#20 ARIZONA (2-0) at #14 KANSAS STATE (2-0); 8 PM, Friday, FOX: Interesting match-up between two teams now in the same conference – the Big XII – but its technically a non-conference game because it was scheduled before Arizona joined the league last year. And not to confuse the issue, but both teams are also the Wildcats. What makes this game really interesting, though, is that while Arizona doesn’t necessarily have a lot of prospects for the upcoming draft, what they do have are really intriguing. It starts with star WR Tetairoa McMillan (4, 6-5, 215), a rangy, physical mismatch waiting to happen with a huge catch radius, along with elite athleticism who has a chance to be these Wildcats’ first top ten pick this century; in fact, he’s a legitimate top 5 candidate with a chance to be the highest Wildcat ever selected. Its also not hard to figure that pro scouts will be fighting to get into Arizona practices to watch McMillan go up against CB Tacario Davis (#1, 6-4, 190), another rising prospect with plenty of first-round potential of his own. The Wildcats also feature one of the better offensive linemen in the 2025 draft class in 340-pound G/T Jonah Savaliinaea (#71, 6-5, 340). We’d also be remiss in not mentioning QB Noah Fifita (#11, 5-10, 190), one of the most exciting passers in college football, although he’s somewhat undersized and as a 3rd year junior may be inclined to stay in college past this season. Meanwhile, KSU is lead by veteran RB DJ Giddens (#31, 6-1, 215), a solid mid-to-late round prospect who is on pace to run for close to 1,500 yards this fall and also leads the team with 7 receptions to date..
In fact, it feels a little bit like ‘Football Night in Kansas’ as there is a second FBS game in the state on Friday evening as UNLV travels to Lawrence to face Kansas (7 PM ET; ESPN) in the second meeting in four games between these two after KU knocked off the Runnin’ Rebs in their bowl game last December. And while the Jayhawks are favored in this one, UNLV may have the best pro prospect in WR Ricky White (#11, 6-1, 190), the third leading receiver in college football last fall who had 88 catches for almost 1,500 yards last season. For its part, Kansas has a solid second-tier RB in rugged Devin Neal (#4, 5-11, 215).
Saturday: There is one game on Saturday between ranked teams as #6 Missouri hosts surprising #24 Boston College at 12:45 PM ET that afternoon. Unfortunately, though, the game appears to be available only on the SEC Network. Which is too bad because each team has at least one really good prospect. Indeed, Missouri WR Luther Burden (#3, 5-11, 205) is a legit top 5-10 candidate for the upcoming draft who reminds scouts a little of the 49ers’ Deebo Samuel. For its part, BC has a very disruptive ER/OLB in Donovan Ezeiruaku (#6, 6-2, 250), who had a couple of sacks as well a s several other pressures in the Eagles stunning upset of Florida State in their season opener.
Given there are no other marquee matchups on Saturday, we’re going to focus on several players that may not get a whole lot of national TV later on this year. The afternoon kicks off with Alabama playing at Wisconsin (Noon ET; FOX) and of course the Tide will be playing several big games later on this fall, so we’ll be checking in on Badgers’ veteran OT Jack Nelson (#79, 6-6, 320). And yes, Badgers’ QB Tyler Van Dyke (#10, 63, 220) is the former Miami QB who not that long ago was being touted as a possible first rounder. An offensive lineman will also be our focus when Oregon and Oregon State hook up in their annual rivalry game (3:30 PM ET; FOX) despite the fact they no longer play in the same conference. The player to watch in this one is OSU LG Joshua Gray (#67, 6-4, 310) one of the better interior offensive line prospects in this year’s draft. Then at 7:30 PM ET there be at least one more chance to check out Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders (#2, 6-2, 215) when the Buffs play their in-state rivals Colorado State on CBS. Of course, if you’re watching QB Sanders you’ll also be watching CB/WR Travis Hunter (#12, 6-1, 185), the consensus best all-around player in college football. And pro scouts will get a bit of a treat when Hunter, a top 5-10 prospect this year, goes up against star CSU WR Tory Horton (#14, 6-3, 185).
