Let's get right into the top matchups and prospects this weekend:
NO. 1 ALABAMA AT TEXAS, 12:00 p.m. on FOX
RB #1 Jaymyr Gibbs, Alabama (5-11, 200): I have Gibbs as my second-rated draft eligible RB to start the season. The GT transfer has good hands coming out of the backfield and great burst. He's not the biggest guy by NFL standards so facing elite SEC competition, specifically defensive lines, will be good for his evaluation. He was first-team All-ACC last year with 1,800 all-purpose yards and he had 93 yards on 9 carries last week against Utah State.
LB #10 Henry To’oTo’o, Alabama (6-2, 228): He’s a 4-year SEC starter (began his career at Tennessee) and he led the Tide with 112 tackles last year. At times he shows great play recognition, which is a credit to his experience, but other times he needs to be tighter with his read & react (which I attribute to freelancing). Ultimately, his processing is fine given he was able to jump in and start, call plays on an Alabama defense. But he really needs to get to the hole more efficiently or get off blocks better. He has NFL athleticism but he's more of an athletic backer (track and trace vs. thump and stump). Many pundits have him as a Round 2 target but given his lack of size and power I think he may struggle against the run game at the next level. I see him as a Day 3 pick.
RB #5 Bijan Robinson, Texas (6-0, 222): The best running back in the country. He broke 95 tackles on 221 touches last year. Last week he averaged a broken tackle per carry (111 total yards, 2 TDs). That is elite and one of the key traits for the NFL game because of the overall speed and lack of space. He has great hands, good vision, obvious balance, and explosiveness. Only obvious thing to improve is pass protection. I think the best comparison is LaDainian Tomlinson.
LB #0 DeMarvion Overshown, Texas (6-4, 220): An athletic player but needs to be more consistent and improve his tackling. The former safety has enough frame to put on weight but playing strong against the run will be important given his thin frame. He has a similar look, without as much thump, as Devin Lloyd. He’ll have over 30 career starts at Texas. He was very good last week with 8 tackles, including two for loss. He’s a top 100 prospect.
NO. 24 TENNESSEE AT NO. 17 PITT, 3:30 p.m. on ABC
DT #8 Calijah Kancey, Pittsburgh (6-0, 280): Kancey was first-team All-ACC last year with 7 sacks and 13 TFL. He’s small in stature for a DT but he’s consistently productive when he’s on the field. Given his size, position, and school the simple comparison is Aaron Donald. That’s not fair, given Donald is a first-ballot HOF’er, but his head coach Pat Narduzzi has used that reference as well. He’s very athletic and his explosiveness, strength, play effort create problems for a defense. Here’s what I’ll say, it's hard to be a starter at that size in the pros but he will find a role as a 3-technique penetrator or sub rusher.
QB #5 Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (6-4, 218): Hooker is one of the best senior quarterbacks in the country and a potential Heisman candidate. He’s coming off a monster season last year after transferring from VT. This offense is very QB friendly, a really fast tempo to force a defense to declare their intentions, but what makes him so good is his efficiency. He completed 68% last year (almost 10 YPA), 31 TDs and only 3 INTs. He’s a pocket QB but he’s a threat when he runs (600+ yards last year). I have him as 5th rated QB in the country going into the season, but scouts will need to be comfortable that it’s Hooker and not the scheme.
RECAPPING LAST WEEK
VIRGINIA TECH: CB Dorian Strong one PBU that really should have been an INT. He made a good play breaking off zone coverage to jump the route. Otherwise, he played well most of the night until the very end of the game where he gave him a big play that put Old Dominion in a position to score.
OLD DOMINION: TE Zach Kuntz 2 catches for 12 yards. He did draw another DPI for a first down. Old Dominion’s game plan called for ball control and so we got a good look at him as a blocker. That will not be his role in the NFL. Targeted 8 times and while not all balls were catchable, he needs to be more efficient.
OREGON: LB Noah Sewell had 3 tackles and a couple of pressures. Terrible game for Oregon and not impressive by Sewell. He had some bad reads, misdirection gave him trouble, and he looked slow in pass coverage. He might need to drop a few pounds.
NO. 2 GEORGIA: TE Darnell Washington had 2 catches for 33 yards, but he was more impressive than that. On one catch he showed off his speed and athleticism by getting up field quickly and then hurdling a defender (at 6-7, 260). He is an absolute beast in the run game. Good performance…TE Arik Gilbert played but as we called out last week, he’s still third on the depth chart and to meet his massive potential he needs to see and stay on the field.
NO. 13 UTAH: QB Cam Rising went 22-32 for 213 yds with 1 TD and 1 INT in the end zone to lose the game. But he played pretty well and was effective running the ball, finishing with 91 yards on 7 carries. Good leader, Utah clearly fed off him, and he made some plays when Utah needed them.
NO. 12 FLORIDA: QB Anthony Richardson had a highlight reel play on a key two-point conversion and total 4 TD’s (3 running, 1 passing). He showed off his strong arm and was accurate but only pressed the ball downfield a few times. He finished 17 for 24 and 168 yards. He ran for 106 yds on the ground. Last week I compared his upside to a young Cam Newton, and he looked the part on Saturday night in The Swamp. Good stiff arm, very difficult to bring down in the pocket. He has another matchup this week against fellow top prospect Will Levis (Kentucky).
NO. 8 NOTRE DAME: DE Isaiah Foskey finished with 4 tackles and 2 pressures. Ohio State planned for him by chipping on passing downs but as the game went along, they adjusted, and their tackles held up 1v1.
NO. 3 OHIO STATE: OT Dawand Jones was dominant in the run game and effective in pass pro (2 pressures, footwork issues). When he gets his hands on you, you’re moving. Staying with blocks and pass set technique are the areas for improvement. He leans forward a bit which leaves him off balance and dropping some weight may help. He had 1 false start…Paris Johnson Jr. gave up a few pressures including one by Foskey (he beat inside and on a power move). Very fluid but his anchor needs some work.
BOISE STATE: S JL Skinner was all over the field and finished with 12 tackles, including 6 solo, and 1 INT on a third down. He can get sucked into the LOS on play action but generally covers a lot of ground.
OREGON STATE: TE Luke Musgrave had 6 catches for 87 yards and 1 TD. We talked about this game being his coming out party and he delivered. He was the Beavers best receiving option all night and dominated the first quarter.
LSU: DE BJ Ojulari finished with 6 tackles and 1 sack. He plays hard and doesn’t give up on plays backside. Good player who has a chance at top 50 picks.
FLORIDA STATE: OT Robert Scott, Jr., had a pretty good game. He struggled with Ojulari’s speed at times. That could be an issue at the pros that would prevent a high draft pick (I came away thinking Day 3). Seems to be built more like a guard and could improve awareness but a solid performance against LSU.
NO. 5 CLEMSON: DE Myles Murphy quiet night for the first-round prospect. He only had 1 PBU and 1 pressure. GT doubled him quite a bit in the pass game. He was very effective setting the edge and eating up blockers against the run but not enough productivity.
GEORGIA TECH: DE Keion White had 5 tackles, 2 sacks, and forced a grounding penalty. Strong first game back from injury. Showed good power and decent bend for a guy his size (6-5, 286). Scouts are going to like his size and flexibility to play multiple techniques along the line. Coaches say he’s all about football and he contributes on ST. Similar type of prospect to Deatrich Wise Jr.