Hello one and all and welcome back to yet another Draft "Expert" blog post! I think it goes without saying at this point, but this week we are recapping the action from the previous week and ranking each quarterback based on how they performed. Fun stuff, right?
Now, this past week was one of the more fun weeks to watch for me. Why? Because there were so many different rivalry games taking place, though some were more competitive than others, it was truly an exciting time. Whether it was Washington v Washington State, Alabama v Auburn, Ohio State v Michigan, Florida v Florida State, Kentucky v Louisville and so on and so forth. Long story short, just some fun match-ups.
All that being said I'll now leave you to read this beautifully constructed blog post, made by yours truly, Logan Blackman host of the Logan Blackman Show. I do hope you take the time to read through each quarterback so you understand my reasoning, but I hope more than anything that you enjoy what you read!
So, without any further delay, I present to you our week 13 quarterback prospect rankings for the 2023 NFL Draft! Enjoy!
Latest Episode
Pictured; Michael Penix Jr., Washington; Bryce Young, Alabama; CJ Stroud, Ohio State
1. Bryce Young, Alabama
Wk 13 - 20/30 343 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/5 carries 48 yds 1 touchdown v Auburn (49-27 W)
Season - 230/359 3,007 yds 27 touchdowns 5 interceptions/46 carries 195 yds 4 touchdowns
No one was really surprised by this outcome, right? I mean, no offense to Auburn, but they have kind of been a dumpster fire this year. That being said, things have kind of calmed down since Cadillac Williams took over as head coach, but the fact of the matter is that they are still not a very good football team. Like, I was kind of surprised that they managed to score 27 on Alabama last Saturday, scoring a three touchdowns through the first three quarters before ending with two field goals in the fourth quarter. Still, that was impressive. The problem was that they were playing an Alabama team that, though not the greatest, has a quarterback that is playing some of the best football in all of college football in the form of Bryce Young. Is this late surge enough to land him his second straight Heisman Trophy? Probably not, but there truly aren't a lot of quarterbacks playing better than Bryce Young at the moment, and he went off on Saturday, throwing for 343 yards with three touchdowns to go along with 48 yards on the ground and another touchdown to boot. Against your biggest rival you want your best players to step up, and Young certainly did that, and it started off early. On Bama's second drive of the game, Young hit a streaking Jermaine Burton down the far sideline for a 52-yard gain. This was just another example of Young's ability to make off balanced throws. Just before he released the ball after stepping up in the pocket, Young uncorked a beautiful ball to Burton, all while on the move. Young's ability to make these kind of throws, consistently, is why I consider him the best quarterback in the draft. Young would score on a five yard run a few plays later, tying the game at seven mid way through the first quarter. Young would get his first passing touchdown of the game on Alabama's next drive, hitting Jase McClellan on a little half back dump off play from 10-yards out to go up 14-7. This drive really consisted of a lot of shorter throws from Young, with a lot of the yards coming in yards after catch. He had one throw to Kendrick Law on 3rd and four that went for 13 that saw Young have to evade some pressure before delivering the ball to Law for the first down. We'd see Young's ability to evade pressure on display on Alabama's next drive, as he hit Isaiah Bond for a 13-yard gain and a first down. Though it wasn't the best throw, Young was able to avoid the free rusher before delivering the ball for the first down, which is all you can really ask for. Young would then hit Ja'Corey Brooks on a slant route across the middle, which came of an RPO style play, where Young read the rushing safety before throwing it almost exactly where the safety originally was, picking up 24-yards on the play. Roydell Williams would punch it in from five yards out a few plays later. On Alabama's next drive, we'd see Young make some impressive throws on a couple third down attempts in Alabama territory. First hitting Jermaine Burton on a nice post corner route for a 18-yard gain on 3rd and two, before hitting Kendrick Law on 3rd and 19, picking up 39-yards on a post route across the middle. Young would then throw his second touchdown of the game, hitting Ja'Corey Brooks from 32-yards out to go up 28-14 midway through the second quarter. In a pretty crowded area, one could say that Young got away with one, as Brooks and Isaiah Bond were standing within two yards of each other with three Auburn defenders in the area as well. Somehow Brooks was able to see the ball into his stomach, catching the ball in the end zone for the touchdown. Then, after a questionable call on an Auburn punt return, Young would use his feet to pick up a first down on 2nd and 20 late in the second quarter. The thing that could scare some people away from Young in the draft process is that he is very small. But, like he did on this run, he is very smart when it comes to avoiding hits, as he just dove straight to the ground once he picked up the first, avoiding the big hit in the process. Young would then hit Traeshon Holden on a little wide receiver screen play, where Holden would make a few defenders miss before finding the end zone, extending Alabama's lead even further to 35-14. Alabama would keep the scoring up as the second half started, as Jase McClellan would score on their first drive of the half. Before that though, we'd see Young utilize his legs again, picking up 14-yards on a first down run, setting the Tide up on the Auburn side of the 50. Fast forward to the 4th quarter and we'd see Young throw his first and only interception of the game. Though we'd see him make some nice throws to the likes of Cameron Latu across the middle and Robbie Ouzts on a wheel route on the far sideline the interception was still pretty bad. Though Young has a very strong arm, and has the ability to throw accurately off his back foot, this throw to Latu was easily jumped by Owen Pappoe. This was just a lazy throw from Young, who threw the ball late with not a lot of arm action. That being said, the game was pretty much over at that point, and Jahmyr Gibbs would further close it out with a 23-yard touchdown run to make it a 49-27 final. Again, Young is playing some very nice football at the moment, and needs to for Alabama to win games. Alabama's offenses lives and dies by Bryce Young's arm, and he put forth a good display last Saturday.
Pre-Season - 1
Wk 1 - 1
Wk 2 - 1
Wk 3 - 2
Wk 4 - 2
Wk 5 - 2
Wk 6 - 2
Wk 7 - 2
Wk 8 - 1
Wk 9 - 1
Wk 10 - 1 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 1
Wk 12 - 1
Wk 13 - 1
Wk 14 - BYE
2. CJ Stroud, Ohio State
Wk 13 - 31/48 349 yds 2 touchdowns 2 interceptions/2 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns v no.3 Michigan (45-23 L)
Season - 235/355 3,340 yds 37 touchdowns 6 interceptions/35 carries 74 yds 0 touchdowns
If you would've told me at the midway point of the season that, not only, was Ohio State going to lose to Michigan, but get blown out by them, I would've called you crazy. Like, there was a point in the season for me where I thought Ohio State was truly the best team in all of college football. After watching them blow past opponents with relative ease, I thought there was nothing standing in the way of a National Championship appearance for the Buckeyes this season. Well, after watching this game last Saturday, I can say with the upmost certainty that I was wrong, very wrong. Like, after watching Michigan beat up on the Buckeyes last year in Ann Arbor, I thought Ohio State would be extra motivated for this game and absolutely stomp the Wolverines at the Horseshoe. Again, I was very wrong. Now, Ohio State did have their chances throughout the game, and were even up 20-17 at the half, but Michigan came through in a big way in the second, scoring 28 points to Ohio State's measly three to come away 45-23 victors. As they say in Michigan, 'hail to the victors,' right? All that being said, we're not here to just talk about the game, we've got a quarterback to scout in the form of CJ Stroud. Though Stroud put up some solid numbers in regards to passing yards and touchdowns, this was not a great showing for the once Heisman front runner. Now, Stroud and the Buckeyes did manage to put forth a very solid opening drive, going 81-yards in 12 plays to go up seven early on. This drive saw Stroud hit, guess who, Marvin Harrison Jr. down the far sideline for a 19-yard gain on 3rd and one. Off his back foot, Stroud threw a very nice back shoulder ball down the far sideline to Harrison, who made a very nice catch to pick up the first down. Stroud would hit Emeka Egbuka a few plays later for the four yard touchdown pass, again, going up seven early on. Nothing too crazy, Egbuka ran a nice crossing route and managed to gain separation from the defender, giving Stroud enough space to hit him in stride for the touchdown. Ohio State would have to settle for a field goal on their next drive, going up 10-3, but Stroud did do a nice job at reading the entire field and finding Julian Fleming on a seven yard gain, picking up a first down on 2nd and two. Though it was a long throw, it wasn't anything that'd blow your socks off, but Stroud did a nice job at examine the entire field before hitting Fleming for the first. After failing to connect with Cade Stover on their previous drive and punting on their next, Ohio State would get back on the score sheet midway through the second quarter, starting with Stroud finding Harrison down the near sideline for a nice 18-yard gain. This was a damn beautiful throw from Stroud, who placed the ball right over the Michigan defender and into the waiting arms of Marvin Harrison Jr.. This all while leaning back too, this was just a very nice throw and catch between two of the country's best. But again, Ohio State would have to settle for a field goal. On their next drive though they'd finally find the end zone. Before that though we'd see Stroud again, do a nice job at reading the entire defense before hitting Fleming on a hitch route across the middle, picking up 15-yards in the process. The next play though Stroud would find Harrison Jr., again, this time for a nice 42-yard touchdown. With the safety coming in hot, Stroud really had two option to the far side of the field that could've resulted in touchdowns, unsurprisingly, he chose to throw to Harrison. Beautiful throw and beautiful catch between the pair, there was nothing the Michigan defender could really do to prevent a touchdown on that play. Though the defender did manage to push Harrison off his route to a certain extent, dude was able to get back in the field of play before making a nice half diving catch for the touchdown. Whatever you do, you cannot leave a defender on an island against Harrison, it's too easy for him. That being said, that's the last touchdown the Buckeyes would score, with everything essentially going down hill from that point on. That being said, Ohio State did manage to score a field goal midway through the fourth quarter, which was set up by a Stroud pass to Emeka Egbuka for a 44-yard gain. This was a very well weighted ball to Egbuka, who caught the ball around the 32-yard line before getting it all the way down to the 14-ish yard line. Stroud would also have a potential touchdown taken away from him because of a nice play by the Michigan defender, trying to find Stover on a crossing route. After the field goal though, things wold get even worse. With Michigan now up 38-23, Ohio State needed a touchdown to stay in it. After getting down to the 16-yard line Stroud threw a very ill-advised interception while falling over, under hand tossing it to the Michigan defender while trying to hit Xavier Johnson. Stroud would throw another interception on Ohio State's next drive, with the balling going through Cade Stover's hands across the middle, falling right into the arms of a Michigan defender. It was a pretty nice throw from Stroud, maybe needed to be a little lower but Stover really should've come away with the catch. That being said, it didn't do much to effect the result of the game, as it was 45-23 at that point with just under two minutes left in the game. This was a really rough game to watch once the second half started, and Michigan fans can sleep well at night knowing that not only did they beat their much hated rival, in embarrassing fashion, two years in a row, but this'll be their second straight trip to the Big 10 Championship game, where they'll be taking on Purdue. This will be a rough couple weeks for Ohio State, losing to your biggest rival and then watching them, potentially, win their second straight Big 10 crown. Tough scenes in Columbus. Oh well, next year, right?
Pre-Season - 2
Wk 1 - 2
Wk 2 - 2
Wk 3 - 1
Wk 4 - 1
Wk 5 - 1
Wk 6 - 1
Wk 7 - 1
Wk 8 - 2
Wk 9 - 2
Wk 10 - 2 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 2
Wk 12 - 2
Wk 13 - 2
Wk 14 - BYE
3. Anthony Richardson, Florida
Wk 13 - 9/27 198 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/10 carries 41 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.16 Florida State (45-38 L)
Season - 176/327 2,549 yds 17 touchdowns 9 interceptions/103 carries 654 yds 9 touchdowns
Look, I know Joe Namath did this back in the 1960s and it worked, but you should not, under and circumstances, guarantee that you are going to go out and beat your fiercest rival on the road. That's one thing that should get taught early on when you first start playing sports, never give your opposition any 'bulletin board' material. Since it's World Cup time, I'll use this analogy. It's like taking a panenka penalty kick, where you chip it down the middle. Sure, if the goalie dives out of the way, it's super cool and gutsy. But, if the goalie stands still, they'll more than likely save it, and you'll look like a dick head. So yeah, guaranteeing victory is cool, if you win, but since Florida lost to Florida State on Black Friday, it was pretty much the exact opposite of that. Now, all that being said, I would like to give Anthony Richardson and the Florida Gators some props because they went into Doak Campbell Stadium as pretty decent underdogs and managed to put 38 points on the board. Regardless of what was said before the game, that's pretty impressive. As for Anthony Richardson, apart from essentially guaranteeing a victory, he played alright, though didn't complete a high percentage of his passes. After Florida's first drive resulted in a punt, Richardson came out on the second drive and, in one throw, got Florida back in the game. After Trevor Etienne set the Gators up with good field position after a 48-yard kick return, Richardson dropped back and threw a dime to Ricky Pearsall for a 52-yard touchdown. With a Florida State defender barreling down on him, Richardson stood tall in the pocket and led Pearsall beautifully into the end zone for the touchdown. With Pearsall creating about five yards of separation between himself and the nearest FSU defender, all Richardson needed to do was not over throw him, to which he didn't. Again, this was a beautiful ball in the face of pressure by Richardson. Then, after Florida State turned it over on downs, Richardson led the Gators down the field on a nine play 63-yard drive to go up 14-7 later on in the first quarter. Though most of the yards were gained on the ground via Trevor Etienne, it was Richardson who helped punch the ball across the pylon with a 12-yard toss to Jonathan Odom for the touchdown. The pass only went a yard or two past the line of scrimmage but it still counted for seven all the same. Unfortunately though, on Florida's next drive we'd see Richardson throw his first and only interception of the game, coming right at the start of the second quarter. I don't really know what Richardson was doing on this throw, as it was a half hearted side arm attempt to Jonathan Odom across the middle. After rolling out to his left, with pressure coming from his back side, Richardson tried to get the ball to his tight end, but again, it was a very bad pass. Thankfully for Richardson and the Gators, the Seminoles would come away with no points as they'd miss the ensuing field goal. On Florida's next drive we'd see Richardson make up for his interception on the Gators last drive by leading them down the field for another touchdown. Prior to the touchdown though, on 3rd and 10, from their own 24-yard line, Richardson would deliver a dart across the middle to Ricky Pearsall for a 32-yard gain and a first down. In a relatively clean pocket, Richardson stood strong and threw the ball across the middle to Pearsall, who he hit in-stride, before picking up the big gain. Richardson and Pearsall would hook up again on the very next play, as Richardson would hit Pearsall down the seem for a nice 43-yard touchdown. Like we said with his first touchdown, perfect throw to not only lead Pearsall, but to beat the out stretched arm of the Florida State defender. Dude placed the ball perfectly down the seem and it resulted in seven for the Gators. Though he wouldn't do a whole lot else in the first half, Richardson probably should've hooked up with Jordan Pouncey with 47 seconds left in the half. Now, I couldn't tell if his arm got hit or hit he just short armed it, but I'm sure Richardson would like to have this throw back, as Pouncey would've caught the ball at the two which could've either seen him score or set up another. Now, could Pouncey still have caught the ball? Maybe, he did try to make a play on it but it the end it just fell short. Fast forward to later on in the third quarter and we'd see Richardson pick up a big time first down using his legs. On 3rd and eight, down 38-24, Richardson pulled on a read option play and ran up the middle for 15-yards and a first. Powering through about five or six arm tackles before taking a pile of Florida State defenders for a ride once he reached the first down marker. I'm not kidding, I think Richardson carried almost the entire Seminole defense seven or eight yards, it was pretty damn impressive. He doing something similar a few plays later but wound up being a yard short of the first down marker. Not to fret, a personal foul penalty would keep the drive alive after failing on a 4th and one attempt, and the Gators would score a few plays later thanks to a Montrell Johnson Jr. run. Florida would score one more time to make the score tied at 38, but after Florida State scored with just over four minutes left, Florida would stall out and fall 45-38. That being said, the Gators still put up a fight on their last drive. Like when Richardson picked up 23-yards to pick up a first down on 3rd and eight with two minutes left in the fourth. Unfortunately, that play was all for not, as a holding call would take away the yards and force Florida into a 3rd and 18. That being said on 4th and 18, Florida would be bailed out by a pretty questionable pass interference call. Richardson would make some more plays on the drive, completing some key passes, but it wouldn't end up mattering as Florida's drive would, again, stall out with 39 seconds left, giving Florida State the 45-38 victory. This was a very entertaining game to watch, it just sucks that someone has to come out on the losing side, in that case it was Florida.
