Through Week 5 of the college football season, there are only 16 undefeated teams in what has been a chaotic first month.
Kansas has jumped into the top 20 with a 5-0 record, USC came out of the gates flying on offense under new coach Lincoln Riley and Penn State has bounced back after a 7-6 season to start 2022 at 5-0.
Conversely, some teams that were ranked high to start the season have faltered early and are thinking about how they too might bounce back next season. Michigan State finished last season at 11-2, but has already lost three games this season with a stretch of games that includes Ohio State, Michigan and Illinois (4-1) coming up.
Oklahoma had a coaching change in the offseason and lost some important players, including quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Spencer Rattler, as well as receiver Mario Williams. Despite new coach Brent Venables filling holes via the transfer portal, the Sooners are unranked at 3-2 with a ton of questions about their defense.
Quite a few other teams have already shown struggles and weaknesses, but some of those programs have answers for the future in the form of their 2023 recruiting classes and the prospects joining the team after this season. Here is a look at seven teams that have gotten off to a slow start and the help they have on the way.
Jump to:
Notre Dame | Texas | Iowa | Miami
Oklahoma | Florida | Michigan State
Notre Dame Fighting Irish (2-2)
Notable needs: Quarterback, offensive and defensive playmakers
Notre Dame ranks 96th in passing yards per game, 81st in sacks allowed per pass attempt, 74th in yards per pass attempt and are tied for 91st in passing touchdowns.
Starting quarterback Tyler Buchner suffered what is expected to be a season-ending shoulder injury in the second game of the season, and backup Drew Pyne has 459 passing yards and six touchdowns in his place.
After Notre Dame's 26-21 loss to Marshall and Buchner's injury, coach Marcus Freeman told reporters he and the other coaches will have to evaluate everything about the team.
"The last 36 hours has been a reality check for all of us, from the coaches, the head coach to assistant coaches, to our players," Freeman said at the time. "Doing a deep evaluation of everything we're doing and to really try to figure out what our issues are."
The Irish don't have a quarterback in the 2023 recruiting class, but they have shown they can go into the portal next year if they need it (Jack Coan). The staff has a commitment from quarterback C.J. Carr, the No. 18-ranked recruit in the 2024 ESPN Junior 300, and there is a possibility he could reclassify to the 2023 class and enroll early.
Still, the Irish have more issues than under center.
Junior tight end Michael Mayer is Mel Kiper Jr.'s No. 1-ranked tight end for the 2023 NFL draft and could leave early, while wide receivers Braden Lenzy and Avery Davis are both seniors. Wide receiver Lorenzo Styles has produced, and wideout Deion Colzie and tight ends Kevin Bauman, Cane Berrong and Holden Staes were all ESPN 300 recruits as well. ESPN 300 receiver Braylon James, the No. 54 prospect overall, is one of the playmakers in the fold.
Freshman running back Jadarian Price was injured before the season and showed promise. Without him, Notre Dame ranks 65th in rushing yards per game. Next year, the coaches have two ESPN 300 running backs: Dylan Edwards and Jayden Limar. Edwards has 4.39 40-yard dash speed and should make an impact quickly.
On defense, Notre Dame is allowing an average of 355.5 yards per game, which ranks 53rd among all FBS teams. The team is ranked 68th in rush yards allowed per game, 53rd in pass yards allowed per game, 53rd in opponent completion percentage and has no interceptions on the year.
The staff has some young players that are expected to make an impact, including freshman corner Jaden Mickey and linebacker Junior Tuihalamaka.
The coaches also have the No. 3 safety in the 2023 class committed in Peyton Bowen, the No. 4 outside linebacker (Jaiden Ausberry), the No. 7 outside linebacker (Drayk Bowen) and ESPN 300 defensive linemen Brenan Vernon, Devan Houstan and Boubacar Traore, along with ESPN 300 corner Christian Gray and safety Adon Shuler.
Those defensive prospects are a big reason Notre Dame has the No. 2 recruiting class in the country, as five are among the top 150 ranked prospects overall.
Texas Longhorns (3-2)
Notable needs: Quarterback, wide receiver, secondary
The Longhorns had a well-publicized quarterback battle before the season with Hudson Card and Quinn Ewers, the former five-star who transferred from Ohio State. Ewers won the job but was injured against Alabama, leaving Card as the starter.
