WAKE FOREST (7-2) at #3 CLEMSON (10-0); 3:30 PM ET; ABC … One of the hottest prospects in college football these is unheralded Wake Forest junior QB Jamie Newman (#12, 6-4, 230) who has gone from a virtual draft unknown to a legit mid-second round prospect. Newman, for example, is currently the #7 prospect on the GBN positional ranking and the 47th raked prospect overall on the GBN Big Board. Newman is a big guy with a cannon, although he still needs to improve his overall accuracy and decision-making in the pocket. So far this fall, Newman has completed 65% of his pass attempts while throwing for 287 yards per game and 22 TDs, versus 7 picks. The athletic Newman, who looks a little bit like a poor man’s Cam Newton, has also run for over 300 yards and another 5 scores. The Deacons also feature an emerging edge rushing prospect in junior DE Carlos Basham (#9, 6-5, 275) who has 7.5 sacks so far this fall, while CB Amari Henderson (#4, 6-0, 180) is a cagey, veteran ball-hawking cover corner who has 4 picks this fall. Unfortunately, though, Wake will be without two of their more productive players against Clemson as both redshirt sophomore WR Sage Surratt, who already has over 1,000 receiving yards on the season and veteran ILB Justin Strnad are out with injuries.
Needless to say that while Wake has been one of the most pleasant surprises in college football this fall they will obviously be severely be tested by the defending national champions who are loaded with top prospects for the upcoming draft. Indeed, other than maybe Alabama, Clemson is likely to have as much impact on this year’s early rounds as any program in the country with at least a half dozen players with top 100 potential including LB Isaiah Simmons (#11, 6-4, 225), WR Tee Higgins (#5, 6-4, 205), RB Travis Etienne (#9, 5-10, 215), CB AJ Terrell (#8, 6-2, 190) and OGs John Simpson (#74, 6-4, 330) and Tremayne Anchrum (#73, 6-2, 310). Of course, the Clemson Tiger just about every NFL team wants to get their hands on is sophomore QB Trevor Lawrence (#16, 6-5, 220), but he won’t be draft eligible until 2021 when he is presumed to be the #1 pick overall.
#4 GEORGIA (8-1) at AUBURN (7-2); 3:30 PM ET; CBS … Georgia puts its hope of somehow still qualifying for the CFP playoffs when the Bulldogs play at Auburn in yet another potentially bruising SEC contest. Whether they ultimately make the final four this year, Georgia should have a major impact early at the 2020 draft. Junior OT Andrew Thomas (#71, 6-5, 320), for example, is a rising star in this year’s draft class with top 5 potential, while junior QB Jake Fromm (#11, 6-2, 220) also looks to have legit early first round possibilities, although pro scouts would like to see a little more consistency. Georgia has a third possible first-round candidate for 2020 in junior RB D’Andre Swift (#7, 5-9, 215), an explosive slasher who is on pace to run for close to 1,500 yards this fall. At the same time, veteran safety J.R. Reed (#20, 6-1, 195) could give the Dawgs yet another possible top 100 candidate. Meanwhile, other Georgia seniors who could get later round or free agent interest include WR Tyler Simmons (#87, 6-0, 200), who is also a good return artist, TE Charlie Woerner (#89, 6-5, 245), DE Tyler Clark (#52, 6-3, 300), NT Michael Barnett (#94, 6-3, 305), DE David Marshall (#51, 6-3, 275) and MLB Tae Crowder (#30, 6-2, 235).
Auburn doesn’t have the depth of Georgia in its 2020 draft class, but does have a top ten candidate of their own in DT Derrick Brown (#5, 6-3, 320) who is generally considered to be the top interior defensive line candidate in the country. Brown is a massive wide-body anchor who is tough to move off his spot on the defensive front; however, he’s also got a little quickness to his game and can also get into the backfield where he has posted 8.5 career sacks. Auburn also has a rising prospect along the offensive line in LT Prince Tega Wangoho (#76, 6-6, 305), while other Tigers to watch include OGs Marquel Harrell (#77, 6-2, 310) and Mike Horton (#64, 6-3, 325), C Kaleb Kim (#54, 6-3, 300), RT Jack Driscoll (#71, 6-5, 300), WR Sal Cannella (#80, 6-4, 230), DE Marlon Davidson (#3, 6-3, 280) and safeties Jeremiah Dinson (#20, 5-11, 190) and Daniel Thomas (#24, 5-11, 210).