Pre-Season - 5
Wk 1 - 3
Wk 2 - 3
Wk 3 - 4
Wk 4 - 4
Wk 5 - 4
Wk 6 - 4
Wk 7 - 4
Wk 8 - 4
Wk 9 - 4
Wk 10 - 4 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 3
Wk 12 - 3
Wk 13 - 3
Wk 14 - BYE
4. Will Levis, Kentucky
Wk 13 - 11/19 188 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries -10 yds 0 touchdowns v no.25 Louisville (26-13 W)
Season - 185/283 2,406 yds 19 touchdowns 10 interceptions/72 carries -107 yds 2 touchdowns
This has been a very strange season for Will Levis and the Kentucky Wildcats. At on point in the season, Kentucky were ranked in the top 10, being ranked seventh before their match-up with the Ole Miss Rebels. Since that loss to Ole Miss, Kentucky has lost to the likes of South Carolina, without Levis, Tennessee, Vanderbilt, and Georgia, finishing the regular season out at 7-5. From once being ranked as the seventh best team in college football to finishing 7-5 is not great and probably isn't where the Wildcats thought they'd be at the start of the season, especially with having one of the NFL Draft's best quarterbacks at your disposal. Though Levis is widely considered to be a first round draft pick due to his physical traits, he didn't really put forth the best season, posting worse numbers than what he did last year in his first season at Kentucky. Though his numbers weren't the greatest, there were times throughout games where you'd see Levis flash his potential, seeing why he's garnered so much hype for the 2023 Draft. The only problem was that it was never consistent, with people left wanting more throughout this past season. Games like Tennessee and Vanderbilt really made people start to question whether the hype around Levis was actually legit or not, and rightfully so. Now, despite those bad games against weaker secondaries I still have faith in Levis, and he posted some nicer numbers against Kentucky's instate rival Louisville last weekend, where he and Kentucky came out 26-13 victors. Though Levis' numbers don't compare to what he did against Louisville last year, where he completed around 80% of his passes for 149 yards with a further 113 on the ground with four touchdowns, he still put forth a good game, and it started off fairly early. After punting on their first drive, Levis and the Wildcats came out on their second and started off with a nice pass to Josh Kattus across the middle, where Kattus would pick up 70-yards on the pitch and catch. With Louisville sending their linebackers on a blitz, Kattus was able to get wide ass open a few yards past the line of scrimmage, allowing Levis to just soft toss him the ball and let him do the rest. After breaking one tackle, Kattus was able to get Kentucky all the way down to the Louisville 13-yard line. Levis would get his first touchdown of the game a few plays later, hitting Dane Key for the eight yard touchdown. Nothing too crazy, just a nice simple slant route. Though it was nice to see Levis deliver a nice ball to Key while getting hit in the legs, very nice second drive for Kentucky. Fast forward a little bit in the first quarter and we see Levis hit Dane Key on a dig route across the middle for a nice 15-yard gain just as the quarter ended. Nice job by Levis putting the ball right on his body, which is important to do when you have a receiver coming across the middle of the field in somewhat decent traffic. Surprisingly, Kentucky would manage to actually score a field goal, and would do so on their next drive as well, going up 13-0 in the second quarter. Fast forward to the midway point in the third quarter and we see Levis register his second passing touchdown of the game, this time finding Barion Brown for the three yard score. Normally, I'm not a fan of fade routes this close to the end zone, but Levis did a nice job at placing this ball to the outside, away from the defender, which allowed Brown to make a nice leaping grab. I think this worked out a little better because of the fact Brown wasn't pressed against the sideline, giving him more room to work once Levis let the ball rip. Nice play, which saw Kentucky extend their lead to 23-7. Levis wouldn't really be asked to do a whole lot after that as the Wildcats leaned on running backs Chris Rodriguez Jr. and JuTahn McClain to see out the game, which saw Kentucky come out 26-13 victors over the 25th ranked Louisville Cardinals. Again, it wasn't the same game that Levis had last year, but it was definitely a nice way to end the regular season for the Wildcats. Unsurprisingly, Will Levis has already declared for the NFL Draft where, despite some of his other performance, will more than likely be picked in the top 15, which I'm not overly upset about. I think Levis' tools and mindset are perfect for the NFL, he just needs a team that'll work to his strengths, unlike what Kentucky did this season. I think Levis will be a fine quarterback in the NFL and I'm excited to see where he ends up.
