Camp wrapped with one roster change that shifts the picture here — Cam Vaughn is off the team, dismissed, and that opens up reps that were already going to be hard to find in this room.
Everywhere else, the story is mostly what we expected going in, just sharper now that we've seen it up close for a month. Here's where each piece of that room stands heading into Stanford.
At the top, not much has changed, and that's the point.
Malachi stayed healthy, added weight and speed. But the real jump this camp is in the contested catch. He's not the tallest guy in the country, but when he hasn't fully separated and there's a defender on his hip, he's now winning that rep. Strong hands, good adjustment to the ball — that fifty-fifty ball is turning into an eighty-twenty ball.
Ahmmon's seen that hand strength up close and called it one of the most underrated parts of his game.
The route running was already elite. Now it's the stuff in traffic — double coverage, DBs draped on him — where he's taking his game to another level.
And on top of everything, Malachi's run-blocking is close to a sixth offensive lineman at times. A lot of the big Fletcher runs from last season — especially in the playoffs — don't spring the way they did without him cracking a safety and clearing a hole.
"I don't think people really understand how crucial and critical a lot of his blocks were last year," Ahmmon said.
Nobody's shut him down outright yet. This year, expect more of the deep-threat, contested-catch version of Malachi Toney — the guy mossing people, not just separating from them.
We've talked about Cooper Barkate a ton, but his speed is still underrated, and this camp showcased something specific: his ability over the middle of the field.
His PFF grade last season between 10 to 19 yards was 99.9:
28 catches on 49 targets, 484 yards, four touchdowns, 17.3 yards per catch and zero drops.
What surprised even Ahmmon, who knew it was in there, was watching him run the deep ball. Technically sound, holds his line, doesn't get washed to the sideline — and once he wins at the line, his separation speed is legitimate. He's not slow. People are going to be surprised watching him take the top off a defense this year.
Some of that growth traces back to a rough transition period in the spring, going against Xavier Lucas every day in practice — as physical a corner matchup as there is on this roster. That competition sped up the whole process, and the chemistry between him and Darian Mensah came together more in fall camp than it had all spring.
This one's been a narrative all camp, and honestly, we fueled some of that ourselves with our content.
Watching it play out — there isn't a big gap between Daylyn Upshaw and Josh Moore right now. Different guys, different skill sets, and I think it surfaces in games more than it did in practice reps.
Upshaw's the well-rounded, all-around guy, Josh Moore is the size-and-speed guy, the contested catch threat once he's at full speed.
Different flavors, both trending the same direction.
They also do different things schematically. Upshaw is one of the best screen runners on the roster — he runs through the football instead of trying to stop and cut vertically immediately. He's smoother and can start and stop faster, which is exactly what those intermediate screen and stop routes need. It's not that Moore can't do it — it's just not his specialty in the way it's become Upshaw's.
Both guys missed time to injury late last year and got a healthy camp this time around. Expect them to rotate, not split — Shannon Dawson's going to deploy both based on what the offense needs on a given down, and don't be shocked to see them on the field together from time to time.
Vandrevius Jacobs is Vandrevius Jacobs — a proven deep threat, not much new to report because you already know what he brings.
Vance Spafford made one of the biggest jumps on the team from spring to camp. He was inconsistent early — dropping balls, adjusting to the physicality and the heat — but the last two weeks of camp, he looked like a different player.
He can run routes underneath and also has the deep speed that forces a defense to respect him, which makes him a tough cover for a DB who has to defend both.
"By default, I see Vance being probably number one on that list [of the freshmen]," Ahmmon said.
Somourian Wingo is right behind him — probably the most advanced of the three, with the size and ball skills to play early regardless of circumstance. With Cam Vaughn no longer on the roster, expect him to see the field earlier than people think.
Milan Parris is probably a year out from real contribution. The size and speed are there — he can get down the field easily — but there's still consistency to find. All three should see the field at some point this season. How much is the only real question.
Tyran Evans is one to watch on scout teams. He's talented, long, and fast, but he hasn't played receiver that long and still has real work to do to catch up technically.
