Scout's Notebook - Rose and Sugar Bowl Preview (FREE PREVIEW!)

John B. Everett
Jan 1
7 min read

Happy New Year!

Eight teams remain alive in the hunt for the national title and several future NFL stars will undoubtedly be featured performers in the drama to come. Let’s take a look at some of the best draft-eligible prospects for the 2026 NFL Draft that will be playing in the Rose and Sugar Bowl games.

Rose Bowl

Pasadena, California

Thursday, January 1, 2026. 4:00 pm ET / 1:00 pm PT

(9) Alabama (11-3) v (1) Indiana (13-0)

Alabama – QB Ty Simpson (SNS #2 QB), RB Jam Miller, WRs Germie Bernard (SNS #5 WR) and Isaiah Horton, TE Josh Cuevas, OT Kadyn Proctor (SNS #2 OT), IOL Parker Brailsford, Geno VanDeMark, and Kam Dewberry, EDGE LT Overton, IDL Tim Keenan and James Smith, LBs Deontae Lawson and Justin Jefferson, CBs Domani Jackson and DaShawn Jones, and Safeties Bray Hubbard (SNS #5 S) and Keon Sabb.

Indiana – QB Fernando Mendoza (SNS #1 QB), RB Roman Hemby, WRs Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper, TE Riley Nowakowski, OTs Carter Smith (SNS #1 OT) and Khalil Benson, IOL Pat Coogan, EDGEs Mikail Kamara and Stephen Daley, IDL Hosea Wheeler, LB Aiden Fisher (SNS #6 LB), CBs D’Angelo Ponds (SNS #8 CB) and Devan Boykin, and Safety Louis Moore.

In a game that no one saw coming before Curt Cignetti was hired in Bloomington, the most royal of blue bloods, Alabama, travels to Pasadena to play the Big Ten Champions and second losingest college football program history, Indiana, in the “Grand Daddy of Them All,” the 112^th edition of the Rose Bowl. Tide QB Ty Simpson had a very successful bounce back game against the Sooners in the first round of the playoffs after having the worst game of his career in the SEC Championship Game loss to Georgia. Against Oklahoma on December 19^th, Simpson completed 18/29 (62.1%) / 232 yds / 2 TDs / 0 INTs in leading the Tide to a 34-24 victory over the Sooners. Simpson’s greatest assets are his football IQ and leadership skills – assets that make Simpson a potential franchise QB in the NFL. Simpson has completed 64.1% of his passes for 3,500 yds / 28 TDs / 5 INTs on the season and he possesses high-level intangibles desired in a QB. Simpson will be facing one of the fastest and most fundamentally solid defenses in the nation. The Hoosiers only allowed 10.8 ppg, second fewest ppg allowed this season, and are a technically solid tackling team that does not beat itself. Simpson will need to be at the top of his game Thursday afternoon for the Tide to pull off the upset. WR Germie Bernard, a Senior Bowl invitee, is one of the best route runners in college football and has proven to be Simpson’s most reliable receiving option this season in Tuscaloosa. Bernard possesses excellent hands and concentration and always seems to show up in crunch time. Bernard, who began his career at Michigan State before transferring to Washington and then following coach Kalen DeBoer to Tuscaloosa, set career-highs this year with 60 receptions / 802 yds / 7 TDs through the air while adding 101 yds rushing (5.6 YPC) and 2 TDs on the ground this season. LB Deontae Lawson, another Senior Bowl invitee, has finally put together a complete, healthy season and has displayed a complete skill set that the NFL prefers in their off-the-ball LBs. Lawson has recorded 85 total tackles / 1 sack / 4 TFL / 2 forced fumbles / 4 passes defensed this season and is one of the best coverage LBs of the last decade in college football – Lawson possesses the length, range, agility, and foot speed to stay on the field for all three downs in the NFL with the size and strength to handle TEs in man coverage while maintaining the quickness to keep up with RBs in coverage.

