Scout's Eye - Week Seven College Football Preview
- John B. Everett
- Oct 9
- 8 min read
Last weekend, several playoff contenders suffered tough losses and two of the favorites to win the national championship, Texas and Penn State, lost their second game of the year and find their playoff prospects in critical condition with just over half the season remaining. A trio of games lead the national slate this weekend and feature some of the top prospects in the nation including Kadyn Proctor, Parker Brailsford, and Deontae Lawson (Alabama), Brett Norfleet and Zion Young (Missouri), Carter Smith, Mikhail Kamara, and D’Angelo Ponds (Indiana), Dante Moore, Isaiah World, and Matayo Uiagalelei (Oregon), R. Mason Thomas (Oklahoma), and Arch Manning, Anthony Hill, and Michael Taaffe (Texas).
Game of the Week
(8) Alabama at (14) Missouri
Saturday, October 11. 12 noon ET / 9:00 am PT
Alabama Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· QB Ty Simpson
· WR Isaiah Horton
· IOL Parker Brailsford
· LB Deontae Lawson
· S Keon Sabb
Missouri Prospects to Keep an Eye On:
· QB Beau Pribula
· RB Ahmad Hardy
· TE Brett Norfleet
· EDGE Zion Young
· S Jalen Catalon
Alabama heads on the road after getting revenge last weekend against Vanderbilt, the Crimson Tide head to Columbia to face the undefeated, and largely untested, Tigers on Saturday afternoon. Entering the season, QB was a major question mark for the Tide but that potential problem has become a strength as QB Ty Simpson continues to improve in running the Alabama offense. Simpson (6’2” / 208 lbs) has a level of maturity that far exceeds his experience level and he continuously improves in how he operates the offense. Against Vanderbilt last Saturday afternoon, Simpson completed 23 of 31 passes for 340 yards, 2 TDs, and 1 INT (his first INT thrown this season) in Alabama’s 30-14 victory over the Commodores. As the much-hyped potential 2026 QB class continues to underperform so far this season, Simpson continues to rocket up the rankings and could earn a first-round grade by the time the 2025 season wraps up. WR Isaiah Horton, a transfer from Miami, Fl, is a huge WR (6’4” / 208 lbs) who has a size advantage on every DB he faces in coverage. The Tide have a fantastic trio of WRs (Ryan Williams and Germie Bernard) and Horton will rarely face the opponents’ best cover corner. So far this season, Horton has 18 receptions for 236 yards (13.1 YPR) and 3 TDs. The Tigers have a deep and experienced secondary with three potential NFL CBs – Toriano Pride, Dreyden Norwood, and Daylen Carnell – who give Missouri rare ability to match-up with the Tide’s talented receiving trio. How these match-ups work out on Saturday afternoon is a fascinating subplot to keep an eye on. Center Parker Brailsford is in his second year starting in Tuscaloosa after transferring from Washington, and he gives the Tide a well-rounded pivot who works well in both the run and pass game. Brailsford (6’2” / 290 lbs) is a technician who plays with natural leverage and bend and looks likely to be a second-round selection next April. LB Deontae Lawson is still bouncing back from his season-ending ACL injury suffered last season but is beginning to display his elite coverage skills as he rounds back into form. Lawson (6’2” / 228 lbs) has an NFL skill set with the range and instincts that fit any defensive scheme. When he is matched up in space against Missouri TE Brett Norfleet, will be interesting to watch play out. Safety Keon Sabb transferred to Tuscaloosa from Michigan when Caleb Downs left the Tide for Ohio State, and is in his second year starting for Bama. Sabb (6’1” / 204 lbs) is a smooth athlete who is physical in coverage and has displayed very good ball skills with five career INTs and nine passes defensed at Michigan and Alabama.
Missouri is off to a 5-0 record with a pair of quality victories over Kansas and South Carolina and are entering the last game of a six-game home stand to start the season. But Alabama has a team loaded with NFL-caliber talent that neither Kansas nor South Carolina can match and will test the Tigers like they have yet to be tested. QB Beau Pribula transferred from Penn State for a chance at the starting job and earned it after a tough fall camp. Pribula (6’2” / 212 lbs) has been a pleasant surprise this season, completing 75.9% of his passes (110/145) for 1,203 yards, 9 TDs, 3 INTs and has rushed for 121 yards and 3 TDs this year. Pribula needs to improve his field vision and this is his biggest area where his lack of experience shows. Pribula displays good accuracy, timing, and touch and has a very strong arm but he has yet to see a defense with the type of speed Bama has. Sophomore RB Ahmad Hardy is quietly putting on an impressive season in Columbia. The transfer from Louisiana-Monroe rushed for 1,351 yards (5.7 YPC) and 13 TDs last year and has played even better so far this season at Missouri. Hardy (5’10” / 210 lbs) has rushed for 730 yards, at a healthy 7.1 yards per carry, and 9 TDs through the Tigers’ 5-0 start. Hardy will be facing a fast and athletic Tide defense Saturday that will be his sternest test yet. TE Brett Norfleet has always teased with his NFL size and skill set and has finally started to tap into that potential this season. After recording 44 total receptions and 5 TDs over the previous two seasons, Norfleet (6’6” / 263 lbs) has already caught 20 passes for 174 yards (8.7 YPR) and 4 TDs. Norfleet has great size, a huge catch radius, and he makes a reliable safety valve for Pribula in Mizzou’s attack. EDGE Zion Young has had an impressive start to the 2025 campaign, already recording 13 tackles, two sacks, and 4 TFLs. Young (6’5” / 262 lbs) has the desired size and length to play DE in an even front and is finally starting to produce like his size suggests he should. Young still stays glued on blocks too long and he needs to add some moves to his pass rush arsenal. How he fares against Tide OLT Kadyn Proctor is a fascinating subplot to watch. Safety Jalen Catalon is well-traveled, having spent time at UNLV, Texas, and Arkansas and has experience in the slot, near the LOS in run support, and up high in a classic two-high look. Catalon (5’10” / 200 lbs) is a big hitter who always is looking to light up an opponent but this sometimes leads him to missing tackles in space – something which could be lethal against Alabama’s dangerous receiving corps.
