Scout's Eye - Week Twelve College Football Preview

Arch Manning / QB / Texas

We enter the last three weeks of the regular season and the conference races are picking up steam. Three huge games pit ranked opponents positioning for a playoff berth – (10) Texas at (5) Georgia, (9) Notre Dame at (22) Pittsburgh, and (11) Oklahoma at (4) Alabama. Several potential 2026 NFL Draft first round picks will suit up in those games including QBs Ty Simpson (Alabama) and Arch Manning (Texas), RB Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame), WR Zachariah Branch (Georgia), OT Kadyn Proctor (Alabama), EDGE R. Mason Thomas (Oklahoma), and LBs Anthony Hill (Texas) and Kyle Louis (Pittsburgh).

Game of the Week

(10) Texas at (5) Georgia

Saturday, November 15.  7:30 pm ET / 4:30 pm PT

Texas Prospects to Keep an Eye On:

·       QB Arch Manning

·       RB CJ Baxter

·       TE Jack Endries

·       EDGE-LB Trey Moore

·       LB Anthony Hill

 

Georgia Prospects to Keep an Eye On:

·       QB Gunner Stockton

·       WR Zachariah Branch

·       TE Oscar Delp

·       LB Raylen Wilson

·       CB Daylen Everette

Huge game on Saturday night in Athens as the winner of the Texas-Georgia game stays in contention for the SEC title and an automatic bid to the college football playoffs while the loser will likely miss the playoffs altogether. The Longhorns (7-2 / 4-1 SEC) realistically need to run the table and win the rest of their regular season games or are likely to miss the playoffs after dropping games against number one ranked Ohio State and an SEC tilt against 3-6 Florida. Fortunately for Texas, QB Arch Manning is playing the best ball of the year over the past two games where he has thrown for over 300 yards twice, going for 674 yards passing, six TDs and only one INT while leading the Longhorns to a pair of down to the wire victories over Mississippi State (in OT) and Vanderbilt. Manning’s processing speed has noticeably improved over the course of the season where he was slow to pull the trigger against Ohio State but had no such difficulties against Vanderbilt, when he finished 25/33 (75.8%) for 328 yards and 3 TDs against no INTs in the Longhorns’ 34-31 victory. Manning will be facing one of the fastest defenses in college football on Saturday night and Manning will need to make quick decisions for Texas to defeat the Bulldogs on the road. RB CJ Baxter, a former 5-star recruit, has been battling injuries the last two seasons, missing the entire 2024 season with a knee injury and missing four games in late September / early October with an injured hamstring, before returning against Mississippi State three weeks ago. Baxter (6’1” / 227 lbs) is clearly not fully healthy, and will continue to split carries with Quintrevion Wisner in the Texas backfield, but his combination of size, agility, and speed is rare and he gives the Longhorns a mismatch piece to deploy against the aggressive Bulldogs defense. TE Jack Endries is beginning to carve out a bigger role in the Texas offense as Manning is checking down quicker as the season progresses and Endries is becoming a top option in that regard. Endries (6’4” / 240 lbs) has recorded seven of his 19 receptions in the last two games, going for 49 yards against Mississippi State and Vanderbilt. Endries is a solid route runner and has strong hands, which makes him an ideal outlet receiver. LB Trey Moore is in his second year in Austin after transferring in from UTSA where he recorded 14 sacks in 2023. Moore’s (6’3” / 249 lbs) sack numbers at Texas have never matched what he produced at UTSA but to be fair, he is required to do far more work in coverage at Texas and he just does not get the same number of opportunities to rush the passer at Texas. But this has improved Moore’s value to NFL teams since he is proving to be a well-rounded LB who can play in space, support against the run, and rush the passer. Moore has 25 total tackles on the season with three sacks, four TFLs, and one fumble recovery through nine games for the Longhorns. LB Anthony Hill is having a Butkus Award-worthy season as a junior and will be the highest-ranked defensive player between the hedges Saturday night. Hill (6’3” / 238 lbs) has recorded 64 total tackles, four sacks, five TFL, three forced fumbles, one INT, and one pass defensed so far this season and grades out as a top 20 prospect for next April’s draft. Hill’s combination of size, athleticism, and playmaking ability fit both teams that play an odd and even fronts and make him the rare off-the-ball LB who is worth a first-round selection.

The Longhorns are Georgia’s last SEC opponent of the season as Georgia has two non-conference games left, including a huge tilt against in-state rival Georgia Tech on November 28, and the Bulldogs need to win to stay within fighting distance of SEC co-leaders Texas A&M and Alabama. QB Gunner Stockton has proven to be one of the most accurate and efficient passers in the nation this season and has worked himself into consideration as a draftable prospect, especially if he returns for another season in Athens and waits to declare until 2027. The junior has completed 69.4% of his passes for 2,040 yards, 15 TDs, 2 INTs through the air and has added 321 yards rushing (4.2 YPC) and 7 TDs on the ground. Stockton (6’1” / 215 lbs) is still relatively inexperienced with less than a dozen career starts but his decision-making far exceeds his game experience and he seems to have the mental acumen to handle the complexities of the QB position at the NFL level. WR Zachariah Branch has been on fire the last four games, going for 35 receptions for 308 yards (8.8 YPR) and 1 TD, including catching 10 passes for 112 yards in Georgia’s 24-21 victory over Florida two weeks ago. Branch is Stockton’s favorite receiver because of his elusiveness and suddenness that makes him difficult to cover on short and intermediate routes. When Branch is being covered by Texas’ Malik Muhammad, that is a preview of what should be a regular match-up in the NFL. The 2026 NFL Draft looks to offer an intriguing group of TEs, many of which are well-rounded, complete TEs who can set up on the line and competently battle an EDGE in the run game. Oscar Delp is one of the better blocking TEs in college football and lines up primarily on the line as a traditional Y-TE and holds his own against SEC EDGEs in the run game. Delp also shows athleticism and power after the catch that fits the NFL prototype. LB Raylen Wilson has been a regular contributor in the Bulldog defense and has steadily improved with experience. Wilson (6’1” / 235 lbs), a junior, has the speed and range that the NFL desires in their off-the-ball LB and has set a career-high 54 total tackles and 2.5 sacks so far this year. Wilson and CJ Allen form one of the better LB tandems in the nation and both look like future NFL starters. CB Daylen Everette has ideal NFL size for an outside CB and is physical in run support and at the catch point, where he already has five passes defensed. But for Everette to become a first-round selection next spring, he needs to play the ball in the air better and create more INTs. This Saturday makes a great time for Everette to produce for the Georgia secondary.

Other Noteworthy Games

(9) Notre Dame at (22) Pittsburgh

Saturday, November 15. 12 noon ET / 9:00 am PT

In what figures to be a playoff eliminator for the loser, the Irish travel to western Pennsylvania to battle the resurgent Panthers, who has a daunting trio of ranked opponents to end the season – (9) Notre Dame, (16) Georgia Tech, and (15) Miami, Fl. But first comes Notre Dame. The Irish bring SNS’ #1 ranked RB Jeremiyah Love to the steel city. Love (6’0” / 214 lbs) has hit the century mark in three of the last five games including, going off on USC to a tune of 24 carries / 228 yards (9.5 YPC) / 1 TD in Notre Dame’s 34-24 victory over the Trojans. The Panthers have an elite defense, led by All-American LB Kyle Louis, and figure to test ND’s ability to run the ball. Notre Dame CB Christian Gray has missed the last two games for the Irish with a left hip injury but is expected to return for Saturday’s game. Gray is developing a reputation as a ballhawk with two INTs and eight passes defensed through seven games played this season. Gray has a spotty record for completing the interception with four dropped passes last season but has only dropped one INT this season. The Panthers have won their last five games, all since coach Pat Narduzzi inserted true freshman QB Mason Heintschel into the starting lineup. Heintschel has been proficient and smart under duress. And he has been under a lot of duress – sacked 16 times during the winning streak. Heintschel needs better protection from the OL, starting with OLT Jeff Persi. Persi (6’8” / 315 lbs), a senior transfer from Michigan, certainly looks the part with the length and reach desired in a blindside protector. He flashes but the consistency is not there yet. Persi looks like he will be in an NFL training camp next summer. LB Kyle Louis is putting together another All-American season despite missing two games due to injury. Louis returned against Stanford and recorded an INT and two passes defensed in the victory over the Cardinal. Although the junior’s numbers are down from last year, they are still solid and prove that he is anything but a one-hit wonder – 53 total tackles, two sacks, 5.5 TFL, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, two INTs, and three passes defensed on the season. Louis remains a likely first-round pick next April.

(11) Oklahoma at (4) Alabama

Saturday, November 15. 3:30 pm ET / 12:30 pm PT

Although the Sooners are effectively out of SEC title contention with two conference losses to Texas and Ole Miss, they remain national playoff contenders due to their strength of schedule. Perhaps their toughest contest to date is coming up Saturday afternoon in Tuscaloosa against the SEC co-leaders. Oklahoma WR Isaiah Sategna is a name to watch out for at the combine when it’s time for the 40-yard dash. His mother was on Jamaica’s 1992 Olympic team and Isaiah has similar type of speed on the football field. Sategna has been QB John Mateer’s favorite target in the passing game and has already surpassed career highs in receptions (49), receiving yards (692), and TDs (5) as the Sooners’ de facto number one WR. EDGE R. Mason Thomas has elite skills including the ability to cut, flatten, and close on the QB and must be schemed for or he can wreak havoc in the backfield. Thomas has recorded 6.5 sacks and 9.5 TFL on the season and looks like a top 50 talent next April. The Crimson Tide have strung together eight consecutive victories after dropping their opener to Florida State. QB Ty Simpson has been a revelation this season and enters this game as one of the favorites for the Heisman Trophy. Simpson, in his first year as starter, has 2,461 yards passing, completing 66.9% of his passes, with 21 TDs and only 1 INT. Simpson is cerebral and athletic and is arguably the best QB in college football. If Simpson were to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, he would be a candidate to be a top 10 pick and the first QB selected next year. Safety Bray Hubbard has put together an All-American season in Tuscaloosa and has proven to be a disruptive presence all over the field. Hubbard (6’2” / 213 lbs) has recorded 49 total tackles, three INTs, five passes defensed, two forced fumbles, and 1.5 TFL in Alabama’s 8-1 start. Hubbard is only a junior and is likely to return for another year in Tuscaloosa but he looks like an NFL starter within the next two or three seasons.

Check out SNS tomorrow, November 14, when an updated and expanded Prospect Rankings and Top 32 Prospect Rankings are released!

SNS

Stack ‘N Shed

YOUR Source for Everything NFL Draft

For football fans, fantasy pros, and bettors seeking the edge!

·       Independent NFL Draft Insights

·       Prospect Rankings & Mock Drafts

·       Expert Analysis

·       FREE Downloadable 2025 NFL Draft Results Spreadsheet included

·       Exclusive ad-free content

NFL Draft Analysis Monthly Subscription

$2.99

Every Month

NFL Draft Analysis Annual Plan

 

$30

Every Year

USE PROMO CODE: FREEFIRSTDOWN

ONE MONTH FREE TRIAL!

Stack ‘N Shed – YOUR Source for Everything NFL Draft!

Gunner Stockton / QB / Georgia