Advanced Depth Chart: Samford Looks To Find Footing Despite Decimated Roster

This is Part 1 of my Baylor-Samford preview. Part 2 and Part 3 will cover their scheme and stats.

Samford Is A Case Study In NIL & Portal Attrition

If I told you there was a coach with a 20-plus year tenure as a head coach, who is a former quarterback who coached at his alma mater, who has an extensive coaching tree, a long reputation as a spread offense mind, a history of contending at the highest level of their division and that the coach is recently dealing with a limited roster due to the transfer portal you might assume I am referring to Mike Gundy but all of those details apply to Chris Hatcher — the head coach of the Samford Bulldogs who is one of the original members of the Air Raid coaching tree, a national title winner at Valdosta State, and former Harlon Hill award winner, which is the Division II version of the Heisman Trophy.

Much like Oklahoma State, the Bulldogs have experienced significant turnover over the offseason, and it has been rough sledding to start 2025. Just how much has attrition impacted this team? Let’s dive in.

Intro to Samford’s Advanced Depth Chart

Below, I break down which players have left or been added from the prior season’s main core group. Names highlighted in gray are out of eligibility, red are transfers out, yellow are possibly injured, blue are transfers in and green are notable freshman newcomers. 

The testing times from their time as a recruit are below. The estimated 40 time is based on guessing a 40 time from their high school 100-meter, 200-meter, 4x100 or 4x200 track times listed, as well as using figures provided by MileSplit’s conversion calculation. Their NCAA games, starts, and years removed from high school are also listed as of the beginning of the season.

All metrics are red, yellow or green for poor, average or strong relative to their position. High school times are not always perfectly predictive of how guys will run for the NFL later, given that guys' bodies add or drop weight, running form improves or they get significantly stronger in the weight room, but it generally gives an idea of who is fast and who is not. A guy running a 10.5 in the 100 meters is unlikely to lack speed, for instance. Typically, comparing it after the fact, it’s getting close enough to give a good picture most of the time.

Offense

Offensive Departures:

As mentioned above, Samford got hit pretty hard this offseason. This is the list of their major contributors from 2024. Literally the only returner is quarterback Quincy Crittendon. They lost their only two tailbacks with significant carries, who combined for 199 carries and 819 yards last season, along with nearly 200 receiving yards. They lost their top two tight ends as well. All four of their main receiving threats are gone, with their top guy in receptions and yards each transferring to Charlotte and South Alabama.

They graduated four offensive line starters, and the fifth transferred to Southern Mississippi. It’s as close to a complete turnover of an offense as you can get.

Offensive Portal Additions:

As you might expect, they relied on the portal to try to rebuild, but the parts they added aren’t as experienced or ready as the parts they lost. They added two skill guys with experience in CJ Evans and Calvin Jones. Evans is a speedy tailback who has run for 1,600 yards in his career with 800-plus receiving yards to go with it on his way to 20 career scores. Jones has 1,445 yards and seven touchdowns in his career. The rest are largely untested, although Grant Hidalgo comes from Auburn, and Virginia transfer Jaden Gibson has the measurable speed to be dangerous in the SoCon.

Kennesaw transfer Kaleb May, Southeast Missouri transfer Kaleb Pearley and Virginia Tech transfer Web Davidson stepped into starting roles for the Bulldogs, offering solid length and second-and third-year bodies for the line.

Offensive Depth Chart

The headliner of the offense is clearly Crittendon. He’s dangerous as both a runner and a passer. He’s a guy who completed 70% of his passes last year, threw for 300-plus seven times, and in their finale ran for over 200 on the ground. He stepped in as a backup for an injured starter in the 2022 playoff run and led them to a win against Southeastern Louisiana, throwing for 314, running for 94, and scoring five times. His backup, Brady Stober, is a freshman who won state in high school and is a dual threat. His mobility is similar to a Charlie Brewer type.

At tailback, they have the speedy transfer in Evans and last year’s third stringer, Ken Cherry. Jones and Gibson transferred in at wideout, while Preston Bird is their current leader in yards and receptions, and Teddy Davenport is another reliable option. Freshmen Torrey Ward, Nick Crayton and Sam Pickett have stepped in and seen significant time. Their tight ends have yet to catch a pass and are new starters.

The line returned no starters, but Noah Watts and Tyler Douthit are third-year guys who pair with the transfers to form the main nucleus of the line. The group has a couple of big players, but is small in certain areas and has limited experience. 

Below is their main starting group. It’s about half made up of transfer guys.

Crittendon and two skill guys are the main experience here. Everyone else is VERY raw. They are small at three spots on the line and at virtually all the skill spots. It’s a quick offense, but they have a size issue and an experience issue.

Defense

Defensive Departures

As with the offense, this defense lost everybody off of what was a good FCS defense. They lost all but standout WLB Jaden Mosley and part-time starting corner Jalik Yancey. The portal really hurt them, losing current Eastern Michigan starter Mahki Gilbert at DT, DE Jamall Thompson to New Mexico State, standout nickel Dontae Pollard to Temple and safety starter CJ Douglas to Houston.

Much like the offense, it’s a clearout.

Defensive Portal Additions

They added a large number of players in the portal, including five defensive linemen or edge players, two linebackers for their front seven and eight defensive backs.

Of the new players, Amari Wansley at safety and Nahil Perkins at corner come over from FAU and Fordham with some experience, while Keshawn Washington and LaShon Young at least saw some playing time. It’s not an overly big group, but their defensive system prioritizes speed and will pass up size in order to get it.

Defensive Depth Chart

At nose tackle, they feature Wisconsin transfer Hank Weber. Former Coastal Carolina and Georgia State transfer Corey Warren has split starts with JC transfer Joseph Shannon at one defensive end spot, while returning backup Conroy Cunningham solidifies the other side after 6.5 sacks in 2024.

Their equivalent to the JACK position features West Virginia transfer Donovan Grayson and JC transfer Andrew Jordan. Jaden Mosely and Carson Sloan are quick options at the stacked linebacker positions.

Their STAR position is anchored by all-nickname team candidate Gumbo Gaskins, who has an interception this season, while transfer Wansley and Young split starts at strong safety. Free Safety has been anchored by speedy Jalen Nelson. Yancey and Perkins are the main corners, although Malik Thornton has a pick, and freshman Dylon Henderson has seen time.

Below is the projected lineup. It’s a small but fast defense, featuring a mix of experienced transfers and homegrown options.

Their front three is small by design at the defensive end spots and relies on speed to disrupt. It's a group that Baylor should have its way with if the Bears can handle the slants, stunts, twists and blitzes. Their secondary is decently fast for an FCS team and gives versatility to their playcalls.

Final Thoughts

• I haven’t seen a team I can remember being this decimated in one offseason.
• They did a solid job getting who they could, but Hatcher is not playing with a full deck this year and is in a de facto year-zero roster-wise.
• Baylor should roll here. It’s a worry if it’s even close in the trenches or on the scoreboard.

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