Scout's Eye - Week Four College Football Preview
- John B. Everett
- Sep 18
- 8 min read
As non-conference play ends for most college teams, conference games enter the spotlight in week four as three games in the Big Ten, Big 12, and SEC kick off races to their conference titles and an automatic berth in the 12-team playoff in December. There are several intriguing NFL prospects playing key roles on playoff contenders Illinois, Indiana, Texas Tech, Utah, Auburn, and Oklahoma and it is likely that a few names will rise to the top of draft speculation as the leaves begin to fall.
Game of the Week
(9) Illinois at (19) Indiana
Saturday, September 20. 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
Illinois Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· QB Luke Altmyer
· OT JC Davis
· EDGE-LB Gabe Jacas
· CB Torrie Cox
· CB Xavier Scott
Indiana Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· QB Fernando Mendoza
· WR Elijah Sarratt
· OT Carter Smith
· EDGE Mikhail Kamara
· CB DeAngelo Ponds
Illinois heads into Bloomington with a ton of buzz about their playoff potential. The Big Ten is likely to have three, possibly four, schools make the playoff field in November. With Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon likely earning at least two of those bids, Saturday’s game takes on huge implications. The Illini have outscored their three opponents (Western Illinois, Duke, and Western Michigan) 135-22 so far this season and has a veteran loaded roster with NFL-caliber talent at every position group on the team. QB Luke Altmyer is in his third year as the starter in Champaign and is firmly on NFL draft radars due to his upside and proven production. Altmyer (6’2” / 205 lbs) threw 22 TDs against only 6 INTs in 2024 and has already started off the 2025 season with 8 TDs, no INTs, and 709 yards passing (71.8%) through three games. Altmyer has an NFL arm and is a running threat with the ball but needs continued development in his field vision and reading of coverages. The Illini feature a balanced attack that can move the ball on the ground and through the air and that all starts up front. OT JC Davis briefly entered the 2024 NFL Draft before being convinced to return for another year and gives Illinois one of the best blindside pass protectors in the Big Ten. Davis (6’5” / 320 lbs) is in his second year as the starting OLT for the Illini and has enough athleticism and lateral agility to remain at OT but will likely slide inside to guard in the NFL, where he has starting potential. OLB Gabe Jacas is not only one of the best pass rushers in the Big Ten, he is one of the best in the nation. Jacas (6’3” / 275 lbs) has already produced 3.5 sacks and two forced fumbles on the season, after recording 12 sacks and four forced fumbles over the previous two seasons. Jacas is physical and surprisingly fluid and fast with rare ability to bend, flatten, and close on the QB like a much smaller player. If the Hoosiers do not neutralize Jacas, the Illini are likely to roll Saturday night. Although not the biggest pair of CBs in the nation, Illinois may have the best pair in Torrie Cox and Xavier Scott. Cox (5’9” / 170 lbs) typically lines up outside for Illinois but is likely going to be a slot corner in the NFL. Cox is very quick and competitive and has good ball skills with seven INTs recorded over the last three year. Scott (5’11” / 190 lbs) plays the slot but has the size and length to play outside or inside. That versatility should serve him well at the next level. Scott recorded four INTs, including one for a TD against Kansas last season.
Coach Curt Cignetti has IU on their best roll on the football field in the last six decades after the Hoosiers made the inaugural expanded playoff field last year. The Hoosiers enter Saturday night’s game undefeated, but also relatively untested after rolling over Old Dominion, Kennesaw State, and Indiana State. QB Fernando Mendoza, a transfer from California, is off to a hot start, throwing for 708 yards and 9 TDs against no INTs. Mendoza (6’5” / 225 lbs) is a good athlete and a running threat but operates best from a clean pocket. Mendoza has all the tools but has the tendency to wait for receivers to get open and takes too long to process what he sees at times. If that issue emerges against Jacas and the Illini pass rush, the Hoosiers could be in trouble. WR Elijah Sarratt is Mendoza’s most reliable option in the passing game and will have a size advantage on Illinois’ star CBs Cox and Scott. Sarratt (6’2” / 209 lbs) is big and physical and is coming off a good season in Bloomington where he recorded 53 receptions for 957 yards (18.1 YPR), and 8 TDs. Sarratt will need to give Mendoza a reliable option on third down and near the end zone for the Hoosiers to prosper on Saturday. The highest rated prospect for next April’s NFL Draft in this game is Carter Smith, Mendoza’s blindside protector, and potential first round pick next spring. Smith (6’5” / 308 lbs) is in his third year as a starter and is a well-rounded OT who looks like a 10-year starter in the NFL. His match-ups with Illinois EDGE Gabe Jacas will be appointment viewing for every scout before next year’s draft. EDGE Mikail Kamara led the nation last season with 73 QB pressures and will need to chase down the mobile and experienced Altmyer Saturday night. Kamara (6’1” / 265 lbs) has 22.5 career sacks at James Madison and Indiana and he gives the Hoosiers a weapon that JC Davis and the Illini offensive line must neutralize to have their best opportunity to win. CB D’Angelo Ponds is another James Madison transfer who has flourished since coming to Bloomington. Ponds (5’9” / 170 lbs) has the game and the swagger of a number one CB and has produced like one with six career INTs in a little over two seasons of college ball. Ponds has excellent fluidity and looks like an ideal slot CB in the NFL. He is a playmaker and ball hawk who is a prospect to watch Saturday night.
