Five Argos I’m Excited to See this Fall: Returning Players

This one is pretty self explanatory, there is a roster full of talent in Pensacola but I just wanted to highlight five returning players who I am particularly excited to see this fall. This list of returning contributors are mostly players who are in critical position battles but also a couple of major contributors who I think could take a big step forward this fall.

RS-Soph. Defensive Tackle Justice ”Juice” Williams

Williams is UWF’s most productive returning interior DL, and with the overall lack of game experience at that position he could set up to be the guy at DT this year. He has ideal size, listed 6’3” 335, to play either spot, but he isn’t just a block eater. Williams is a pretty adept interior pass rusher (2.5 sacks as a backup in 2022), even dating back to his HS days (19.0 sacks as a Junior+Senior). After Pooda Walker transferred post season and Michael Police transferred post spring, Williams became a very important piece of the defensive front. This all despite missing spring practice. I think he probably has the biggest upside in the group, and could be poised for a true breakout season in 2023.

RS-Soph. Safety Amari Mitchell

Another returning depth piece who’s gunning to assume a starting role in 2023, Mitchell played in 9 games a RS-Fresh. but looked to really step up in the spring, running with the first team at FS in a majority of the clips published. Mitchell brings a good skillset to the back end of the defense, he isn’t scared to come up and make contact, but has the athleticism to roam the deep zone as well. Looking back at his high school highlights, Mitchell was really disruptive as a Safety and Corner, putting up 11 PBU and 4 INT in 19 games as a Junior+Senior. After losing the majority of the experienced at Safety, Mitchell made the most out of spring ball and likely comes into the fall as the favorite to start at FS.

Senior Running Back CJ Wilson

CJ Wilson was thrust into a presumed starting role after Shomari Mason hit the portal post spring. I was already looking forward to Wilson year 2, because it was lining up as a thunder and lightning pairing between Mason and himself, but now it looks like the former South Dakota State runner is going to be the bell cow back in ‘23. After leading the team with 12 TD last season, which was 3rd in the GSC, Wilson is going to get an even bigger share of the workload. I think Wilson has the potential to emerge as one of the best between the tackles backs in the conference this year. He could be especially potent if the pair of upperclassmen transfers , Troy’s Jamontez Woods and NDSU’s Jalen Bussey, end up making an impact and forming another potent threesome of Argonaut backs.

Junior Wide Receiver Jared Smith

Jared Smith seems like an old hat on this team, but he really is only entering his third year of college football. Despite the additions to the WR room this off season, Smith still seems to me to be one of the likeliest to step up into the void leftover by David Durden, outside of presumed WR1 Caden Leggett. Smith has been pretty good in limited targets in his first two years in Pensacola, combining for 407 yards and 5 TD on just 23 receptions, appearing in 21 games behind All-GSC and All-American talents like the aforementioned Durden and Leggett, as well as Ka’Ron Ashley and Rodney Coates. The only time he had more than 3 receptions in a game, he went 4-113-2 against Shorter as a Freshman, so I’m very interested to see what he can do with increased volume. This year Smith could very well end up as WR2, with his comfortability in the system and a strong spring under his belt.

RS Soph. OLB Kode Lowe

I was very high on Kode Lowe coming into his Freshman year in 2021, when I placed him in the Freshman 15 previous to that season alongside Will Breland, Pooda Walker, Juice Williams, David Drier, and Zac Elam, among others. Lowe didn’t play in 2021, but had quite the breakout in 2022 finishing his debut campaign with 50 Tackles 4 TFL 1 INT 8 Hurries and 2 PBU, starting every game at Nickel except one. I love where he sets up in 2023 because I think he fits better as the Rover LB position in this 4 man front than he did in the Nickel role last season, and I think teams are going to be so keyed on Breland and Willie Jordan this season that it is going to open up a lot of playmaking opportunities for a very athletic Lowe. Lowe in ‘23 should look like the kind of versatile playmaker that these types of defensive systems typically revolve around.