Scout's Eye - College Football Week Nine Preview

Garrett Nussmeier / QB / LSU

Last Saturday, five previously undefeated teams dropped their first game of the season – Miami, Fl, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Memphis, and UNLV – leaving six teams with still unblemished records – Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M, Georgia Tech, BYU, and Navy at just over the halfway point of the season. Three marquee games with playoff and conference championship implications featuring NFL-caliber talent spotlight this week’s action including WRs Kevin Coleman (Missouri), KC Concepcion and Mario Craver (Texas A&M), TEs Eli Stowers (Vanderbilt) and Brett Norfleet (Missouri), OTs Cayden Green (Missouri), Bryce Henderson (Vanderbilt), and Trey Zuhn (Texas A&M), IOL Ar’maj Reed-Adams (Texas A&M), EDGEs Zion Young (Missouri) and Khordae Sydnor (Vanderbilt), IDL Domonique Orange (Iowa State), LB Jack Kelly (BYU), and CBs Drey Norwood, Toriano Pride, and Daylan Carnell (Missouri).

Game of the Week

(15) Missouri at (10) Vanderbilt

Saturday, October 25.  3:30 ET / 12:30 pm PT

Missouri Prospects to Keep an Eye On:

·       QB Beau Pribula

·       WR Kevin Coleman

·       OT Cayden Green  

·       EDGE Zion Young

·       CB Daylan Carnell

 

Vanderbilt Prospects to Keep an Eye On:

·       QB Diego Pavia

·       TE Eli Stowers

·       OT Bryce Henderson

·       EDGE Khordae Sydnor

·       IDL Zaylin Woods

So, who saw this coming? As we enter the last weekend of October, the winner of Saturday afternoon’s game between Missouri and Vanderbilt in Nashville has an inside track on earning a berth in the SEC Championship game in December. Missouri QB Beau Pribula transferred to Columbia for exact moments such as this game, leaving Penn State for a chance to become a starting SEC QB on a playoff contender. Pribula has completed 70% of his passes on the season for 1,617 yards, 11 TDs, and 7 INTs through the air and has added 210 yards (3.1 YPC) and 5 TDs on the ground. Pribula is a dynamic running threat but is still developing as a passer. In his first SEC road game at Auburn last Saturday, Pribula struggled completing only 57% of his passes for 252 yards, 1 TD (rushing), and 2 INTs against a quality Auburn defense. Missouri needs Pribula to make better decisions with the ball against Vandy or it will a long day for the Tigers. WR Kevin Coleman is Missouri’s best receiving threat with explosive speed and playmaking ability that separates him from the rest of the Tigers’ receiving corps. Coleman is on pace to surpass last year’s numbers (74 receptions / 932 yds / 12.6 YPR / 6 TDs) as he has recorded 44 receptions for 449 yards (10.2 YPR) and 1 TD so far this season. After only recording one reception against Alabama two weeks ago, Coleman caught 4 passes for 61 yards against Auburn last Saturday night and Missouri needs a similar or better performance from Coleman on Saturday afternoon. OT Cayden Green returned from his meniscus injury to start against Alabama at OLT and was nearly back to his old self against Auburn. Green has fantastic size (6’5” / 324 lbs) and the movement skills desired on the outside of the line, but he lacks experience at OT after having been a starting guard in the 2023 and 2024 seasons. Missouri’s offensive line gave up three sacks against Auburn’s fierce pass rush and a repeat performance on Saturday in Nashville would likely lead to a Missouri loss. EDGE Zion Young is having the best season of his career, already recording 5 sacks, equaling his career total entering the season. Young has always been a reliable run stuffer who sets a strong edge and chases hard from the backside. Young produced 2 sacks against Auburn, a single game career high, and is quickly ascending draft boards. Young looks like a top 100 pick next April. Nickel CB Daylan Carnell is the rare slot CB with the size and length to handle TEs in coverage. The fifth-year senior has 5 career INTS, including two returned for TDs, and is solid in run support. Carnell may get consideration as a safety in the NFL as his skill set seems perfectly suited to that role as a pro.

Vanderbilt is in rarefied air, sitting at number 10 in the rankings, 6-1 overall and 2-1 in the SEC. Typically, when Vandy wins six games and qualifies for a bowl, it’s party time in Nashville. But not this year because the Commodores have so much more to play for including winning the SEC title and gaining a playoff berth – foreign concepts for the football team at Vanderbilt! The main reason for this golden age of Vandy football is not a mystery. QB Diego Pavia may be the most valuable player in college football this season, leading the Commodores to an impressive road victory over South Carolina and then handling LSU at home last weekend. Pavia has already accounted for over 2,000 yards of total offense (1,569 yards passing and 438 yards rushing) and 19 total TDs through seven games. Pavia plays like former Heisman Trophy winner Johnny Manziel and currently looks like the front runner for this year’s Heisman Trophy. Pavia is the most exciting player in college football even though he does not appear to be an NFL prospect since he lacks the NFL measureables and arm strength. Just don’t bet against him. The top NFL prospect on the Commodores is TE Eli Stowers, an athletic mismatch piece in the passing game who is too big for most safeties and too fast for most LBs to handle in man coverage. Stowers is not used as an in-line TE and offers little as a blocker. But Stowers is a weapon in the passing game and has recorded 28 receptions for 355 yards (12.7 YPR) and 2 TDs so far this season. Stowers looks like a solid fourth or fifth round pick next spring. OT Bryce Henderson will have his hands full trying to secure the perimeter against Missouri’s talented pass rushing duo of EDGEs Zion Young and Damon Wilson. Henderson, a transfer from South Dakota (FCS), has great size and a mammoth reach that he utilizes to frustrate opposing defenders. Henderson is high cut, does not bend well, and has difficulty handling speed off the edge. How he matches up with Missouri’s pass rush may tell the story of this game. EDGE Khordae Sydnor is a highly experienced 4-3 EDGE prospect with the size (6’4” / 266 lbs) and production (13 career sacks over his career at Purdue and Vanderbilt) to warrant NFL interest. Sydnor has already recorded 17 tackles (his career high is 22 tackles recorded in 2022) and 2.5 sacks on the season and sets a strong edge in the ground game. Sydnor looks like a late round pick for the 2026 NFL Draft. Sixth-year IDL Zaylin Wood is drastically undersized (6’0” / 280 lbs) but he is an explosive and sudden interior pass rusher who can get after the QB and has great pass rushing skill. Wood can be overwhelmed when ran at and will never be a regular starter in the NFL, but his interior quickness and burst makes him one of the best interior pass rushers in college football with 3 sacks so far this year and 14 sacks recorded over his career. Wood will likely have to earn an NFL job as an UDFA. But if you can pressure the QB like Wood can, NFL opportunities will come.

Other Noteworthy Games

(11) BYU at Iowa State

Saturday, October 25. 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT

BYU, the only undefeated team remaining from the Big 12 (7-0, 4-0), has been the most consistent team in the conference over the last two seasons and are poised to play for the conference title in December. But first, the Cougars need to navigate the rest of their schedule that starts with a road test in Ames, Iowa. BYU RB LJ Martin is quietly putting together an All-American season in Provo and he looks like a future contributor, if not starter, in the NFL. Martin (6’2” / 220 lbs) has already eclipsed last year’s rushing numbers with 774 yards (6.1 YPC) and 4 TDs. Martin is a power back with surprisingly light feet and vision desired in a feature back. He’s tough and always seems to fall forward. LB Jack Kelly is an old school, blue collar, inside the box LB who excels against the run. Kelly (6’2” / 242 lb) is smart, instinctive, and excels against the run. However, his lack of speed and overall stiffness limits his effectiveness in pass coverage. Kelly will need to excel on special teams to have an opportunity in the NFL. Iowa State has fallen on hard times the last two games, falling to Cincinnati and Colorado and find their Big 12 title hopes on life support. QB Rocco Becht is coming off a rough performance against Colorado where he only completed 54.5% of his passes and threw an INT in the loss. But Becht is the heart and soul of the Cyclones attack and how he responds against the Cougars will go a long way in determining the winner. Becht has had a solid, if unspectacular, junior season, completing 63.2% of his passes for 1,622 yards, 9 TDs, and 3 INTs through the air and 91 yards (1.7 YPC) and 7 TDs on the ground. He will need to be on his game for the Cyclones to pull off a huge win. IDL Domonique Orange is an elite run defender and he consistently requires double teams in the run game to neutralize him. However, Orange (6’4” / 325 lbs) offers little as a pass rusher with only 1 career sack (recorded last season) and has yet to record a TFL this year. Orange’s lack of pass rushing skill hurts his draft value but his run stuffing chops make him a valuable rotational piece at the next level. Orange needs to be on his game to limit the effectiveness of Martin and the BYU run game.

(3) Texas A&M at (20) LSU

Saturday, October 25. 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT

Texas A&M enters Death Valley with an undefeated record (7-0) and sit atop the SEC standings at 4-0 (tied with Alabama). But playing a night game at LSU is notoriously difficult and LSU is in desperation mode, already dropping a pair of conference games and cannot afford another loss if they hope to make the SEC Championship game or gain an at-large playoff berth. Texas A&M WR KC Concepcion has been an impact starter since his true freshman year at North Carolina State. Concepcion excels out of the slot where his quickness and agility make him incredibly difficult to handle in man coverage. Concepcion has recorded 33 receptions for 500 yards (15.2 YPR) and 6 TDs on the season. Concepcion is also a very dangerous punt returner having returned 12 punts for 177 yards (14.8 YPR) and 1 TD so far this season. EDGE Cashius Howell is one of the best pass rushers in the nation having already recorded 8.5 sacks and 9 TFLs so far this season. Howell has a tremendous first step and when he wins at the LOS, it is usually due to his great quick twitch. Howell also has a great closing burst and displays the ability to bend and flatten well, making him a promising pass rusher at the NFL level. Howell has 24 sacks over the last four seasons. LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier has not met the lofty expectations that were set prior to the season but he could sue his offensive line for lack of support since he is constantly under pressure from the opposing pass rush. Nussmeier has completed 66.4% of his passes for 1,638 yards, 11 TDs, and 5 INTs this season but has yet to elevate his team’s performance in any game besides Clemson. Nussmeier needs to play his best game of the year to give LSU a chance to upset the Aggies. CB Mansoor Delane, a transfer from Virginia Tech, is the next in line of great LSU CBs to play in the NFL. Delane (6’0” / 190 lbs) has desired NFL size and athleticism and is in his fourth year of being a major FBS contributor. Delane has 1 INT on the season and 7 career interceptions with 4 of those INTs coming last year as a Hokie. Delane has loose hips, light feet, and very good deep speed and profiles as a potential number one CB in the NFL. Delane has a solid first round grade at this point of the draft process and could be the first CB selected next April.

SNS

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Rocco Becht / QB / Iowa State