The Draft "Expert" - Wk 2 2027 NFL Draft Quarterback Prospect Rankings
Hello everyone and welcome back to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post! As you can probably tell by the title, in this one we will be taking a look at my week two quarterback prospect rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft!
Now before we really get going here today I do want to apologize for the lack of content here recently, though I can promise it was all for a good reason! Back on August 22nd I married the love of my life, and from the first week of the college football season to the second week we were on our honeymoon at Disney World (and Universal Studios)! So as you can probably imagine it was difficult for me to crank out content for all you good people, especially since I barely watched a lick of college football live that first Saturday.
Thankfully or unthankfully for us our flight got delayed a bunch of times on the Saturday we were coming back home, so I did get to watch a good amount of college football then, which is why I am much more comfortable presenting a blog post to you this week as opposed to last week. Again, I hope you can understand.
I will be more consistent with blog posts, podcasts, and videos as the season progresses, and I am so excited for you all to check out my first officially official rankings of the new season! Some of these quarterback will be in or around the same spot(s) they were in my insanely early rankings, but we could also see some new names entering the fray with a couple possibly dropping out as well. That's what makes this all so exciting!
With all that being said let's get right into it! I Logan Blackman, host of the Logan Blackman Show and self proclaimed Draft "Expert" am proud to present to you my week two quarterback prospect rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Podcast Links
1. Arch Manning, Texas
Wk 2 - 23/37 195 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/8 carries 24 yds 0 touchdowns v no.1 Ohio State (24-23 W)
Season - 43/64 500 yds 5 touchdowns 2 interceptions/11 carries 30 yds 0 touchdowns
As I said at the very beginning of the season, Texas quarterback Arch Manning is by far the most polarizing quarterback not just in this year's draft, but in all of college football. I mean hell, his last name alone is one thing, but doing it for one of the biggest and most maligned programs in the form of Texas adds a whole other element to his polarization. Going into the season I would say most draft prognosticators labeled Manning as the top quarterback in this year's draft class. If he wasn't sitting atop their rankings, then you probably wouldn't need to look much further down the list as myself and others had him coming in at number two behind Oregon's Dante Moore. A lot of people out there have formed opinions regarding Manning, with the most common opinion being that he's overrated and that he's only where he's at because of his last name. It's no secret that that last name carries significant weight, as the name Manning is synonyms with Kennedy in the political realm, but I promise Arch is much more than that as a prospect. As last season went on Manning seemed to figure things out, registering 15-passing touchdowns and just two interceptions in Texas' final eight games of the season, capping things off with an impressive showing against Michigan in the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl where he put up 221-yards through the air with two touchdowns and a further 155-yards on the ground with two more touchdowns there as well in a 41-27 victory. A big armed mobile quarterback with good size and a willingness to take a hit, Manning does possess a lot of traits scouts are looking for in a quarterback at the next level. Sure he put forth a good performance week one against Texas State, but everyone wanted to see how he'd do against the then top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes at home. Last season Manning struggled immensely in Texas' week one road opener against the Buckeyes, going 17/30 for 170-yards with one touchdown and one interception in a pretty uneventful 14-7 loss. Manning's detractors came out in droves following that performance, which is again why so many people were intrigued to see how he'd do this time around. Starting off things looked pretty rough, but as things went on Manning and co. found their stride, coming away with an impressive 24-23 come from behind win. In the victory Manning would go 23/37 for 195-yards withe one touchdown and one interception, while also putting up a decent 24-yards on the ground on eight carries. Though they'd wind up coming out on top things really couldn't have started much worse for the Longhorn offense as on the opening play from scrimmage Manning would hit a motioning Raleek Brown behind the line of scrimmage who would cough up the ball with the Buckeyes falling on it at the Texas 18-yard line. Thankfully for Texas the defense would come up massive and hold Ohio State to a field goal, making things 3-0 just about three minutes into the game. Things wouldn't get much better for Manning and co. their next time out as he would throw one of the strangest interceptions I think I've ever seen on the fourth play of the drive (just watch the video).
I'm sorry, I really don't know how to explain this interception. Now, one thing I will say is that there seems to be a slight disagreement on social media surrounding who's fault it is. Should Manning have thrown a better ball? Should Cam Coleman secured the catch? To me the truth lies somewhere in the middle because Manning really could have thrown a better ball. I mean Coleman was wide ass open on this play, there's really no reason why he should be forced into making a diving catch to come away with this ball. On the other hand, the ball was still very much catchable, and there's really no reason why this ball landed in the waiting arms of the Ohio State defender, who went from burnt toast to hero in the span of a second. So long story short both parties could have done better here, and it went from a massive play for the offense for a massive play for the defense. To make matters worse the Buckeye offense would go down the field in 10-plays and come away with their first touchdown of the game, making the score 10-0 with less than six minutes to go in the opening quarter. Texas' next drive wouldn't end with the offense turning the ball over which is positive, but they would still be forced to punt the ball away after register -4-yards and going three and out. Manning would nearly register a passing touchdown on Texas' next drive, but unfortunately the ball would go right in between Ryan Wingo's hands in the end zone, ultimately falling incomplete.
I don't normally put incomplete passes in my blog posts, but this was just too good of a throw not to put in, as it should have resulted in Texas' first touchdown of the game. With a defender going for his legs and from an unbalanced base, Manning is still able to throw a perfect ball on a line to his receiver for again what should have been a touchdown, it's just a shame that Wingo couldn't come down with it. The Longhorns would eventually have to settle for a field goal, making the score 10-3 midway through the second quarter. Manning would come out firing on Texas' next drive, hitting Cam Coleman between a couple Ohio State defenders for a 14-yard gain to get them to the 50-yard line.
Now this is more like it between quarterback and receiver, as Manning absolutely rips one to Coleman in between a couple Buckeye defenders for a 14-yard gain. Really nice job by Manning at placing the ball right on Coleman's body, protecting both the ball and the receiver from the oncoming defenders. Also nice job by Coleman at securing a ball that was on him in a heartbeat knowing damn well that he's going to take a little shot in the process. Just a great play overall to help get the offense closer to Ohio State territory. Now, the Longhorns would eventually get to the Buckeye side of the 50, the only problem is that they'd ultimately turn it over on downs after failing to convert on fourth and one at the 41-yard line. Things would only get worse for Manning and the Longhorns as the Buckeyes would take a 20-3 lead going into the locker room, with Texas punting the ball away after just three and four plays on their first two drives of the second half. By the midway point of the third quarter the visiting team found themselves up 23-3, which is exactly where the hosts wanted them, am I right? Well with less than six minutes to go in the third quarter Manning's legs really started coming alive, in both the run and pass game. Early on in the drive Manning would evade pressure and pick up gains of 10 and eight yards to help take the offense from their own nine to the 27-yard line. Things would look a little hairy though a few plays later, but once again Manning's legs would prove effective. On fourth and nine from their own 42, Manning would evade pressure once again, only this time he'd keep his eyes down the field and find Emaree Winston down the field for a nine yard gain to pick up the much needed first down.
Dead to rights in the backfield, Manning does an excellent job at not only escaping the pocket and keeping his eyes down the field to find his open tight end who would pick up just enough yardage to help extend the drive. I know the pass doesn't go far beyond the line of scrimmage, but Manning's abilty to keep plays alive with his legs makes him a real threat in these kind of moments. Manning and Winston would connect again on the following play for a further 22-yards that would help get them down to the Ohio State 27-yard line. Despite the solid field position the drive nearly came to an end a couple plays later, as after Manning connected with Emmett Mosley V for what looked like a 13-yard gain on third and eight, Mosley would cough up the ball. If not for Cam Coleman being ultra aware Ohio State would have for sure come away with the football, thus probably ending the game. Because of Coleman the drive remained alive, and a few plays later Manning would hit Ryan Wingo in the end zone from three yards out to give the Longhorns their first touchdown of the game, making it 23-10 less than a minute into the fourth quarter. Manning would come up with another big time play on fourth down on Texas' next drive, firing it into Mosley for a 12-yard gain on fourth and six.
