Hello and welcome back! College football is back! If you’re new to this article, the goal is to bring you the top upcoming 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 article each week as a place to refer back to as you get ready 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.
#3 Michigan @ #10 Penn State
Saturday, 11/11 | 12:00 PM ET, FOX
#3 Michigan
Blake Corum #2, RB 2024 (5’8”, 213)
This game has quite a few players of note. The first on that list is Michigan’s Blake Corum. He has been pretty unspectacular in 2023, with only one game over 100 yards rushing. However, Michigan has been steamrolling their opponents, so they haven’t needed much from Corum. This week should be a different story as they face off with Penn State in the midst of one of the biggest college football scandals in recent memory. I expect to see Corum eclipse his current season-high of 21 carries.
JJ McCarthy #9, QB 2024 (6’3”, 202)
Next, we have Michigan’s signal-caller, JJ McCarthy. JJ has continued to impress this season, completing 75.7% of his passes. We still haven’t seen McCarthy or Michigan be tested by an opponent in 2023. We finally should see how he can perform against a tough opponent. If McCarthy looks good in this game, it could springboard his draft stock into the QB3 discussion.
#10 Penn State
Nicholas Singleton #10, RB 2025 (6’0”, 224)
When Penn State has the ball, there are two players that I’ll be watching. They both will be eligible for the NFL in 2025, at the earliest. The first player is running back Nicholas Singleton. He has been splitting carries with fellow sophomore Kaytron Allen but is the more talented runner. Singleton has penciled his name into the RB1 spot for the 2025 class and is a player you will want to know. He still hasn’t had a breakout game in 2023, and it may not happen for him this week against a tough Michigan defense.
Drew Allar #15, QB 2025 (6’5”, 243)
The other player for Penn State is their quarterback, Drew Allar. My biggest concern earlier this year with Allar was that his level of competition was relatively low. Unfortunately, those concerns have only now grown as he’s struggled in Big 10 play. In conference play, Allar only completes 58.1% of his throws and looks like a different quarterback. He struggled against the Ohio State defense, completing only 42.9% of his passes. I wouldn’t be surprised if he struggles a bit in this game. He’s one of the top handful of QBs for the 2025 class but needs to continue to improve if he’s going to reach his potential.
#8 Alabama @ Kentucky
Saturday, 11/11 | 12:00 PM ET, ESPN
#8 Alabama
Jase McClellan #2, RB 2024 (5’11”, 212)
This is an interesting season for Alabama. The only player worth noting is running back Jase McClellan. He had a couple of nice performances in a row against Tennessee and LSU. McClellan isn’t a flashy player at all but could garner some interest from NFL teams and be a value pick later in rookie drafts. I will be monitoring him closely during the pre-draft process to see how he tests.
Kentucky
Ray Davis #1, RB 2024 (5’10”, 216)
For Kentucky, the top player to know for the upcoming 2024 NFL Draft is running back Ray Davis. He’s slowed down since his monster game against the Florida Gators. Davis carried the ball 26 times for 280 yards and 3 scores. Whenever you can average 10.8 yards per rush, it’s a good thing, but when you can do it on 26 carries, that’s extremely impressive. If you aren’t familiar with Davis, he spent the first two years of his career at Temple before transferring to Vanderbilt. He spent 2021 and 2022 with the Commodores before arriving at Kentucky. I expect to see him heavily involved in this game.
Tulsa @ #23 Tulane
Saturday, 11/11 | 12:00 PM ET, ESPN 2
#23 Tulane
Michael Pratt #7, QB 2024 (6’3”, 220)
If you are looking for a game with a lesser-known name, you can tune into the Tulsa @ Tulane game and see Tulane’s Michael Pratt. He has a good chance at rising up draft boards as we get closer to the 2024 NFL Draft. Pratt has the prototypical size and strong arm that many NFL GMs covet. I have seen him ranked as high as QB3, although I have him slightly lower in my rankings. He’s absolutely a player worth knowing.
Miami @ #4 Florida State
Saturday, 11/11 | 3:30 PM ET, ABC
Miami
Tyler Van Dyke #9, QB 2024 (6’4”, 230)
The player I’ll be watching when Miami has the ball is junior QB Tyler Van Dyke. He had been playing well before the dumbfounding last-second loss to Georgia Tech. If you missed this game, it was dumbfounding to watch as Miami inexplicably ran the ball instead of kneeling. Van Dyke hasn’t recovered from that game, with more interceptions than touchdowns since. He does have one more year of eligibility, and at this point, I think he will come back for the 2024 season.
#4 Florida State
Jordan Travis #13, QB 2024 (6’1”, 212)
Florida State has quite a few players that I’ll be watching closely. The first name on that list is their quarterback, Jordan Travis. He has led the Seminoles to an undefeated 9-0 record and a resurgence in the national spotlight. While Travis has been instrumental in the success of Florida State, I still have some questions about how well his game will translate to the next level. The pre-draft process will be extra important for him as I think he is currently viewed as more of a collegiate quarterback than an NFL prospect.
