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.
#1 Ohio State @ Rutgers
Saturday, 11/4 | 12:00 PM ET, CBS
#1 Ohio State
Marvin Harrison Jr. #18, WR 2024 (6’4”, 205)
The first and most important player to know for Ohio State is their all-word receiver, Marvin Harrison Jr. He has been nothing short of spectacular in 2023 despite coming into the season with sky-high expectations. At this point, I expect Harrison to be drafted no later than the third pick in Superflex rookie drafts this coming year.
TreVeyon Henderson #32, RB 2024 (5’10”, 214)
Ohio State’s next player to watch is TreVeyon Henderson. We finally saw Henderson return to the field last week in Ohio State’s win at Wisconsin. Henderson carried the ball 24 times for 162 yards and a touchdown while adding another 45 yards on 4 receptions. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him return for another season, but if Henderson declares, he’ll be in the RB1 discussion.
Emeka Egbuka #2, WR 2024 (6’1”, 206) ***INJURED***
Emeka Egbuka is the final player I will note. We haven’t seen him on the field in nearly a month, and it is still unclear if he’ll be suiting up this week. However, we don’t need to see him on the field to know that he’s one of the top handful of receivers in this class. I do expect that he’ll make a return at some point as long as OSU is in the playoff picture. The consensus seems to have Egbuka as the WR2, but I am not quite there. I have a fairly large second-tier of receivers after Marvin Harrison Jr., with Egbuka firmly in that place.
Texas A&M @ #10 Ole Miss
Saturday, 11/4 | 12:00 PM ET, ESPN
Texas A&M
Evan Stewart #1, WR 2025 (6’0”, 175)
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. Despite being a little bit slender, Stewart has displayed the ability to run every route and make contested catches everywhere on the field. Right now, I have Stewart slightly behind Missouri’s Luther Burden III, but there’s still a lot of football to be played between now and the 2025 NFL Draft.
#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.
#15 Notre Dame @ Clemson
Saturday, 11/4 | 12:00 PM ET, ABC
#15 Notre Dame
Sam Hartman #10, QB 2024 (6’1”, 210)
The player to watch in this game for the Irish is former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman. Hartman has cooled off considerably since his blistering start to the 2023 season. I think Hartman’s chances at being drafted in the first two days of the NFL Draft are on life support. However, he is still someone to have on your radar as a late-round pick.
Mitchell Evans #88, TE 2024 (6’5”, 260)
The other player to note is junior tight end Mitchell Evans. I’m sure you wouldn’t be surprised to hear that Notre Dame has a playmaker at the tight end position, and that is exactly what Evans has been. The 6’ 5” Evans has been Hartman’s favorite target this season, catching 29 passes for 422 yards and a score. After the departure of Michael Mayer to the NFL, Evans has stepped in nicely and appears to be the next tight end in line for Notre Dame.
Clemson
Will Shipley #1, RB 2024 (5’11”, 210)
The only player of note with 2024 NFL Draft eligibility is Will Shipley. Having said that, he’s had a rather underwhelming 2023 season. Shipley came into the year with hopes of ascending draft boards, but at this point, it is more likely that he’s slipping down them. At this point, it doesn’t look like the Clemson offense is going to get much better, so Shipley will likely need to prove himself during the pre-draft process to regain some value. He also may decide to return for his senior season.
#12 Missouri @ #2 Georgia
Saturday, 11/4 | 3:30 PM ET, CBS
#12 Missouri
Luther Burden III #3, WR 2025 (5’11”, 208)
On the other side, I’ll be watching sophomore sensation Luther Burden III. After a strong freshman season in 2022, Burden has exploded this year. Through five games in 2023, he has nearly surpassed all his receiving stats from his freshman campaign. Burden looks like a strong candidate for the top receiver spot in the 2025 NFL Draft. If you aren’t familiar with him, now is a great time to get up to speed.
#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. We unfortunately don’t know when Bowers will be back on the field, but for NFL purposes, it doesn’t really matter. As long as he gets a clean bill of health by the NFL Draft, he’ll be the TE1.
#5 Washington @ #20 USC
Saturday, 11/4 | 7:30 PM ET, ABC
#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 putting up absurd numbers in this high-flying Washington offense, throwing for nearly 3,000 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.
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.
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.
#20 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, completing just over 60% of his passes while throwing 3 of his 4 interceptions of the year. I am not concerned about Williams in the long haul, but this game will be a nice opportunity against a top-5 team.
#14 LSU @ #8 Alabama
Saturday, 11/4 | 7:45 PM ET, CBS
#14 LSU
Malik Nabers #8, WR 2024 (6’0”, 200)
Another year, another couple of wide receiver prospects from LSU. My main focus will be on junior Malik Nabers. He has been on an absolute tear this year, with 981 yards receiving through 8 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 absolutely a player to remember as we head towards the end of the season.
#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 nice performance a couple of weeks ago against Tennessee. McClellan isn’t a flashy player at all but could garner some interest from NFL teams and could be a value pick later in rookie drafts.
#16 Oregon State @ Colorado
Saturday, 11/4 | 10:00 PM ET, ESPN
#11 Oregon State
Damien Martinez #6, RB 2025 (6’0”, 232)
On the Oregon State side, there is one main player that I’ll be watching. Like many Oregon State teams of years past, this team focuses heavily on the running game. That means we will see sophomore running back Damien Martinez utilized early and often. Martinez isn’t an all-world prospect by any means, but he could easily earn a role at the NFL level and is someone to monitor into next season.
Colorado
Travis Hunter #12, WR/CB 2025 (6’1”, 185)
The first player I’ll be watching in this game is Colorado’s two-way star, Travis Hunter. Hunter and the entire Buffs offense struggled last week against a good UCLA defense. He was held to only 7 yards receiving on 3 catches. It’s tough to predict what the NFL will eventually think of Travis Hunter, but if he ends up playing on the offensive side of the ball, he’s someone I want on my fantasy team.
Shedeur Sanders #2, QB 2024 (6’2”, 215)
Shedeur Sanders is the next player to watch in this game. Sanders put up one of his worst offensive performances of the season last week. He completed 62.8% of his passes for only 217 yards. He is eligible for the 2024 NFL Draft and has been ranked quite highly in the draft community, but I expect Sanders to come back for another year in Boulder.
Xavier Weaver #10, WR 2024 (6’1”, 180)
The final name to know for Colorado is senior wide receiver Xavier Weaver. Weaver led the Buffs in receiving last week with 86 yards on 5 catches. He should see a heavy target share again this week, as the Buffs have struggled to run the ball. Weaver will likely garner some interest from the NFL but will probably be a mid-to-late-round draft pick.
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!