Pre-Season - 3
Wk 1 - 4
Wk 2 - 4
Wk 3 - 3
Wk 4 - 3
Wk 5 - 3
Wk 6 - 3
Wk 7 - 3
Wk 8 - 3
Wk 9 - 3
Wk 10 - 3 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 4
Wk 12 - 4
Wk 13 - 4
Wk 14 - BYE
5. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
Wk 13 - 0/0 0 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/0 carries 0 yds 0 touchdowns @ Vanderbilt (56-0 W)
Season - 229/329 3,135 yds 27 touchdowns 2 interceptions/104 carries 430 yds 5 touchdowns
Hendon Hooker tore his ACL against South Carolina the previous week, so he obviously did not play. That being said, I still want to list him in my rankings because dude is still a top quarterback in next year's class. I just hope he gets invited to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony because he definitely deserves it.
Pre-Season - 10
Wk 1 - 8
Wk 2 - 8
Wk 3 - 7
Wk 4 - 6
Wk 5 - 6
Wk 6 - 5
Wk 7 - 5
Wk 8 - 5
Wk 9 - 5
Wk 10 - 5 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 5
Wk 12 - 5
Wk 13 - 5
Wk 14 - BYE
6. Bo Nix, Oregon (+1)
Wk 13 - 27/41 327 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries -5 yds 0 touchdowns @ no.21 Oregon State (38-34 L)
Season - 271/378 3,389 yds 27 touchdowns 6 interceptions/83 carries 508 yds 14 touchdowns
This was an exiting game, now wasn't it? Though I don't like that the name of this rivalry is 'Civil War' since that's not geographically correct to the real Civil War, this game was still crazy. Though the first half was relatively low scoring, with the scores being 14-10 at the half, the Ducks came out with their tails on fire in the second half, at one point holding a 31-10 lead midway through the fourth quarter. Then things started getting stupid as Oregon State started chipping away at the lead before eventually taking home a 38-34 victory over their bitter instate rivals. Like, this game was so crazy that Oregon State receiver, Tyjon Lindsey, said that he felt like he 'won the Super Bowl.' I'm sure he did feel like that, especially since the comeback win over the Ducks kept them out of the PAC-12 Championship game. Absolutely bananas this game was. Now, in regards to how quarterback Bo Nix played, I'd say he played pretty well. Though he looked frustrated at times, he put forth a solid stat line that really should've won the Ducks the game, even with him still hurting from his ankle injury his suffered against Washington a few weeks ago. The game for Nix started off pretty solidly, as on 3rd and six he managed to escape some pressure before delivering a strike to Troy Franklin for 16-yards and a first down. It wasn't a crazy throw or anything, just threw it to Franklin who was sitting past the first down marker, but it show cased Nix's ability to make plays on the move and his ability to avoid pressure from different directions. The throw was decent, don't get me wrong, but it's the escapability that I liked more out of Nix, despite the bum ankle. Nix would get his first touchdown pass of the game a few plays later, hitting Chase Cota for the 44-yard score. Though it was a nice throw from Nix, Cota made an absolutely insane catch, jumping from about the five yard line to make sure he came up with the ball instead of the Beaver defender. Not to mention dude was playing with a broken thumb, just an absolutely stupid awesome play from Cota to see the Ducks go up 7-3 early on in the game. Oregon's next few drives wouldn't garner the same success though as the Ducks turned it over on downs, twice, and punted another time before picking up their second touchdown just before halftime. On their second touchdown drive, we'd see Nix hit Cota, again, this time across the middle of the field for a nice 26-yard gain. Nix put this ball on a friggin frozen rope across the middle, just beating the out stretched arm of the Oregon State defender on the play. Really well thrown ball from Nix to pick up the first. Nix would later find Dont'e Thornton for a nice 16-yard hook up later on in the drive, where we'd see Nix roll to his right before firing to Thornton by the numbers on the far sideline. This wasn't Nix's best throw of the game as Thornton had to make an effort to make sure this ball didn't skip against the ground, but it was still a nice play that resulted in a first down. Nix would then pick up a first down using his legs a few plays later on 2nd and three. With the pocket broken down around him, Nix smartly decides to just tuck it and get as many yards as he can, picking up four-ish yards on the play. Fast forward a couple more seconds and we'd see Nix get his second passing touchdown of the game, this time finding Troy Franklin from nine-yards out to go up 14-10 before the half. Great route by Franklin and nice job by Nix of examining the entire field before firing to Thornton for the touchdown. After punting after going three and out on their first offensive drive of the second half, the Oregon defense would come up big, intercepting Ben Gulbranson and taking it back all the way to the two-yard line, which Jordan James would punch in for the score a play later, making it 21-10 early in the third. Noah Whittington would then score on Oregon's next drive from five-yards out, thanks to some nice Bo Nix passes, to further extend their lead to 28-10 in the third. The passes from Nix weren't mid boggling passes, but they were big, like his throw to Troy Franklin early on in the drive to pick up a key first down on 3rd and four, or to Kris Hutson, who picked up 11-yards and set up the touchdown after Nix lasered him a ball on the near sideline. As for the rest of the game, apart from a couple field goals, a 53-yard hook up between Nix and Terrance Ferguson in the third and a nice pitch and catch between Nix and Cota, again, on an out route in the fourth, not a lot else happened for the Ducks. Like, apart from the field goals, the Ducks would either turn it over on downs or just flat out turn it over via fumble. They just slowly fell apart at the seems and allowed the Beavers to creep back into the game. Nix had an opportunity to take the game later on in the fourth but Nix missed Troy Franklin in the end zone while rolling to his right. This is a game the Ducks would surly like to have back. Up 31-10 on your rivals, you cannot allow them to come back into the game. Again though, I thought Nix played a solid game, just a shame he and the Ducks won't be able to play for a PAC-12 title.