Full breakdown below:
Everywhere else, the story is mostly what we expected going in, just sharper now that we've seen it up close for a month. Here's where each piece of that room stands heading into Stanford.
Malachi Toney. Not Much Else to Say.
At the top, not much has changed, and that's the point.
Malachi stayed healthy, added weight and speed. But the real jump this camp is in the contested catch. He's not the tallest guy in the country, but when he hasn't fully separated and there's a defender on his hip, he's now winning that rep. Strong hands, good adjustment to the ball — that fifty-fifty ball is turning into an eighty-twenty ball.
Ahmmon's seen that hand strength up close and called it one of the most underrated parts of his game.
The route running was already elite. Now it's the stuff in traffic — double coverage, DBs draped on him — where he's taking his game to another level.
And on top of everything, Malachi's run-blocking is close to a sixth offensive lineman at times. A lot of the big Fletcher runs from last season — especially in the playoffs — don't spring the way they did without him cracking a safety and clearing a hole.
"I don't think people really understand how crucial and critical a lot of his blocks were last year," Ahmmon said.
Nobody's shut him down outright yet. This year, expect more of the deep-threat, contested-catch version of Malachi Toney — the guy mossing people, not just separating from them.
Cooper Barkate's Deep Speed Is the Surprise of Camp
We've talked about Cooper Barkate a ton, but his speed is still underrated, and this camp showcased something specific: his ability over the middle of the field.
His PFF grade last season between 10 to 19 yards was 99.9:
28 catches on 49 targets, 484 yards, four touchdowns, 17.3 yards per catch and zero drops.
What surprised even Ahmmon, who knew it was in there, was watching him run the deep ball. Technically sound, holds his line, doesn't get washed to the sideline — and once he wins at the line, his separation speed is legitimate. He's not slow. People are going to be surprised watching him take the top off a defense this year.
Some of that growth traces back to a rough transition period in the spring, going against Xavier Lucas every day in practice — as physical a corner matchup as there is on this roster. That competition sped up the whole process, and the chemistry between him and Darian Mensah came together more in fall camp than it had all spring.
The truth on the WR3 battle
This one's been a narrative all camp, and honestly, we fueled some of that ourselves with our content.
Watching it play out — there isn't a big gap between Daylyn Upshaw and Josh Moore right now. Different guys, different skill sets, and I think it surfaces in games more than it did in practice reps.
Upshaw's the well-rounded, all-around guy, Josh Moore is the size-and-speed guy, the contested catch threat once he's at full speed.
Different flavors, both trending the same direction.
They also do different things schematically. Upshaw is one of the best screen runners on the roster — he runs through the football instead of trying to stop and cut vertically immediately. He's smoother and can start and stop faster, which is exactly what those intermediate screen and stop routes need. It's not that Moore can't do it — it's just not his specialty in the way it's become Upshaw's.
Both guys missed time to injury late last year and got a healthy camp this time around. Expect them to rotate, not split — Shannon Dawson's going to deploy both based on what the offense needs on a given down, and don't be shocked to see them on the field together from time to time.
Vandrevius Jacobs
Vandrevius Jacobs is Vandrevius Jacobs — a proven deep threat, not much new to report because you already know what he brings.
Budding freshmen
Vance Spafford made one of the biggest jumps on the team from spring to camp. He was inconsistent early — dropping balls, adjusting to the physicality and the heat — but the last two weeks of camp, he looked like a different player.
He can run routes underneath and also has the deep speed that forces a defense to respect him, which makes him a tough cover for a DB who has to defend both.
"By default, I see Vance being probably number one on that list [of the freshmen]," Ahmmon said.
Somourian Wingo is right behind him — probably the most advanced of the three, with the size and ball skills to play early regardless of circumstance. With Cam Vaughn no longer on the roster, expect him to see the field earlier than people think.
Milan Parris is probably a year out from real contribution. The size and speed are there — he can get down the field easily — but there's still consistency to find. All three should see the field at some point this season. How much is the only real question.
Tyran Evans is one to watch on scout teams. He's talented, long, and fast, but he hasn't played receiver that long and still has real work to do to catch up technically.
Full breakdown below:
