Week Five of college football has come and gone. I was on vacation in Chicago over the weekend but I managed to watch a few games. I watched three games during the week five slate of contests.Â
Each week, I will look back at the top prospect performances from the games I watched the previous week.
WEEK FIVE PROSPECT REWIND
MIDDLE TENNESSEE @ WESTERN KENTUCKY
WKU quarterback Austin Reed (6’2″ 220) can play at the NFL level. The former D2 player (West Florida) has emerged as one of the best prospects in Conference USA. Reed has a good arm and solid pocket maneuverability. Against MTSU, he completed 30 of 52 passes for 297 yards and two scores. Reed did throw a pick but had a rushing touchdown.
The best prospect for the Hilltoppers is WR Malachi Corley. Corley is competing to be selected in the Top 100. He is under six feet tall (5’11”) but is stocky. Corley is an excellent route runner with reliable hands. Against the Blue Raiders, he caught 8 of his 12 targets for 81 yards.
Middle Tennessee is lacking top-level prospects in the 2024 class. However, I believe in safety, Tra Fluellen. He probably isn’t going to be drafted but he will have a chance to improve a special teams unit in the NFL. Against WKU, Fluellen recorded eight tackles (six solos), one interception, and a PBU.
CINCINNATI @ BYU
BYU offensive tackle Kingsley Suamataia is the real deal. He is a tremendous athlete with long arms and sweet feet. Suamataia has added some weight from a year ago. Which was needed. He is a real contender to be OT3 off of the board after Olu Fashanu and Joe Alt.
The Cougars have a number of solid defensive prospects. LB Max Tooley is one of those. Tooley was all over the place against the Bearcats Friday night, recording 16 tackles (9 solos).
This is a down year for NFL Draft worthiness from Cincinnati. The best is interior defensive lineman Dontay Corleone. The 6’2″ 318-pound stalwart hails from the Queen City, not Sicily. But he has flashed the ability to make offensive players sleep with the fishes. Corleone finished with four tackles.
SOUTH CAROLINA @ TENNESSEE
I watched this one in passing Saturday night (had an early flight on Sunday). It wasn’t a great night for Gamecocks QB Spencer Rattler. Rattler had a horrible interception before the end of the half and never developed any real rhythm. He finished 24/35 for 169 yards with a rush TD and the aforementioned pick.
South Carolina finally appears to have found a running back they can depend on. D2 transfer (Newberry) Mario Anderson showed off the breakaway speed with a 75-yard TD run. This follows a lot of hard running and good pass blocking last week. Anderson finished with 101 yards on 10 carries.
I don’t think there is anything to Tennessee QB Joe Milton as a prospect. Other than his huge arm. Milton is a bad decision maker who doesn’t throw a very catchable ball. He finished the game 21/32 for 239 and one score. Milton also threw a couple of bad picks.
EVERYTHING ELSE
I liked Kentucky RB Ray Davis last year at Vanderbilt. He is starting to rise up the board in a weak-ish RB class. Davis blistered Florida for over 200 yards.
Between the addition of Ray Davis, the upgrades on the o-line, and the return of OC Liam Coen, Kentucky are a FORCE on offense ?
— Oliver Hodgkinson (@ojhodgkinson) September 30, 2023
Southern Cal QB Caleb Williams is the #1 pick in the draft barring serious over thinking or injury.
It’s Caleb Williams’ world and we’re living in it.
— Ian Cummings (@IC_Draft) September 30, 2023
Even with the emergence of Mario Anderson, I still miss seeing Marshawn Lloyd in a South Carolina uniform.
Marshawn Lloyd being Marshawn Lloyd.
Remember the name.pic.twitter.com/3z9DiPpYmW
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) September 30, 2023
Oregon State WR Silas Bolden has electric speed. That will play in the NFL.
ANOTHER TD FOR BOLDEN AND @BeaverFootball! ?? pic.twitter.com/h65wPi337f
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 30, 2023
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