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.
#2 Ohio State @ #3 Michigan
Saturday, 11/25 | 12:00 PM ET, FOX
#2 Ohio State
Marvin Harrison Jr. #18, WR 2024 (6’4”, 205)
The biggest game of the week is undoubtedly the annual battle between Ohio State and Michigan. The players to watch in this game have not changed, but the stage has been elevated. Marvin Harrison Jr. has been one of the best players in the country and continues to impress. He has had a couple of underwhelming games over the last few weeks. However, his on-field production doesn’t really matter at this point. I expect to see him have a massive role in this one.
TreVeyon Henderson #32, RB 2024 (5’10”, 214)
Ohio State’s next player to watch is TreVeyon Henderson. Over the last handful of games, Henderson has finally started looking like the player we saw in his freshman year. He’s facing off against the toughest opponent of the season this week. If he continues to play well, Henderson will likely declare for the NFL Draft. And he should be one of, if not the first running back off the board in rookie drafts.
Emeka Egbuka #2, WR 2024 (6’1”, 206)
Emeka Egbuka is the final player I will note. After returning from injury, Egbuka underwhelmed a bit prior to last week’s game against Minnesota. His 5 receptions for 83 yards weren’t anything extraordinary, but it was good to see Emeka playing and contributing. He has undoubtedly lost a bit of the luster that had him ranked as the WR2 on most people’s draft boards.
#3 Michigan
Blake Corum #2, RB 2024 (5’8”, 213)
There are only a couple of players that interest me in this game. The first on that list is Michigan’s Blake Corum. As expected, Corum has been the focal point of the Michigan offense during Jim Harbaugh’s absence. I fully anticipate that will once again be the case this week against OSU. Similar to Henderson, this will be a telltale game for Corum’s NFL Draft stock. If he can show up big, it could skyrocket him up draft boards.
JJ McCarthy #9, QB 2024 (6’3”, 202)
The other player to note is JJ McCarthy. This is the make-or-break game for McCarthy’s outlook heading into the pre-draft process. If he can demonstrate that he can play well against a very good Ohio State defense, McCarthy could be the QB3. Alternatively, if he struggles or is relegated to handing the ball off, he may decide to come back for the 2024 season.
Texas A&M @ #14 LSU
Saturday, 11/25 | 12:00 PM ET, ESPN
Texas A&M
Evan Stewart #1, WR 2025 (6’0”, 175) ***TRANSFER PORTAL***
On the A&M side of the ball, the top player of note is Evan Stewart. He is one of a few candidates to be the top receiver in the 2025 class. Unfortunately, Stewart is not expected to play in this game as he did not travel with the team to Baton Rouge. It has been widely speculated that Stewart will enter his name into the transfer portal. So, while we won’t see him in this game, he should be on your radar for the future.
LSU
#14 LSU
Malik Nabers #8, WR 2024 (6’0”, 200)
Another year, another couple of wide receiver prospects for LSU. My main focus will be on junior Malik Nabers. He has been on an absolute tear this year with 981 yards receiving through eight games. Nabers has vaulted himself into the WR2 discussion and will likely be one of the first handful of WRs off the board in the NFL Draft.
Brian Thomas Jr. #11, WR 2024 (6’4”, 205)
Not to be overlooked, fellow junior and Louisiana native Brian Thomas Jr. is in the midst of a breakout year of his own. At 6’4”, Thomas is a very different style of receiver than Nabers. He has been a little bit less consistent, but he is a player to remember as we head towards the end of the season.
Jayden Daniels #5, QB 2024 (6’4”, 210)
The final player to watch is Heisman frontrunner Jayden Daniels. He’s been nothing short of incredible this year. The former Arizona State Sun Devil is having a breakout year and is playing his way up NFL Draft boards. He has always been known to be a dynamic threat carrying the ball, but this year, he has paired it up with big passing numbers. I’m curious to see how the NFL perceives Daniels.
Washington State @ #4 Washington
Saturday, 11/25 | 4:00 PM ET, FOX
Washington State
Cameron Ward #1, QB 2024 (6’2”, 223)
When the Cougars have the ball, I will be watching quarterback Cameron Ward. Ward has played well over the last month, including last week’s dismantling of the Colorado Buffaloes. The excitement surrounding Cameron Ward as an NFL prospect has cooled way down. Ward will almost certainly be back in college next year and will be a player to watch for the 2025 NFL Draft.
#4 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 putting up absurd numbers in this high-flying Washington offense, throwing for nearly 3,700 yards already. 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 main target for Penix this season has been 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 get picked on the first night of the draft, but Odunze will likely hear his name called as one of them. He is a very physically dominant receiver that can contribute right away for any NFL team.
#5 Florida State @ Florida
Saturday, 11/25 | 7:00 PM ET, ESPN
#5 Florida State
Trey Benson #3, RB 2024 (6’1”, 223)
The first 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. However, after the injury to their star quarterback, Jordan Travis, I expect Benson to see a more significant role in this offense.
Keon Coleman #4, WR 2024 (6’4”, 215)
The other player to note is Keon Coleman. I’ve been seeing Coleman’s name rise higher and higher in mock drafts as the year has progressed. At this point, it looks like he could get drafted in the first round of the NFL Draft. If that happens, he will also be a first-round dynasty rookie pick. The potential ceiling for Coleman is as high as nearly anyone in this class, so it wouldn’t shock me to see him get picked early.
Florida
Trevor Etienne #7, RB 2025 (5’9”, 205)
There are a couple of players that I’ll be watching in this game. The first one is sophomore running back Trevor Etienne. He is the younger brother of Jacksonville Jaguars running back Travis Etienne. Trevor is a different style of runner than his older brother but is a solid prospect in his own right. I’m excited to see how he develops over the remainder of this season and the 2024 season.
Ricky Pearsall #1, WR 2024 (6’1”, 190)
Ricky Pearsall is the other player of note on the Florida sideline. He is having a career year for the Gators and may be playing his way onto the NFL’s radar. I think he’ll likely be a mid or late-round draft pick in the NFL Draft but could thrive in the right system. If Florida is going to pull off the upset, Pearsall will need to play a major role for the Gators.
#1 Georgia @ Georgia Tech
Saturday, 11/25 | 7:30 PM ET, ABC
#1 Georgia
Brock Bowers #19, TE 2024 (6’5”, 240)
The main player to know in this game is Georgia’s superstar TE, Brock Bowers. He made a triumphant and somewhat unexpected return to the field against Ole Miss a few weeks ago. After a quiet game against Ole Miss, Bowers put up a nice stat line of 7 catches, 60 yards receiving, and one score last week against Tennessee. There isn’t a debate about the TE1 in this class; the only question is how early he will go in rookie drafts.
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!