Pre-Season - H/M
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - N/R
Wk 4 - N/R
Wk 5 - N/R
Wk 6 - N/R
Wk 7 - N/R
Wk 8 - N/R
Wk 9 - N/R
Wk 10 - 7 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 7
Wk 12 - 7
Wk 13 - 6
Wk 14 - BYE
7. Jaren Hall, BYU (-1)
Wk 13 - 7/11 93 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/11 carries 69 yds 1 touchdown @ Stanford (35-26 W)
Season - 248/376 3,171 yds 31 touchdowns 6 interceptions/86 carries 346 yds 3 touchdowns
This was a very interesting game from Jaren Hall and the BYU Cougars offense, as the star quarterback was asked to do very little in BYU's 35-26 win over Stanford this past Saturday, with BYU leaning heavily on Christopher Brooks and the rushing attack in this outing. In the game, Brooks totaled 23 carries for 164 yards, very impressive stuff, especially when you consider Hall himself combined for just 22 attempts in the pass and run game. Now, we've always known Jaren Hall was a decent athlete, but it's only been recently that we've really seen him utilize his legs in the rushing attack for BYU. Like, his three highest rushing totals from this season have come in three of the past four games, rushing for 60, 82, and most recently against Stanford, 69. Having never rushed for over 30 yards this season before his 60 yard performance against East Carolina, it's been nice to see him use his full skill set. That all being said, this was also the least amount of passes he's attempted in a game so far this season, attempting only 11 but again, Brooks was a massive cog in what BYU did throughout the game, as BYU, as a team, totaled 358 yards on the ground, impressive stuff. Back to Hall utilizing his legs though, we saw him punch in BYU's first touchdown of the game from 19-yards out on a nice read option play that saw him get relatively untouched until he reached the goal line, but at that point it was too late, and the Cougars jumped out to a 7-0 lead early on. Fast forward to the second quarter and we'd see Hall beat Stanford's defense again with his legs, pulling the ball on another read option play picking up 18-yards and a first down. The very next play we'd see Hall register his first touchdown pass of the game, hitting Isaac Rex on a nice little trick play, scoring from 43-yards out to go up 21-3. This is a style of play BYU has run quite a bit so far this season, where they have a couple players pitch it back to one another before finally pitching it back to Hall to potentially have a big hitter down the field. Though it hasn't been perfect for BYU this season, this one worked out really well as Rex was wide ass open down the far sideline. After making the first man miss around the nine yard line, Rex was able to punch his way into the end zone to, again, put BYU up 21-3 early on in the second. On BYU's next drive, we'd see Hall hit Puka Nacua on a nice 12-yard play before gashing Stanford with his legs, again, this time picking up 16-yards on the play, though he probably ran for twice that just trying to loop around to the line of scrimmage. We'd then see Hall try to get his second rushing touchdown of the game, running a quarterback draw play on 3rd and nine, but the officials marked him a yard short, though he did end up picking up the first down. Though he wouldn't get his second rushing touchdown, Hall would manage to get his second passing touchdown, finding Isaac Rex, again, this time from one yard out. Though it was only from a yard out, Hall did a nice job at extending the play with his legs, allowing Rex to get a little more open in the back of the end zone. That would be BYU's last drive of the first half, finishing off the half with four drives that resulted in four touchdowns, really impressive stuff from Hall and the Cougars offense early on in this game, going into the locker room up 28-12, on the road. BYU would get one more touchdown in the game thanks to a Puka Nacua reverse that went for 25-yards and that'd be pretty much it, which would see BYU come away 35-26 victors against Stanford. I'm not joking when I say this, but if my math is correct, BYU threw the ball one time the entire second half, which resulted in a nice 13-yard between Hall and Nacua, but again, that'd be it. Not the busiest day for Jaren Hall but after coming away with three total touchdowns and a win I don't think he'll be doing too much complaining.