A gutsy call from head coach Steve Sarkisian pays off, as Manning just rips one into Mosley for a much needed first down. With a defender in his face, Manning throws this ball right off of the inside shoulder of the Buckeye linebacker, throwing Mosley open while placing it right on his body to avoid any possible play from the defense. Overall just a great play from Manning, he really couldn't have executed it any better than he did right here. Manning's arm would continue helping Texas move the ball down the field, with him hitting Cam Coleman while rolling out to his right for a 16-yard gain to get them down to the Ohio State 15-yard line. A few plays later Daylan Smothers would taken it into the end zone from a yard out to make the score 23-17 midway through the fourth quarter. The football gods would continue to be in Texas' favor as Ohio State kicker Connor Hawkins failed to covert from 45-yards out to keep the score at 23-17 with about four minutes to go in the game. With momentum now even more on Texas' side it felt inevitable that they would ultimately find the end zone, which they did. On the drive Manning came up with a few big time plays, connecting with Emmett Mosley for a 17-yard gain on second and eight, finding Emaree Winston along the sideline after escaping pressure for an eight yard gain, and hitting Mosley again for a 19-yard gain to help the Longhorns get down to the Buckeye one yard line. A couple plays later Smothers would leap into the end zone to give Texas an improbable 24-23 lead with 25-seconds left in the game. That touchdown would ultimately be the decider, giving Texas the come from behind victory against the then top ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Down 23-3, no one saw this coming, and for Manning to make so many key plays in the buildup to the comeback should give him a stamp of approval that he truly is one of the draft's top quarterback prospects, if not the top one. This is the kind of late game performance we all wanted to see from Manning, as when the going got tough he stepped up to the challenge and performed. This week Manning and the now top ranked Longhorns play host to the UTSA Roadrunners, a team they should absolutely have no problems with despite all the effort and emotion they poured into this win against Ohio State.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - v UTSA
2. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
Wk 2 - 26/43 317 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/6 carries 109 yds 1 touchdown v no.6 Oregon (39-31 W)
Season - 55/92 558 yds 3 touchdowns 4 interceptions/11 carries 112 yds 1 touchdown
One of the most polarizing quarterback prospects in this year's class, North Texas transfer Drew Mestemaker had a lot of people excited going into the season. After leading the nation in passing yards last season in his first ever season as a starter (including high school), Mestemaker decided to take a step up in his college football journey by following head coach Eric Morris from Denton, Texas to Stillwater, Oklahoma to play for the much maligned Oklahoma State Cowboys, a team that had won a grand total of three games across the past two seasons. Mestemaker, and a whole host of other transfers were tasked with helping turn the Oklahoma State program completely around, hoping to secure their first win against an FBS opponent in 20-attempts going into their week one match-up on the road against the Tulsa Golden Hurricanes. Despite coming in as -13.5-point favorites Mestemaker and co. failed to make a positive first impression as they fell by the score 24-10. Though the Cowboys out gained the Golden Hurricanes in total offense, first downs, and time of possession, they turned the ball over four times with Mestemaker being responsible for three of them himself (two interceptions, one fumble). With all the preseason hype and expectation, to see him drop a stinker against a Tulsa team that went 4-8 last season (ironically one of those wins came against Oklahoma State) made a few people take him completely off their draft boards, which is somewhat understandable. Why I say somewhat and not completely is because despite the turnovers, Mestemaker still had some moments that kept me engaged, as there were a couple throws that he made that not a lot of other quarterbacks out there can make. With that being said though, I was not expecting anything to come from their next game as they played host to the then sixth ranked Oregon Ducks. To put things in perspective Oregon has never lost to an unranked FBS opponent since Dan Lanning took over as head coach. With that Oklahoma State (following the loss to Tulsa) was now on a 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents. Not to mention the Ducks beat the Cowboys by the score 69-3 (without needing to score in the fourth quarter) the season prior, meaning everything was lining up for a beat down of biblical proportions in Stillwater last Saturday. That was until God himself intervened as a lightning strike delayed the game by an hour and a half, which is all the time Oklahoma State needed to prepare themselves for the biggest upset in this young college football season, beating Oregon by the score 39-31. In the shocking win, Mestemaker reminded everyone why he was considered to be a top quarterback prospect coming into this season, going 26/43 for 317-yards with two touchdowns (and two interceptions) while rushing for 109-yards (75-yards on six attempts with two more touchdowns to boot, out playing my preseason number one quarterback Dante Moore in the process. In all seriousness, how do you go from losing to a Tulsa team that finished 4-8 last season to beating the then sixth ranked team in the nation? A team with legitimate national championship aspirations? That's the beauty of college football I guess. Things really couldn't have started off much better for Mestemaker and the Cowboy offense as on their opening play from scrimmage Mestemaker could pull the ball from his running back and pick up a whopping 75-yards with his legs to get them all the way down to the Oregon three yard line.
If you're new to Mestemaker's game this may seem somewhat shocking, especially when you look at his rushing numbers from a year ago but the dude played safety and defensive back all throughout high school, even earning an honorable mention all-district selection in the process. He is a much better athlete than the numbers suggest, and that's something that Oregon was certainly not prepared for as you see how hard the defensive end bit on the read. An easy read for Mestemaker that again helped get the Cowboys all the way down to the three yard line. Despite the big gain and the field position though their drive would ultimately stall out, as they would have to settle for a 20-yard field goal from Sam Keltner to make it a 3-0 game less than five minutes into the opening quarter. Mestemaker would flash the athleticism on Oklahoma State's next drive as well, picking up 14-yards with his legs to take them from their own 32 to close to the 50-yard line. He would then connect with Justin Bowick across the middle for what would result in a 34-yard gain, but the drive would take a turn for the worst as Mestemaker would be picked off a few plays later that would be returned 96-yards in the opposite direction for an Oregon touchdown.
This is just an unfortunate play that continues to get worse the longer you watch it. I mean, it's one thing to watch your pass fly helplessly through the air after getting tipped at the line of scrimmage before getting intercepted, it's a completely different thing to see that same pass travel 96-yards in the opposite direction for a score for the opposing team. Now I have a feeling this ball would have been picked off any way since I believe he was trying to hit Justin Bowick but still, just an unfortunate play for both Mestemaker and the rest of the Cowboys as this saw the Ducks take their first lead of the game later on in the opening quarter. Things would seem to be going back in Oklahoma State's favor on their next drive after Oregon jumped offsides and were called for a pass interference penalty on a fourth and one attempt, but ultimately they'd be forced to punt the ball away after six plays, three plays after the successful fourth down conversion. The offense would come out firing on their next drive as a 24-yard run by Caleb Hawkins helped get them down to the Oregon nine yard line. From there, Mestemaker would hit Bowick on a six yard pass (great catch by Bowick) before finding a wide open Carson Kolb in the end zone from a yard out to make the score 10-7 just over three minutes into the second quarter. Mestemaker would come out swinging to start Oklahoma State's next possession, hitting Wyatt Young on a flea flicker for a 33-yard gain on the opening play of the drive.
You can't really throw a football much better than this if you're Mestemaker. With a free defender barreling down on him, Mestemaker remains calm and tall in the pocket before delivering a perfectly weighted ball over Young's shoulder for what would result in a 33-yard gain. Again, you just really can't throw a ball much better than that. Mestemaker and Young would find each other again on the following play, this time going for 16-yards to eventually help set up a five yard touchdown run by Caleb Hawkins to make the score 17-7 midway through the second quarter. Things wouldn't go so well for the Cowboy offense their next time out as on the second play of the drive Mestemaker would see another one of his passes deflected up into the air before falling into the waiting arms of an Oregon defender, with the return helping set the Duck offense up at the one yard line.
Much like the first one this play goes from bad to worst the longer you watch it. Like I said before it's bad enough watching your pass fly helplessly into the arms of a defender, but it's a whole other thing to see it nearly get taken back the other way for six. Though it may not have resulted in a touchdown itself. the interception did help Oregon register their first offensive touchdown of the game on their opening play, making the score 17-14 with around five and a half minutes to go in the quarter. Despite throwing his second interception of the half, Mestemaker would come out firing once again on Oklahoma State's next possession, connecting with Justin Bowick for a 13-yard gain before firing it down the field to Wyatt Young for what would result in a 52-yard touchdown, extending their lead back out to 10 with less than four minutes to go in the half.
Like I said a little bit ago, you really can't throw a football much better than this if you're Drew Mestemaker. Back foot throw with a defender barreling down on him, and is still able to hit his receiver in stride? I mean the dude got hit right as he let the ball go so yeah, I'd say that's a pretty impressive throw. Now did Young need to do the College Football '26 thing of jumping to catch the ball? No not necessarily, but it doesn't take away from the fact that this was a perfect play from the Cowboy offense to again take their lead back up to 10 later on in the second quarter. Mestemaker and co. would come out firing to kick things off in the second half with him connecting with Justin Bowick across the middle for a 24-yard gain before hitting Chris Barnes for a 39-yard gain that would help take them down to the Oregon nine yard line.
Mestemaker does a nice job at manipulating the defense with his eyes. As soon as the ball is snapped Mestemaker's eyes go straight to Miles Coleman in the slot, which brings down the middle safety and causes the high safety to hestitate just enough to clear open a window for him to hit Barnes for again what would result in a massive gain for the offense. Great job at fooling the defense here by Mestemaker, who got the ball out just before the defensive end could get a hand on him in the backfield. If he hestitated even slightly Lord knows what could have happened. Unfortunately their drive would ultimately stall out, forcing the Cowboys to settle for a field goal to go up 27-17 just over three minutes into the third quarter. Oklahoma State would go three and out on their next possession before setting for another field goal with about 30-seconds to go in the quarter, with the score now sitting at 30-24 going into the fourth quarter. Oregon would take a 31-30 lead on their following drive, forcing Mestemaker and the Oklahoma State offense to respond with some points of their own to kill any momentum the Ducks may be forming. Mestemaker would connecting with Terrence Lewis while escaping pressure to his right for 12-yards and Wyatt Young on a hitch for a further 18-yards before flying into the end zone from 10-yards out to give the Cowboys a 36-31 lead (failed two point conversion) with just over 10-minutes to go in the quarter.
