Scout's Eye - 2025 College Football Week Three Preview
- John B. Everett
- Sep 11
- 7 min read
As we enter mid-September, major conference games start to dominate the schedule with a pair of SEC games matching up playoff contenders leading the national slate of premium games scheduled for this weekend – Georgia at Tennessee and LSU at Florida. And on Saturday night, the Texas A&M Aggies travel to South Bend to seek revenge for last season’s loss to the Irish.
Game of the Week
(6) Georgia at (15) Tennessee
Saturday, September 13. 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT
Georgia Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· QB Gunner Stockton
· WR Zachariah Branch
· WR Dillon Bell
· LB CJ Allen
· CB Daylen Everette
Tennessee Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· QB Joey Aguilar
· WR Chris Brazzell
· EDGE Dominic Bailey
· IDL Bryson Eason
· LB Arion Carter
Georgia, the most dominate team in the SEC over the last decade, is in a rare vulnerable position as SEC kingpin as league play begins for the defending champs. Gunner Stockton takes over as the signal caller for the departed Carson Beck who left for Miami. Stockton is not the NFL prospect that his predecessor is and that is perhaps the biggest question mark on the Bulldogs. The redshirt junior has adequate size (6’1” / 215 lbs) and displays natural leadership skills that his teammates respect. Stockton is a heady athlete coming off a strong start to the season. In the first two games of the season, Stockton has completed 40/58 passing (69%) for 417 yards, 2 TDs, 0 INTs, and another 86 yards rushing (5.7 YPC) and 2 TDs. He will need to have a similar level of performance on Saturday. WR Zachariah Branch was Georgia’s biggest portal acquisition and they hope they are beginning to tap into his immense potential that he never seemed to reach at USC. Branch (5’10” / 180 lbs) is an electrifying talent with the quickness and cutting ability to makes defenders look foolish. So far this season, Branch has caught 6 passes / 112 yards / 1 TD and will be expected to continue that level of performance against the Volunteers who are missing both starting CBs for Saturday’s game (more on that below). The coaching staff has to hope that Branch loosens up defenses so that fellow WR Dillon Bell can have some room to operate. It would help if Georgia employs Bell (6’1” / 210 lbs) as the downfield threat he can be as a Deebo Samuel-type power forward WR. This season, Bell has only caught 3 passes for -2 yards receiving and carried the ball once for a six-yard loss. Bell’s size is a difficult match-up for starters to handle man on man downfield, let alone the back-ups they face in Knoxville on Saturday. It’ll be interesting to see how Bell is deployed. LB CJ Allen may be the next great Bulldog defender to surprise NFL fans. Allen (6’1” / 235 lbs) runs well and can deliver a big hit. The junior has filled-in primarily as a role player with mainly coverage responsibilities the last two years in Athens but now will be expected to pressure the QB and create more havoc. He had a good start on that this year - he has recorded eleven tackles, one sack, and one TFL through two games this fall. CB Daylen Everette is entering his third year as a starter in Athens and has steadily improved to the point where he is a candidate to be a first-round pick next April. Everette (6’1” / 190 lbs) has the size and wingspan desired at outside CB and has improved in playing the ball in the air after recording his first two career interceptions last season. Everette gives the Bulldogs a potential shut down CB to deploy against the Volunteers’ dangerous passing attack.
The Volunteers have started the season 2-0 after dealing with the Nico Iamaleava drama in the off season. After the Vols cut ties with Iamaleava, the team brought in former Appalachian State starting QB Joey Aguilar and the offense has not skipped a beat, scoring 117 points through the first two games of the season. Aguilar (6’3” / 225 lbs), a former UCLA enrollee, has completed 39/59 passes (66.1%) for 535 yards, 5 TDs, and 0 INTs combined against Syracuse and East Tennessee State (FCS) so far this season. Aguilar is far advanced in terms of field vision and decision-making in comparison to Iamaleava and being the starter at App State gives the Vols an experienced QB needed to attack the aggressive Georgia defense. WR Chris Brazzell is finally getting comfortable in the Volunteers’ offense, two years after transferring from Tulane. Brazzell (6’5” / 200 lbs) has a size advantage on every CB he faces and has finally started to reach his potential. So far in 2025, Brazzell has 14 receptions for 187 yards (13.4 YPR) and 2 TDs, both of which were scored last week against ETSU. EDGE Dominic Bailey has yet to fully tap into his size and natural power (6’3” / 292 lbs) and his ability to be a disruptive force will be key for Tennessee’s defense on Saturday. The Volunteers will be without starting CBs Rickey Gibson and Jermod McCoy against the Bulldogs and Georgia has a deep and talented WR corps. So Bailey, and the defensive front, need to generate pressure on Stockton to take pressure off the inexperienced Volunteer CB room. IDL Bryson Eason also needs an impactful game this weekend. Eason (6’3” / 315 lbs) was part of a deep and talented DT rotation last year but more will be expected out of him this season as he is taking on an expanded role. Eason has produced five tackles so far this season and he will need to collapse the inside running lanes to slow down the Bulldog rushing attack and make Georgia a one-dimensional passing team Saturday afternoon. LB Arion Carter is an ascending talent with a good combination of size (6’1” / 235 lbs), speed, and agility. Carter has recorded 13 tackles, one sack, and one forced fumble in the first two games of the year and will need to be at his best as a blitzer and in coverage of Georgia’s talented TE duo – Oscar Delp and Lawson Luckie.
Other Noteworthy Games
(16) Texas A&M at (8) Notre Dame
Saturday, September 13. 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
The Aggies are seeking revenge for last year’s season opening loss at home and travel to South Bend for the rematch against the Irish. The Aggies should have an advantage up front with SNS’ #1 ranked preseason IOL, guard Ar’maj Reed-Adams leading the way. Reed-Adams (6’5” / 325 lbs) is a force in the run game with the lateral agility and the wingspan to shut down the inside rush. Reed-Adams anchors extremely well and is difficult to bull rush. Don’t be surprised if the Aggies run up the middle well all night on Saturday. EDGE Cashius Howell will be the focus of ND’s offensive game planning since he recorded three sacks against Utah State last week. Howell (6’2” / 248 lbs) is an ascending talent who has the agility and burst desired off the edge. ND’s tackles struggled containing the Hurricanes’ pass rush and the Aggies are hoping Howell can do similar damage on Saturday. The Hurricanes shut down RB Jeremiyah Love and the Irish line was overwhelmed by Miami’s defensive front, but the Irish may have found their next great TE. After recording only 11 catches last season, Eli Raridon exploited the middle of the Miami defense for 5 catches / 97 yards. Raridon (6’7” / 252 lbs) offers a huge target over the middle for redshirt freshman QB CJ Carr. Raridon is a powerful runner after the catch who needs to improve his concentration and become a more consistent receiver but looks like an NFL TE. Although most analysts rave about true sophomore CB Leonard Moore, fellow CB, junior Christian Gray is also an NFL prospect. Gray (6’0” / 190 lbs) has the size and length desired at outside CB and displays the ball skills and short area reaction skills to excel in either man or zone coverage. How the Irish’s CBs handle Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion is a fascinating subplot to follow.
Florida at (3) LSU
Saturday, September 13. 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
The Gators are reeling after last Saturday’s stunning last second loss to in-state rival South Florida. Now they get to travel to Death Valley and play the third-ranked Tigers under the lights. Coach Billy Napier’s seat is getting scorching hot and he will need a heroic effort from his young offensive stars to keep up with LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier. WR Eugene Wilson is lightning quick and extremely difficult to cover in space. Wilson (5’10” / 194 lbs) has the burst and lateral agility like a RB and the Gators use him in a similar vein. Through two games, Wilson has 12 receptions for 56 yards (4.7 YPR) and two TDs. The Gators needs a big game from Wilson on Saturday night. EDGE Tyreak Sapp needs to pressure Nussmeier and he has an NFL skill set to try to accomplish that task. Sapp (6’2” / 274 lbs) is a powerful DE who can push the pocket and contain the outside run. Sapp’s performance is worth monitoring. QB Garrett Nussmeier is making a push for the number one pick next April. The concern about Nussmeier entering the season was his failure to elevate his or his team’s performance against better competition or in crunch time. And although that issue is still not fully addressed, Nussmeier’s performance in the second half on the road against Clemson is proof of progress. The Gators serve as another test for the LSU senior. EDGE Patrick Payton is hoping for a rebound year in Baton Rouge after the train wreck that was the 2024 Florida State Seminoles. Payton burst on the scene as a freshman but sputtered to a bewildering season last year where he recorded only four sacks and eleven TFL. But Payton teases elite talent with the wingspan, agility, and natural power to become a run stopping and pass rushing force in the NFL. Payton needs to play with more consistency and flash less as he tries to improve his NFL resume.
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