Scout's Eye - Week Fourteen College Football Preview
- John B. Everett
- Nov 27
- 9 min read
Happy Thanksgiving!
The end of the college football regular season has arrived as three big games – one in the Big Ten, one in the SEC, and another one in the ACC will directly impact the conference races and the college football playoff race. Several top NFL prospects including QB Carson Beck / Georgia (SNS #5 QB), WRs Carnell Tate / Ohio State (SNS #2 WR) and KC Concepcion / Texas A&M (SNS #10 WR), TE Max Klare / Ohio State (SNS #5 TE), OTs Francis Mauigoa / Miami, Fl (SNS #4 OT) and Trey Zuhn / Texas A&M (SNS #10 OT), IOL Ar’maj Reed-Adams / Texas A&M (SNS #3 IOL), EDGEs Cashius Howell / Texas A&M (SNS #4 EDGE) and Caden Curry / Ohio State (SNS #6 EDGE), IDL Albert Regis / Texas A&M (SNS #10 IDL), LBs Anthony Hill / Texas (SNS #1 LB), Kyle Louis / Pittsburgh (SNS #3 LB), Arvell Reese / Ohio State (SNS #4 LB), and Wesley Bissainthe / Miami, Fl (SNS #9 LB), CB Jermaine Mathews (SNS #1 CB), and safeties Caleb Downs / Ohio State (SNS #1 S) and Michael Taaffe / Texas (SNS #7 S).
Game of the Week
(1) Ohio State at (15) Michigan
Saturday, November 29. 12 noon ET / 9 am PT
Ohio State Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· WR Carnell Tate
· TE Max Klare
· EDGE Caden Curry
· LB Arvell Reese
· S Caleb Downs
Michigan Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· WR Donaven McCulley
· TE Marlin Klein
· EDGE Derrick Moore
· LB-EDGE Jaishawn Barham
· LB Earnest Hausmann
Ohio State travels to Ann Arbor for the 121st edition of “The Game,” one of the most heated, if not the most heated, rivalry in all of sports, with the winner likely earning a trip to Indianapolis for the Big Ten Championship Game next week. The defending national champion Buckeyes have reigned as the top ranked team in the country ever since defeating the Texas Longhorns to begin the season last August. Redshirt freshman QB Julian Sayin has been a pleasant surprise as a playmaker and not being merely a game manager, which is how the season began, in leading OSU to a likely playoff berth and an eleven-game win streak to start his career. It helps that the Buckeyes can roll out premium, NFL-caliber WR talent like Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Innis, and Carnell Tate week after week. Tate, a senior, has earned his status as OSU’s number two WR (behind phenom Smith) and looks like a first-round selection next April. Tate (6’3” / 195 lbs) has an ideal combination of size, speed, and big play ability to be developed into a number one WR in the NFL and has put up solid numbers this year in Columbus, recording 39 receptions / 711 yds / 18.2 YPR / 7 TDs. TE Max Klare transferred from Purdue for games just like this and is playing the best ball of the season down the stretch. Against Rutgers last Saturday, Klare surpassed 100 yards receiving for the first time as a Buckeye, going for 7 receptions / 105 yds / 15.0 YPR / 1 TD in the Buckeyes’ 42-9 victory over the Scarlet Knights. Klare still has another year of eligibility remaining but will likely grade out as a top 100 prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft, if he declares. The Buckeyes are undefeated, despite starting a freshman at QB, because they have the most dominating defense in college football, giving up only 7.6 point per game, which leads the nation. OSU has NFL-caliber talent at every level of the defense with several EDGEs, LBs, and CBs that look like high draft picks as soon as next spring. EDGE Caden Curry patiently waited his turn behind NFL Draft picks JT Tuimoloau (Colts) and Jack Sawyer (Steelers) and has fully embraced his starting opportunity, recording 49 total tackles, 9 sacks, 11.5 TFL, and one forced fumble on the season. Curry (6’3” / 260 lbs) is just starting to tap into his potential and looks like a future NFL starter. Curry will likely grade out as a top 75 selection for the 2026 NFL Draft. LB Arvell Reese has quickly ascended draft boards from barely being on scout’s radar to looking like a potential top 10 pick next spring. Reese (6’4” / 243 lbs) has very good speed and agility for an off-the-ball LB with enough pass rushing ability to be tried as a pass rush specialist in the NFL. Reese has recorded 59 total tackles, 6.5 sacks, 10 TFL, and 2 passes defensed through the first eleven games of the season. SNS’ number one ranked overall recruit, safety Caleb Downs, looks like the safest pick in next April’s draft without any real holes in his game. The junior, a 5-star recruit and Freshman All-American at Alabama, is one of the most instinctive prospects to enter college football in the last decade with the tackling skill and playmaking ability to earn a Pro Bowl nod as a rookie. Downs has recorded 46 total tackles, 2 INTs, 1 pass defensed, and 4 TFL on the season. Expect Downs to be deployed throughout the defense to create mismatches and keep Michigan freshman QB Bryce Underwood guessing Saturday afternoon.