Two perfect examples of Mestemaker making something out of seemingly nothing. On the throw to Lewis Mestemaker does an excellent job at escaping pressure to his right after seeing nothing open to his left. Also, nice job by Lewis at giving his quarterback someone to throw to down the field, as the pair would again connect for a 12-yard gain on second and 10. The touchdown run shows the guts and determination Mestemaker has, ducking under a tackle attempt in the pocket before cutting up field and leaping into the end zone from four yards out while getting hit by two defenders to help give Oklahoma State the lead in the fourth quarter. Though you don't want your quarterback taking many unnecessary hits, this type of effort from Mestemaker will get everyone to follow him, as he literally put his body on the line to help his team come away with some points on third and eight. There's no quit in this dude, which is why Oklahoma State would ultaimtely come away with an astounding 39-31 victory, ending their aforementioned 21-game losing streak against FBS opponents. On paper Oklahoma State is a much improved team from a season ago, but after watching their performance against Tulsa I don't think even the most die hard Cowboys fan would have realistically thought they could pull this off. I know it's still early, but this is the upset of the season so far, and it was all made possible by the play of their quarterback. Sure the interceptions were unfortunate, but I would say that 426-yards of total offense and three total touchdowns more than makes up for that. Now just comes the matter of maintaining, though I think Mestemaker and co. should have very little problems taking care of the Murray State Racers this weekend.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - v Murray State
3. Dante Moore, Oregon
Wk 2 - 14/29 191 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/6 carries -9 yds 0 touchdowns @ Oklahoma State (39-31 L)
Season - 42/66 569 yds 5 touchdowns 0 interceptions/8 carries -14 yds 0 touchdowns
Going into the season, Oregon quarterback Dante Moore comfortably sat atop of my quarterback prospect. rankings for the 2027 NFL Draft. After putting together a very strong redshirt sophomore season, Moore by most people's estimates would have been a surefire top two pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, but ultimately the former UCLA Bruin decided to take his talents back to Eugene to try and help the Ducks claim the school's first national championship (which is hard to believe). I mean hell, there were some (though not many) who thought Moore would have a shot going above Indiana's Fernando Mendoza as the first overall pick, which made the decision to go back to school that much more puzzling for some out there. At the time I thought it was in Moore's best interest to go back to school to continue to develop as he's only really had one season as a full time starter (as he rotated with Ethan Garbers at UCLA). As things stand right now though one could make the argument that through two games he could have cost himself a lot of money longterm by not striking while the iron was hot, as both him and the rest of the Oregon football team have flattered to deceive through two games this season. Now obviously it's still insanely early in the season, and I would assume that all parties will right the ship here soon but man, as one of the preseason favorites to win the aforementioned national championship, to see Oregon beat unranked Boise State 34-27 at home before losing on the road 39-31 to an Oklahoma State team that had lost 21-consecutive games against FBS opponents has really been a shock to the system. For Moore individually I wouldn't say he was bad at all against Boise State, as he went 28/37 for 378-yards (career high) with three touchdowns and no interceptions, the same cannot be said for his performance down in Stillwater. Against a completely new look Cowboys team Moore would go 14/29 for 191-yards through the air with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the 39-31 loss. As rough as Moore's performance was I do want to say that the Oregon roster as a whole had a rough day especially the defense who gave up a whopping 554-yards to go along with the aforementioned 39-points. Moore's offensive line didn't do him a whole lot of favors either but the simple fact of the matter is that he came into the season as many's QB1 going into the season, and with that comes with the (somewhat unrealistic) expectation that you are able to play above those problems, and he didn't. Again, simple, regardless of how fair (or unfair) that may be. With that things didn't start off well at all for Moore and the Oregon offense as they would go three and out of their opening two drives before failing to convert on fourth and one from their own 47. That turnover on downs would obviously set Oklahoma State up with excellent field possession, which they would take full advantage of by finding the end zone just five plays later. The Ducks would punt the ball away after going three and out again on their next possession which would lead to another Cowboy touchdown. They would punt the ball away after six plays on their following drive but would be saved by the defense who would pick off Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker for the second time of the half, taking this one back to the one yard line to help set up a Jordon Davison touchdown run to make the score 17-14 with 5:26 to go in the first half. The Ducks would finally be able to string a decent drive together following another Cowboys touchdown, with Moore helping extend the drive by hitting Messiah Hampton along the far sideline after escaping the pocket on third and 17. Oregon would ultimately have to settle for a 42-yard field goal with 30-seconds left in the half to it a 24-17 game going into the locker room. Moore would really let it fly on their opening drive of the second half, hitting Evan Stewart down the middle for a 19-yard gain and Jeremiah McClellan for a further 20 before capping off the drive by throwing a beautiful deep ball to Dakorien Moore from 36-yards out to give Moore his first passing touchdown of the game midway through the third quarter.
Really good way to kick things off in the second half, with Moore doing his best to try and remind people why they all had him atop their draft boards coming into the season. On the initial pass to Stewart Moore (with a hand in his face) did a nice job at placing the ball on his receiver's body rather than lead him into the path of the oncoming defender. Now, Stewart does slow his momentum slightly prior to the ball getting to him, but you still like to see throws like that from Moore. The second one you have to give a lot of credit to McClellan, who made an excellent hand(s) catch despite the defender going througb his back. Moore put this ball on him in a hurry, showing excellent anticiaption by getting it out quickly to avoid any possible play made by a Cowboy defender. But again, excellent hand(s) catch by McClellan througb the contact. The touchdown just shows how great of a deep ball thrower Moore is when everything is in sync. This is such a long throw, going from the near hash 45 to the far pylon but Moore makes it look so effortless. Along with the throw, the other Moore did an excellent job at adjusting to the ball and securing it through the contact to come down with it in the end zone for the 36-yard score. Just a great drive overall that saw Moore just letting it rip, which is what we all love to see. Moore would find Stewart for a 15-yard gain on third and four on their next possession following an Oklahoma State punt, but the drive would ultimately end with Moore being sacked for a five yard loss on fourth and seven from the Cowboys 43-yard line, turning ball over on downs. Moore would register his second passing touchdown of the game a few drives later, hitting Evan Stewart down the field for what would result in a 38-yard score to give Oregon their first lead of the game less than a minute into the fourth quarter.
I don't know if there was a miscommunication or something with the routes because both Stewart and Dakorien Moore wound up in the same position on the field. I mean hell maybe it was by design, as Moore (the receiver) seemed to be looking for people to block once Moore (the quarterback) let it go. Regardless of it was designed that way or not doesn't really matter in the end as there were no Cowboy defenders in the area when Stewart caught the ball, giving him time to get his head up after making the catch, making the initial defender miss before finding the end zone for the eventual 38-yard score. Easy throw and catch between quarterback and receiver here, again helping the Ducks take their first lead of the game early on in the fourth quarter. That aforementioned lead wouldn't last long though, as less five minutes later the Cowboys would find the end zone courtesy of a gutsy Drew Mestemaker touchdown run. Following the score the Ducks would go out pretty much without a whimper, as a terrible fourth down conversion attempt saw them turn the ball over at their own 33 which would lead to an Oklahoma State field goal, making it 39-31 with about three minutes left in the game which is ultimately how things would end as the Ducks would fall on the road by the score 39-31, giving Dan Lanning his first ever loss to an unranked FBS team as head coach (previously 35-0). I know the season is still young, but we have already had our biggest upset of the season. A team that's 35-0 v unranked opponents v a team that's lost 21-consecutive games to FBS opponents, and you're telling me the latter won? Craziness. As for Moore this is a game he'll want to wash, as barring a couple drives in the second half he really flattered to deceive against a team that they were -24.5-point favorites against. Falling all the way to 21st in the latest AP poll, Oregon will have the chance to exercise their demons against an 0-3 Portland State Vikings team that can score, but have given up a whopping 131-points (43.6 ppg). I have no doubt Oregon will absolutely dominate this game, but it won't take any of the sting out of their road loss to Oklahoma State.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - v Portland State
4. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Wk 2 - 16/20 253 yds 4 touchdowns 0 interceptions/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v Rice (52-0 W)
Season - 35/49 492 yds 6 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -6 yds 0 touchdowns
Out of all the quarterbacks in this year's class, there aren't many who will have more placed on their shoulders compared to a year ago than Notre Dame's CJ Carr. Now I'm not trying to insinuate that other quarterbacks don't have a lot on their shoulders, but Carr's situation is a special one due to all the players Notre Dame lost this past offseason. I mean hell, his top two running backs from a season ago both wound up being first round draft picks (Jeremiyah Love (ARI, 3) Jadarian Price (SEA, 32)) with receiver Malachi Fields and tight end Eli Raridon going in the third and second round(s) respectfully. That's a lot of NFL talent gone in the space of one offseason. The good thing though for Carr is that he plays for Notre Dame, meaning they shouldn't have a terrible time finding players to replace the high level talent that they lost, plus he has his leading receiver from last year back in the form of Jordan Faison. There's a lot of expectations placed on Carr and Notre Dame this season, with many out there considering them to be one of the favorites to win the National Championship. With Carr at quarterback and an elite defense under Freeman it's clear to see why so many think that way, now comes the matter of just doing it. So far this season they've really looked the part, dispatching Wisconsin at Lambeau Field with ease before beating the breaks off of Rice this past weekend. A much easier start to this season than last season for the Irish, as remember they had to go on the road week one to face the no.10 Miami (FL) before coming back home to take on then no.16 Texas A&M, losing both games in the process. As for Carr he's looked every bit the part through their first two games, going 19/29 for 239-yards with two touchdowns against Wisconsin and going 16/20 for 253-yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions against Rice, with those four touchdowns being the joint most he's ever registered in a single game in his career (threw four against Arkansas last season). Things would start off pretty good for the Irish in this one, with the defense returning a Rice fumble for a touchdown two plays into the game. They would then force another fumble on Rice's second drive, setting the Notre Dame offense up at the Owl 38-yard line. From there Carr would only need three plays to find the end zone, connecting with Jordan Faison from 25-yards out to give them a 14-0 lead less than five minutes into the game.