Texas found out the hard way that depth at the position is imperative and the staff has its quarterback of the future in five-star Arch Manning, the No. 2 recruit overall. Manning was a big get for Steve Sarkisian and his staff to add depth and competition at the position. It isn't out of the question to think Manning, the nephew of Peyton and Eli, could push both Card and Ewers once he arrives on campus, and the Longhorns know they'll need depth going forward.
Manning is Texas' highest-ranked recruit since running back Johnathan Gray, the No. 2 prospect in the 2012 class. Given his name, the notoriety of his recruitment and the situation at Texas, there is some pressure for Manning to compete early and produce at a high level.
Sarkisian and the offensive coaches tried to shore up the wide receiver position with transfers, but it hasn't panned out yet.
At wide receiver, Sarkisian and the offensive coaches tried to shore up the position through transfers, but it hasn't panned out yet. Wyoming transfer Isaiah Neyor tore his ACL in August, tight end Jahleel Billingsley was suspended for six games for an undisclosed reason and Iowa State transfer Tarique Milton has only one reception for 28 yards.
Sophomores Xavier Worthy and tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders account for six of the Longhorns' nine receiving touchdowns, but given Texas ranks 57th in receiving touchdowns and 43rd in receiving yards, it needs more playmakers.
The staff has the No. 4 receiver in Johntay Cook II committed, as well as ESPN 300 receiver Ryan Niblett and three-star tight ends Spencer Shannon and William Randle, Manning's high school teammate. The coaches also added ESPN 300 running back Cedric Baxter Jr. and four-star back Tre Wisner, who could fill the void if Bijan Robinson, Kiper's top running back, leaves for the NFL.
Texas' secondary has only two interceptions; it ranks No. 113 in interceptions per pass attempt and 90th in passing yards allowed per game. Cornerback Anthony Cook and safeties Jerrin Thompson and Jahdae Barron are three of the Longhorns' five leading tacklers, and all are upperclassmen.
The coaches got commitments from ESPN 300 corners Malik Muhammad and Jamel Johnson, as well as safety Derek Williams. Both Muhammad and Williams are ranked in the top 55 overall.
Iowa Hawkeyes (3-2)
Notable needs: Offense
Iowa is ranked poorly in nearly every major offensive category: 129th in points scored (12.8 per game), second to last in total yards, 128th in yards per play, 123rd in rushing yards per game and 119th in passing yards per game.
The staff got a major win when in-state five-star offensive tackle Kadyn Proctor chose Iowa over Alabama in June. He's a 6-foot-6, 315-pound offensive tackle who is Iowa's first five-star recruit in the ESPN era. Proctor should be able to compete for playing time right away.
The next highest-ranked commit is four-star quarterback Marco Lainez III, the No. 17 pocket-passer in the country, from New Jersey. Lainez threw for 1,761 yards, 21 touchdowns and two interceptions his junior season and has 10 touchdowns and one interception this season.
Quarterback Spencer Petras has thrown for only two touchdowns in five games, and the coaches will also have Alex Padilla, Joe Labas and Carson May -- all three-star players as recruits -- on next year's roster, barring any transfers.
"No matter who's in there right now, we've got some challenges," coach Kirk Ferentz said in September when he announced he was sticking with Petras, a third-year starter, amid the team's offensive woes, "and we've got to work through those and try to improve in those, and then we'll have a fairer way to assess."
Iowa has proved it can develop tight ends, and the coaches also have three-star Zach Ortwerth, a 6-foot-5, 220-pound recruit from St. Louis. He may not play right away with Luke Lachey on the roster with experience and current freshmen Cael Vanderbush and Addison Ostrenga waiting for playing time, but depth is crucial.
Miami Hurricanes (2-2)
Notable needs: Quarterback
To say Miami potentially has a need at quarterback would have been shocking prior to the season given Tyler Van Dyke was returning. Van Dyke finished last season with 3,931 passing yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions and is Kiper's No. 5 quarterback in the 2023 draft.
He has not had the same success this season, throwing for 809 yards, four touchdowns and three interceptions through four games. In Miami's 45-31 loss to Middle Tennessee State, when he threw for 138 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, he was benched for Jake Garcia (10-for-19, 169 yards).
The team currently ranks 41st in pass yards per game (270.3), No. 60 in interceptions per attempt, No. 77 in completion percentage, No. 111 in pass touchdowns and No. 75 in yards per attempt.
Coach Mario Cristobal has not given up hope on Van Dyke, saying he is not going to turn his back on his quarterback, despite Garcia being ranked the No. 23 prospect in the 2021 class. The position group might figure itself out, but the staff isn't resting on its laurels hoping it does.