The Wolverines currently sit outside of the playoffs at 9-2 (7-1 Big Ten) but would be able to bully their way in by beating Ohio State, earning a trip to the Big Ten title game, and then winning the Big Ten championship next weekend in Indianapolis. Michigan’s offense will be strongly challenged by the Buckeyes’ dynamic, athletic, and speedy defense that will be the best defense Underwood is yet to see in his college career. Michigan will try to control the game by possessing the ball and running it down Ohio State’s throat but will find that difficult without offensive balance – Underwood will need to make some plays on the outside to loosen up the Buckeyes’ aggressive defense and senior WR Donaven McCulley will be key in that regard. McCulley (6’5” / 215 lbs), a former QB at Indiana who converted to WR at IU before transferring to Ann Arbor this past spring, has the size and length that OSU will have difficulty matching in space. McCulley has 32 receptions / 488 yds / 15.3 YPR / 3 TDs this season and looks like a day three pick (fourth through seventh rounds) next spring. TE Marlin Klein has more than adequately filled Colston Loveland (Bears) shoes this season in Ann Arbor as he has proven to be a dangerous option in the passing game while showing development as an in-line, blocking TE. Klein has recorded 19 receptions / 209 yds / 11.0 YPR / 1 TD on the season and he gives Underwood a reliable underneath receiving option to deploy when Underwood is under duress. Klein should hear his name called on the last Saturday in April, probably in the sixth or seventh round. EDGE Derrick Moore has set a new career-high with 8.5 sacks through eleven games this season. Moore (6’3” / 260 lbs) is a well-rounded EDGE with enough size to line up as an end in an even front and athletic and fluid enough to play in space as an OLB. Moore, who has recorded 27 total tackles and 9 TFL this year, looks like a solid NFL contributor with starting potential and should hear his name called amongst the first one hundred picks of next April’s draft. Jaishawn Barham is one of the more intriguing prospects who figure to be available next April. Barham (6’3” / 243 lbs) has extensive experience as an ILB at Michigan – and looks like a potential starter as an off-the-ball LB in the NFL. But what makes him so interesting is the pass rushing upside that Barham teases. DC Wink Martindale has been utilizing Barham as an EDGE this season and this versatility will only increase Barham’s value when the 2026 NFL Draft arrives. Barham has recorded 31 total tackles, 4 sacks, 8.5 TFL, 1 forced fumble, and 3 passes defensed on the season and looks like a late third round to mid-fifth round pick next year. Fellow LB Ernest Hausmann is a traditional ILB who keys quickly against the inside run and has the range, fluidity, and foot speed to play on all three downs in the NFL. Hausmann (6’2” / 235 lbs) has recorded 68 total tackles, 1 sack, 5.5 TFL, and 1 pass defensed this season and grades out as a mid-round pick next April.
