Scout's Eye - College Football Week Three Prospect Preview
Game of the Week |
Saturday, September 19, 2026 - Oxford, Miss. 7:30 ET / 4:30 PT |
LSU Watch List: |
QB Sam Leavitt (SNS No. 5 ranked QB; No. 30 Big Board 100) |
TE Trey'Dez Green (SNS No. 1 ranked TE; No. 10 Big Board 100) |
OT Jordan Seaton (SNS No. 11 ranked OT; No. 76 Big Board 100) |
EDGE Princewill Umanmielen (SNS No. 6 ranked EDGE; No. 58 Big Board 100) |
LB Whit Weeks |
Three conference games matching ranked teams are the most important contests on the college football schedule for week three and no game will be more intense and emotional than the return of Lane Kiffin to the school he spurned last November for the money and the resources that LSU offers. Kiffin brings an absolutely loaded team into Oxford for Saturday night's contest. LSU's roster is stacked with top tier prospects for next spring's draft and none is more important for the Tigers' long-term success than Leavitt (6'2" / 216 lbs), whose first half performance last Saturday against Louisiana Tech left a lot to be desired - three first half picks thrown including a horrible pick-six returned 100 yds for a score by safety Jordan McRae in LSU's 45-14 victory over the Bulldogs. Leavitt is a great athlete with superb mobility but his accuracy has been MIA so far this season - 41/66 (62.1%) / 574 yds / 2 TD / 4 INT through the first two games of the season. Case in point, on that INT returned for a score, Leavitt missed a wide open WR on an easy slant throw, a play any QB in the NFL MUST complete. Leavitt needs to improve on the road in a raucous environment Saturday night in Oxford. Leavitt has a unique mismatch piece in Green (6'7" / 237 lbs) that he needs to exploit like he did in the second half against LTU when Green finished with 6 rec / 104 yds / 17.3 avg / 1 TD in Death Valley on Saturday. Green's combination of size, massive catch radius, speed, and power after the catch will pressure the Rebel pass defense that was somewhat exposed in the season-opening win over Louisville. If Ole Miss does not tighten up their coverage, Green could be in for a big night on Saturday. When the SNS positional rankings and Big Board 100 are next updated, the biggest riser could be LSU's OLT, Seaton (6'5" / 311 lbs). Perhaps the most athletic OL in the nation, Seaton, a transfer from Colorado, sometimes seemed disinterested last season in Boulder but has elevated his performance so far this season, putting up a nearly impassable barrier through the first two games and looking like a potential top ten selection next spring. Seaton's combination of length and lateral agility make him a potential ten year starting blindside protector in the NFL. Umanmielen (6'4" / 256 lbs) followed coach Kiffin from Oxford to Baton Rouge this season and has been on fire through the first two weeks, already recording 5 sacks and 6.5 TFL this season, including notching 2 sacks and 2.5 TFL against Clemson. Umanmielen has added about ten pounds of muscle and looks both more powerful and also quicker than he did last year. Umanmielen needs to be neutralized by the Rebels on Saturday or it could be a very long night for the home team. What a difference a season has made for Weeks (6'3" / 226 lbs), whose agility, quickness, instincts, and range have been on display for the Tigers. Weeks battled injuries all last season, which led directly to his drop in performance, but with his health back, he has returned to the dynamic, difference making force at the second level. Weeks has 13 tackles and 1.5 TFL so far in the 2026 season. |
Ole Miss Watch List: |
QB Trinidad Chambliss |
RB Kewan Lacy (SNS No. 1 ranked RB; No. 21 Big Board 100) |
WR Deuce Alexander |
IDL Will Echoles (SNS No. 1 ranked IDL; No. 6 Big Board 100) |
LB Suntarine Perkins (SNS No. 2 ranked LB; No. 28 Big Board 100) |