Trey Benson #3, RB 2024 (6’1”, 223)
The next player to know for FSU is their junior running back, Trey Benson. Coming into the 2023 season, Benson had quite a lot of attention from the NFL Draft community. He had a big breakout year in 2022 and was looking to jump into the discussion as one of the top RBs in the 2024 class. Unfortunately, he’s been rather underwhelming in 2023. Outside of his big game against Virginia Tech, he hasn’t done much. I think there’s a good chance he will come back to school in 2024.
Keon Coleman #4, WR 2024 (6’4”, 215)
The final player to note is Keon Coleman. I’ve seen Coleman’s name rise higher and higher in mock drafts as the year has progressed. In fact, I have seen his name as high as the WR2 in the 2024 class. Admittedly, I was too low on Coleman coming into the year, but after diving into his tape, I moved him up into my second-tier of receivers.
#18 Utah @ #5 Washington
Saturday, 11/11 | 3:30 PM ET, FOX
#5 Washington
Michael Penix Jr. #9, QB 2024 (6’3”, 213)
The Washington Huskies have a few players to know, starting with their quarterback, Michael Penix Jr. Penix, who has seemingly been in college for half a decade but really broke out last year in his first season with Washington. He is already putting up absurd numbers in this high-flying Washington offense, throwing for just over 3,200 yards. If Penix were a few years younger with a cleaner injury history, he’d be in the QB1 discussion. But because of that, I think his ceiling is the QB3 in this class.
Rome Odunze #1, WR 2024 (6’3”, 215)
The other half of the WR duo for Washington is Rome Odunze. At 6’3”, Odunze presents a prototypical NFL WR size. His name has been mentioned more and more as one of the top receivers in this class. I am not sure how many receivers we’ll see go on the first night of the draft, but Odunze could sneak in there.
Jalen McMillan #11, WR 2024 (6’1”, 192)
One of Penix Jr.’s main targets last year was Jalen McMillan. No WR duo can stand up to the aforementioned Ohio State pair, but the Huskies have a dynamic duo of their own. McMillan returned to the field last week in Washington’s win at Stanford, but he did record a catch. This 2024 receiver class looks like it will be chock-full of big-bodied receivers, so smaller, smoother guys like McMillan and Texas’ Xavier Worthy could stand out. I know that 6’1” and 192 pounds isn’t exactly slender, but his play style is more akin to elite route-running and quickness than physical dominance.
#9 Ole Miss @ #2 Georgia
Saturday, 11/11 | 7:05 PM ET, ESPN
#10 Ole Miss
Quinshon Judkins #4, RB 2025 (5’11” 220)
The main name to know for Ole Miss is running back Quinshon Judkins. Judkins had an astonishing true freshman season in 2022, tallying 1,567 yards rushing on 274 carries with 16 touchdowns. He also added another 132 yards and one additional score on 15 receptions. He has been a bit underwhelming this year but has turned it on of late. Judkins is in the mix to be the top RB in next year’s class and is a name you should know for the future.
#2 Georgia
Brock Bowers #19, TE 2024 (6’5”, 240) ***INJURED***
The main player to know for Georgia is their superstar TE, Brock Bowers. Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Georgia has a really good TE prospect. There isn’t much that Bowers can’t do and do well on a football field. He’s my TE1 in the class and could be a top-15 NFL Draft pick. Unfortunately, we don’t know when Bowers will be back on the field, but for NFL purposes, it doesn’t matter. As long as he gets a clean bill of health by the NFL Draft, he’ll be the TE1.
USC @ #6 Oregon
Saturday, 11/11 | 10:30 PM ET, FOX
USC
Caleb Williams #13, QB 2024 (6’1”, 215)
The main man for USC is the reigning Heisman winner, Caleb Williams. He has looked much more human over the last month of play but bounced back nicely last week against Washington. I am not concerned about Williams in the long haul, but this game will be a nice opportunity against a top-5 team.
#6 Oregon
Bo Nix #10, QB 2024 (6’2”, 217)
For Oregon, the players to know are unchanged. Last week, we saw Bo Nix play well but ultimately come up just short against Washington. Nix is once again putting up gaudy numbers for the high-powered Ducks. However, as for his NFL potential, I view Nix as more of a college QB than a top-tier NFL prospect. There is an increasing amount of interest in Nix, so he may get picked earlier than I expect.
Troy Franklin #11, WR 2024 (6’3”, 187)
One of the top options for Bo Nix this year has been junior wideout Troy Franklin. He has been tearing up the competition so far in 2023, notching five 100+-yard receiving games through the team’s first six games, and is nearly at 1,000 yards receiving on the season. Franklin has continued to rise up draft boards and is now firmly in the first-round discussion.
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 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!
