Scout's Eye -2025 College Football Week Two Preview
- John B. Everett
- Sep 4
- 7 min read
Updated: Sep 5
Week one provided four days of intriguing and competitive college football games and week two pales in comparison but that is not to say that there are not some interesting games scheduled for this weekend. The headliner is Michigan paying a visit to Norman, Oklahoma to play the Sooners. This UM-OU game features several high-level NFL prospects that will soon star on Sundays. Other notable games this week include an interstate blood rivalry and a game between two Texas powers with potential NFL starting QBs at the helm.
Game of the Week
(15) Michigan at (18) Oklahoma
Saturday, September 6. 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
Michigan Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· RB Justice Haynes
· WR Donoven McCulley
· EDGE Derrick Moore
· IDL Rayshaun Benny
· LB Ernest Hausmann
Oklahoma Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· QB John Mateer
· WR Deion Burks
· EDGE Marvin Jones
· IDL Gracen Halton
· LB Kip Lewis
Michigan fans are abuzz after the debut of phenom QB Bryce Underwood, the number one recruit in the 2024 high school class, who smashed New Mexico for 251 yards passing (67.7% completion), one TD, and no INTs in the Wolverines’34-17 victory over the Lobos last Saturday night. The Michigan run game, led by Alabama transfer Justice Haynes, was outstanding as the team rushed for 201 yards, led by Haynes with 159 yards (9.9 YPC), and three TDs against the Lobos overwhelmed run defense. Haynes (5’11” / 210 lbs), a former five-star recruit, displayed his home run threat speed on a 56-yard TD run, and his burst and vision are NFL-caliber. The Sooners will certainly focus on limiting Haynes’ run lanes in Saturday’s top 20 match-up as they try to make the Wolverines a one-dimensional team next weekend. As much as Michigan’s struggles last season could be attributed to poor QB play, the inability of Michigan’s WRs to consistently get open was a contributing factor to the offense’s ineffectiveness last year. WR Donaven McCulley, a transfer from Indiana, left the IU football program last October and entered the transfer portal, and he gives Underwood a big and experienced outside WR to lean on. McCulley (6’5” / 215 lbs) was IU’s best offensive weapon in 2023 when he caught 48 passes for 644 yards (13.4 YPR) and 6 TDs and has the size advantage on any DB he faces in coverage. If Michigan is to beat Oklahoma in Norman, McCulley will need to produce like he did two years ago. EDGE Derrick Moore enters his second year as a starter and fourth year as a significant contributor on the Wolverines defense with eleven sacks recorded over the previous three seasons. Moore (6’3” / 260 lbs) is a well-rounded EDGE who contains the outside run well and can harass the QB with a quality speed rush. Moore and fellow EDGE TJ Guy makes up one of the best EDGE combinations in college football. IDL Rayshaun Benny has waited his turn and now is a starter after backing up 2025 first round draft picks Mason Graham (Browns) and Kenneth Grant (Dolphins) for the last three seasons. Benny (6’4” / 305 lbs) has the size and length to line up anywhere along the defensive line and his pro position could be as a 5T (3-4 DE) because of his significant wingspan. Benny could be a Top 100 pick next April with a good season as a starter in Ann Arbor. Michigan may have the best pair of LBs in college football with Jaishawn Barham and Ernest Hausmann, but will be without Barham for the first half on Saturday after being ejected in the second half of the New Mexico game for targeting. Hausmann (6’2” / 235 lbs) is entering his fourth year as a starter (one at Nebraska and the last three in Ann Arbor) and is a quality run stopper with the athleticism to stick with TEs and RBs in coverage. Hausmann flows through trash well and has the speed and range to go sideline-to-sideline. Hausmann will need to be on his game when Oklahoma QB John Mateer, a dangerous running threat, is on the field.
Oklahoma coach Brent Venables enters the 2025 season on the hot seat after finishing the 2024 season with a 6-7 record. The Sooners 2025 schedule may be the toughest in the nation and it starts in earnest this Saturday night in Norman. Former 5-star QB Jackson Arnold (transferred to Auburn) is being replaced this year with Washington State QB John Mateer, a dangerous dual threat signal caller who threw for 3,139 yards and 27 TD passes and ran for 826 yards and 15 rushing TDs last season in Pullman. Mateer teased his immense talent last Saturday against Illinois State (FCS) in the Sooners 35-3 victory when Mateer completed 30 of 37 passes (81.1%) for 392 yards, three TDs, one INT, and rushed for 24 yards and another TD. We will get a better impression of Mateer’s NFL future after he faces Michigan DC Wink Martindale and the vaunted Wolverines defense. Deion Burks, a former star WR at Purdue, enters his second season as the starting slot WR for the Sooners and is hoping for a healthy season after missing most of last year with injuries. Burks is quick and sudden and separates well from man coverage with the speed to go all the way on any touch. If Burks plays like he did against Illinois State – 7 receptions / 88 yards (12.6 YPR) / 1 TD – Michigan’s young secondary could be in for a long day. EDGE Marvin Jones Jr. transfers to Oklahoma from Florida State (after starting his career at Georgia), still hoping to tap into his immense talent as a 5-star recruit and son of eleven-year NFL vet Marvin, Sr. Jones spent his first season as a starter at Florida State flashing moments of domination but mostly struggled shedding blocks and becoming a factor as a pass rusher finishing with four sacks and one forced fumble last season. Jones teams with fellow EDGE R. Mason Thomas to form an intriguing pair of speed rushers off the edge. IDL Gracen Halton is the highest rated draft-eligible Sooner playing against Michigan this weekend and will be the focus of Michigan’s offensive line game planning. Halton (6’2” / 292 lbs) is exceedingly quick with a great first step that stresses the IOL who are tasked with stopping him. Halton finished the 2024 season with five sacks, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery in his first season as a starter. If Michigan is to win on the road, they will need to neutralize Halton. Entering his third year starting at LB, Kip Lewis is a reliable off the ball LB who has great range and athleticism and fills gaps in the run game well. Lewis could be used to neutralize Michigan TE Marlin Klein, Underwood’s favorite target last Saturday who finished with 6 receptions / 93 yards / 1 TD against New Mexico.
Other Noteworthy Games
Iowa at (16) Iowa State
Saturday, September 6. 12 pm ET / 9 am PT
One of the best rivalries in college football, Iowa and Iowa State meet for the 72nd time on Saturday in Ames. The Hawkeyes have been known for their defense for the last decade but this year they might finally have an offense that can carry its own weight. Iowa QB Mark Gronowski is one of the winningest college QBs of the last decade leading South Dakota State to three consecutive FCS national championship games (2022-2024) including winning the title in 2022 and 2023. Gronowski (6’2” / 235 lbs) has the physical tools to succeed at the FBS-level, like he did at the FCS-level. Saturday afternoon he gets to prove it against one of the best teams in the Big 12. Safety Xavier Nwankpa thought about entering last April’s draft but decided to return to provide the Iowa secondary with veteran leadership. Nwankpa (6’2” / 213 lbs) has an NFL body and a tough, physical style that is best used in the box like an extra LB. Iowa State is already 1-0 in the Big 12 after the season-opening win in Ireland over Kansas State and now gets to host their rivals on national TV. ORT Tyler Miller struggled against K-State and needs a bounce back game against the Hawkeyes to get back on draft radars. Miller (6’9” / 335 lbs) struggles handling speed and power due to carrying too much weight and his tendency to bend at the waist. Iowa will test Miller’s athleticism regularly on Saturday afternoon. IDL Domonique Orange is a massive man with tremendous strength who collapses inside run lanes effectively. However, Orange (6’4” / 325 lbs) needs to become a more complete pass rusher as he is overly reliant on his bull rush to generate pressure. Iowa center Logan Jones is one of the best pivots in college football. His one-on-one match-ups with Orange will be appointment viewing Saturday afternoon.
Baylor at (17) SMU
Saturday, September 6. 12 pm ET / 9 am PT
After losing their season opener to Auburn, Baylor travels to Dallas to face the Mustangs in a Southwest Conference rematch that your grandfather grew up watching. This game features two very talented QBs with NFL aspirations. Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson had a field day against Auburn, completing 27/48 passes (56%) for 419 yards, 3 TDs, and 0 INTs in Baylor’s 38-24 loss last Friday. Robertson (6’4” / 220 lbs) looks the part of an NFL QB with the build, arm, and pocket presence desired at the next level. LB Keaton Thomas, a transfer from West Virginia, is a tackling machine who helps secure the inside run lanes for the Bears defense. Thomas (6’2” / 229 lbs) is an old school inside LB who scrapes and fills against the run effectively. Thomas will be key in slowing down the SMU attack led by QB Kevin Jennings. Jennings (6’0” / 192 lbs) led the Mustangs to the ACC Championship game and the college football playoff last season while throwing for 3,245 yards passing (65% completion) with 23 TDs and 11 INTs. Jennings needs to cut down on turnovers, especially against better competition, but he is a leader that the team responds well to. SMU safety Isaiah Nwokobia is a versatile safety who hits like a LB but displays coverage skills of a CB. Nwokobia (6’1” / 205 lbs) is coming off a fantastic junior season where he finished with 100 tackles, 3.5 TFL, three INTs, and three passes defensed last season.
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