Just a nice example of pitch and catch between quarterback and receiver on this one, as Carr makes a nice and easy pass to Faison in the end zone for the score. With the slot receiver clearing out the safety, all Carr needed to do here was not miss his receiver, which of course he didn't to again put the Irish up 14-0 less than five minutes into the quarter. Carr would dial up the deep ball again on their next possession, hitting Jaden Greathouse along the far sideline on a well thrown back shoulder ball. fora 23-yard gain.
Really nice ball placement shown here by Carr but an even better job by Greahouse by adjusting his body to bring the ball in for the nice gain. With the defender matching Greathouse stride for stride, Carr knows the only place he can put this ball is on his receiver's back should, which he did perfectly. Again though, Greahouse showed great effort on this play, fighting through contact and bringing it in one handed to help the Irish get deeper into Rice territory. Carr would register his second passing touchdown of the game a few plays later, hitting Jordan Faison on a bubble screen to the far sideline of the field who would take it in from 11-yards out to make the score 21-0 with less than four minutes to go in the opening quarter. Carr and Greathouse would connect again on Notre Dame's next drive, this time going across the middle of the field for a 19-yard gain.
Greathouse completely freezes the safety in coverage, going passed him with ease giving Carr a nice and easy throw to make over the umpires head (good job at ducking out of the way by him). Just a really strong yet easy throw to make here from Carr, helping the Irish get into Owl territory on the opening play of the second quarter. A few plays later they would find the end zone, with Nolan James Jr. punching it across the goal line from a yard out to give them a 28-0 lead (James had a 15-yard rush on the previous play to set up the score). Carr would come out firing on the opening play of Notre Dame's next drive, hitting Mylan Graham along the far sideline for a 20-yard gain.
Really nice throw here from Carr, hitting Graham along the sideline in spot where only he could make a play on the ball. With the corner coming on a disguised blitz, Carr wastes no time working to the right before making said confident throw to Graham. It's a very simple throw, but it's thrown perfectly which helped the Irish edge closer to the 50-yard line. Unfortunately their drive would stall out as they would eventually be forced to punt the ball away after seven plays. That being said the Irish defense would come up big once again, forcing another fumble that wold help set the offense up at the Owl six yard line. Two plays later Nolan James Jr. would take it across the goal line to make it a 35-0 game with less than five minutes to go until halftime. Notre Dame's next drive would be just as quick only this time it'd end with Carr's arm, as he would connect with Micah Gilbert for a 39-yard score on the second play of their drive to go up 42-0 with just over a minute to go until the break.
Excellent job by Carr here at remaining calm while directing traffirc further down the field. Also, great job by Graham at giving someone his quarterback to throw to, as he worked his way from the left side of the field all the way back to the right before Carr launched it in his direction. Nice job by Carr giving his receiver a chance to make a play and nice job by Graham at high pointing the ball to bring it in for the score. Carr would continue to push the ball down the field on Notre Dame's opening drive of the second half, hitting Jerome Bettis Jr. along the far sideline for what would result in a 56-yard gain, helping get them down to the Rice six yard line.
First off, I'm still not fully aclimated to the fact that players that I watched growing up have kids that are playing at the collegiate level. I know it's completely normal, and I know my dad went through the same thing but man, I can't be that old, can I? Regardless this is a fine throw from Carr but an even better job by Bettis to shrug off the inital tackle and making another miss before taking the ball down to the Rice six yard line. Just a very impressive play from Bettis here, which would help set up Carr's fourth touchdown pass of the game as he'd hit a wide ass open Cooper Flanagan in the end zone from two yards out to give them a 49-0 lead with less than 12-minutes to go in the third quarter. That touchdown pass would be Carr's last contribution to the game as Noah Grubbs would come in and help see out a 52-0 victory for the Irish. You can't really ask for much more from Carr as he played a near perfect game as Notre Dame rolled in their home opener, throwing a joint career high four touchdown passes in the process. This week I would expect things to be a little more challenging, but not much more than that as they play host to the Pat Fitzgerald lead Michigan State Spartans. I suspect the Irish wont have too many problems in this one, as they should pick up their second win against the Big Ten team this season.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - v Michigan State
5. Darian Mensah, Miami (FL)
Wk 2 - 14/15 252 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 21 yds 0 touchdowns v Florida A&M (77-7 W)
Season - 41/45 653 yds 8 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 26 yds 0 touchdowns
If you've listened to my show or have read any of my blog posts for long enough you would know how fond I am of (now) Miami (FL) quarterback Darian Mensah. Though he changes schools like a chameleon changes colors, the simple fact of the matter is that Mensah is one of the best quarterbacks in all of college football. I mean, after leaving Tulane for Duke he helped the Blue Devil offense go from one of the worst units in the ACC in 2024 to one of the best units in the entire country a season ago. Not only that but he helped Duke secure their first conference title since 1989, beating a 10-2 Virginia Cavaliers team thus keeping them out of the College Football Playoff in the process. Though I seem to have very little understanding how how the ACC worked last season, the simple fact of the matter is that Mensah is a damn good quarterback and though his move to Miami was a little controversial when first announced, I would say he's a pretty decent sized upgrade on one Carson Beck. Now that's no shade towards Beck at all, I mean good Lordy he helped guide the Hurricanes to the National Championship last season and wound up being a third round draft pick but still, Mensah has the potential to be one of the first quarterbacks off the board come April's draft, especially if he continues putting up numbers like those listed above throughout the course of the season. Before anyone says anything I am well aware that Miami hasn't necessarily played a murderer's row schedule up to this point, but numbers are numbers, and seeing a quarterback put up 653-yards with eight touchdowns and no interceptions with only four incompletions through two games is pretty damn impressive, especially when you look at the fact that he's played five quarters of football (played the third quarter v Stanford). With that this shouldn't come as a surprise, and Miami's recent 77-7 (a lot of sevens) demolition of Florida A&M was one of the least surprising results from this past weekend. Despite only playing the first half, Mensah would go 14/15 for 252-yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions with a further 21-yards on the ground, which is good for the joint second most rushing yards he's totaled in a game since last season (21 v Arizona State, 27 v North Carolina). Things would start off insanely fast for Mensah and the Miami offense, only needing four plays to register two touchdowns with Mensah picking up his first of the game on their second drive, connecting with Joshua Moore down the middle of the field for a 55-yard touchdown.
As bad as this may sound it just looked like they were running this play on air. I mean this is just a perfect pitch and catch between quarterback and wide receiver, with Mensah hitting Moore perfectly in stride down the middle of the field for a 55-yard score. Simple as you like, which again saw the Hurricanes go up 14-0 after just four plays on offense. It would take Miami a little longer to find the end zone on their next possession, needing to run a whopping six plays before Mark Fletcher would take it into the end zone to further extend their lead to 21 with about six minutes to go in the opening quarter. Miami would move the ball down the field in a hurry their next time out with Mensah and Malachi Toney connecting for 52-yards before hooking up for a 19-yard touchdown on the first play of the second quarter.
Much like Mensah's first touchdown pass, this is really just as simple as you'd like. Sure Flordia A&M sends their safety on a delayed blitz to try and get to him, but Toney beats his defender so bad that all Mensah has to do is just not miss him, which he didn't for the score. Really easy and solid throw here from Mensah to help the Hurricanes build on their lead after the first play of the second quarter. Miami would find the end zone with realitve ease once again on their next drive with Girard Pringle making a man miss before taking it in from four yards out with 10-minutes to go in the first half. Mensah would register his third and final touchdown of the game on Miami's next possession, hitting his old Duke teammate Cooper Barkate in the end zone from nine yards out to make the score 42-0 with about six and a half minutes to go.
Nice and easy throw here from Mensah as Barkate cooks his defender off the line before making a simple catch in the end zone for the score. Just a simple fade route to the corner of the end zone to again help Miami gain a 42-0 advantage before halftime. Would you be shocked if I told you Miami would be able to find the end zone yet another time before the half their next time out? Jokes aside Mensah would come out firing, connecting on a couple 12-yard passes before hitting Vance Spafford in the middle of the field for an 16-yard gain that would help set up a 11-yard touchdown run by Javian Mallory with 46-seconds left in the second quarter.