Pre-Season - 8
Wk 1 - 7
Wk 2 - 6
Wk 3 - 6
Wk 4 - 5
Wk 5 - 5
Wk 6 - 6
Wk 7 - 6
Wk 8 - 6
Wk 9 - 6
Wk 10 - 6 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 6
Wk 12 - 6
Wk 13 - 7
Wk 14 - BYE
8. Michael Penix Jr., Washington (+2)
Wk 13 - 25/43 485 yds 3 touchdowns 1 interception/2 carries 34 yds 2 touchdowns @ Washington State (51-33 W)
Season - 330/500 4,354 yds 29 touchdowns 7 interceptions/32 carries 86 yds 4 touchdowns
This is honestly one of my favorite rivalries in all of college football. The problem with saying that is that I don't really have a definitive answer as to why that is apart from that it's called the 'Apple Cup.' Maybe I'm just super ignorant to the fact, but I don't know, nor do I care, why this rivalry is called the 'Apple Cup,' all I know is that it's a pretty awesome name for a rivalry game and that I don't want anyone to explain to to me, I like it how it is. Now, in this rendition of the 'Apple Cup' we were treated some truly exciting football featuring two exciting quarterbacks in the form of Michael Penix Jr. and Cameron Ward. Weirdly enough, both are transfers. I guess I don't know how weird that is but it is somewhat weird, right? Well, who cares if it truly is or not, all I know is that this game was really fun, with Michael Penix and the Washington Huskies coming out on top 51-33. Like, this game was high paced and close throughout, at least until the fourth quarter when Washington started to pull away, but Penix had himself a damn near career day, throwing for 485-yards and three touchdowns to go along with a further 34 on the ground with two more touchdowns to boot. Really impressive stuff from the Indiana transfer. That being said, it looked like it could be a struggle for Washington early in the game as they were forced to punt on their opening drive, something they haven't done a whole lot of so far this season. Once they got that out of the way though, the Huskies started cookies offensively, with them scoring a touchdown on their next five drives. On their second drive though we'd see Penix hit Ja'Lynn Polk on an outside out 3rd and six, which would end up resulting in Washington's first score of the game. Now, this play really should've been stopped at around the five yard line, but Polk somehow managed to sneak his way into the end zone relatively untouched from 26-yards out, putting the Huskies up 7-3 midway through the first quarter. On the Huskies next drive, we'd start with Penix hitting Rome Odunze on a very long and very well thrown out route to get the Huskies a yard away from the first down marker towards the end of the first. Then, on 3rd and 15 a few plays later, Penix would hit Giles Jackson down the far sideline for a very nice 25-yard gain. This was a very well thrown ball that was placed right in between two Washington State defenders. With the corner a little more shallow and the safety over top, this throw needed to be placed where it was in order to avoid the turnover. Great play design and great throw from Penix to pick up the first down. Penix would then get his second touchdown of the game a play later, hitting Rome Odunze for a 47-yard score. After a pump fake freed Odunze up, Penix led him beautifully down the far sideline for the score, which would put Washington back up 14-10 in the second. Then, on their next scoring drive, stop me if this is getting repetitive, we'd see Penix hit Jalen McMillan on a very well run crossing route, picking up 26-yards on the play. Penix would then score a play later, running it in from 30-yards out to go up again, 21-17. I get it was a backwards pass, but I'm sorry, I'm going to view this more as a receiving touchdown for Penix, as Jalen McMillan threw the ball, after receiving the handoff, all the way to the top of the field to Penix, who made some Cougar defenders miss before finding the end zone. I don't know why, but it didn't really register to me that this was a rushing touchdown from Penix until I looked at the stat sheet later. No matter though, counts as a touchdown all the same. Again, on Washington's next offensive drive, we'd see Penix chalk up a deep ball to Rome Odunze on a 48-yard ball down the middle of the field. Though it went for a big gain, I'm sure Penix wants this one back, at least a little bit, as Odunze had a step or two on the Washington State defender and had the ball been in front of him instead of behind him, he may have scored. Then again, like we've always said, better to under throw than to overthrow, right? Penix would then get his second rushing touchdown of the game a few plays later, pulling it on a read option play and taking it in from four yards out, taking the lead back at 28-24 late in the second. Fast forward to the first play of the second half and Penix would hit a deep ball down the field again, this time to Jalen McMillan for a 75-yard score. This was a beautifully thrown ball by Penix, hitting McMillan in stride for th e big time touchdown on, again, their first play of the second half. Though Washington had been scoring a will after their first drive, they ran into some road blocks on their next couple drives, turning it over via a fumble and an interception. The sad part about the fumble is that the play before Penix and McMillan hooked up again, this time for 26-yards and a first down. On their next drive it was a similar-ish story. Penix had a very nice throw across the middle of the field to Rome Odunze on a 23-yard gain on 3rd and eight. With pressure all around him, Penix stepped up in the pocket and delivered an absolute laser down the middle of the field to Odunze for the first down. Penix's interception would come a few plays later in the end zone, as he was forced out to his left and threw a really awkward ball to the end zone that landed right in the arms of a Cougar defender. Thankfully for the Huskies, despite those two costly turnovers, they managed to hang onto the lead, 35-33 going into the fourth quarter. Washington would score a touchdown early on in the fourth thanks to a Rome Odunze run, but it was set up by another deep ball down the field by Penix, hitting Ja'Lynn Polk between a couple of defenders for a big 41-yard play. Washington would essentially see the game out after this as they kept Washington State from scoring for the remainder of the game, while also being able to punch in a couple more scores to make the final 51-33. Like I said before, this was a very entertaining game, just a shame someone had to come out on the losing end.
