by It isn’t always necessary to draw serious conclusions from bowl games that may seem meaningless to some with the high amount of opt outs and transfers, but this bowl season left us with some interesting storylines that could be a sneak peek into next year. Here are five takeaways from bowl season that caught my attention.
“It’s Miller Time”
You’ll be hearing that phrase a lot in 2024. While it’s not always best to jump the gun on a player based on a single performance, Miller Moss showed the nation that he just may be the next big-time quarterback under Lincoln Riley. The redshirt sophomore had one of the best bowl outings of the season after picking apart a Louisville defense that only allowed 19.6 PPG and ranked in the FBS top-20 in total defense in 13 games prior. Moss threw for 372 yards and six touchdowns (all-time school record in bowl game/tied Pac-12 bowl record) en route to a 42-28 beatdown.
So the question arises: did USC find its next quarterback? With Will Howard, who flirted with transferring to Southern Cal for weeks, committing to Ohio State and backup Malachi Nelson taking his talents to Boise, Idaho, it seems very clear that he will be the front runner.
And it fits the common theme for Trojan quarterbacks: good quality players who patiently wait behind Heisman winners before exploding onto the scene. Leinart did it, Sanchez did it, Williams did it (at OU)… could Moss?
USC may have their next guy. No use hunting in the portal for another golden-arm prospect if Moss can replicate what we saw two weeks ago in San Diego.
New Stars Emerging
For those that actually suited up in the bowl games, several notable players further showcased their talent this bowl season and made an even bigger name for themselves ahead of 2024. Here’s a few players who bursted onto the scene and saw their draft stock sky rocket:
Jordan Faison (WR, Notre Dame)
Even though player opt outs and transfer portal craze may have an overall negative effect on bowl season, it gives backups and younger players a bigger spotlight and a chance to possibly earn a starting job in the ensuing season. Faison was one of those players.
While QB Sam Hartman and a chunk of the Irish’s WR room opted out of the bowl game, Faison stepped up for Notre Dame in a big way. The freshman had a career-defining game, catching five passes for 115 yards and a score as the Irish blew out Oregon State 40-8 in the Sun Bowl. The 5’10”, 175-pound Faison, who is also a lacrosse player, showed us that he has the type of game-breaking speed that can give this Notre Dame offense the down field explosiveness its been looking for, for quite some time now. With a rebuilding WR corps in South Bend, keep an eye on #80 come September.
Deonte Walker (DE, Kentucky)
Ladies and gentlemen, this very well may be a top-five NFL draft pick next year. Walker had a stellar game against Clemson in the Gator Bowl, racking up two sacks on eight QB hurries after being double-teamed on 52% of his snaps. Walker is a physical specimen that is already on a lot of people’s radar ahead of the 2024 season.
Caden Prieskorn (TE, Ole Miss)
Those that watched the Peach Bowl know who #86 is by now. Prieskorn was a human highlight reel last Saturday, hauling in 10 catches for 136 yards and two scores as Ole Miss thumped Penn State 38-25 to cap off an impressive 11-2 campaign.
The second-team All-SEC tight end announced his return to Oxford for 2024 and will easily be one of Jaxson Dart’s primary targets on what is anticipated to be one of the best offenses in college football next season.
Nico Iamaleava (QB, Tennessee)
Facing a defense as tough as Iowa in your first-career start is no small feat. All Iamaleava had to do was seize an opportunity. And in guiding the Vols to a 35-10 thumping over the Hawkeyes on Monday, the true freshman did just that. Iamaleava’s numbers weren’t eye-popping through the air (151 yards and one TD) but his three touchdowns on the ground gave us a glimpse of his dual threat ability. The future is very bright for the former five-star recruit.
Georgia Isn’t Going Anywhere
Rather than going all out and proving to the CFP that they truly did belong, a majority of Florida State’s starters opted out of the Orange Bowl and Georgia made them pay. We expected Georgia to win big, but not 63-3 big. The Bulldogs were hungry and played hungry. They also reminded us that they are still one of the top programs in the sport and will be out for blood in 2024.
The bad news for Georgia: they currently have 31 total departures entering next season as 11 declared for the NFL Draft and 20 hit the transfer portal. The good news: 11 starters return, including three offensive linemen, and Kirby Smart is bringing in five transfers — most notably running back Trevor Etienne from Florida.
What is almost guaranteed is that the Bulldogs will have a ton of depth per usual. This was evident in the Orange Bowl as the entire offense contributed in the blowout win with UGA racking up 301 passing yards, 372 rushing yards, and 23 different players recording a tackle on defense. All Georgia does is reload.
Bowl wins by Arizona, K-State give optimism for future of Big 12
Thursday, Dec. 28 was a great night for the Big 12 conference. Before Arizona outclassed Oklahoma in a top-12 showdown in the Alamo Bowl, Kansas State knocked off #18 NC State, 28-19, behind true freshman quarterback Avery Johnson’s breakout performance.
The Wildcats capped off a successful 9-4 season by accumulating 435 total yards in the Pop Tarts Bowl behind great games from running back DJ Giddens (188 total yards/2 TD) and Johnson, who will be a fun duo to watch in 2024. Johnson, the top dual-threat quarterback of the 2023 class, put himself on the map after throwing for two scores and rushing for another (71 rushing yards) against a Wolfpack defense that ranked in the top-30.
Soon-to-be Big 12 newcomer Arizona had one of the best wins of bowl season as the Cats used a 17-0 4th quarter to get past #12 Oklahoma, 38-24. This was a pivotal program-defining victory for Arizona, who finishes the season 10-3, as the Cats put themselves in good position for a preseason top-10 ranking in 2024 assuming QB Noah Fifita and/or WR Tetairoa McMillan are not late entries in the transfer portal. Head coach Jedd Fisch has also emerged as one of the hottest names in the sport.
Strong Finishes From Low-Expectation Teams
Entering the 2023 regular season, everyone outside of the West Virginia and Northwestern locker rooms wrote off the two programs. Most experts and sportsbooks had WVU going 4-8 while Northwestern was projected to finish 1-11. Flash forward four months and the two teams capped off incredibly successful seasons with big bowl wins.
The Mountaineers bullied UNC 30-10 en route to a 9-4 season. WVU was expected to be the door mat of the Big 12 as it was coming off a losing season and had head coach Neil Brown on the hot seat even before the year kicked off.
Northwestern fought through a bit more adversity. The Pat Fitzgerald scandal was one of the biggest storylines of the offseason, as it stained the program’s reputation and raised a ton of uncertainty as to whether or not the Wildcats would see any sort of success in the foreseeable future. That’s until Northwestern pulled off the unthinkable by winning eight games under interim head coach David Braun, highlighted by a Las Vegas Bowl victory over 7.5-point favorite Utah. It’s one of the better college football underdog stories in recent memory.
A shout out is in store for both Missouri and Iowa State as well. The Tigers had an exceptional season, finishing 11-2 behind a monumental Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State and Eli Drinkwitz winning Coach of the Year. As long as he stays in town, the future is super bright in Columbia. For Iowa State, the 36-26 Liberty Bowl loss stings, but after a 4-8 campaign in 2022 and the gambling suspensions in the preseason, reaching a bowl game and winning seven games was a huge turnaround for Matt Campbell and the Cyclones.