The Ole Miss faithful are sure to greet LSU and coach Lane Kiffin vociferously on Saturday night as their hatred is likely to boil over. But the Rebels have a team that is more than talented enough to return to the playoffs this December. If Ole Miss is to protect their home turf Saturday night, Chambliss' performance may be a determining factor. Chambliss (6'0" / 205 lbs) appears to have taken the next step in terms of field vision and throwing with NFL-caliber timing, touch, ball placement, and anticipation. Chambliss' stats are solid (44/62 (71%) / 561 yds / 5TD / 1 INT) and his pocket presence and leadership skill is reminiscent of a young Russell Wilson. Chambliss currently holds a mid-round draft grade but he is clearly moving up and may pull an eventual top 100 grade in what promises to be a deep and talented QB class next year. The Rebels biggest concern entering Saturday is the health of Lacy (5'11" / 205 lbs), who left the Louisville victory two weeks ago with a thigh bruise and did not return, but played against Charlotte last Saturday. Lacy has 30 carries / 148 yds / 4.9 avg / 3 TD so far this season and needs to provide a ground threat to keep the Tigers' defense honest. Arguably the best Ole Miss player on the field against Louisville was Alexander (6'0" / 180 lbs), who recorded 5 rec / 159 yd / 31.8 avg / 2 TD, and gives Chambliss a true difference-making outside WR to threaten the LSU secondary. LSU has an immensely talented, but relatively inexperienced, secondary and Alexander's blend of agility, route running, and deep speed give Ole Miss their best vertical weapon Saturday night. Echoles (6'3" / 315 lbs) is off to a relatively slow start to the season and will be needed to exert control of the LOS against the Tigers. Echoles has a rare combination of size, power, agility, and athleticism that is difficult to find and even harder to contain. If he dominates on Saturday, Echoles could be well on his way to being a top ten selection next spring. How Perkins (6'1" / 220 lbs) is deployed will be a fascinating subplot to watch unfold. Listed as the "Buck," a hybrid LB-EDGE position that utilizes both his athleticism in space and pass rushing ability off the EDGE, and he must be accounted for in LSU's offensive game plan. Perkins has a great athletic profile for spying the QB and it will be interesting to see if coach Pete Golding decides to use him as Leavitt's shadow Saturday night. |
Other Games to Monitor: |
#22 Houston @ #13 Texas Tech |
Friday, September 18, 2026 - Lubbock, Tx. 8:00 pm ET / 5 pm PT |
Houston Watch List: |
QB Conner Weigman |
IOL Shadre Hurst |
CB Jalen Mayo (SNS No. 8 ranked CB; No. 79 Big Board 100) |
The Big 12 presents a rare Friday tilt between ranked opponents when the Cougars travel to Lubbock to play the defending Big 12 champion Red Raiders. Weigman (6'3" / 215 lbs) is a highly experienced QB in his sixth-year of college football who has battled knee injuries and inconsistencies throughout his time at Texas A&M and Houston but has flashed as a big-time producer, especially last year when he completed 65.2% of his passes for 2,705 yds, 25 TD, and 9 INTs for the Cougars. Weigman has good mobility (he rushed for 700 yds last season), good arm strength, and is a calm and mature QB in the pocket. Hurst (6'2" / 304 lbs), a transfer from Tulane, is an experienced, reliable, and durable guard who does not wow with his athleticism or measurements but impresses by his consistency and well-rounded game. Hurst will be tasked, at least part of the time, with trying to neutralize the Red Raiders' IDL AJ Holmes, a talented and highly rated interior force - SNS no. 4 ranked IDL; no. 52 Big Board 100. Hurst v Holmes is an interesting battle of NFL hopefuls. The highest-ranked prospect on the Cougars is first-year transfer from Stephen F. Austin, CB Mayo (6'2" / 190 lbs), a tall, long-limbed, smooth moving cover corner with starting potential in the NFL. Mayo's length, quickness, and ball skills (4 INTs and 10 passes defensed last season) will allow him to shoot up draft boards this fall. He will need to be on his game to give the Cougars a chance Friday night in Lubbock. |
Texas Tech Watch List: |
RB Cameron Dickey (SNS No. 7 RB; No. 90 Big Board 100) |
LB Ben Roberts (SNS No. 3 LB; No. 48 Big Board 100) |
CB Brice Pollock (SNS No. 7 CB; No. 64 Big Board 100) |
The Red Raiders enter the Big 12 opener as one of the preseason favorites to win the conference title and a primary reason why is the productive ground game headed by the talented RB duo of J'Koby Williams and Dickey (5'10" / 215 lbs). Dickey has yet to get on-track this season with only 24 carries / 69 yds / 2.9 avg / 1 TD but as he has displayed during his first two seasons in Lubbock that he is a well-built, powerful RB with great leg drive and superb contact balance to move the chains between the tackles while maintaining the speed and burst desired in a lead RB. The Cougars are likely to focus much of their defensive game plan on slowing down the Red Raiders' rushing attack and limiting Dickey's effectiveness is part of that formula. MLB Roberts (6'3" / 245 lbs) is an impactful LB with the instincts and read and react skills desired in an NFL LB with a great combination of size, length, speed, and range needed at LB in the NFL. Roberts has 4 INTs and 3 FF over the last two seasons combined. Pollock (6'0" / 195 lbs) is a tall and long CB with the quickness, agility, and closing burst desired for an outside CB in the NFL. Pollock is coming off a solid performance against Oregon State, recording 3 passes defensed and providing blanket coverage throughout the game. Pollock has 6 INTs and 17 passes defensed over the previous two seasons in Lubbock and is quickly climbing up draft boards. Look for Pollock to make a key play or two Friday night. |
Saturday, September 19, 2026 - Louisville, Ky. 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT |
SMU Watch List: |
QB Kevin Jennings |
RB Kendrick Raphael |
OT PJ Williams |
SMU is coming off a 56-10 throttling of FCS school UC-Davis where Jennings (6'0" / 195 lbs) toyed with the over-matched Mustangs defense for one half, going 14/16 (87.5%) / 337 yds / 5 TD / 0 INT. The challenge gets significantly steeper Saturday afternoon when SMU travels to Louisville for an important ACC game. Jennings displayed against Florida State on Labor Day, both his good side - great athleticism, a powerful arm, and quality accuracy and his bad side - poor decision-making and forcing the ball into precarious situations, when he threw 3 TD passes but also threw 2 costly INTs that kept FSU in the game. Jennings has to play to a higher standard against a talented defense led by All-American candidate, EDGE Clev Lubin. Raphael (5'11" / 201 lbs), a transfer from California where he rushed for 943 yds (4.1 avg) and 13 TDs in 2025, is a RB that many scouts are sleeping on but he is one of the best all-around RBs in the nation. In addition to his rushing totals last season, Raphael caught 34 passes / 245 yds / 1 TD in Berkeley last year. Raphael needs to provide a threat between the tackles to keep the Cardinals defense honest Saturday afternoon. The matchup that intrigues scouts the most is when Louisville EDGE Clev Lubin lines up across from SMU OLT Williams (6'5" / 306 lbs). Williams has the size, length, and lateral agility desired in a blindside protector. But Williams lacks some desired core and upper body strength and his hand fighting technique needs further development and Lubin is a powerful pass rusher and one of the best hand fighters amongst EDGEs in college football. Get your popcorn ready! This should be good! |
Louisville Watch List: |
QB Lincoln Kienholz |
RB Isaac Brown (SNS No. 4 ranked RB; No. 68 Big Board 100) |
EDGE Clev Lubin |
Through the first two games of the season, Kienholz (6'2" / 215 lbs) looks like the next QB find by coach Jeff Brohm while at Louisville, joining Tyler Shough (Saints), Jack Plummer, and Miller Moss as productive college QBs in the ACC. Kienholz is in his first year as a starter and he looks like a potential NFL starting QB with continued development. Kienholz is 34/50 (68%) / 639 yds / 4 TD through the air and 20 carries / 111 yds / 5.5 avg / 3 TDs on the ground so far this season. How the Mustangs attempt to contain Kienholz will be a fascinating subplot to watch unfold. Brown (5'9" / 190 lbs) has been off to a slow start to the season as the coaching staff tries to preserve Brown's availability later in the season. Brown only carried the ball 101 times last season so the coaching staff has placed a "pitch count" on Brown to preserve his availability for later in the year. So far in 2026, Brown has recorded 29 carries / 97 yds / 3.3 avg / 0 TD and 3 rec / 32 yds / 10.7 avg / 0 TD and has failed to break off any long runs or display his explosiveness through the first two games of the season. The Cardinals need Brown to show off his speed and game breaking ability Saturday afternoon to keep up with the dynamic Mustangs offensive attack. A prospect shooting up draft boards early this season is Lubin (6'3" / 260 lbs), who showed out on September 6th against Ole Miss when he seemed to live in the offensive backfield against both the pass and the run when he recorded 5 tackles / 2 QB pressures / 2 FF against the Rebels. Lubin is a power rusher with violent and explosive hands and will be a handful for the Mustangs to handle on the edge. Specifically, when Lubin is lined up across from SMU OLT PJ Williams, every scout will be taking notes on the results of those one-on-one battles. |
Comments