Other Noteworthy Games
(17) Texas Tech at (16) Utah
Saturday, September 20. 12 noon ET / 9:00 am PT
The Red Raiders’ wealthy alumni base spent a boatload of NIL money trying to assemble a playoff team in Lubbock and Saturday afternoon serves as the first real test of the wisdom of where and how the money was spent. Returning starting QB Behren Morton is in his third year at the helm and has many more weapons at his disposal than ever before…and it shows in the results so far – 923 yards passing (70.4%), 11 TDs, 1 INT on the season. Morton (6’2” / 220 lbs) has always teased his potential but as a senior, he is finally putting it all together. Morton reads coverages well and is getting better at throwing with touch and anticipation. He will need to be on top of his game against the aggressive and smart Utah defense. EDGE David Bailey was a huge portal acquisition last winter from Stanford and so far, it has proven to be a wise investment. Bailey (6’3” / 250 lbs) has recorded 2.5 sacks and 2.5 TFLs through the Red Raiders’ three game nonconference slate. But now things heat up, and so do the expectations. Bailey has first round potential after recording 12 sacks his last two seasons in Palo Alto and will need to impactful on Saturday for Texas Tech to get a key conference road victory. After a down year for the Utes, coach Kyle Whittingham has his team poised to climb back to the top of the conference rankings. For Whittingham, it all starts on the line and starting ORT Spencer Fano is one of the nation’s best and a likely first round pick in the 2026 draft. Fano (6’6” / 308 lbs) has the strength and tenacity to be a stalwart ORT in the NFL but has the lateral agility and athleticism to be considered on the left side. Texas Tech has two quality EDGE prospects, Bailey and Romello Height, and how they do against the Utah duo of Fano and OLT Caleb Lumo, will be fascinating to watch. LB Lander Barton is a fifth-year senior and defensive leader that wants to leave Salt Lake City a winner. Barton (6’5” / 236 lbs) is a big LB who is effective inside and he has NFL bloodlines – his brother Cody is a LB on the Tennessee Titans. The younger Barton may be used as a TE in certain sets for the Utes this year.
(22) Auburn at (11) Oklahoma
Saturday, September 20. 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT
The Hollywood script writers would have a field day with this game. The Tigers visit Norman with former Sooner starting QB Jackson Arnold at the helm, a former much hyped 5-star recruit who could never meet lofty expectations that the fans had after being spoiled by Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray. Arnold (6’1” / 219 lbs) is a true dual threat QB who has passed for 501 yards (69.6%) for 4 TDs, no INTs and has gained 192 yards rushing (5.5 YPC) and 4 TDs on the ground so far this season. The junior seems much more relaxed and productive this season with less expected out of him at Auburn than Oklahoma. Auburn EDGE Keldric Faulk is projected by many draft analysts to be a first-round pick after recording seven sacks last fall but has had a slow start to the 2025 season. Faulk (6’6” / 285 lbs) has ideal size for a 4-3 DE with the strength and power to slide inside and rush from the DT position on third down. The junior sets a strong edge in the run game but has to become a more impactful pass rusher to earn a first-round grade next spring. After Arnold entered the transfer portal last December, the Sooners took no time in signing the top QB available in the portal, John Mateer, and he has not disappointed. The former starting QB for Washington State, Mateer (6’1” / 224 lbs) has led the Sooners to an undefeated start, including a 24-13 victory over Michigan, and has a swagger not seen in Norman since Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy. Mateer has passed for 944 yards (61.8%), 5 TDs, and 3 INTs and rushed for 161 yards (4.9 YPC) and 4 TDs on the season. But Mateer needs to take better care of the ball as SEC play starts, where the margin of error is too tight to afford to lose the turnover battle. EDGE R. Mason Thomas is coming off a break through 2024 season where he recorded nine sacks but has yet to secure a sack through three games this year. Thomas (6’2” / 249 lbs) and has the athleticism, agility, and burst desired from EDGE pass rusher. The Sooners need him to contain the Tigers QB so that the classic Hollywood “happy ending” for Arnold is avoided in Norman this weekend.
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