The Hoosiers earned their first Big Ten title since 1967, their first outright conference championship since 1945, and are the lone undefeated team in FBS this season. Coach Curt Cignetti looks like a lock for national coach of the year as he may have the most complete team in the nation this season. QB Fernando Mendoza, the 2025 Heisman Trophy winner, has yet to announce his intentions to either declare for the 2026 NFL Draft or return for his fifth season of college football. Mendoza has passed for 2,980 yds / 71.5% / 33 TDs / 6 INTs and added another 240 yds (3.5 YPC) / 6 TDs on the ground this season and offers the size, arm strength, mobility, and intelligence to become a franchise QB. The Las Vegas Raiders hold the first selection of the 2026 NFL Draft and Mendoza is the odds-on favorite to be the top pick of the draft. WR Elijah Sarratt, a transfer from James Madison, has put together two solid seasons in the Big Ten and has earned an invitation for the Senior Bowl at the end of January. Sarratt (6’2” / 213 lbs) possesses the size and catch radius desired in an outside WR and he has a proven record of producing in clutch time for the Hoosiers the last two seasons. Sarratt recorded 51 receptions / 687 yds / 13.5 YPR / 12 TDs on the season and his size and ball skills make him a fantastic red zone target. The Tide has two CBs – Domani Jackson and DaShawn Jones – who look likely to be high draft picks next April and how they attempt to neutralize Sarratt and Omar Cooper will be fascinating match-ups to watch unfold on Thursday afternoon. Safety Louis Moore, a transfer from Ole Miss, is one of the premiere ball hawks in the nation, having recorded 6 INTs this season, second most in FBS. Moore (5’11” / 200 lbs), who has been invited to the East-West Shrine Game, is a classic free safety with the range, instincts, and tackling ability to be a solid contributor, if not a starter in the NFL. Moore should hear his name called in the fifth or sixth round this coming April.

Sugar Bowl

New Orleans, Louisiana

Thursday, January 1, 2026. 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT

(6) Ole Miss (12-1) v (3) Georgia (12-1)

The last quarterfinal game features a rematch of Georgia’s 43-35 victory over Ole Miss on October 18th, the Rebels’ only loss this season. The October game was an offensive shootout and although both offenses are still potent, don’t expect a repeat on Thursday night. Both defenses have improved substantially since the October contest. But that is especially true regarding the Bulldogs, who have been on a roll defensively over the past month. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss is a proven winner and big game performer – he led Ferris State (Mi) to the 2024 Division 2 National Championship and has been a consistent and productive starter in his first year in the SEC. Against Tulane in the first round of the playoffs, Chambliss went 23/29 (79.3%) / 282 yds / 1 TD through the air while rushing for 36 yds and 2 TDs on the ground in the Rebels’ 41-10 victory over the Green Wave. Chambliss accounted for 3 TDs and 305 yds of total offense against Georgia in October and will need to be at least that productive to give the Rebels’ their best chance Thursday night. WR De’Zhaun Stribling has been a difference maker for the Rebels down the closing stretch of the season, recording 4 TD receptions over the last three games, including scoring one TD against Tulane. Stribling (6’2” / 210 lbs) has earned an invitation to the East-West Shrine Game on January 27^thand is a legit NFL prospect. Stribling has recorded 43 receptions / 612 yds / 14.2 YPR / 6 TDs this season and has displayed the deep speed and leaping ability to be developed into a starting WR, although the tightness in his hips limits his ability to get separation against tight man coverage and that limits his upside. Stribling should hear his name called sometime before the end of the fifth round in April. Junior CB Antonio Kite is the Rebels’ top cover CB with the length and movement skills desired for man coverage. Kite (6’0” / 180 lbs) and the rest of the Ole Miss secondary will need to improve their level of play Thursday night after being exploited against Georgia’s talented WR corps back in October. Kite has the length and athleticism needed but needs to become a more productive ball athlete – Kite has four passes defensed this season but has failed to record any interceptions this season. Kite looks like a late round pick in April, if he declares for the 2026 NFL Draft.

The Bulldogs are peaking at the right time as they have gotten hot during the closing stretch of the season, winning their last nine games including the SEC Championship last month. Coach Kirby Smart has had more talented teams but may have never had a team as tough and resilient as his 2025 squad. The offensive position group that has the most top end talent for April’s draft is the WR group that features at least three, and as many as five, NFL-caliber receivers in the two deep (including the injured Colbie Young) – Zachariah Branch, Dillon Bell, Noah Thomas, and London Humphreys. Branch will enter the NFL with the most hype – the junior transfer from USC is an uber-quick WR who creates mismatches in space against virtually anyone responsible for man coverage. Branch (5’10” / 180 lbs) is QB Gunner Stockton’s safety blanket as an underneath option, recording 73 receptions / 744 yds / 10.2 YPR / 5 TDs. Branch will draw interest as a possible first-round pick and potentially as a starting slot receiver as a rookie in the NFL. Bell (6’1” / 210 lbs) is built like, and plays like, a power RB with the leg drive and contact balance rarely seen in a WR. Unfortunately, Bell’s penchant for dropped passes is a serious issue that needs to be resolved before he can reach his potential. LB CJ Allen has always teased with his upside, but the junior MLB has finally figured it out this season. Over the last four or five games it could be argued that Allen (6’1” / 235 lbs) is the best player on the Bulldogs’ defense, flying around and making plays in both the run and pass defense. On the season, Allen has recorded 85 total tackles, including 45 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks, 8 TFL, 2 forced fumbles, and 4 passes defensed. Allen looks like a top 100 player next April if he decides to give up his final year of eligibility and declare for the 2026 NFL Draft.