Really nice job here by Mensah at scanning the field before firing it into Spafford for the aforementioned 16-yard gain. Going from the flat to the wheel then working his way back inside to hit Spafford on the dig is just really good quarterbacking from Mensah, doing a nice job at placing the ball right on his receiver's body as to avoid any possible breakup from the defender. This play would once again lead to a 11-yard touchdown run by Mallory to put the Hurricanes up 49-0 going into the locker room. The pass to Spafford would be Mensah's final contribution to the game as Luke Nickel would come in and help see out a dominant 77-7 victory for the Hurricanes. To the surprise of no one Miami absolutely dominated this game, becoming the first FBS team since 2012 to score on each of their first 11-drives (excluding the kneel down before halftime). As for Mensah, he had a really nice game, dicing up the defense while seeing only one of his passes hit the ground. Friday night Mensah and co. travel to Winston-Salem, North Carolina to take on the 2-0 Wake Forest Demon Deacons, a team who have scored 38-points in each of their two victories. That being said I have a hard time believing Miami will struggle too much in this one, though head coach Mario Cristobal does lose seemingly one random ass game a season, could it be this one? Doubt it, but anything is possible in the world of college football, right?
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 5
Wk 3 - @ Wake Forest
6. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Wk 2 - 23/26 225 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 2 yds 0 touchdowns v Charlotte (41-9 W)
Season - 44/62 561 yds 5 touchdowns 1 interception/12 carries 62 yds 0 touchdowns
As last season drew to a close, and players were declaring for the upcoming draft, one name that everyone was paying attention to was Ole Miss' Trinidad Chambliss. One of the biggest surprise stories in all of college football last season, Chambliss went from being just another backup DII transfer to one of the most electrifying players in the country, spearheading one of the most potent offenses in the process. No one, and I mean no one out there thought Chambliss would do what he did after taking over for Austin Simmons (who suffered an ankle injury week two against Kentucky). Despite not starting the first two games of the season, Chambliss would go on to finish third in the nation in passing yards (3,937) and finishing eighth in Heisman Trophy race while helping the Rebels make it all the way to the College Football Playoff semifinals despite then head coach Lane Kiffin announcing his decision to go to LSU prior to the Playoff even starting. Against all the odds Chambliss has put himself square in the conversation for best quarterback in all of college football, which is what made his decision to not declare for the draft that much more surprising, especially when you look at the fact that last season was his fifth season of collegiate football. Through the grace of God Chambliss was granted another year of eligibility, and so far through two games Chambliss went from a potential second or third round pick to be considered by a lot of people to be a potential first round draft pick. Sure he may not the prototypical size most NFL teams are looking for but the dude is an electric factory, and that electricity was on display in Ole Miss' week one victory against Louisville that saw Chambliss come alive in the second half while throwing for 336-yards with three touchdowns and one interception while also racking up a further 60-yards on the ground and another touchdown to boot in a 41-38 win in Nashville. I said before the season Chambliss will for sure be in the running for the Heisman Trophy (shocking prediction, I know) but if he does continue to play like that he'll for sure be in those first round conversations for April's draft. Now, this past week saw Chambliss and the Rebels play a little lesser of an opponent (no disrespect) than they did week one as they beat down the Charlotte 49ers 41-9 with Chambliss going 23/26 for 225-yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions while only playing three quarters (I guess he did technically play two plays in the fourth, but who's counting, right?). Chambliss and the offense would come out the gates firing, getting down the field in 10-plays with Kewan Lacy taking it in from nine yards out to give them their first lead of the game. Prior to the score, Chambliss would hit Deuce Alexander along the far sideline for a 17-yard gain to help take them down to the Charlotte seven yard line, helping set up Lacy's aforementioned touchdown.
This is a really well waited pass here by Chambliss. Though the receiver looks wide ass open initially, Chambliss knows that there's a safety coming in from over top, meaning he'll need to put this ball more on a line or risk having his pass intercepted. A pretty simple toss in the end, but I still like the placement and touch shown here by Chambliss as it again helped set up a Kewan Lacy touchdown run just two plays later (had a -2-yard pass the following play). Things really didn't go Ole Miss' way on their next possession, going three and out while going backwards the whole time (-6-yards of offense). Though that drive was rough Chambliss and Lacy really carried things their next time out, with Lacy registering a 28-yard rush before Chambliss would hit an open Johntay Cook II from 14-yards out to make the score 14-0 just over a minute into the second quarter. Chambliss would keep things firing on their next possession, connecting on passes of 15, 11, 17, and 14-yards before showing off the athleticism by escaping the pocket and picking up a further 11-yards with his legs to help get them to the Charlotte six yard line.
I know this run by Chambliss may not have resulted in a touchdown itself, but Chambliss' playmaking ability saw the offense edge that much closer to the end zone, helping eventually set up a two yard touchdown run by Kewan Lacy midway through the quarter. For Chambliss himself, he's just a defensive coordinators worst nightmare as there's no real way to defend against him. When you think you've got him bottled up he'll squirt out and make you pay with his legs. No play is truly dead with Chambliss under center, just an absolute playmaker. Ole Miss would have to settle for a field goal on their next drive, with kicker Lucas Carneiro converting from 57-yards out to make the score 24-0 with 4:32 left in the half. The Rebels would need to rely on Carneiro's leg on the final play of the first half as well, as the defense came away with an interception and returned it all the way by to the Charlotte 38-yard line with four seconds to go in the half. Carneiro would ultimately convert from 41-yards out (following a 14-yard Chambliss pass) to make the score 27-0 going into the locker room. Now it would take a little bit for Ole Miss to get things happening on offense in the second half, as they would go three and out on their opening drive before Chambliss would register a nine yard touchdown pass 11-seconds into the fourth quarter following a seven play 75-yard drive.
Though you can barely see the play through the smoke, Chambliss absolutely ripped this ball into Horatio Fields from nine yards out to put them up 34-6. Sure Chambliss did have a 28-yard completion prior to the score, but I think the touchdown pass is the one to truly highlight because despite a defender jumping at the line of scrimmage, despite there not being a massive window, Chambliss made it look routine for his final contribution to the game. Deuce Knight would then come into the game to help see out a 41-6 victory for the Rebels. Compared to week one this game was a piece of cake, with Chambliss playing an efficient and effective game in the win. This coming week should prove to be a much bigger challenge, as the aforementioned Lane Kiffin and his LSU Tigers are coming to town, making for one of the most highly anticipated match-ups of this young season. Let's see if Chambliss and co. are up to it.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - v no.7 LSU
7. LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina
Wk 2 - 16/30 96 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries 119 yds 1 touchdown v Towson (45-9 W)
Season - 29/46 366 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/9 carries 120 yds 1 touchdown
As I've stated numerous times before, if you were building a quarterback from scratch you'd want it to look something like South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers. At 6'3" 238 lbs., Sellers mixes natural size with elite arm talent and athleticism. By all accounts Sellers should really be the unanimous choice for this year's top quarterback prospect, the only problem is that he hasn't really put it all together on the field to a consistent level at this point in time. Again, there's no doubting the physical tools, those are just things you can't teach, but if you can't put it all together than what's the point? Now, I'm not saying that Sellers is bad by any stretch of the imagination, I'm more or less presenting a worse case scenario situation here, as he really should be considered the draft's top quarterback prospect going into the season. This time last year most people out there would have had him comfortably in their top three or four, this year his placement on most people's list(s) is kind of all over the place. Though there are still some people holding on, others have somewhat wrote him off, making this a "prove it year" for the Gamecock quarterback. To me I would say I'd lie somewhere in the middle. I really like Sellers and when he's at his best there's no a quarterback out there that's better than him, I just want to see it all the time. In my insanely early rankings I had him coming in at number nine, but throughout the offseason as I rewatched some clips more I moved him back towards the middle of the pack, which is where he sits right now. I must say, it is hard to judge his play through these first two games because they haven't been against any world beaters. Week one South Carolina played host to Kent State, who they beat 57-0, and week two they took on Towson and won by the score 45-9. As a passer statistically Sellers was much better week one, going 19/23 for 270-yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions all while only registering two rush attempts for one yard. This past weekend against Towson a lot of things didn't go Sellers' way in regards to the passing game as he would go 10/23 for just 96-yards with no touchdowns and one interception (the receivers didn't help him at all). That being said he would rack up a whopping 119-yards on the ground with a touchdown on just seven carries (first time he's rushed for 100+ yards in a game since 2024). Sellers would start racking up big gains in the rushing department on South Carolina's opening drive of the game, picking up 30-yards with his legs to help get them down to the Towson 36-yard line.
