#17 TCU (5-0) at #19 KANSAS (5-0); Noon ET; FS1 … There is yet another weekend on the college football schedule without a true marquee contest, but with several games with prospects worth watching for the 2023 draft. And you know for sure there is no true marquee match when ESPN’s College Gameday sets up shop in Lawrence, Kansas. For the geographically challenged Lawrence is the home of the Kansas Jayhawks, a perennial basketball powerhouse, but a school that has never been confused with a football factory. Indeed, this weekend if the first time ever that ESPN’s pre-game Saturday morning show has been held at Kansas.
And it isn’t like KU just wasn’t all that good at football. They were downright bad. How bad you ask. Over the past dozen years, the Jayhawks never won more than three games and actually pitched ofers twice in that period as they posted a .159 winning percentage. Ouch. But no more, at least for the moment. The resurgent Jayhawks are 5-0 and playing 17th ranked TCU for what amounts to a share of the B12 conference lead with Kansas State. However, its still not clear they’re getting much respect. Gameday will be there, but the actual TV rights to the game belong to FOX which in its wisdom has opted to show Michigan at Indiana, a 3-2 team, while TCU-KU has been relegated to FS1 on cable.
Which is all too bad, because if nothing else this could be a fun game to watch with both teams featuring high-scoring offenses. Kansas is lead by emerging dual-threat QB Jalon Daniels (#6, 6-0, 215) who has completed 68% of his throws this season including 11 for scores against 1 pick while running for another 335 yards, although he appears to be more a CFL pro prospect. And if the football thing doesn’t work out he’ll probably be fine as a computer engineering major. In fact, Kansas doesn’t actually have much in the way of NFL prospects, although FS Kenny Logan (#1, 6-0, 210) and #22 on the GBN F/SS positional ranking, could get some third day looks as might DE Lonny Phelps (#47, 6-4, 255)who has 5 sacks to date this year after transferring over from the MAC, along with veteran C Mike Novitsky (#50, 6-5, 300) and LT Earl Bostick (#68, 6-6, 310).
However, the Jayhawks will have their work cut out for them against TCU which has the #2 rated offense in the country which is averaging almost 550 yards and 49 PPG (including 55 on Oklahoma last week). TCU is led by QB Max Duggan (#15, 6-2, 210), another dual-threat type who quite simply having a Heisman type season in which he is completing almost 75% of his pass attempts, is on pace to throw for over 4,000 yards, and has thrown 11 TD passes without any interceptions. Its still not clear what NFL scouts think of his skill package as he has been solid, albeit unspectacular in the first three years at TCU so stay tuned. Duggan has a couple of good targets in WRs Quentin Johnston (#1, 6-3, 215), a rangy, big-play threat with at least some first round potential who averaged close to 20 yards per catch in the past couple of seasons, although his numbers are down somewhat this year, and Taye Barber (#4, 5-10, 190), who isn’t as big, but is quick. Having TCU on national TV also gives people to check out TCU CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson (#1, 5-9, 180), a possible second round pick this year, while OG Steve Avila (#79, 6-3, 330), DE Dylan Horton (#98, 6-3, 275), LB Dee Winters (#13, 6-1, 230), and CBs Josh Newton (#24, 6-0, 195) and Noah Daniels (#21, 6-0, 210)are all later round candidates.
#11 UTAH (4-1) at #UCLA (5-0); 3:30 PM ET; FOX … There is another elimination game in the PAC-12 where Utah plays at surprising UCLA. The winner stays in the race for the conference title game slots, while the loser can probably forget about any national aspirations, at least for this year. Certainly, nobody really expected the Bruins to be still in the hunt this deep into the season, but UCLA is another team that has been scoring points by the bushel this fall with an offense led by yet another dynamic dual-threat passer in Dorian Thompson-Robinson (#1, 6-1, 205). For the record, Thompson-Robinson is another QB the NFL isn’t quite sure what to make of at this point, but it is hard to argue with his production which includes a 74% completion rate, 11 TDs against one pick and close to 1,200 yards passing along with another 220 yards or so on the ground. And if he does end up being selected on the third day this year he could have several new friends join him including RB Zach Charbonnet (#24, 6-0, 220); rangy WR Jack Bobo (#9, 6-5, 215), a transfer from Duke; and DE Laiatu Latu (#15, 6-4, 255), a transfer from Washington who is among the FBS leaders in sacks with 6.
