There were some prospect performances that would disappoint by all accounts, but the first week of college football certainly lived up to its own hype with multiple highlight matchups over the course of the weekend. The featured game of the week shined a spotlight on No. 1 Texas traveling to “The Shoe” to face Ohio State. Some were thinking it may have been fireworks in Columbus, but it ended as a 14-7 rock fight with the Buckeyes stealing one at home. Junior quarterback Arch Manning, a player who
has plenty of hype entering 2025, did not play well. The 17-of-30 170-yard passing line was inflated a good bit late in the game. First-time college defensive coordinator Matt Patricia had Manning and the Longhorns solved all afternoon.
Eighth-ranked Alabama closed as 14-point road favorites over unranked Florida State in Tallahassee. The wrong team looked favored as the Seminoles punched the ‘Tide in the mouth early and that continued over the course of four quarters with a 31-17 final for the Seminoles over the talent-heavy Crimson Tide. Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson waited his turn multiple years sitting behind future NFL quarterbacks. But it looked a bit fast for Simpson who held the ball and seemed a tad late to read the field. Florida State looked like a completely different team coming off of 2-10 a year ago while Alabama not matching physicality in a marquee game was a shock to the system.
It was a Tigers vs. Tigers contest in Clemson and another low scoring bout at that. Clemson’s offense had some dysfunction to it and LSU’s defense looked completely revived in another grinding battle with two well-oiled defenses. Ninth-ranked LSU took down No. 4 on the road, 17-10. Clemson didn’t have a rush over 7 yards in the game. Garrett Nussmeier looked calm and collected despite a middling statline, while Cade Klubnik on the other side looked sped up and out of sync.
Sunday night’s top 10 matchup between No. 6 Notre Dame and No. 10 Miami brought some excitement with the ‘Canes getting out to a sizeable lead before allowing the Irish to get back into the fight towards the end of it. Miami’s front was unblockable at times and the ‘Canes’ offensive line owned their territory as well. Brand new Irish starting quarterback CJ Carr flashed some, but he mostly looked uncomfortable and wasn’t able to overcome some of his offensive line’s shortcomings. Miami came out on top 27-24.
There were plenty of impressive prospects who put quality performances on display this past week. Let’s talk three players who only helped their stock with their performances.
Ohio State LB Arvell Reese best player on the field amongst a host of future pros
Reese stood out in a massive way as he helped lead the Buckeyes to victory on Saturday afternoon. Ohio’s defense is led by the likes of star safety Caleb Downs, Sonny Styles, and Davison Igbinosun, but it was Reese flashing all over the place for the Buckeyes in a game where they held Texas’ high-powered offense to just seven points the entire afternoon.
Reese finished with nine tackles, one sack, and one tackle for loss while pressuring Manning on multiple other dropbacks. He was a man possessed as a blitzer, playing within his run fits, and causing headaches for the entire Texas offense all day long. Reese and Styles are a great linebacker tandem. He put his best foot forward as LB1 in the 2026 class with his performance against a high-caliber opponent.
LSU CB Mansoor Delane spearheads new look Tigers defense in Death Valley
The LSU Tigers have invested plenty via the transfer portal for upgrades to their defense in recent years. After multiple years of season-opener embarrassment, it was the Bayou Bengals finding themselves in the winning seat postgame. The addition of Delane from Virginia Tech was a portal coup — one of the more sought-after defenders in the NCAA’s version of free agency this offseason.
Delane didn’t disappoint with several marquee plays in the game including forcing LSU’s one takeaway in the contest midway through the third quarter. The patience and football IQ stands out in a big way. Clemson tried to get him on a stutter & go that he proceeded to completely lock up. Clemson has legitimately good receivers who will be drafted very highly come 2027. Delane is out of the gate fast in 2025 with his new team. LSU is looking like a serious threat at the National Championship this season thanks to additions like Delane.
Miami EDGE Rueben Bain causes chaos, demoralizes Notre Dame’s backfield
Bain is a rocked up 6’3”, 275-pound edge rusher who is a serious mismatch in more ways than one for opposing offensive lines. He’s a nasty run defender with awesome power through his upper and lower half who’s shown takeover ability in the past. His 2024 season was slowed by injury. But his six tackles, half a sack, and interception he had this past weekend don’t even appropriately tell the story of how impactful he truly was.
The combination of movement, knock-back power, and hand work was on full display. If he continues this kind of output all season, Bain is in for first-round conversation and he might be creeping into the first half of the round before long. Bain looked awesome getting after Jeremiyah Love and Carr throughout Sunday night.