Other Noteworthy Games
(3) Texas A&M at (16) Texas
Friday, November 28. 7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT
The Aggies enter Friday night’s game having all but secured a playoff berth as one of only three schools to go undefeated so far this season (Ohio State & Indiana) and travel to Austin looking to secure a bid to the SEC Championship Game next weekend. Aggies QB Marcel Reed has put together a Heisman Trophy-worthy season in College Station this year going 189/308 (61.8%) / 2,752 yds / 25 TDs / 8 INTs through the air while adding 395 yards (5.1 YPC) and 6 TDs on the ground. Reed (6’1” / 185 lbs) is a fantastic dual threat QB who lacks the frame and mass desired for an NFL QB and likely will be encouraged to shift to WR as a professional. But Reed is a playmaker who elevates the performance of his teammates and as displayed in the massive comeback against South Carolina, raises his level of play when the stakes are highest. Don’t bet against Reed. EDGE Cashius Howell is playing like a first-round draft pick this season, recording 11.5 sacks, 12.5 TFL, and 6 passes defensed through eleven games. Howell may be the quickest speed rusher to be available in the 2026 NFL Draft and could earn a top ten pick next spring. The Longhorns (8-3 / 5-2 SEC) need a lot of help if they are to make a playoff bid as an at-large participant and they must defeat their rivals Friday night to maintain any hope. QB Arch Manning has really come on over the last month, throwing for over 300 yards three times in the last four games, while throwing for 11 TDs and only 2 INTs over that span. Manning’s decision-making has dramatically improved over the course of the season and he is reading the field and manipulating coverages well as the season has progressed. Manning (6’4” / 219 lbs) needs more experience but looks like the potential top pick in the 2027 NFL Draft. LB Anthony Hill is a finalist for the Butkus Award given yearly to the nation’s best LB and looks like a first-round pick next April. Hill (6’3” / 238 lbs) has recorded 69 total tackles, 4 sacks, 7.5 TFL, 3 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 INTs on the season. Hill’s speed and agility in space makes him an ideal candidate to spy Aggies QB Reed in a battle of two of the best athletes in college football.
(12) Miami at (22) Pittsburgh
Saturday, November 29. 12 noon ET / 9 am PT
The ACC race comes down to the last weekend of the regular season with Virginia, SMU, and Pittsburgh tied for the lead with 6-1 conference records. Since Virginia and SMU control their own destiny, Pittsburgh needs either the Cavaliers to lose to in-state rival Virginia Tech or SMU to drop a road tilt at California on Saturday. Miami, the highest ranked ACC team in the college football playoff standings, have a much more difficult route to the conference championship game but are the only ACC team that could earn an at-large bid - but the Hurricanes require a lot of circumstances to align for it to happen. Miami QB Carson Beck at times looks like a franchise NFL QB and at other times, kills his team with mistakes - Beck threw 4 INTs in loss to Louisville and a critical INT in OT in a loss against SMU. Beck (6’4” / 220 lbs) needs to be on his game against the Panthers’ fast and aggressive defense led by future NFL LBs Rasheem Biles and Kyle Louis. Beck’s numbers are solid – 240/323 (74.3 %) / 22 TDs / 9 INTs – but his propensity to make ill-advised passes into coverage is head-scratch inducing. EDGE Akheem Mesidor is quietly having a productive season in Coral Gables, recording 39 total tackles, 6 sacks, 10.5 TFL, and 2 forced fumbles. Mesidor (6’3” / 280 lbs) and Rueben Bain form one of the nation’s best set of EDGEs. Mesidor is well-rounded and has great size for an end in an even front and could grade out as a top 50 prospect for next April’s draft. After a lackluster performance against Notre Dame, the Panthers traveled to Atlanta and ended Georgia Tech’s ACC title dreams. Freshman QB Mason Heintschel has been a revelation as the Panthers have not lost an ACC game since losing to Louisville in the fourth game of the season. Heintschel displays advanced decision-making for his minimal experience and having a reliable outlet receiver like TE Justin Holmes gives Heintschel a check down option in the passing game. Holmes (6’3” / 245 lbs) is a quality blocker in the run game and has become a good option in the passing game with 7 of his 19 receptions (19 receptions / 187 yds / 9.8 YPR / 3 TDs) coming in the last four games. Holmes is unlikely to get drafted in what figures to be a deep and talented TE class, but Holmes will be in a summer training camp with a chance at earning a practice squad job next fall. LB Kyle Louis is not having the statistical season he had last season but his production (67 total tackles / 3 sacks / 7.5 TFL / 1 forced fumbles / 2 fumble recoveries / 2 INT) still grades out as a first-round pick. Louis (6’1” / 220 lbs) has created eight turnovers over the last two seasons and that playmaking ability makes him an attractive NFL prospect.
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