When it comes to the fall season in upstate New York, it’s hard not to take advantage of the good weather when it comes because before you know it, the temperature will be cold and there will be snow on the ground.
This past weekend was one of the final nice days of the year and instead of watching the Week 6 college football slate, I took my dogs to the Adirondacks and made it a full day trip.
While I made it back for Florida State vs. Miami and Texas Tech vs. Houston, I missed the entirety of the afternoon games, including Ty Simpson lighting it up against Vanderbilt for Alabama. Carson Beck continues to impress every time that I’ve seen him this year. There is a good chance that he has that Miami team in contention for a national title. He may not have the highest ceiling, but he looks poised and confident this season.
With all of that said, that’s going to make this week’s college football review slightly different. Instead of going through the week’s performances, I opted to take a different approach. The Rams have been reported to be in attendance for a few games this season. Les Snead was at South Carolina’s opener to presumably watch LaNorris Sellers. The Rams have also had a presence at Oklahoma vs. Michigan, Clemson vs. Georgia Tech, and were at a Houston practice this past week.
Instead of the usual format, I watched the All-22 of those games and will rank each quarterback’s performances from when the Rams were in attendance.
1. LaNorris Sellers vs. Virginia Tech
Back in Week 1 of the college football season, Rams general manager Les Snead was in attendance for South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech. That’s extremely notable considering that the Rams may be in the market for a quarterback in the 2026 NFL Draft and Sellers is one of the top-rated quarterbacks.
Sellers hasn’t had the best season, but it’s important to remember that these players are not finished products, and that’s especially the case for a player like Sellers. Sellers has some very raw moments, but he’s also capable of making plays only few on the planet are capable of making.
That last part is why Sellers is worth betting on. He has the arm talent in combination with the athletic ability to be a high-end starting quarterback. He may get some comparisons to Anthony Richardson. However, Richardson had 393 career pass attempts at the college level. Sellers is at 390 with half a season to go. He’s much more experienced and will have two seasons of being a starting quarterback under his belt.
This isn’t to say that Sellers is still raw and has a lot to work on. That was evident in the game that Snead was in attendance for back in Week 1. It makes sense for Sellers to want to rely on his athleticism, but that’s not going to always win in the NFL. He needs to show the ability to process what he’s seeing down the field and play on time. This is something that he’ll continue to work on and improve. We’ve already seen it since Week 1, but it is one of his weaknesses right now.
While the highs may be very high and the lows very low right now, you can see the vision with Sellers. The Rams need a quarterback that can change the math on any given play. With Stafford, it’s his ability to unlock every area of the field. He also has an ability to unlock different arm angles and hit the ‘no look’ throws. Sellers changes the math with his elite athleticism and some of the issues that the Rams have had in short-yardage, aren’t issues with a mobile quarterback.
With all of that said, it’s hard to see Sellers as a fit in a McVay style offense. That’s not to say that he can’t be, but the Rams also don’t want to try and fit a square peg in a round hole. The 49ers tried to do it with Trey Lance and the Rams may be the team that can take advantage of Sellers’ skillset.
2. John Mateer, Oklahoma vs. Michigan
I don’t typically like to do player comparisons, but the more I watch John Mateer closely, Matt Corral keeps coming to mind. Corral was a player that thrived in a RPO-based offense and had the arm to hit all the throws. Like Mateer, he was also athletic enough to make plays with his legs. From an intangibles perspective, Baker Mayfield does make some sense, but they are very different quarterbacks as well. Mateer’s running ability is a big part of the Oklahoma offense.
Again, Mateer can hit all of the throws, but there were times against Michigan in which his accuracy seemed off. That was especially the case on intermediate throws which the Rams love to be able to hit. Early in the game, Mateer hit a seam ball, but it was high. Later in the game, the same ball to the other side was too high and ended up as an interception. It’s something certainly worth noting. He did have some nice throws in this game though.
The big difference between Mateer and Sellers is how much they make running part of their games. Sellers is a run-first quarterback that can throw. Mateer is a pass-first quarterback that can run. That’s not to say that one is better or worse than the other. However, when it comes to the next quarterback that the Rams take, a pass-first quarterback that can run is likely to better suit what McVay wants.
Mateer isn’t going to create the number of explosive plays that Sellers does with his legs, but he still has the ability to make guys miss and pick up positive yardage. The Sooners use Mateer as a runner in short yardage situations and at the goal line. Despite his smaller frame, he still manages to have success.
