The rollercoaster ride that is college football continued into Week 8. Miami entered the week ranked #2, but limped away with a loss to Louisville that sent them falling down the rankings. LSU was ranked in the top
ten, but they were replaced by the team that beat them, Vanderbilt. This is the first time the Commodores have been ranked in the top ten since 1947. Georgia handed Ole Miss their first loss of the season while Alabama continued their winning ways against Tennessee. Texas Tech is no longer unscathed after being upset by Arizona State. Even undefeated non-power conference schools Memphis and UNLV suffered losses. The only power-conference teams that remain undefeated are Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, and BYU.
Week 9 games include a few of those undefeated teams. BYU will take on Iowa State, Georgia Tech will be in action against Syracuse, and Indiana will face a UCLA team that has been rolling since firing their head coach. Texas A&M is the only undefeated team facing a ranked team when they take on LSU in primetime. Vandy will try to stay in the top ten by beating the other Tigers in the SEC, Missouri, in a ranked-on-ranked matchup.
Below are a few players who had a good week and might be able to help out the Commanders. Let me know what you think about these prospects and feel free to post players that stood out to you.
Byrum Brown | QB | Senior| USF
USF started the season hot, beating a ranked Boise State and Florida, before losing to Miami. However, that’s the Bulls’ only loss this season. They have been carried by their quarterback Byrum Brown all season long. He’s a big quarterback – 6’3”, 232 lbs – but he’s a dual threat QB. There are plays where he looks like a running back the way he shrugs off contact as a runner. He’s not only a strong runner, but he has a strong arm with good deep ball accuracy. His throwing motion has a bit of a windup, similar to Michael Penix, Jr., so he’ll have to address that in order to get the ball out more quickly. To beat FAU, Brown went 14 of 24 for 256 yards and three touchdowns while adding 111 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
Darius Taylor | RB | Junior | Minnesota
It was hard not choosing Jeremiyah Love from Notre Dame after he topped 200 yards against USC, but he’ll likely be a first-round running back the Commanders can’t afford to draft. Darius Taylor had a fantastic week as well and could fit into Washington’s group of running backs. Taylor is 6’, 215 lbs, and runs with excellent vision. Once he gets into space, he can make defenders miss despite not being the most fluid athlete. His long speed is good, but he’ll definitely get caught from behind by NFL defenders. He’s also a reliable receiver out of the backfield, so he might be a good third-down back at the next level if his blocking is reliable. Taylor had 148 yards and a touchdown on 24 attempts in a win over Nebraska.
Skyler Bell | WR | RS Senior | UConn
UConn is only one win away from being bowl eligible. Skylar Bell has been their standout player on offense. He is second in receptions and fourth in yards in college football. He’s been able to be this productive due to his precise route running, excellent hands, and an ability to get yards after the catch. Despite being only 6’, 185 lbs, he’ll bounce off hits and break tackles. The speed is good, but he isn’t a twitchy athlete with great short-area quickness so it can take him time to get to top speed. In a win over Boston College, Bell had 10 catches for 125 yards and a touchdown.
Lawson Luckie | TE | Junior | Georgia
Georgia needed to score a lot to keep up with the Ole Miss’ offense and Lawson Luckie delivered for the Bulldogs. Luckie is versatile 6’4”, 240 lb receiving threat whether he lines up inline of out in the slot. That’s because he’s athletic and quick at that size, but exhibits strong hands and an ability to make contested catches. He shows a lot of promise as a blocker, demonstrating enough strength and technique to make an impact in this area in the NFL quickly. Luckie just needs to have more consistent production, which can be difficult with all the offensive weapons available at Georgia. To beat the Rebels, Luckie had five catches for 43 yards and three touchdowns.
Cade McConnell | OG | Senior | Vanderbilt
LSU fell to Vanderbilt, and the Commodores replaced LSU as the #10 ranked team in the country. Vandy’s quarterback Diego Pavia had his way with a big assist from his offensive line. Cade McConnell had some standout plays during the game. The 6’5”, 323 lb transfer from Minnesota lined up in a few different positions, but looks to be a guard. He is a strong player who moves well, which I think makes him scheme diverse in the run game. In pass protection, he reacts quickly to defenders and displays the ability to handle stunts and twists. He’s always looking for work, and when he finds it, he tries to annihilate defenders. Check out #70 below.
Derrick Moore | DE | Senior | Michigan
Michigan’s defense was led by Derrick Moore in their victory over the Washington Huskies. He used his powerful 6’3”, 260 lb frame to bully the Huskies at the line of scrimmage all game. He’s an explosive player at that size, bursting off the line, and using his quick hands to get into the body of blockers before they can reach him. He is strong enough to bull rush tackles or, as he did below, toss aside tight ends. He can improve his technique rushing the passer, but there are flashes of him using more than power to get into the backfield. Moore had three tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the Wolverines’ win.
Red Murdock | LB | Senior | Buffalo
Buffalo put a linebacker, Shaun Dolac, into the league, and it looks like that will happen again with Red Murdock. He has the third most tackles in college football because he follows his cues to the ball. He scrapes along the line to meet running backs in the hole. He’s an effective blitzer because he uses his quickness to beat blockers to their spots. And if you want turnovers, he has the second most forced fumbles in NCAA history right behind fellow Bull Khalil Mack. What I’d like to see him do more is stack and shed blockers because he has the size to do it at 6’1”, 240 lbs. He had nine tackles, 2.5 for a loss, in a win over UMass.
Jabari Mack | CB | Senior | Louisville
Louisville upset Miami and the main reason was their ability to force turnovers from the Hurricane’s quarterback Carson Beck. He threw four interceptions with Jabari Mack creating one of those takeaways. Mack is a long cornerback at 6’1”, 185 lbs, which he uses effectively in coverage. While he might be most comfortable in zone coverage where he can watch a quarterback’s eyes, he is also effective carrying a receiver downfield in man coverage. What I’d like to see is more of is him playing man coverage in the middle of the field because I have questions about his change of direction. He’s feisty though, fighting through blocks to make tackles, but he’ll need to put on more weight to be more effective in this area. Mack had three tackles and a PBU to go along with his pick in the win over Miami.
Xavier Nwankpa| Safety | Senior | Iowa
Iowa extended Penn State’s losing streak to four games and their safety Xavier Nwankpa made plays the entire game. Nwankpa has ideal size for a safety prospect, 6’2”, 213 lbs. He is a good straight-line athlete which makes him effective coming from depth and blitzing. It also means he can deliver some jarring hits. He’s improved in coverage and is better at using instincts to make plays, but this is the weakest part of his game. It’s taken time for Nwankpa to live up to the hype of being the highest-rated recruit in the school’s history, but he’s putting things together now. He had 10 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble against the Nittany Lions.
