top247, has the length and ball skills to play on the perimeter in the Big 12. Another potential gem for Kansas in the 2025 cycle is quarterback commit David McComb. A dual-threat talent, McComb impressed during multiple throwing sessions this offseason.
'Freak' of the week
OT Jackson Cantwell (Class of 2026)
Former four-star wide receiver Erriyon Knighton just missed out on a medal at the Paris Olympics, finishing fourth in the 200-meter dash. There's a chance he will contend for a podium spot in the 2028 games, but he might not be the only football recruit competing in Los Angeles.
Rising junior offensive lineman Jackson Cantwell is the son of two former Olympic throwers, and he too is elite in field events. Cantwell set the national high school record for a sophomore in the shot put earlier this year with a 74-foot, 9 ¾-inch effort. He's a two-time Missouri state champion in the event and captured gold at Nike Outdoor Nationals this summer. Cantwell, who ranks as the No. 4 player and No. 1 tackle in the Top247 for the Class of 2026, can also move some weight. The 6-foot-7 ½, 300-pound youngster recently bench-pressed 450 pounds three times. Cantwell is a standout for Nixa High School in Missouri.
