Week Ten of college football has come and gone. I watched four games during the slate of contests.Â
Each week, I will look back at the top prospect performances from the games I watched the previous week.
WEEK TEN PROSPECT REWIND
SOUTH ALABAMA @ TROY
South Alabama WR Caulin Lacy has quietly been one of the best wide receivers in college football this year. The 5’10” 190-pound pass catcher has got deep speed with nice stop-and-start ability. Lacy is a dark horse candidate for the Senior Bowl should he enter the draft class. He had nine catches for 89 yards (11 targets) against Troy.
A player I do expect at the Senior Bowl this year is USA safety Yam Banks. Banks, 6’1″ 208, gets downhill in a hurry while attacking ball carriers. He is rangy and should excel on special teams. Banks recorded two tackles against the Trojans, including a TFL.
Week after week, Troy RB Kimani Vidal puts up a big number. Vidal is short (5’8″) but he is stocky (220). He is a patient runner who can accelerate to daylight. Vidal is likely going to go undrafted and then impact a roster as a rookie similar to the way Jaleel McLaughlin has for the Denver Broncos this year. Against the Jaguars, he ran for 125 yards on 24 carries with a score.
An NFL team is going to fall in love with the length and athleticism of Troy LB Richard Jibunor. The 6th year defender had seven tackles and a hurry against South Alabama.
DUKE @ WAKE FOREST
Duke QB Riley Leonard has been oft-injured this season. In the games he has played, Leonard has not played as well as the hype was in preseason. The third-year passer is likely returning to Durham in 2024 (or some other Power 4 school). Leonard missed this game.
Also, M.I.A. for the Blue Devils against Wake Forest was Top 60 offensive tackle, Graham Barton.
Duke DL Dewayne Carter is a solid hand with pass-rushing ability. He is also a top-run stuffer. Carter had eight tackles against the Deacs (three solos) with a TFL.
Wake Forest CB Caelen Carson is a solid pass defender who is very good in run support. Carson doesn’t look overly special as a prospect to me. Against Duke, he had five tackles (four solos) with one TFL.
SMU @ RICE
Rice WR Luke McCaffrey has seen the buzz around him building over the last few weeks. The former Nebraska QB (and younger brother of Christian McCaffrey) has a good frame and athleticism. McCaffrey didn’t get much to show off against SMU. He only caught four balls for eight yards on seven targets. The son of former NFL WR Ed McCaffrey did have a TD.
SMU edge rusher Elijah Roberts looked phenomenal against Rice. The 6’4″ 275-pound edge setter forced a fumble on a strip sack after quickly beating his man. Roberts lines up all over the defensive line for the Ponies. He finished the game with five tackles, 2.5 sacks, and a forced fumble.
His partner-in-crime, DL Elijah Chatman, is another scheme-diverse pass rusher. Chatman mostly lines up on the interior for SMU. However, he can wreck shop as well. Chatman recorded 1.5 sacks and four tackles against the Owls.
Although eligible for this class, SMU QB Preston Stone is likely a prospect for the 2025 class. Stone showed good pocket presence and escapability against Rice. His accuracy needs improvement but the tools are there. Stone did leave with an injury during the second half. He finished 15/28 for 224 yards and two passing TDs during the CFB week ten contest. Stone added 81 yards on 8 carries and a rushing touchdown also.
SOUTHERN CAL @ WASHINGTON
Washington RB Dillon Johnson had himself a day against the Trojans. The Mississippi State transfer runs angry. Johnson is explosive but has a nice balance in his lower half. He scored four touchdowns on the ground. Johnson carried the ball 26 times for 256 yards in the Washington win.
Often forgotten because Washington has so much NFL talent in its wide receiver room is tight end Devin Culp. The 6th-year prospect has a nice size (6’3″ 244) and strong hands. Culp takes advantage of the few and far-between targets he gets. He caught two balls for 27 yards and a score against Southern Cal. But he is capable of so much more.
Huskies edge rusher Zion Tupuola-Fetui has been through so much emotionally over the last few years. ZTF has recovered from a major knee injury suffered at the height of his career. Now, a week after the death of his father, he played arguably the best game he has played since the injury. ZTF sacked Caleb Williams 1.5 times and forced a fumble.Â
The season hasn’t gone the way Caleb Williams and Southern Cal thought it would. You could see him letting it all out after the game. Williams was sacked three times and fumbled once. It was his seventh lost fumble out of 30 total since the start of the 2021 season. Williams did all he could to help the Trojans win on Saturday. However, his 27/35 312 yards and 4 total TD night wasn’t enough.
EVERYTHING ELSE
The South Carolina season hasn’t gone as well as some of us had hoped. But with WR Xavier Legette emerging as a Top-100 level prospect has been fun. Against Jacksonville State, he had 9 catches for 217 yards and two scores.
6-3, 227 lbs. receivers aren’t supposed to move like this, but Xavier Legette does pic.twitter.com/EZIBmYGUox
— Trevor Sikkema (@TampaBayTre) November 4, 2023
Georgia DL Nazir Stackhouse was so close to GLORY!
Soooo close to a thiccc six ?
This is peak male athleticism. pic.twitter.com/iNB1JL5Gkr
— WeAreBigGuys (@WeAreBigGuys) November 4, 2023
It is quite obvious that Texas A&M DL Shemar Turner watched Ric Flair’s performance in the 1992 Royal Rumble before the game with Ole Miss on Saturday.
This upper cut to the family jewels resulted in an ejection for A&M. pic.twitter.com/ZZtKiF3vPB
— Sickos Committee (@SickosCommittee) November 4, 2023
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