Much like Corral, I don’t see Mateer as a first round quarterback, especially with the injury. This is a player that the Rams would want to target in the second round. Mateer does have arm talent, but from a technical standpoint, he has room to grow.
That was evident in the game against Michigan. It was undoubtedly a positive performance from Mateer. His best game of the season arguably came with the Rams in attendance.
3. Cade Klubnik, Clemson vs. Georgia Tech
There may only be one quarterback in college football who has disappointed as much as Klubnik. The Rams were in attendance for Clemson when they lost to Georgia Tech and that was a perfect representation for what Klubnik has done this season. He makes the hard things look easy and the easy things look hard. It’s worth noting that his wide receivers don’t consistently win on the outside and the offense can sometimes feel condensed. At the same time, the quarterback isn’t helping the cause.
There just hasn’t been a jump from Klubnik this season and instead of being arguably a top-10 pick, he’s probably more of a third-round player. The talent is clearly there and that’s what makes Klubnik’s performance this season so incredibly frustrating. It’s as if he’s pressing and trying to make too much happen. If he played within himself and waited for the big play opportunities, it would look a lot better.
In this game against Georgia Tech, Klubnik did a nice job bringing the Tigers back. Had that game gone to overtime, Clemson had the momentum in the second half and may have won it. Since then, it’s hard to be in on Klubnik. He deflected blame after the loss against Syracuse and seems to have a lot of maturing to do before leading an NFL team.
4. Conner Weigman, Houston vs. Texas Tech
It’s worth noting that the Rams weren’t reported to be in attendance for Houston vs. Texas Tech on Saturday. However, they did visit Houston’s practice on Wednesday and were seen talking with Houston offensive coordinator Slade Nagle. Presumably, the player of interest here would be Conner Weigman.
It’s hard to evaluate Weigman too much in this game as Texas Tech has a very good defense and clearly overmatched Houston. He also left halfway through with a concussion. Still, Weigman had some strong moments and should be a fourth round player. The arm talent is clearly there and he does bring some athleticism. Weigman is having a strong season, but not a lot of people are talking about it.
HM: Sawyer Robertson, Baylor vs. Oklahoma St.
The Rams were at the Baylor vs. Oklahoma State football game. However, unfortunately, I do not have the All-22 for this game. Robertson certainly looks the part at 6’4, 220 pounds. He did throw for 393 yards and four touchdowns in this game. At some point, I may try to get back to this one, but this is where we’re putting it for now without the All-22.
Who to Watch this Week
- Alabama @ Missouri: 10/11, 12 p.m. – Ty Simpson
- Houston @ Oklahoma State: 10/11, 12 p.m. – Conner Weigman
- UCLA @ Michigan State: 10/11, 12 p.m. – Nico Iamaleava
- Indiana @ Oregon: 10/11, 3:30 p.m. – Fernando Mendoza & Dante Moore
- Oklahoma @ Texas: 10/11, 3:30 p.m. – John Mateer (if healthy) & Arch Manning
- Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech: 10/11, 3:30 p.m. – Haynes King
- Northwestern @ Penn State: 10/11, 3:30 p.m. – Drew Allar
- Southern Illinois @ North Dakota State, 10/11, 3:30 p.m. – Cole Payton
- Clemson @ Boston College: 10/11, 7:30 p.m. – Cade Klubnik
- South Carolina @ LSU: 10/11, 7:45 p.m. – LaNorris Sellers & Garrett Nussmeier
- Arizona State @ Utah: 10/11, 10:15 p.m. – Sam Leavitt
There are a few games in this week’s slate that everybody should be watching. Ty Simpson is a player that will get brought up as the season goes on with how he’s been playing. A game at Missouri won’t be easy. Headlining the weekend’s games is Indiana taking on Oregon. Mendoza will play against a legitimate opponent and we’ll see if Moore can continue at his current level. Lastly, in the evening, LaNorris Sellers and Garrett Nussmeier go head to head. Nussmeier hasn’t seemed healthy recently, but the bye week may have helped.
One other player to watch will be Nico Iamaleava. Iamaleava had some hype coming into the season, but that has since fallen off significantly. With a new coach, he played well against Penn State. Can he continue? An FCS player getting some attention has been Cole Payton from North Dakota State. He’s a lefty with a big arm and can run.