This game should actually feature a pretty good one-on-one match-up when UCLA’s Bobo goes against rising Utah CB Clark Phillips (#1, 5-10, 185), a legit mid-to-late opening round prospect who has 4 picks in the Utes’ last two ball games. The Utes also have a very good QB of their own in Cameron Rising (#7, 6-2, 220), a 68% passer with 13 TD passes against just two picks. Scouts will also be watching rangy LB Mahoumad Diabate (#3, 6-3, 230) and TE Dalton Kincaid (#86, 6-4, 240).
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At the same time, there are a number of games that pro scouts will be checking in on, in particular to check out one of this year’s second-tier QBs.
*Start with BYU at NOTRE DAME (7:30 PM ET; NBC) … In particular, pro teams will be checking out BYU QB Jaren Hall (#3, 6-1, 205) who is one of the hot guys in this year’s deep QB class. Hall isn’t all that big, but he is a very accurate passer who reads the field well and gets rid of the ball quickly. For the record, Hall has completed 70% of his pass attempts so far this fall an is on pace to throw for close to 3,500 yards; he also has 12 TDs passes against just one pick. And he hasn’t been picking on football minnows as the Cougars have played both Baylor (win) and Oregon (loss) in their 5 games to date. The other reason to watch this game would be to see any head-to-head duels between BYU LT Blake Freeland (#71, 6-8, 305), another solid 2nd day Cougar prospect, and Irish DE Isaiah Foskey (#7, 6-5, 265), a mid-first round prospect.
Meanwhile, Hall leads one of the best offenses in the country which also includes RB Chris Brooks (#2, 6-0, 230), WR Keanu Hill (#1, 6-3, 215), who is averaging more than 20 yards per catch, TE Isaac Rex (#83, 6-5, 250), while veteran ILB Ben Bywater (#2, 6-2, 230) leads the BYU defense. For its part, Notre Dame has another top 10-15 prospect in star TE Michael Mayer (#87, 6-5, 265) easily the best player in the country at the position after he hauled in 71 passes for over 800 yards and 7 scores last fall, while safety Brandon Joseph (#16, 6-1, 200), a two-time All-American who transferred across the state line from Northwestern, gives the Irish a third solid opening round candidate. At the same time, C/G Jarrett Patterson (#55, 6-4, 310) is a second-day candidate who is generally considered to be one of the top 2-3 C prospects this year.
*TENNESSEE at LSU (Noon ET; ESPN): Another chance for Vols QB Hendon Hooker (#5, 6-3, 220), who sits just outside the top 3-4 passers in this year’s draft class, another chance against a quality opponent to impress pro scouts. The big test for Hooker, though, comes next week when the Vols entertain #1 ranked Alabama
*CLEMSON at BOSTON COLLEGE (7:30 PM ET; ABC): Speaking of chances this game gives BC QB Phil Jurkovec (#5, 6-5, 215), a big strong-armed pocket passer, a chance to shine on the national stage against one of the bests Ds in the country. Also keep an eye on Jurkovec’s go-to guy in WR Zay Flowers (#4, 5-10, 175).
*WASHINGTON STATE AT SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA (7:30 PM ET; FOX): And speaking of intriguing QB prospects, we are intrigued to see Washington State’s Cameron Ward (#1, 6-2, 220), the record setting former FCS passer at Incarnate Word, who transferred to the Cougars this off-season and leads against conference power USC this weekend.
*OREGON STATE at STANFORD (10:30 PM ET; ESPN): And for late owls (at least those in the east) check out Stanford QB Tanner McKee (#18, 6-5, 220) another tall, strong-armed pocket passer with the arm talent to be a better pro than collegian.