#8 MINNESOTA (9-0) at #20 IOWA (6-3); 4:00 PM ET; FOX …
The dramatic resurgence of Minnesota football is quite literally the best story in college football this fall. Period! The Gophers certainly made a statement that they belong last week when they knocked off previously unbeaten Penn State to go to 9-0 for the first time in over a century. What makes Minnesota’s run this year so surprising is that this is a very young team with few seniors. However, those seniors will get another chance to play a game of import on national TV and give guys like underrated possession WR Tyler Johnson (#6, 6-2, 205), gritty RB Rodney Smith (#1, 5-10, 210) and active OLBs Kamal Martin (#21, 6-3, 245) and Carter Coughlin (#45, 6-3, 245) some much deserved exposure. Martin, a Senior Bowl invitee, though, will be a game-time decision because of a lingering issue that also kept him out of the Penn State game. The Gophers’ best prospect, though is rising FS Antoine Winfield (#11, 5-10, 205). He’s an interesting case in that he’s nominally a 4th year sophomore as he missed most of both the 2017 and 2018 campaigns, but has bounced back nicely this fall as he leads the team in tackles while picking off 7 passes, including 5 the past three weeks. Winfield isn’t the biggest safety out there, but he’s tough with great wheels and better instincts as one might expect from the son of a 14-year NFL veteran DB.
While Minnesota has been a major surprise this year, with three losses already, Iowa probably falls into the ‘somewhat disappointing category, although the Hawkeyes are still ranked. The Hawkeyes also have a couple of potential top 10-15 prospects for 2020 in junior OT Tristan Wirfs (#74, 6-5, 320) and junior DE A.J. Epenesa (#94, 6-5, 280). Wirfs, for example, is actually reportedly higher than Georgia’s Andrew Thomas on some boards around the NFL, while Epenesa is generally considered to be the best DE prospect in the country after Ohio State’s Chase Young.
#10 OKLAHOMA (8-1) at #13 BAYLOR (9-0); 7:30 PM ET; ABC … If Minnesota is surprise team #1 in college football this fall, then Baylor is surprise 1a. And hosting Oklahoma is a huge opportunity for Baylor to lay claim to the Big XII regular season title and put them in line to play in the conference championship. However, unlike the Sooners, Baylor isn’t likely to be a major player at the upcoming draft, although the Bears do feature one of the most productive players in the country in emerging junior DE James Lynch (#93, 6-4, 295), who is among the top ten sackers in the country with 8.5. Lynch is a prototype 3-4 5-tech DE who is going to be attractive to NFL teams because of his ability to slide inside and rush the pocket on passing downs. Also keep an eye on fellow DE James Lockhart (#9, 6-2, 265), OLB Jordan Williams (#38, 6-0, 225) and WR Denzel Mims (#5, 6-2, 215).
Oklahoma looked to be on cruise control to the CFP playoffs through the first half of the season, but a shocking loss at Kansas State followed by a shaky one-point home win over Iowa State has the Sooners hanging onto their playoff hopes by a thread. There is still a path for OU to make it to the final four, but they will have to win out and then get a bunch of help from other teams. The Sooners struggles in their last two games also likely derailed QB Jalen Hurts (#1, 6-2, 220) dream of making it three Heisman’s in a row for OU QBs. However, its tough to put much of the blame for the past two games on Hurts as the offense scored 40 or more in each game. Indeed, Hurts keeps putting up Tebow-like numbers, as he is throwing for over 300 yards per game while rushing for almost another 900 yards and 15 TDs. Along the way, Hurts has completed 73% of his passes, including 24 for TDs against just 4 picks. And it appears that pro scouts continue to warm to Hurts’ potential for the pro game, although he’s more likely to end up a later second day pick. Indeed, the Sooners’ best prospect for the upcoming draft is junior WR CeeDee Lamb (#2, 6-1, 190), an explosive big-play threat who is averaging over 22 yards per catch this fall with 13 TD receptions and should be one of the first receivers off the board, possibly as early as the top 10, this coming April if he opts to turn pro this winter. Rising redshirt sophomore C Creed Humphrey (#56, 6-5, 320) is another OU underclassman to watch. Like Lamb, he is now considered to be an opening round prospect and may have eclipsed Wisconsin’s Tyler Biadasz as the top candidate at the position this year. Meanwhile, junior MLB Kenneth Murray (#9, 6-2, 235) is also a good one and could get some late second-day consideration, along with rising NT Neville Gallimore (#90, 6-2, 310).
