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 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.
#10 Notre Dame @ NC State
Saturday, 9/9 | 12:00 PM ET, ABC
#10 Notre Dame
Sam Hartman #10, QB 2024 (6’1, 210)
The first player to know in this game is former Wake Forest quarterback Sam Hartman. In the first two games of his career for the Irish, Hartman has been spectacular. He has completed 82.5% of his passes for 445 yards with 6 scores and no interceptions. Hartman had some draft buzz at the end of the 2022 season, but instead of heading to the NFL, he decided to take his talents to South Bend, and so far, it is paying off. This will be the toughest opponent to date, but I expect Hartman to play well.
Jaden Greathouse #19, WR 2026 (6’1, 213)
Jaden Greathouse is the other player to watch in this game. The true freshman is most definitely a name for the future, but one with which you should be familiar. He had an impressive showing in Notre Dame’s first game, catching 3 passes for 68 yards and 2 scores. Greathouse was a highly coveted recruit and someone I’ll continue to watch closely.
Nebraska @ #22 Colorado
Saturday, 9/9 | 12:00 PM ET, FOX
#22 Colorado
Travis Hunter #12, WR/CB 2025 (6’1, 185)
The biggest game of the weekend is undoubtedly Nebraska traveling to Boulder to take on the Buffs. Colorado is the talk of the college football world after their upset of TCU in Deion Sanders’ first game as coach. One of the biggest reasons for the upset was sophomore two-way star Travis Hunter. Hunter played nearly every snap for the Buffaloes and made an impact on both sides of the ball. The biggest question for his future is if he can keep up the double duty or if he will focus on defense. I will be at this game and am excited to watch him live. This team’s success rides heavily on the shoulders of #12 for CU.
Shedeur Sanders #2, QB 2024 (6’2, 215)
Shedeur Sanders is the next player to know in this game. Sanders, like most of the Buffs players, had an exceptional game on Saturday. He threw the ball 47 times and completed nearly 81% of his passes. The Buffs will likely continue to struggle to run the ball, so I expect to see Sheduer throwing early and often.
Dylan Edwards #3, RB 2026 (5’9, 170)
The final player to note for CU is freshman running back Dylan Edwards. He had a rather pedestrian performance rushing the ball with only 24 yards on 6 carries, but Edwards was dynamic catching passes out of the backfield. He led the entire team in yards receiving last week with 135 on 5 catches, 3 of which were for touchdowns. I expect to see him come back to earth a bit but still be utilized out of the backfield regularly.
UNLV @ #2 Michigan
Saturday, 9/9 | 3:30 PM ET, CBS
#2 Michigan
Blake Corum #2, RB 2024 (5’8, 213)
The players of note in this game once again all reside on the Michigan sideline. Blake Corum surprised some people when he announced that he would return to Ann Arbor for the 2023 season. As long as this game remains competitive, Corum should see a heavy workload. He looked good last week with 73 yards rushing and a score on 10 carries. He did split carries with Donovan Edwards, but Corum is clearly the main guy for the Wolverines.
JJ McCarthy #9, QB 2024 (6’3, 202)
Next, we have Michigan’s signal-caller, JJ McCarthy. He had an impressive opening week, completing 26 of his 30 pass attempts for 280 yards and 3 scores. This week, we will see much of the same against UNLV, as Michigan should handle them relatively easily. If he continues to play this way, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see McCarthy’s name in draft discussions all season.
#23 Texas A&M @ Miami
Saturday, 9/9 | 3:30 PM ET, ABC
#23 Texas A&M
Conner Weigman #15, QB 2025 (6’3, 215)
Texas A&M has a pair of sophomores that you should become familiar with. First is QB, Conner Weigman. He took over during the 2022 season and hasn’t looked back. Weigman started the 2023 season with a bang last week, throwing for 5 TDs against the New Mexico Lobos. This should prove to be a much better defense than what he saw last week, so I’ll be curious to see how he looks.
Evan Stewart #1, WR 2025 (6’0, 175)
The other player for the Aggies is wideout Evan Stewart. Stewart was a prized recruit in last year’s recruiting class and had a nice freshman season. He also started his second year with a promising performance, logging 8 catches for 115 yards and 2 scores. A&M has produced quite a few NFL receivers over the years, and Stewart looks to be the next on that list. I like what I’ve seen so far.
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 a lot of buzz after the 2021 season but really fell flat last year. This is the time for Van Dyke to prove that last year was a fluke if he’s ever going to regain the excitement he had after 2021. He has NFL size but certainly needs more than that to make it at the next level.
