Week 10 of college football was loaded with meaningful games that could go a long way to impacting the College Football Playoff. We have to start with No. 1 Miami. They were down their best playmaker, Malachi Toney, and it showed most of the game. No. 11 Notre Dame took an early lead they never relinquished. Notre Dame should move up from No. 11 in the Playoff Rankings while Miami will certainly fall. The Holy War between No. 3 Utah and No. 9 BYU was competitive early, but the Utes shut out the Cougars
in the second half to get the win.
In the SEC, No. 2 Georgia blew out No. 10 Ole Miss on the strength of quarterback Gunner Stockton’s five touchdowns. No. 13 Tennessee leaned on their defense to end No. 6 Kentucky’s hot streak. No. 5 Alabama went into Baton Rouge and won comfortably over No. 14 LSU. In the Big Ten, No. 8 UCLA remains undefeated after beating Minnesota. With the hopes of the playoffs hanging in the balance for both teams, No. 23 Oregon got the better of No. 12 Ohio State.
There will be a few interesting matchups in Week 11. After beating Ohio State, USC will travel to Bloomington to face Indiana. Georgia will look to stay on top of the SEC against Missouri, while LSU will try to keep their playoff hopes alive against Texas. Utah will try to remain undefeated against a dangerous Arizona team. Miami will have their hands full against Duke, a team with excellent young talent.
Here 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:
Caden Veltkamp | QB | Senior | Florida Atlantic
He might not play for a Power Four school, but Caden Veltkamp should get more attention. He’s a big, mobile quarterback at 6’5”, 236 pounds. He’s thrown for almost 3,000 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Veltkamp can stand tall in the pocket, work through his progressions, and deliver accurate passes. He can vary his passes by putting pace on throws or putting air under them so receivers can run under them. He is mobile enough to navigate the pocket or run for positive yardage, but he usually keeps his eyes downfield to make plays. Veltkamp might be a riser once the draft process starts, but he would make a good developmental prospect. Veltkamp completed 17 of 25 attempts for 210 yards and four touchdowns in the Owls win over UTSA.
Dylan Riley | RB | Junior | Boise State
Boise State has put countless running backs into the league. Dylan Riley is next up. The junior is not a big back at 5’10”, 203 pounds, but he is incredibly talented. Riley has plenty of burst to and through the line of scrimmage. For his size, he’s strong and able to maintain his balance through contact. The speed is evident once he gets in the open field. Riley can play in either a zone or gap scheme, but I think he’ll thrive with a team that primarily runs zone. In the passing game, Riley can do more than handle checkdown duties. He’ll get open downfield as well as take short passes for long gains. In a win over Colorado State, Riley ran for 192 yards and two touchdowns on 19 attempts and caught two passes for 88 yards and a touchdown.
Collin Dixon | WR | Senior | Illinois
Illinois got a win against Nebraska and Collin Dixon was a big part of that win. Dixon already has broken the Illini record for most receiving touchdowns in a season with 12. Dixon is 6’1”, 215 pounds, and plays like a strong receiver. If there is press man coverage or contact throughout the route, Dixon isn’t phased by it. At the catch point, Dixon has great concentration and strong hands to make difficult, contested catches. The speed looks sufficient to play at the next level, but I’d like to see a little more route diversity and less plays to scheme him open. Dixon had eight receptions for 129 yards and two touchdowns against the Cornhuskers.
Jacob Harris | TE | Senior | Wisconsin
Wisconsin has quietly put together a nice season where they have the same record as Oregon and Ohio State. One reason has been the play of Jacob Harris. He’s an athletic tight end, surprising given he is 6’6”, 265 pounds. Harris has made several acrobatic catches this season. You can’t expect him to be the fastest tight end at that size, but he gets open with good route running. After he gets the ball in his hands, Harris can be hard to bring down. As a blocker, he holds his ground against defenders. However, he needs to improve his ability to stay attached to defenders, especially in the run game. Harris caught two passes for 70 yards and a touchdown in the Badgers win over Rutgers.
Trevor Lauck | OT | Senior | Iowa
How does Iowa keep producing quality offensive line prospects? Trevor Lauck is the Hawkeyes’ left tackle, but he might be better suited to play guard in the NFL. Lauck has NFL size at 6’5”, 315 pounds, and he can move well at that size. He is an aggressive blocker who doesn’t want to block his assignments as much as bury them in the ground. Lauck generates movement in the run game, easily works to the second level, and tries to obliterate whomever gets in his way. He is solid in pass protection, but might struggle with speed around the edge because he lacks great foot speed and arm length. Lauck helped Iowa defeat Northwestern by giving up only one pressure and paving the way for 170 rushing yards.
Yhonzae Pierre | EDGE | Senior | Alabama
Alabama’s defense has carried the Crimson Tide in several games. Their edge rusher Yhonzae Pierre deserves a little attention. He looks the part at 6’4”, 251 pounds, with long arms. Pierre’s calling card is his ability to convert speed to power and bull rush blockers. He can also use his quickness to beat blockers around the edge. What Pierre needs to improve is his hand usage. His hands need to land more cleanly on blockers to make the most of both his length and power. He also needs to develop counter moves when his initial rush stalls. Pierre has shown an ability to be effective dropping into coverage when asked to do so. Pierre had three tackles and a sack in the win over LSU.
Arion Carter | LB | Senior | Tennessee
Kentucky’s offense could do nothing against Tennessee’s defense. Arion Carter was all over the field for the Volunteers. The tape Carter produced against the Wildcats showed all facets of him as a prospect. On the sidelines, he was a vocal leader pumping up his team. Pre-snap, there were times Carter’s preparation allowed him to know what plays were coming and to stop them. Carter, at 6’1”, 238 pounds, uses his quickness to dart under blocks and close on ball carriers in an instant. Don’t let the quickness fool you, Carter also will take on a lead blocker, shed him, and make the tackle. He looks good dropping into man coverage, but I need to see more of this aspect of his game. Carter had 13 tackles, four for a loss, and two sacks against Kentucky.
Scooter Jackson | CB | Senior | UCLA
UCLA is on top of the Big Ten and remains undefeated after defeating Minnesota. One of the reasons for the turnaround has been Scooter Jackson. In his second year with the Bruins, after two years at Utah Tech, Jackson has improved his play. He has shown to be versatile enough to play both man and zone coverage, but UCLA often plays him in man. Jackson has good acceleration, quickness, and speed. If he’s in off-man coverage, Jackson can trigger downhill and make a play on the ball with the hands to take it away. His speed allows him to follow defenders across the field, deep downfield, or get back into a play if beat. With a history of playing nickel, Jackson might offer a team inside out versatility. At 5’11”, 191 pounds, I’d like to see him be more physical in coverage and as a tackler. Against Minnesota, Jackson had five tackles, two PBUs, and an interception.
Luke Talich | S | Senior | Notre Dame
Luke Talich had fantastic game against Miami and was a huge part of their win over Miami. Talich is a walk-on who is making the most of his opportunity. Talich is a big safety at 6’4”, 222 pounds, but he moves like a smaller safety. Notre Dame played him deep and at the line of scrimmage. When he played deep, he not only prevented intermediate and deep throws, but was effective stopping the run from depth. At his size, taking on blockers, disengaging, and making tackles is not a problem. He has good change of direction at his size and was efficient in man coverage against a very good tight end for Miami, Elija Lofton. Talich sealed the game with a PBU to go along with six tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception.
Which college players caught your eye in Week 9 and could help the Washington Commanders? Let us know in the comments below:
