Welcome back! We’re off and running with another year of college football! If you’re new to this article, the goal is to bring you the top dynasty prospects to watch in nationally televised college football games. It’s never too early to take a look forward. Who will be the sleepers of upcoming rookie drafts? Check back here every week for my ‘Weekly Watch’ series before you head into the weekend. Use this weekly article as a place to refer back to as you prepare to watch each game.
How This Article Works
I’ll give you the network, time, and teams playing in nationally televised games. Below that, I’ll list the respective schools’ prospects that are, in my opinion, worth mentioning, their position, the year they are eligible to enter the NFL Draft, and their listed heights and weights.
Feel free to reach out on Twitter (@THEtristancook) if you have players you think deserve to be mentioned in next week’s article.
#1 Georgia @ South Carolina
Saturday, 9/17 | 12:00 PM ET, ESPN
#1 Georgia
Kendall Milton #2, RB 2023 (6’1″, 220)
The first player of note in this game is junior Milton. He has been their most effective rusher this year, tallying 135 yards rushing on only 18 carries. Milton has split time with fellow RB Kenny McIntosh, who is surprisingly the team’s top receiver on the season. I believe Milton has the best chance to play on Sundays in the future, so I’ll be watching him closely.
Darnell Washington #0, TE 2023 (6’7″, 270)
The next player to know is Washington. If you aren’t familiar with him, he’s the massive human that treated us to this play in Week 1.
That’s right, at 6’7″, Washington hurdled the defender before running down the field for a big gain. He absolutely is going to get the attention of NFL scouts and GMs with his size, speed, and athleticism combination. And, as I’ve mentioned previously, Washington may not even be the best tight end on his team.
Brock Bowers #19, TE 2024 (6’4, 230)
Another tight end to know for Georgia is sophomore Bowers. He doesn’t quite have the size of Washington or even Arik Gilbert but is currently the leading candidate to be the TE1 in 2024. Bowers hasn’t done much this season, but it doesn’t worry me. He is a player to know for the future.
South Carolina
Spencer Rattler #7, QB 2023 (6’1″, 215)
There are only two players I’ll be paying attention to for South Carolina in this game. First, we have the former Oklahoma signal caller, Rattler. He has seen his stock plummet since the start of the 2021 season and, despite transferring, hasn’t done much to rebuild it. If he can show up against #1 Georgia, there might be some hope. Otherwise, It might be time to bail on Rattler as an NFL prospect.
MarShawn Lloyd #1, RB 2024 (5’9″, 212)
The other player to note is running back Lloyd. He struggled on the ground last week against Arkansas, only gaining 23 yards on seven carries. However, he added six catches and 72 receiving yards, which was good. Lloyd’s stock seems to be slowly rising, which comes just in time for a massive test against the top defense in the nation.
#6 Oklahoma @ Nebraska
Saturday, 9/17 | 12:00 PM ET, FOX
#6 Oklahoma
Eric Gray #0, RB 2023 (5’10″, 211)
The first of two players I’ll be watching for Oklahoma is running back Gray. He seems to have grasped the top spot in this offense and looked quite good. I have long since been a fan of Gray and think he could be a steal on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Marvin Mims #17, WR 2023 (5’11″, 184)
The other player I’ll be watching closely is Mims. He is coming off a monster game where he caught seven passes for 163 yards and two TDs. Like Gray, I have been a fan of Mims for a while now and am happy to see the connection with Dillon Gabriel growing stronger each week. If Mims keeps this up, his stock should continue to rise.
Nebraska
Trey Palmer #3, WR 2023 (6’1″, 190)
For Nebraska, I only have an interest in one player, Palmer. After transferring from LSU, Palmer has been heavily utilized in the new Mark Whipple offense at Nebraska. I don’t expect much about this offense to change after the firing of Scott Frost, so Palmer’s role should be safe. It remains to be seen if Palmer has NFL upside, but he’s worth monitoring.
Purdue @ Syracuse
Saturday, 9/17 | 12:00 PM ET, ESPN 2
Purdue
Charlie Jones #15, WR 2023 (6’0″, 188)
There are two players that we will likely see heavily involved in the Purdue offense. First, we have the wide receiver, Jones. Through two games, Jones has been incredibly impressive. The fourth-year WR has 21 catches, 286 yards receiving, and four scores. I expect to see Jones targeted heavily against Syracuse and throughout the rest of the year.
Payne Durham #87, TE 2023 (6’5″, 255)
The other player I’ll be watching is Durham. After a strong junior year, Durham is off to a slow start this year with only four catches. It’s hard to project the TE position at the NFL level, but Durham certainly has the size to play. Durham could end up being a mid to late-round draft pick if he plays well the rest of the year and can show above-average athleticism.
Syracuse
Sean Tucker #34, RB 2023 (5’10″, 205)
The main attraction of this game is junior Tucker. After Texas’ star RB Bijan Robinson, there’s a bit of an opening for the RB2 spot in the 2023 class. Tucker has as good of a chance as any RB in this class to take that spot. He’s been flying a bit under the radar since he plays for Syracuse, but he’s got real talent. There are plenty of good things to be said about him, but my favorite thing is his post-game self-analysis.
#12 BYU @ #25 Oregon
Saturday, 9/17 | 3:30 PM ET, FOX
#12 BYU
Jaren Hall #3, QB 2023 (6’1″, 205)
This game is one of the better matchups of the week, but it only has a couple of guys that intrigue me. For BYU, its fourth-year signal caller, Hall. He’s a bit of a tough player for me to figure out. Sometimes he looks like a promising NFL prospect, and other times I struggle to see him having a chance at the next level. His range of outcomes is extremely large. Hall will be someone I’m watching closely throughout this year.
#25 Oregon
Troy Franklin #11, WR 2024 (6’3″, 178)
The other player of note is Oregon’s Franklin. He and the entire Oregon team struggled in the opening week against Georgia. But, he bounced back last week against Eastern Washington with ten catches, 84 yards receiving, and a score. He’s only a sophomore, so we’ll see him for at least another year, but he’s a player to remember.
#20 Ole Miss @ Georgia Tech
Saturday, 9/17 | 3:30 PM ET, ABC
#20 Ole Miss
Jaxon Dart #2, QB 2024 (6’2″, 220)
I’ll only be paying attention to the Ole Miss offensive side of the ball. They have a few players that could end up being early NFL draft picks. First, we have quarterback Dart. The former USC QB hasn’t quite lived up to the expectations after arriving at Ole Miss. I expect to see him grow in this offense as the season progresses. Dart certainly has some NFL potential if he can harness his tools.
Zach Evans #6, RB 2023 (6’0″, 215)
Another one of the guys that could potentially end up as the RB2 in the 2023 class is Evans. He is also a transfer and has looked good for the Rebels in split duty with freshman Quinshon Judkins. We should see both of them on the field, but the name to know for 2023 is Evans. He does almost everything well; the only real question is if he will have any off-the-field issues.
Michael Trigg #0, TE 2024 (6’3″, 240)
The final player I’ll be watching is the tight end, Trigg. He transferred over with Dart from USC. Trigg didn’t do much in Week 1 against Troy, but he bounced back and scored three times last week. But, to be fair, it was against Central Arkansas. Trigg has at least one more year before going to the NFL, but he could be the first TE drafted in 2024.
#22 Penn State @ Auburn
Saturday, 9/17 | 3:30 PM ET, CBS
#22 Penn State
Nicholas Singleton #10, RB 2025 (6’0″, 219)
The best prospect on Penn State’s roster is freshman Singleton. He’s been getting the lion’s share of a crowded backfield, but he’s easily the most talented runner. Singleton was the top-ranked RB in the 2022 recruiting class and has looked well deserving of that ranking. The biggest problem with Singleton is that we have to wait until 2025 at the earliest to see him in the NFL.
Auburn
Tank Bigsby #4, RB 2023 (6’0″, 213)
Someone we won’t have to wait a long time to see in the NFL is junior Bigsby. He had a promising freshman season in 2020, but his sophomore campaign was up and down. I have been a fan of Bigsby and think he’s a bit undervalued. He currently is my RB2 in the class, but as I’ve mentioned, several players are vying for that spot. I’ll be paying close attention to how he does this week.
Mississippi State @ LSU
Saturday, 9/17 | 6:00 PM ET, ESPN
Mississippi State
Will Rogers #2, QB 2023 (6’2″, 210)
When the Bulldogs have the ball, it will be Will Rogers slinging the ball all over the field. He has 98 pass attempts through two games and is completing nearly 79% of his passes. We know Mike Leach’s offenses are conducive to massive passing numbers, and this one is no different. Rogers has distributed the ball all over the field, and I expect to see him do more of the same against LSU this week.
LSU
Kayshon Boutte #7, WR 2023 (6’0″, 205)
For LSU, the main player to watch is Boutte. The third-year receiver sent the entire state of Louisiana into a frenzy after the opening week loss to Florida State when he scrubbed all his social media of LSU references. He hasn’t looked great this year, with only seven catches for 62 receiving yards and no scores. I am not too worried about his on-field production, but it would be nice to see him do something more than we’ve seen this year. Boutte is currently my WR1, and I’m not sure it will change.
Toledo @ #3 Ohio State
Saturday, 9/17 | 7:00 PM ET, FOX
#3 Ohio State
CJ Stroud #7, QB 2023 (6’3″, 218)
The players to note for Ohio State haven’t changed. I could list a handful of players and still feel like I’m leaving some players out. You’re probably quite familiar with them at this point. First, we have quarterback Stroud. There seems to be a toss-up in the devy community between Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young as the QB1 for 2023. I have Stroud as my QB2, but the gap isn’t particularly large.
Jaxon Smith-Njiba #11, WR 2023 (6’1″, 200)
The biggest question about this game is if Smith-Njigba is going to play or not. It looks as though he is expected to suit up, but since I don’t expect this game to be particularly competitive, it wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t see the field too much. It also wouldn’t surprise me if JSN has a monster day.
TreVeyon Henderson #32, RB 2024 (5’10″, 214)
The final player to watch is Henderson. He’s the clear-cut RB1 in 2024 as far as most everyone is concerned. All Henderson needs to do is stay healthy and test as expected, and he’ll be the top running back in the class. I expect him to have a big day against an overpowered Toledo defense.
#11 Michigan State @ Washington
Saturday, 9/17 | 7:30 PM ET, ABC
#11 Michigan State
Jalen Berger #8, RB 2023 (6’1″, 205)
There aren’t too many players that I’ll be focused on in this game, but one of them is Berger. The former Wisconsin running back has recouped a bit of his draft stock after he was usurped by Braelon Allen last year for the Badgers. Berger has led this backfield and looked impressive in doing so. I’m a Berger believer, so I’m happy to see the resurgence. He’ll need to continue to perform to have meaningful NFL draft capital, assuming he declares after the season.
Washington
Jalen McMillan #11, WR 2023 (6’1″, 182)
On the Washington side of the ball, the main player to know is receiver McMillan. The third-year sophomore has come out of the gates hot under the new regime and with Michael Penix Jr. throwing him the ball. McMillan underwhelmed last season after doing nearly nothing in the covid-shortened 2020 season. He could technically declare after this season, but I expect him to return for another year unless he keeps up this torrid pace.
#13 Miami @ #24 Texas A&M
Saturday, 9/17 | 9:00 PM ET, ESPN
#13 Miami
Tyler Van Dyke #9, QB 2023 (6’4″, 224)
There was quite a lot of talk this off-season about who could be the QB3 after the aforementioned Stroud and Young. One of the most common names thrown out there was Van Dyke. Despite that chatter quieting down, Van Dyke has looked pretty impressive in 2022. He’ll have a tougher test this week as he faces off against a Texas A&M team that’s coming off an embarrassing home loss to Appalachian State last week. I’m personally not super high on Van Dyke, but he’s worth monitoring.
#24 Texas A&M
Devon Achane #6, RB 2023 (5’9″, 185)
For A&M, the main guy to watch is junior, Achane. He was one of the bright spots for the Aggies, as he looked alright last week. It’ll be interesting to see how he is valued as the NFL draft gets closer (assuming he declares) because Achane doesn’t have the size to be an NFL running back. There’s a long time before we have to deal with that, though, so for now, we’ll see how he fairs against Miami.
Fresno State @ #7 USC
Saturday, 9/17 | 10:30 PM ET, FS1
Fresno State
Jake Haener #9, QB 2023 (6’1″, 200)
The final game I’ll be monitoring is Fresno State traveling to play USC. When Fresno State has the ball, the name to know is quarterback Haener. He had a breakout season in 2021, throwing for over 4,000 yards with 33 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. Haener lost his head coach to Washington but has looked rather impressive through the first two games of 2022. He kept the Bulldogs in the game last week against Oregon State. Haener could be a player that rises later in the pre-draft process, so remember his name.
#7 USC
Caleb Williams #13, QB 2024 (6’1″, 215)
The top two names to know for USC are still the same. Williams backed up his excellent Trojan debut with another impressive showing at Stanford last week. He was efficient with his passes and displayed his ability to move in the pocket and deliver the ball all over the field. Williams looks like the QB1 for 2024 unless someone comes out of nowhere.
Jordan Addison #3, WR 2023 (6’0″, 175)
Addison is the other player to watch for USC. They have plenty of other names, but Addison is far and away the top 2023 prospect on this offense. He also had another big day in Week 2. He caught seven passes for 172 receiving yards and two touchdowns. Addison doesn’t appear to have dropped off much from his Biletnikoff season in 2021. Expect to hear his name called early and often this week.
That’s it for this week’s games. As I previously mentioned, if there is anyone you’d like me to take a look at or want to share your thoughts on anything dynasty related, hit me up on Twitter ( @THEtristancook ). Also, check out the tape on some of these guys in the Dynasty Nerds Film Room. It’s an amazing tool that I plan to take full advantage of. You can use the code “tcook” for 15% off a membership of any kind!