Other Noteworthy Games
(7) Indiana at (3) Oregon
Saturday, October 11. 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT
Indiana travels to Eugene Saturday afternoon to face the defending Big Ten Champion who have yet to lose a Big Ten Conference game since joining the conference prior to the 2024 season. Coach Curt Cignetti has lifted the Hoosiers to heights never previously known and Indiana is a threat to win the conference for the first time since 1967. Irresistible force meets immovable object. OT Carter Smith is a potential first-round pick next spring and looks like a ten-year starter at OLT in the NFL. Smith (6’5” / 308 lbs) has started for the last three years and has the bend, movement skills, and durability to be worth a top 20 pick next April. CB D’Angelo Ponds is a big-time playmaker who shows up when the lights are brightest and the pressure is highest. He is the epitome of clutch. Ponds (5’9” / 170 lbs) may lack size but he plays big with six career INTs, including one returned for TD, and 22 passes defensed over one season at James Madison and 18 games in Bloomington. Many draft pundits have moved Oregon QB Dante Moore to the top of the 2026 QB class despite his lack of starting experience and still developing game. This is more of a statement about the poor quality of play being displayed by top prospects Garrett Nussmeier (LSU), Drew Allar (Penn State), Cade Klubnik (Clemson), and Arch Manning (Texas), than it is a statement about Moore. Moore (6’3” / 206 lbs) is a talented but inexperienced QB who should garner first-round consideration as soon as the 2027 NFL Draft. But unlike the QBs listed previously, Moore is having a very good season. Moore has completed 100/134 passes (74.5%) for 1,210 yards, 14 TDs, and only one INT. But let’s hold off on anointing him the first pick of the 2026 NFL Draft just yet. But while we are on the subject of who is worthy of being the first pick next April, EDGE Matayo Uiagalelei has made the best case so far this season to be the top pick of next year’s draft. Uiagalelei (6’5” / 272 lbs) has improved his ability in setting a strong edge in the run game while maintaining his ability to pressure the QB. Uiagalelei has recorded 4 sacks and 5 TFLs already this year and has knocked down two passes at the LOS. His one-on-one match-ups lined up across from Indiana OLT Carter Smith will be appointment viewing.
(6) Oklahoma v Texas
Saturday, October 11. 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT
The Red River Rivalry continues and the script has flipped as Oklahoma comes to the game with playoff and SEC Conference title aspirations intact while the Longhorns are reeling after being overwhelmed by the Gators last Saturday in the Swamp, suffering their second loss of the season and narrowing their window to make the playoffs. Oklahoma TE Jaren Kanak has been a revelation as a senior after converting from LB where he recorded over 100 career tackles. As a TE, Kanak (6’2” / 233 lbs) has proven to be a valuable weapon over the middle of the field with 20 receptions for 328 yards (16.4 YPR) so far this season. Kanak offers little as a blocker but is an intriguing developmental prospect as a FB-TE-special teamer where his agility and athleticism could create mismatches in the NFL. EDGE Marvin Jones, Jr. is a second-generation college football player (his father, Marvin, Sr., was the first-round pick of the 1993 draft by the Jets) who looks the part of an NFL EDGE - 6’5” / 262 lbs with long arms and a sturdy build. And although Jones is a very good run stuffer, who will get looks from 3-4 defenses despite his lack of ideal size for a 5T, his lack of production in pressuring the QB is concerning – Jones only has 6 career sacks and has yet to record a sack this season. Although much of the blame for the Longhorns’ rough start rightfully belongs on the shoulders of QB Arch Manning, the poor play of the young and inexperienced offensive line that has not adequately protected Manning or opened up holes in the running game, is also a culprit. RB Quintrevion Wisner, who rushed for over 1,000 yards last season, has been off to a slow start this fall. Wisner (6’0” / 194 lbs), who shares carries with CJ Baxter, has only produced 91 yards rushing (3.8 YPC) and 1 TD through five games. The Longhorns need to rush the ball effectively against the Sooners on Saturday afternoon to keep the pass rush pressure off of Manning. Safety Michael Taaffe is off to a strong start to the season having already recorded 32 tackles and 1 INT and he gives Texas a reliable chess piece to deploy in a variety of ways in the secondary. Taaffe, a former walk-on, looks like an old school free safety and a top 75 prospect for the 2026 NFL Draft.
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