The Devy Fantasy Football Top 100: 15-11

TreVeyon Henderson | The Columbus Dispatch

As devy dynasty football grows in popularity, finding edges around the margins becomes far more difficult. Your average devy manager can rattle off the four deep of Georgia’s running back depth chart with ease. The proliferation of camps and the presence of social media can make players stars when they are in high school.

Of course, players emerge on the scene every year. Development is seldom linear. Football is a difficult game, and I can say this as a former mediocre high school football athlete who played in the nation’s thirty-first most talent-rich state, so I know of what I speak.

Below we examine some of the game’s top devy talent as part of the Devy 100.

15. Nicholas Singleton, RB Penn State (2025 Draft-Eligible)

Profile: A devy darling since he first stepped on campus, Nicholas Singleton has seen his stock dip a bit over the past year. His upside, however, is undeniable.

Few backs blend size and speed as Singleton does. He accelerates in a heartbeat and uses his 220 plus pound frame to demonstrate elite contact balance in the open field. He carries his weight well, with a well-proportioned build ready to handle a significant workload at the NFL level. His dense build prevents him from having truly elite agility, potentially the one hurdle to him being a top runner as it limits his creativity at the second level. Overall – given his natural gifts and early production at Penn State – he is an incredibly promising prospect. If he continues to round out his game and with another year in Penn State’s notorious weight program, Singleton could work his way into being a Top 50 pick in the NFL.

2024 Outlook: Singleton will spend a third year splitting with Kaytron Allen, though it is far from a negative. He still gets plenty of touches yet keeps some tread off his tires. If the Nittany Lions offense gets out of neutral, Singleton could elevate his game to another level.

14. Isaiah Bond, WR Texas (2025 Draft-Eligible)

Profile: The fallout of Nick Saban’s retirement led to a lot of change in Tuscaloosa. One such domino was Isaiah Bond transferring to Texas, giving the Longhorns a much-needed weapon to replace the departed Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Jordan Whittington.

Isaiah Bond fits the mold of a smaller, explosive receiver with lid-lifter capability. We have seen the likes of Jaylen Waddle, Tank Dell, and Zay Flowers thrive in this role recently and Bond could be next in line. At 5’11” and 175 pounds, he is not your typical outside receiver, but he has more than enough size to succeed given his toolkit. His quick acceleration and easy speed allow him to operate undeterred; his separation skills will make him a valuable addition to any team that needs to create some easy throws for their quarterback. He explodes once the ball is in his hands, making him a dangerous run-after-catch threat whose value could get a bump due to the new return rules. His smaller frame negates his ability at the catch point, and it is unlikely Bond is ever threatening defenses in traffic. He may not profile as a number one receiver at the next level, but he could be a high-end WR2 who wins in ways that offer us fantasy goodness.

2024 Outlook: Bond joins two other transfers – Matthew Golden and Silas Bolden – to give the Longhorns a brand-new receiver room. Bond is the most talented of the trio, and Texas has one of the nation’s best quarterback rooms with Quinn Ewers and Arch Manning. He should have a strong season and establish himself as a day-two pick in 2025.

13. Jalen Milroe, QB Alabama (2025 Draft-Eligible)

Profile: One player the Crimson Tide did retrain is Jalen Milroe, a huge coup for new head coach Kalen DeBoer. Jalen Milroe experienced it all in 2023. He was named the starter in fall camp before being benched early in the year. Instead of sulking or hitting the portal, he worked his way back into the starter role and led Alabama to the College Football Playoff.

Milroe has always been a gifted athlete. He is a powerful runner who can run through defenders and is explosive once he finds even the smallest sliver of space. His improvement as a passer was evident throughout 2023. He has always had a big arm, yet showed rapid growth in other aspects of his game as the season wore on. He did an excellent job of taking care of the football and showed he could improvise a passer, a skill he has always shown as a runner. The mechanics still need smoothing over and it will be fascinating to see how he fares in DeBoer’s offense, but his physical and mental toughness are always on display, and he has the physical tools to entice any team. Expect his stock to rise during draft season as analysts take note of the total package and not the faults they see during individual games.

2024 Outlook: Even with a coaching change, this is Milroe’s team. He is a natural leader who has improved each year on campus. He is an early Heisman favorite.

12. CJ Baxter, RB Texas (2026 Draft-Eligible)

Profile: C.J. Baxter was ready to emerge in Texas’ backfield and become a star in 2024. Instead, he loses his sophomore year after tearing his LCL and PCL.

The news is disappointing yet not enough to send Baxter’s value into a freefall. In fact, I am keeping him steady. Baxter is a big back with home run ability and advanced receiving skills, a trio of traits that alone make him a star in the making. He gets to top speed in a hurry and can cut without losing any acceleration, looking like a premier athlete no matter who he lines up against. His freshman year was very promising, as he ran for 659 yards and was active in the passing game despite spending much of the season behind second round selection Jonathon Brooks. A missed season hurts, but he should be full go in 2025 with a chance to build his draft resume for 2026. He is one of the nation’s most gifted runners and is unlikely to come at much of a discount.

2024 Outlook: In case you have just glossed over this entire piece to this point (hey…don’t say to yourself you should have) Baxer is out for the year. We wait for 2025.

11. TreVeyon Henderson, RB Ohio State (2025 Draft-Eligible)

Profile: It was widely believed Tre’Veyon Henderson would declare and join a rather underwhelming 2024 running back class. Instead, he is back in Columbus for one last ride, a year in which the Buckeyes enter the year as national title favorites.

Henderson is one of the nation’s best big-play threats. He puts his foot in the dirt with force and hits the open field in a heartbeat, eliminating pursuit angles and outrunning almost everyone who joins him on the football field. He is a smooth mover, and you could seemingly place teacups on his shoulder pads and not expect them to topple until he is contacted. His change of direction is nearly unparalleled, and he strings moves together to keep defenders guessing. Henderson has battled nagging injuries for a long time, causing him to miss games and being limited in others. It is fair to wonder if Henderson is best deployed as a 15-touch player who offers explosive elements without the ability to be a workhorse. Even in such a role, Henderson could be a big fantasy contributor and a day-two NFL selection.

2024 Outlook: Henderson now shares a backfield with transfer Quinshon Judkins, potentially giving him the option to stay healthier. If he can stay on the field and show improvement in the passing game – namely protection – he could be one if not the first back off the board in 2025.