They got a commitment from ESPN 300 quarterback Jaden Rashada, the No. 2 dual-threat quarterback and the No. 25 recruit overall, in this class. They also have four-star quarterback Emory Williams committed out of Milton, Florida.
Rashada is a 6-foot-4, 185-pound quarterback from Pittsburg, California, who committed to the Hurricanes in June over LSU, Florida, Ole Miss and Texas A&M. Whether Van Dyke or Garcia takes the job, Rashada will come in looking to play early and earn a spot on the field.
That competition will only make that group stronger and help improve the offense from its lull.
Oklahoma Sooners (3-2)
Notable needs: Defense
It's strange to say a Brent Venables-led team needs help on defense given his success at Clemson, but the Sooners are in a position where they need more contributors and playmakers going forward.
Oklahoma ranks 108th in yards allowed per game (423), No. 66 in yards per play, 119th in rush yards allowed per game and 65th in pass yards allowed per game. The team has three interceptions on the season, which ranks 79th among all FBS teams and ranks third to last in tackle percentage, making 77.3% of its tackle attempts.
"We're not very good obviously right now," Venables said after Oklahoma's 55-24 loss to TCU. "We've got a lot to get better at. We've got to give them answers and we've got to help get them better quickly."
Venables has been recruiting at an exceptionally high rate, currently with the No. 5 class overall. He has the No. 2 defensive end, Derrick LeBlanc, committed, along with ESPN 300 defensive ends Adepoju Adebawore and Colton Vasek.
In addition to the edge players, Oklahoma also has ESPN 300 outside linebackers Lewis Carter and Samuel Omosigho committed, as well as ESPN 300 corner Jasiah Wagoner and Jacobe Johnson, who is listed as an athlete but can play corner.
Venables utilized the transfer portal in the offseason to help fill holes, so there is a good chance he does it again if the right players are there on defense.
Florida Gators (3-2)
Notable needs: Quarterback, defense
The Gators have had struggles at quarterback with Anthony Richardson throwing for 1,116 yards, four touchdowns and six interceptions. He has completed 55.73% of his passes, and Florida's quarterbacks rank 11th in the SEC in passer rating. Florida's defense is allowing 421.4 yards per game, 12th in the SEC, and is last in the conference in rushing yards allowed per game (193.2).
"I like to say we try to eliminate the bad football," Napier said last week. "Talking about mental errors, misalignments, poor communication, bad fundamentals and techniques, bad decision-making within the play. ... We have a laundry list of things that we need to eliminate each week."
The staff had three-star quarterback Max Brown in the 2022 class and has three-star Marcus Stokes committed in 2023. It's possible coach Billy Napier will look to the transfer portal to find a player with more experience as well.
On defense, the Gators focused on help up front and recruited some highly sought-after recruits, namely defensive tackle Kelby Collins, a 6-5, 280-pound prospect who is ranked the No. 5 tackle in the class (No. 63 overall).
He's joined by ESPN 300 defensive tackle Will Norman, as well as ESPN 300 defensive ends T.J. Searcy, Isaiah Nixon and Gavin Hill. The staff also has four-star defensive end Kamran James and three-star linebacker Jaden Robinson.
In the secondary, Napier has the No. 8 safety, Jordan Castell, committed, as well as ESPN 300 corners Sharif Denson and Ja'Keem Jackson. Of the Gators' 13 ESPN 300 commitments, which are tied for the fourth most this cycle, eight are on the defensive side.
Michigan State Spartans (2-3)
Notable needs: Defense
Michigan State's secondary has been among its biggest concerns, given it ranks 114th in receiving yards allowed (1,375), 72nd in passing touchdowns allowed, 122nd in opposing completion percentage and 128th in interceptions per pass attempt.
The secondary has been a problem since last season, when it allowed 324.8 passing yards per game. No one else in the Big Ten allowed more than 260 per game.
Coach Mel Tucker has utilized the transfer portal in the past to fill needs and could do it again. But when it comes to the recruiting class, the staff has commitments from corners Chance Rucker, Colton Hood and Eddie Pleasant III.
Up front, Tucker has commitments from ESPN 300 defensive ends Bai Jobe, Jalen Thompson and Andrew Depaepe. The staff also has ESPN 300 linebacker Jordan Hall in the class to try to shore up the defense.
The ESPN 300 defensive ends will have a chance to help Michigan State's pass rush early on and give the defense a little more balance going forward.