#20 Ole Miss @ #24 Tulane
Saturday, 9/9 | 3:30 PM ET, ABC
#20 Ole Miss
Quinshon Judkins #4, RB 2025 (5’11 220)
The first 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. Last week wasn’t exactly a massive game for Quinshon, but that’s only because Ole Miss demolished Mercer by a score of 73-7. 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.
Michael Trigg #81, TE 2024 (6’3, 240)
Michael Trigg is the other player to watch. He is coming off a disappointing 2022 that saw his season cut short with an injury. Before that, Trigg entered the season with a lot of hype surrounding him. He has a chance to compete for the TE2 position in this class. I’ll be watching him closely this season to see how he looks.
#11 Texas @ #3 Alabama
Saturday, 9/9 | 7:00 PM ET, ESPN
#11 Texas
Quinn Ewers #3, QB 2024 (6’2, 195)
The Texas Longhorns may have lost Bijan Robinson to the NFL, but they still have several top players on their roster. The first on that list is quarterback Quinn Ewers. He performed relatively well last week but faces his toughest challenge as the Longhorns travel to Tuscaloosa to play the Crimson Tide. Ewers will need to bring his A-game if they have a chance to pull off the upset.
Xavier Worthy #1, WR 2024 (6’1, 172)
One of the top weapons for Texas is junior WR Xavier Worthy. Worthy had a nice week against Rice, catching 7 passes for 90 yards. At only 172 pounds, Worthy is a slender receiver. However, he has dynamic speed and elusiveness and has shown the ability to produce despite his size. Worthy is vying for the WR2 spot in my rankings with Ohio State’s Emeka Egbuka.
Ja’Tavion Sanders #0, TE 2024 (6’4, 243)
The final player to note for Texas is tight end Ja’Tavion Sanders. He had a big season last year, tallying 54 catches for 613 yards and 5 scores. Sanders projects as a potential difference maker for the Longhorns and at the next level. The TE1 position in the 2024 class belongs to Georgia’s Brock Bowers, but Sanders is firmly in the second spot in my rankings. I expect to see him heavily used in this offense.
#3 Alabama
Jase McClellan #2, RB 2024 (5’11, 212)
This is an interesting season for Alabama. For one of the first times in recent memory, Alabama does not have many relevant skill position players. There are a few that should be showing up on this list in time, but for now, the player to focus on is Jase McClellan. I expect to once again see him lead the backfield in touches. McClellan is hoping to be the next RB in line for Alabama to run behind a strong offensive line and run up draft boards. I’m not sure how good he is compared to some of Alabama’s backs of the last few years, but he should have the opportunity to try.
#19 Wisconsin @ Washington State
Saturday, 9/9 | 7:30 PM ET, ABC
#19 Wisconsin
Braelon Allen #0, RB 2024 (6’2, 245)
This game has two players that I’ll be watching closely. Braelon Allen is my RB2 in this year’s class. The perception of Allen has soured over the last year, but I still am a firm believer in his talent. All he has done is put up back-to-back 1,200+ yard rushing seasons in his first two years in college. I expect to see Allen have a lot of success this week against the Cougars.
Washington State
Cameron Ward #1, QB 2024 (6’2, 223)
On the other side of the ball, I will be watching quarterback Cameron Ward. Ward put up some big numbers last week against Colorado State. He completed over 75% of his passes for 451 yards and 3 touchdowns. Ward also added 40 yards rushing and another score. Some of the shine has been worn off of Ward’s NFL future, but he’s still worth monitoring.
Stanford @ #6 USC
Saturday, 9/9 | 10:30 PM ET, FOX
#6 USC
Caleb Williams #13, QB 2024 (6’1, 215)
For the late-night crowd, there are a few players that should be fun to watch. First off is the probable first-overall pick in the upcoming NFL draft, Caleb Williams. All the reigning Heisman trophy winner has done this year is throw for nearly 600 yards with 9 TDs and 0 interceptions, including this spectacular throw. I plan to sit back, relax, and watch the best quarterback in the country.
Zachariah Branch #1, WR 2026 (5’10, 175)
There are a few other players that are of note for USC, but the one I’ll highlight here is freshman phenom Zachariah Branch. He is electric with the ball in his hands and has shown why he was such a highly coveted recruit. We still have a few years before Branch becomes an NFL prospect, but remember his name.
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!
