Conference USA and the MAC are battling to avoid being the least of the FBS conferences. However, Conference USA at least keeps things interesting. The teams in the conference have changed frequently, and it has become the welcoming conference for teams joining from the FCS. This season is no different. There are opportunities to be found from a fantasy perspective if you get to know Conference USA, so how about we do just that?
2025 College Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- College Football Rankings (linked above)
- College Football Projections
- College Football Cheat Sheet
- National Championship Picks
- National Championship Odds
- Heisman Odds
- Tapole Bowl Rankings and Strategy
- Underdog Best Ball Tools and Tips
- 2025 Quarterback Rankings
- 2025 Running Back Rankings
- 2025 Wide Receiver Rankings
- Mountain West Conference Preview
- AAC Conference Preview
Conference USA All-Conference Fantasy Teams
First Team
QB: Maverick McIvor, Western Kentucky 
(46)
RB: Cam Cook, Jacksonville State 
(41)
RB: Jo'Nathan Silver, Delaware 
(52)
WR: Kenny Odom, UTEP 
(36)
WR: K.D. Hutchinson, Western Kentucky (53)
TE: Eli Finley, Louisiana Tech 
(36)
Second Team
QB: Hunter Watson, Sam Houston 
(51)
RB: La'Vell Wright, Western Kentucky (59)
RB: Hahsaun Wilson, UTEP (64)
WR: Tyler King, New Mexico State 
(77)
WR: Myles Butler, MTSU 
(82)
TE: Noah Meyers, Western Kentucky (84)
Third Team
QB: Ethan Vasko, Liberty 
(66)
RB: Shomari Lawrence, Missouri State 
(67)
RB: Omiri Wiggins, Louisiana Tech (85)
WR: Gabriel Benyard, Kennesaw State 
(83)
WR: Matthew Henry, Western Kentucky (85)
TE: Gary Clinton, Missouri State (97)
2025 Conference USA Fantasy Sleepers
QB: Skyler Locklear, UTEP
Last year, UTEP was trying to replicate the offensive success that Austin Peay had enjoyed in the FCS. Scotty Walden took over as the Miners' head coach, and he brought a few guys with him from APSU. One of those was Locklear, who was given the chance to start. However, he wasn't just starting in FBS for the first time. Locklear wasn't the starter at Austin Peay in 2024. He had some struggles and only managed 10 touchdown passes against six picks over 10 outings. Now, though, Locklear has had a chance to get used to being a starter and to facing FBS talent. Walden has also had a year to adjust. UTEP's offense should be better, and Locklear should be the trigger man under center.
QB: Keyone Jenkins, Florida International 
Jenkins is an example of what experience can do for a quarterback. In 2023, he was thrown into the fire as a true freshman, and he struggled while showing promise. That set the table for 2024 when he completed 61.8 percent of his passes with 22 touchdowns against eight interceptions. While that's not incredible by modern college football standards, it was evident progress. Then, Jenkins lost his head coach, but instead of transferring, he withdrew from the portal to play under Willie Simmons. The Panthers are one of the worst FBS programs, but there have been occasional successes. Maybe Simmons and company can get Jenkins, now a highly-experienced junior, to another level.
RB: Caden Williams, Liberty
Last season, Quinton Cooley finished a fine tenure at Liberty with 205 carries for 1,254 yards and 13 touchdowns. His backup, Billy Lucas, got 123 carries for 720 yards and five touchdowns. Both are gone, which leaves over 300 carries unaccounted for. Julian Gray, who is moving to running back from wide receiver, could be the lead back, but the picture remains murky. Williams, a redshirt freshman, was recruited to Liberty to play running back. He was given 10 carries in Liberty's bowl game as well, which may have been a sign of an increased role to come in 2025.