You cannot afford to give Sellers any sort of opening, otherwise he'll make you pay big time as he did right here. With the defender coming around the edge and matched up on his running back, Sellers smartly stepped up in the pocket before taking off up the field without a second thought. He saw a gaping hole and just took it, again flashing the insane athleticism he possesses while helping get them down to the 36-yard line. Unfortunately the drive would pretty much end there, as on the following play running back Matt Fuller would cough up the ball after pickinng up a decent amount of yards with Towson recovering at their own 23-yard line. Things would only get worse for the Gamecocks on offense as they would go three and out on their next possession before kicker Max Kelly would fail to convert on a 45-yard field goal attempt with five minutes left in the opening quarter. Now South Carolina would register a punt return touchdown in between those drives to make it 7-0, and Sellers would once again flash the athleticism by picking up 21-yards with his legs prior to the missed kick, so not all bad I guess, right?
Again, there's some things out there that you just can't teach, and Sellers' athleticism is definitely one of them. Literally it's one cut and he's gone, and the other problem for opposing defenses besides his speed is his size as he is so hard to bring down in the open field. Like he broke three to four would potential tackles while picking up those 21-yards and there's not a whole lot of other quarterbacks out there who can do that. Unfortunately again though this drive would end up with a missed field goal, so make it two 20+ yard runs by Sellers that were essentially all for nothing. Sellers would come up big for the Gamecocks on third and nine on their next possession, scanning the field before hitting a wide ass open Nyck Harbor in the middle of the field for a 34-yard gain.
Nice job here by Sellers at scanning the whole field before hitting the wide open Harbor for the massive gain. Nice bit of patience shown here by Sellers as I believe last year he would have tried to cut it up to the right and try to pick up as many yards as he could with his legs, but his patience paid off and he was able to find an open receiver to help take them from their own 38 to the Towson 28-yard line. A few plays later the Gamecocks would ultimately have to settle for a 33-yard field goal from Max Kelly to go up 10-0 just over two minutes into the second quarter. Sellers would look to break off another massive run on their next possession, picking up 33-yards with his legs only for it to get called back due to a holding penalty. The following play though running back Matt Fuller would take the delayed handoff from Sellers 55-yards to the house to give the Gamecocks a 17-0 lead with less than four minutes to go until halftime. The rain would really start coming down on South Carolina's next drive, which would see Sellers register his first and only interception as the ball slipped right through Mazeo Bennett Jr.'s hands and into the diving arms of a Towson defender with just 17-seconds to go in the half.
This is just an unfortunate situation for Sellers as again the ball just went right through his receiver's hands and into the waiting arms of the defender. It's not like Sellers absolutely ripped this ball into him or anything, the rain and wet ball unfortunately just played a massive part in this play. What makes it worse is that it happened in Towson territory with very little time left before the break, meaning they went from possibly building on their lead to turning the ball over in the blink of an eye. Unfortunate play for sure but Sellers would more than make up for it on South Carolina's first drive of the second half, taking it in himself from 58-yards out to make the score 24-3 just under three minutes into the third quarter.
Whenever Sellers has the ball in his hands, the chances of him breaking off a play like this is always high. I mean hell, Sellers is the most athletically gifted player on the field damn near everytime he steps onto a football field. For as big as he is he's so electric with the ball in his hands, putting the initial defender on skakes before outrunning everyone else on the field for a 58-yard score. The Gamecocks would put together a pretty well sustained drive their next time out, going from their own 27 all the way down to the Towson three yard line. Unfortunately Sellers' pass on fourth and goal would fall incomplete, turning the ball over on downs. The thing is though it really should have been a touchdown for the Gamecocks, as Sellers would find a wide ass open Nyck Harbor in the end zone, it's just the ball went right through his hands and fell incomplete. That play would ultimately be Sellers' last, as back-up Cutter Woods would come in to help see out a 45-9 victory for South Carolina. Though the Gamecocks wound up putting a good amount of points on the board, they really should have won this game by even more but fumbles, interceptions, missed field goals, and dropped passes in the end zone kept them from doing so. Sellers can feel a little hard done by by his receivers in this one, as unneeded drops took away a touchdown and added an interception to his statline. Regardless he was a massive threat in the run game, racking up over 100-yards for the first time since 2024. This week South Carolina will have to be more on top of things as they play host to a solid Mississippi State team that is coming off of an impressive road win against Minnesota. Quarterbacked by the immensely talented Kamario Taylor, we should have a fun quarterback battle on our hands.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - v Mississippi State
8. Drake Lindsey Minnesota
Wk 2 - 31/48 279 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries -12 yds 0 touchdowns v Mississippi State (38-13 L)
Season - 50/72 543 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/4 carries -6 yds 0 touchdowns
As an Iowa fan I absolutely hate what I'm about to type out, but man do I love myself some Drake Lindsey. It's very rare for me to put my hatred for Minnesota football to the side but man, I just love watching this dude work. A tradition pocket passer in every sense of the phrase, Lindsey possesses great size (6'5" 230 lbs.) and an elite arm that can make every single throw on the football field. Though he may not be the most fleet footed athlete on the planet, Lindsey moves around the pocket well and can make plays with his legs when absolutely necessary. To the natural viewing audience though a couple things may come back to hurt Lindsey, with those being how good/bad Minnesota is and the fact that his numbers may not be as monstrous as some of the other quarterbacks in this class due to the offense they run. That's not saying Minnesota's a bad team (though selfishly that's how I'd like it) or that Lindsey doesn't or won't have big time passing performances, it's just harder than some other teams out there, if that makes sense. Last season Lindsey posted some very solid statistical performances against the likes of Rutgers and Northwestern, but struggled (as the rest of the team did) against better teams such as Iowa, Ohio State, and Oregon, teams that beat up on Lindsey and co. by a combined score of 125-19. As a rival fan I hope they continue to get blown out like that, as a neutral though who is actually quite fond of their quarterback I do hope they are at least somewhat competitive. Week one the Gophers shockingly took care of business, taking down Eastern Illinois by the score 59-7 with Lindsey going 19/24 for 264-yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. This past week was a weird match-up on paper, as it was the first time Minnesota had ever played Mississippi State, and it looked like it as the Bulldogs beat down the Gophers 38-13. Despite the scoreline Lindsey actually put forth a solid showing, going 31/48 for 279-yards, though he did fail to register a passing touchdown in the loss. Lindsey would help orchestrate a scoring drive their first time out, with the Gopher offense putting together a 16-play drive that took over 10-minutes off the clock, coming away with a field goal to make the score 7-3 with less than three minutes to go in the opening quarter (weirdly only one play went over 10-yards, 11-pass from Lindsey to TJ Thomas). Their next couple drives would be much shorter than their first, going three and out on their following drive before punting the ball away after just four plays on the next. That being said on that second drive Lindsey would fire one into Jalen Smith for a 20-yard gain to pick up a first down after a holding penalty backed them up to first and 20.
From a clean pocket Lindsey absolutely rips one into Smith, who makes a very nice hands catch before cutting upfield to help pick up the first down. I love when quarterbacks attack the middle portions of the field, and Lindsey made absolutely no mistake about where this ball was going. Great throw and catch (and run after the catch) for the 20-yard gain, just a shame they would be forced to put the ball away again a few plays later. The offense would be able to put together a solid drive before the half, with Lindsey keeping the drive alive by hitting an open Noah Jennings for a 22-yard gain on fourth and two.
Before anyone says it I know Jennings was pretty wide ass open on this play, but when you consider that Lindsey is getting his base taken out from him as he let this ball go you'd see that that's about as much as he could possibly get on it, which in the end resulted in a first down on fourth and two. I mean hell, this throw is all arm, and there's not a lot of quarterbacks out there who could have made this throw given the circumstances at hand. This is a really solid play and throw from Lindsey, and a nice job by Jennings at going down and getting it to help pick up a 22-yard gain on fourth down. Lindsey would connect with Pierce Walsh on the following play for a 17-yard gain but ultimately the Gophers would have to settle for a field goal as time expired in the first half to make the score 28-6 going into the locker room. Lindsey would hit on a few short to intermediate passes on Minnesota's opening drive of the second half, registering completions along the sideline and up the middle for gains of eight, five, 13, five, and 10 before they would ultimately be forced to punt the ball away after nine plays. The ensuing punt would force Mississippi State to start their first drive of the second half at their own four yard line, and just two plays later quarterback Kamario Taylor was strip sacked in the end zone which the Gophers would pounce on to register their first touchdown of the game, making it 28-13 about four minutes into the third quarter. Minnesota would punt the ball away after just four plays on their next possession, though Lindsey would flash his elite arm talent by hitting Noah Jennings down the near sideline for a 34-yard gain on the opening play of the drive.
You really can't throw and/or place a football much better than this if you're Lindsey. With the corner matching Jennings stride for stride while pinning him up against the sideline there's very little room for Lindsey to work with, and yet he does. This is a perfectly thrown back shoulder ball, putting it in a spot where only his receiver could make a play on the ball. Overall it's a fantastic throw and catch between quarterback and receiver, just a shame that they would have to punt the ball away a few plays later. Lindsey would throw the ball every single play of Minnesota's next drive, helping get the offense down to the Mississippi State four yard line. Despite driving them down the field in 13-plays, the Gophers would fail to convert on fourth and goal, thus turning the ball over on downs with 2:30 remaining in the third quarter. Nothing else would really come of the game for the Minnesota offense, as they'd run only five more plays the rest of the way as they would fall by the score 38-13. A disappointing result, but I still feel as though Lindsey put forth a very solid showing despite not registering a touchdown pass. He registered more attempts in this game than any other game he's played up to this point in his career, and was still able to complete a decent percentage of them while not being afraid to attack Mississippi State's secondary either along the sidelines or down the middle of the field. This week I would expect the Gophers to get off the snide as they play host to an Akron team that had a literal fan call a drive for them during their week two win against Robert Morris. Lindsey and co. should be able to take care of business this week.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - v Akron
9. Jayden Maiava, USC
Wk 2 - 19/29 261 yds 5 touchdowns 1 interception/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns v Louisiana (49-30 W)
Season - 67/83 896 yds 10 touchdowns 1 interception/6 carries -11 yds 1 touchdown
Up to this point in the season, there are very few quarterbacks out there playing better than USC's Jayden Maiava. As things stand right now Maiava leads the nation in passing yards (by over 100-yards) and passing touchdowns (only quarterback with 10 or more) while completing over 80% of this passes as the Trojans sit 3-0 on the season. Now, I must say it does help that USC has played more games than most of the other teams out there, and they haven't necessarily played a murderers row schedule, but that shouldn't take away from Maiava's success to start the season. That being said they did play a PAC-12 school week two, but I guess that doesn't mean as much as it did a few years ago, especially since said PAC-12 school was Fresno State who are coached by former USC linebackers coach Matt Entz (more known for being the head coach at North Dakota State, really). Through these first three games USC's offense has put up a whopping 121-points, with their closest game coming this past weekend when they beat Louisiana by the score 49-30. The Trojan defense may still need some more fine tuning, but the offense seems to be cooking with gas, with Maiava being at the forefront of it all. Going into this season there were some question marks surrounding how Maiava would fare given the fact that receivers Makai Lemon and Ja'Kobi Lane left for the NFL this past offseason, with the former coming away with the Fred Biletnikoff Award as the nation's top receiver last season. I know the season is still young, but I've been impressed by Maiava's play so far, and against the aforementioned Louisiana he set a new career high in passing touchdowns, registering five in their 49-30 victory. Along with that he put up 261-yards through the air, though he also registered his first interception of the season which actually came on USC's opening drive of the game.
Do you remember a little bit ago when I said I have been pleased by Maiava's play so far this season? Well that excludes this, as this is just a terrible decision here by Maiava, and it leads to a very easy interception for the defense. One of the things going into the season concering Maiava was his aggressiveness and decision making, which at times can be really good, but at others it looks like it did there. He does good initially by escaping a collapsing pocket, but the throw itself is just really bad, setting the Louisiana offense up at the USC 39-yard line. Thankfully for Maiava and the offense the defense would come up big and hold the Ragin' Cajuns to a field goal, making the score 3-0 less than four minutes into the game. Maiava would make up for the interception on USC's next drive, hitting Mark Bowman through a tight window in the end zone from five yards out to cap off a 13-play 79-yard drive.
Before anyone says it yes I am aware that this was only a five yard pass, but the closer you get to the end zone the throwing lanes get smaller and smaller, and Maiava just ripped it between a few Cajun defenders into Bowman to give the Trojans their first lead of the game. It may not look like much, but it was still a solid play from Maiava on third down to make the score 7-3 with less than five minutes to go in the first quarter. Maiava and Bowman would connect a few more times on USC's next drive for gains of 12 and 35-yards (with Bowman hurdling two defenders in the process) before the pair would hook up in the end zone from nine yards out to make it 14-3 early on in the second quarter.
Like I mentioned before, the closer you get to the end zone the smaller the windows get. With the safety coming in over top Maiava will have a very small window to try and fit this ball through, which of course he does with Bowman making the catch for their second touchdown connection of the game. Maiava absolutely just ripped this one to his tight end, who was able to make a nice catch despite the ball coming in hot and despite incoming contact from the defender(s) in coverage. Great play overall to help the Trojans extend their lead early in the second quarter. Maiava would come out firing early on USC's next possession, double clutching it and hitting Trent Mosley for a 12-yard gain on third and four.
From an unbalanced base with pressure in his face Maiava is able to deliver a well placed ball to Mosley for a 12-yard gain to pick up a first down on third and four. He double clutched it a couple of times before getting it off, with the ball fluttering it's way to his receiver before the safety over top could make a play on the ball. Again despite the circumstances this actually turned out to be a really well placed throw from Maiava, helping extend the drive midway through the quarter. Maiava would come up big on third down again for the Trojans later on in the drive, rolling out to his right and hitting Kayden Dixon-Wyatt in the end zone (through the hands of the defender) from 19-yards out to make the score 21-10 with just over three minutes to go until halftime.
Sometimes it pays better to be lucky than good, as this pass could have (and maybe should have) been picked off by the Louisiana defender. Thankfully for Maiava and co. the ball went right through his hands, deflecting up into the air and into the grateful arms of Dixon-Wyatt in the back of the end zone for the score. Very nice job by Dixon-Wyatt at seeing the ball in once it again deflected off of the defender's hands, making a potential horrific play turn into an awesome one as that touchdown helped make the score 21-10 later on in the second quarter. The Trojans would find the end zone again following a five play drive from Louisiana as Trent Mosley would take the ensuing punt 86-yards to the house to give them a 28-10 lead with 1:24 to go in the quarter. The offense would get the ball one more time before the half but ultimately wouldn't do much with it, taking said 28-10 lead with them into the locker room. Maiava would help the Trojans pick up a much needed first down on fourth and three on their opening drive of the second half, hitting Tucker Ashcraft on a back shoulder ball with two defenders in coverage for a 12-yard gain. A few plays later Maiava would connect with Mosley in the end zone from 21-yards out on third and nine to make the score 35-10 midway through the third quarter.
One thing that I've always appreciated about Maiava's game is that he has full faith and trust in his receivers to go up and make plays. There's numerous examples of those kind of throws throughout his USC career, and this is another one right here as he puts this ball in a spot and tells Mosley to make a play and he did. Really solid back shoulder ball from Maiava and a nice job by Mosley at adjusting to the ball through contact to come down with it in the end zone for the score, once again making it 35-10 midway through the quarter. Their next drive wouldn't breed the same success as they'd be forced to punt the ball away after six plays, but on their first drive of the fourth quarter Maiava would connect with Zacharyus Williams for a 44-yard score, converting on yet another third down to make the score 42-17 less than a minute into the fourth.
Another third down, another big play from Maiava, this time finding Williams down the field for a 44-yard score, the longest of his five passing touchdowns. Great job here by Maiava at scanning the whole field before tossing one to an open receiver who would break an arm tackle on his way to the end zone for the score. Really nice throw and just a nice play overall to cap off Maiava's night as back-up Jonas Williams would come in and help see out a 49-30 win for the Trojans. The game may have ended with a closer score than most would have anticipated, but it doesn't take away from the solid showing Maiava had in this game. Though the interception wasn't great Maiava more than made up for it throughout the course of the game, again finishing with a career high five touchdown passes in the process. This week USC makes the cross country trek to Piscataway to take on the Scarlet Knights of Rutgers, a team that currently sits at 0-2 after falling to the likes of UMass and Boston College, teams who finished with a combined 2-22 record last season. Though travel across the country can be tough, I have a really hard time believing Maiava and co. will struggle too much in this one.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 9
Wk 3 - @ Rutgers
10. Sam Leavitt, LSU
Wk 2 - 25/38 344 yds 1 touchdowns 3 interceptions/11 carries 22 yds 3 touchdowns v Louisiana Tech (45-14 W)
Season - 41/66 574 yds 2 touchdowns 4 interceptions/23 carries 135 yds 5 touchdowns
First year LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt is one of the more intriguing prospects in this entire draft class. After transferring to Arizona State from Michigan State (the dude does love "state" colleges) Leavitt went from a relatively unknown player on a team projected to finish dead last in their conference to one of the most underrated quarterbacks in America on a team that took Texas to double overtime in the College Football Playoff after dismantling Iowa State in the Big 12 Championship game. Leavitt along with running back Cam Skattebo and wide receiver Jordyn Tyson (amongst others) brought the Sun Devils to the national spot light, with many experts, fans, and neutrals alike intrigued to see whether or not they would be able to prove that they weren't just a one season wonder. Going into the 2025 season (without Skattebo) Arizona State was considered one of the favorites to win the Big 12. Unfortunately for them the court of public opinion completely flipped on them following their disastrous week two showing on the road against Mississippi State, a game that saw Leavitt go 10/22 for 82-yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in a 24-20 loss. Normally a four point loss isn't the end of the world, but when you consider that the Bulldogs won just two games the season prior (against Eastern Kentucky and UMass) it kind of makes you question how good Leavitt and the Sun Devils really were. By the time the season wrapped up they would finish with a decent 8-5 record, though Leavitt would ultimately miss six of those games due to injury. That offseason he decided to transfer, following former Ole Miss head coach Lane Kiffin to Death Valley in Baton Rouge, Louisiana to become the new quarterback for the LSU Tigers. This was a big move for Leavitt, as his reputation went from smart decision marker to reckless and injury prone in the space of one season, and so far this season the recklessness has definitely reared it's ugly head. Through two games this season Leavitt has thrown for 574-yards with two touchdowns and four interceptions, all while registering a further 135-yards on the ground and five further touchdowns there to boot. Leavitt is truly must see TV, and not all for the right reasons, mostly because you just never truly know what you're going to get each and every snap. This past weekend against Louisiana Tech Leavitt was all over the place, going 25/38 for 344-yards withe one touchdowns and three interceptions to go along with 22-yards on the ground and three more touchdowns there in a 45-14 home victory. There's no two ways about it, the dude is an electric factory, though the factory would initially struggle turning it's lights on as the LSU offense would go three and out on their opening drive. That being said Leavitt would really get things cooking on their next drive, connecting with Winston Watkins Jr. along the far sideline for a 17-yard gain before escaping the pocket and picking up a further 17-yards with his legs a few plays later to help get them down to the Bulldog six yard line.
On the first one, really strong throw here from Leavitt as he knew exactly where he was going with the ball the second he sent Watkins in motion. Nice and easy toss between quarterback and wide receiver. The second play flashes the electricity that I was talking about, as Leavitt went from dead to rights in the backfield to picking up 17-yards with his legs on second and nine. Reversing all the way back to the 34-yard line, Leavitt cuts back upfield before making a man miss to help get them down to the Louisiana Tech six yard line. Unfortunately for the LSU offense those plays wouldn't be enough to help them punch it across the goal line, as they would ultimately have to settle for a 29-yard field goal from Scott Starzyk to take a 3-0 lead past the midway point of the opening quarter. Though they would have to settle for three there, Leavitt would help get the offense register their first touchdown of the game on their following drive, which was kicked off by him hitting a wide ass open Jackson Harris for a 42-yard gain before eventually taking it in himself from five yards out to give them a 10-3 lead with less than four minutes to go in the quarter.
Much like his 17-yard rush before, it can just be so hard to contain Leavitt in the pocket. Once again he was dead to rights in the backfield, as two Bulldog defenders were right in his face as he rolled to the right. With everyone on defense playing man coverage, that gave Leavitt all the room to work with back to the left which allowed for the eventual touchdown. As Dan Reeves once told Michael Vick, if they're in man coverage no one's covering you, which again lead to Leavitt's first rushing touchdown of the game with less than four minutes to go in the first quarter. The LSU offense would fail to really get things going on their next couple of drives as they would go three and out on their next possession before Eugene Wilson III would cough up the ball at the Tiger 42-yard line. Leavitt would register his first turnover of the game their next time out as well as his pass on second and eight would be intercepted at the Louisiana Tech 40-yard line.
Back-to-back drives ending with turnovers, not necessarily the most ideal situation for the Tigers to find themselves in. This was just a bad throw from Leavitt, plain and simple, overthrowing the 6'7" Trey'Dez Green and into the waiting arms of the Bulldog defender. Maybe the oncoming defender threw him off a good amount but still again, not the greatest throw here from Leavitt. That being said he would do his best in order to make up for said interception on their next possession, helping convert on a couple third and fourth downs while completing passes of 15, 24, and 15 again before showing off the athleticism by picking up 12-yards with his legs to get the offense down to the Louisiana Tech 15-yard line.
Leavitt does an excellent job at making a bunch of defenders miss on this run before finally getting tripped up around the 15-yard line. He may not have blistering speed or anything, but Leavitt is so hard to bring down in the open field. As I've said a few times throughout the course of this section, he's one of the best quarterbacks at making something out of nothing. He's a natural playmaker, and that was really on display here. Unfortunately not much more would come from this drive, as a few plays later Leavitt would register yet another interception, only this time it would be taken back 100-yards in the opposite direction for a pick six, making the score now 10-7 with less than two minutes to go until halftime.
I may be reaching a little bit, but there was definitely supposed to be a pick on this play to help free up Jackson Harris on the slant. The only problem was that the defender in coverage was never actually picked, and because of this the route became more shallow, which is why the throw from Leavitt is so far ahead of his intended receiver, hitting the Louisiana Tech defender in the chest who would again take it 100-yards in the opposite direction for six. Is a 100-yard pick six excusable? No, but I do think some context is required here as well, and I just feel like this play was doomed from the jump. I would love to say things would get better for LSU but that would just be a lie, as Leavitt would register his third interception of the game on their next possession, coming with just 14-seconds remaining in the first half.
Three. Three drives in a row ended with a Leavitt interception. Hell, if you want to go back a little further that interception marked LSU's fourth consecutive drive to end with a turnover. Now I don't want to spoil anything, but any other team worth their snuff would have made the Tigers pay for all of those turnovers. What makes it worse for Leavitt is that two of those three interceptions came in the red zone, ending what should have been scoring drives for the LSU offense. As for this one there was very little room for error, and unfortunately for Leavitt the high defender beat the receiver to the ball, deflecting it forward and into the arms of a teammate for the interception. The problem for Leavitt is that this pass was probably getting intercepted regardless, doesn't really matter if he was early or late, in front of or behind his intended receiver. Just an unfortunate way to end again what should have been another scoring drive for the Tiger offense. Thankfully for those wearing purple and gold LSU would come away with points on their opening drive of the second half, with Scott Starzyk converting from 25-yards out to make it 13-7 about five minutes into the third quarter. Leavitt would come out firing on LSU's next drive, hitting Trey'Dez Green across the middle of the field for a 23-yard gain before eventually taking it into the end zone himself from nine yards out to give them a 21-7 lead with 4:32 remaining in the third (great play from Leavitt on the two point conversion).
Two short yardage plays that once again showed off how electric Leavitt can be with the ball in his hands. On the touchdown run Leavitt seems to be completely bottled up to the right, before cutting further outside and basically walking into the end zone for six. On the two point conversion Leavitt's playmaking sucked in all the defenders in coverage in fear of him beating them with his legs, which allowed for him to find Malachi Thomas wide ass open in the back of the end zone for the conversion to make it 21-7 later on in the quarter. They made be sub 10-yard plays, but that shouldn't take away from how impressive they are. Following a Louisiana Tech interception that would eventually set up yet another Starzyk field goal to make the score 24-7, Leavitt would flash the arm talent by hitting Eugene Wallace III down the field on a 53-yard pass to get them down to the Bulldog five yard line.
This is just a perfect throw from Leavitt. Rolling out to his right after faking the toss to the left, Leavitt does an excellent job at direction traffic down the field while avoinding pressure before launching down the field to Wallace who would make a fantastic extended catch to bring it in at the Bulldog five yard line. A play later Leavitt would register his third rushing touchdown of the game, making the score 31-7 less than two minutes into the fourth quarter. Following a Louisiana Tech fumble, the LSU offense would be set up at the Bulldog 20-yard line. After getting down to the 10, Leavitt would hit an open Trey'Dez Green in the end zone on third and goal for his first passing touchdown of the game. That touchdown pass would be Leavitt's final contribution to the game as the Tigers would go on to take home a 45-14 victory. This game really gave you the full Sam Leavitt experience. You had some insane plays that leave you in awe, but at the same time you were left puzzled by some of the decisions he would make. He's an absolute electric factory and though I would like him to tone down on the recklessness a touch, I don't want him to remove it from his game completely because that's what makes him him. This week is going to be a fun one, as Leavitt and co. travel to Oxford, Mississippi to take on Lane Kiffin's former school Ole Miss on Saturday night. There is not going to be many more atmospheres more hostile than this one, which should make for some must see TV.
Wk 1 - N/A
Wk 2 - 10
Wk 3 - v no.8 Ole Miss
Others
CJ Bailey, NC State
Wk 2 - 13/17 281 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/6 carries 25 yds 1 touchdown v Richmond (73-0 W)
Season - 25/40 365 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/16 carries 58 yds 1 touchdown
Rocco Becht, Penn State
21/27 268 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries 11 yds 0 touchdowns @ Temple (27-9 W)
Season - 34/45 539 yds 7 touchdowns 0 interceptions/7 carries 6 yds 0 touchdowns
Nico Iamaleava, UCLA
Wk 2 - 14/22 151 yds 0 touchdowns 1 interception/13 carries 57 yds 0 touchdowns v San Diego State (28-10 W)
Season - 28/44 335 yds 0 touchdowns 2 interceptions/22 carries 86 yds 1 touchdown
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Wk 2 - 17/32 278 yds 1 touchdown 1 interception/4 carries -7 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.4 Texas (24-23 L)
Season - 38/57 598 yds 4 touchdowns 1 interception/7 carries -16 yds 1 touchdown
Austin Simmons, Missouri
Wk 2 - 19/29 292 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/2 carries 8 yds 0 touchdowns @ Kansas (38-21 W)
Season - 36/48 544 yds 7 touchdowns 0 interceptions/4 carries 6 yds 0 touchdowns
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