Fall Camp Storylines to Keep an Eye on Before the 2023 CFB Season

Fall camp the unofficial start to the 2023 college football season, and the news cycle is about to get packed.

Freshmen and transfers are fighting for spots at their new programs. Position battles will be determined, depth charts will be released and preseason polls will be unveiled.

And everyone is looking ahead to the season opener.

Among the many storylines to know in fall camp, we've identified six popular topics to follow as teams return to the practice field and prepare for the 2023 campaign.

Hello, Freshmen

Photo from Jordan Scruggs, 247Sports

Keon Keeley

When players can enroll early, they generally use that option. This allows them to participate in spring practice and begin physically preparing—both in nutrition and the weight room—for a higher level of the sport.

Some are not able to skip their final semester of high school, though, and a summer arrival is the earliest possible date.

And that means fall camp is especially important for them.

While a very small number will ultimately earn a starting job, plenty of first-year players can earn a rotational role or contribute on special teams. That might happen over the course of the season, sure, but the opportunity is there during the next three or four weeks, too.

No matter the case, be ready to hear a ton of praise for freshmen who weren't around in the spring.

Familiar Faces, New Places

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Sam Hartman

Adjustment periods aren't just for freshmen.

Any number of people spend the offseason adapting to a new location. The most prominent names are usually quarterbacks and coaches, such as Sam Hartman (Notre Dame) and DJ Uiagalelei (Oregon State) or Deion Sanders (Colorado) and Hugh Freeze (Auburn).

In some cases, such as Nebraska and Wisconsin, it's both. Jeff Sims is ready to lead Nebraska in Matt Rhule's debut season, and Tanner Mordecai is taking the reins for Luke Fickell and UW.

The hope is these newcomers spark immediate success, and they'll produce a wave of optimism in fall camp.

Whether that turnaround actually happens, well, that sounds like a problem for September.

Depth Charts!

Brandon Sumrall

Jalen Milroe

Easily one of the best moments in fall camp is when programs unveil their season-opening depth chart.

Will it change throughout the season? Of course. Will the game-day rotation actually match what we see? Probably not. There are numerous reasons to simply glance at a two-deep and move on.

But that's no fun.

Where did a big-name freshman land? The potential second-year breakout player? How about the newest batch of transfers?

Plus, while coaches tend to announce the winner of a quarterback competition, the answer occasionally is revealed on the depth chart. Alabama, Georgia and Ohio State are among the programs that—even if a particular player is the presumed pick—enter the fall with a battle.

The initial depth chart is a factor in shaping early expectations.

Injury Reports

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Cam Rising

Injury reports are not always bad.

Utah fans, for example, are eagerly awaiting the moment that Cameron Rising is fully cleared. The quarterback is recovering from a torn ACL that knocked him out of the Rose Bowl.

The opposite side of the conversation, however, is equally as unfortunate as it is inevitable.

Injuries will happen in fall camp. While each one stings, some, in particular, can be devastating. Last year, for example, Texas and Northern Illinois lost key receivers Isaiah Neyor and Trayvon Rudolph to season-ending knee injuries.

Hopefully, when these injuries occur, they are only short-term setbacks. But we know that won't always be reality.

Preseason Polls

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J.J. McCarthy and Blake Corum

I love preseason polls. Considering how often my social media timeline explodes around the topic, you probably do, too.

And the best part is they really don't matter!

Because the College Football Playoff selection committee is the ultimate ranking authority, neither the AP Top 25 nor the Coaches Poll or anything else has a real effect on the sport. Yet every August, we eagerly await the results of national voting and site-specific polls. You can be sure Bleacher Report will release a preseason Top 25, as always.

Which team follows Georgia? Will voters lean toward Clemson or Florida State in the ACC, Michigan or Ohio State in the Big Ten? How does the Pac-12 shake out, presumably behind USC? Any surprises in the 20s?

Look for the Coaches Poll around Aug. 7, while the AP Top 25 is slated for an approximate noon ET release on Aug. 14.

Buildup to Season Openers

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Jayden Daniels and Jared Verse

Generally speaking, the first couple weeks of camp are spent preparing for the season as a whole. Soon, however, practices will shift to a more detailed focus on the opening opponent.

And the season will be here before we know it.

Week 0 features a seven-game slate, including Notre Dame taking on Navy in Dublin, Ireland. USC hosts San Jose State, and a sneaky-fun matchup pits Ohio against San Diego State.

The rest of the Football Bowl Subdivision kicks off in Week 1. Florida's trip to Utah headlines Thursday's action, while the showdown between North Carolina and South Carolina lands a prime-time slot on Saturday. Florida State and LSU square off again on Sunday night.

Players and coaches are excited for fall camp, but they'll bring even more energy once it's game week.