RB: Jekail Middlebrook, MTSU
A vote of confidence is driving Middlebrook's sleeper status. He is, according to head coach Derek Mason, not only the "clear number one," but "head and shoulders" above the rest of the depth chart. Last season, with limited action, he averaged 4.6 yards per carry and scored two rushing scores. However, Middlebrook did add 22 catches for 163 yards and a score. What does being the "clear number one" mean, though? Twenty touches a game? Twenty-five? If Mason is to be believed, Middlebrook should at least double, and could easily triple, both his touches and production from 2024.
WR: Qua'Vez Humphreys, Sam Houston
Humphreys had 20 catches for 385 yards and four touchdowns last season, though much of that production came in two early games in the season against Rice and Hawaii. That being said, chance has come to the Bearkats. K.C. Keeler, who built the program up and got it elevated to the FBS, took the job at Temple. He's been replaced by Phil Longo. Longo was once the offensive coordinator at Sam Houston, and he then went to Ole Miss, North Carolina, and Wisconsin. He's an Air Raid guy, the coordinator responsible for the rise of Sam Howell at UNC. Mike Leach-style football plays well in Texas, and guys like Humphreys are ready to reap the benefits of Longo's arrival.
WR: Devin Gandy, Louisiana Tech
Sonny Cumbie has seemingly found his guy under center in Evan Bullock. What he needs now, though, is a new top receiver. Gandy is a good bet. The Bulldogs' top-three wide receivers are gone, though mostly Tru Edwards is gone. He had 85 catches for 989 yards to double up his closest competition. Gandy joins Louisiana Tech from Sacramento State, which means that Cumbie wanted him. The top returning receiver for the Bulldogs is Marlion Jackson. Jackson started the season as part of the passing attack, but he had zero catches over the final eight games of the campaign, and 27 snaps over the last seven. Cumbie doesn't seem to have any faith in Jackson, so Gandy could easily leap to the top of the depth chart.
Conference USA Position Battles of Interest
Western Kentucky Wide Receivers
Back in the day, Tyson Helton ported Houston Baptist's offense over from the FCS. Bailey Zappe set single-season records. Flash forward to 2025, and the offensive coordinator he brought, Zach Kittley, is the head coach of Florida Atlantic. Looking to revitalize things, Helton has done it again. This time, he's turned to Abilene Christian, whose passing offense lifted it to its first playoff appearance. Rick Bowie is now the Hilltoppers' offensive coordinator, and Maverick McIvor is now the likely starting quarterback. Who will be catching all those passes, though? K.D. Hutchinson is still around, and Cameron Flowers may be ready to step up after keeping his redshirt last year. Among transfers, Matthew Henry is the most intriguing. He had 1,211 yards for Western Carolina last year.
Kennesaw State Running Backs
The Owls' first season as an FBS program was run. They went 2-10, had one of the worst offenses in the FBS, and Brian Bohannon, literally the only head coach KSU had known, was fired. Jerry Mack steps in as the new head coach. He has an eclectic career, having been a head coach in the FCS, but also coached receivers and quarterbacks. That being said, his last two gigs have been Tennessee's running backs coach and the running backs coach for the Jacksonville Jaguars of the NFL. This room is interesting not only because Mack can hopefully coach them up, but there is literally no track record for any of these guys to give us a sense of who might be the top back. Coleman Bennett is technically a Rice transfer, but he's really a Bucknell transfer. Chase Belcher was at West Georgia. Alexander Diggs carried the ball nine times last season. There are a lot of questions, but also possibly a fair amount of potential.
UTEP Quarterbacks
Locklear may be a quarterback sleeper, but we should broach the makeup of the Miners' quarterback room. No, I'm not talking about Cade McConnell, who has started several games for UTEP, returning from a wrist injury. Malachi Nelson is now a Miner. You know, the five-star prospect who was ESPN's number-one recruit full stop in 2023, and who averaged out as second to Arch Manning. He went to USC. It didn't work out. He went to Boise. It also didn't work out, and that's when it was time to take a pause. UTEP is his third stop in as many seasons. Maybe the evaluations were just way off, or maybe Nelson has hindered his own development. When a school like UTEP has a five-star recruit in the quarterback room, though, it's worth monitoring.