Pre-Season - N/R
Wk 1 - N/R
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - H/M
Wk 4 - H/M
Wk 5 - H/M
Wk 6 - H/M
Wk 7 - H/M
Wk 8 - H/M
Wk 9 - H/M
Wk 10 - H/M (didn't post)
Wk 11 - 9
Wk 12 - 10
Wk 13 - 8
Wk 14 - BYE
9. Tanner McKee, Stanford (-1)
Wk 13 - 31/40 313 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/5 carries -3 yds 0 touchdowns v BYU (35-26 L)
Season - 264/426 2,947 yds 13 touchdowns 8 interceptions/74 carries -90 yds 2 touchdowns
What a frustrating season this was for the Stanford Cardinal. I don't know if fans were expecting a winning season or anything, but I can tell you that 4-8, with multiple double digit losses, is not how any fan wants their season to go, especially fans of a storied university like Stanford. Like, this season was so off that long time head coach David Shaw stepped down after 12-years with the program, not including the previous years he was there as an offensive coordinator. All in all, just not a fun season for Stanford. That being said, though they lost their last game of the season to BYU, Tanner McKee, arguably, put forth his best performance of the season, throwing for over 300 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. The stat I'm about to share with you is kind of sad, but after throwing a touchdown in this game, this was the first time McKee had thrown a touchdown in back-to-back games since the first two weeks of October, where he threw two touchdowns against both Oregon and Oregon State, weirdly scoring exactly 27 points in both games. But yeah, not only has it been a frustrating season for the Cardinal, it's been insanely frustrating for McKee, who clearly has all the talent to be a top quarterback but has just been apart of a archaic offense that has no real semblance of an offensive line, which is not a great hallmark for success in my opinion. Now, though McKee ended up with solid numbers in this game, it took a little bit for him and the Stanford offense to really get going, as they found themselves down 21-3 early on in the second quarter. Though they were down big, this drive in the second would become Stanford's first touchdown of the game. After working their way down the field Stanford's drive somewhat stalled out, as they were forced into a fourth down situation on the BYU side of the 50. Though we've made fun of Stanford's offense multiple times this season, this 4th and five play was pretty well designed, as McKee hit Elijah Higgins across the middle on a slant-ish route that picked up 22-yards on the play. With the middle of the field relatively open, it was an easy read for McKee, who hit Higgins in stride to pick up the first down. We'd then, weirdly, see McKee utilize his legs to pick up a first down. After pulling it on an RPO style play, McKee was met with a BYU defender directly in his face. So, instead of forcing a throw, McKee smartly tucked it in, and picked up the first down and more on an eight yard run, which may be one of his longest runs of the year. Then, after a nice nine yard completion to C.J. Hawkins to set the Cardinal up at the one, they'd punch it in via a Mitch Leigber one-yard dive, cutting into BYU's lead and making the score 21-9 in the second. Though they'd score there, you'd have to move forward a little bit in the game to find Stanford doing anything else of note. Moving to the fourth quarter, we Stanford get another touchdown. Leading to the touchdown though we'd see McKee hit Brycen Tremayne on a crossing route which picked up 29-yards on the play. Though it seems like an easy throw, McKee had to throw this ball across his body and had to make sure he put it on Tremayne's body to make sure the BYU defender couldn't make a play on it. McKee's throw allowed Tremayne to keep his moment and pick up a massive gain after first catching the ball. We'd then see McKee hit Sam Roush on a skinny post route up the seem, which would set up an Ashton Daniels touchdown run a play later. After that, McKee would find Benjamin Yurosek in the end zone for the two-point conversion. On their next drive, McKee would make a very nice throw to Brycen Tremayne down the near sideline. After stepping up and and rolling out to his right, McKee hit Tremayne in stride on a deeper out route. This throw was made even more impressive by the fact McKee was on the move when he let the ball go, something he hasn't done a whole lot of up to this point in the season. The throw was on target and on the money, and it picked up a whopping 36-yards on the play. A few plays later McKee would get his first and only touchdown of the game, finding Tremayne in the corner-ish of the end zone down the near sideline to make the score 35-26, after a botched pat attempt. Great ball placement by McKee and great catch by Tremayne made the final a little more respectable for the Cardinal. This is not how the Cardinal intended this season to go, losing their last five games and finishing with a disappointing 4-8 record. In regards to McKee's future, time will tell if he ends up declaring for the draft or not, with a few people believing he'll be transferring this offseason rather than go to the NFL, which is fair. I guess we'll have to wait and see which route McKee ends up taking.
Pre-Season - 6
Wk 1 - 6
Wk 2 - 7
Wk 3 - 8
Wk 4 - 8
Wk 5 - 9
Wk 6 - 10
Wk 7 - 9
Wk 8 - 8
Wk 9 - 8
Wk 10 - 8
Wk 11 - 9 (didn't post)
Wk 12 - 8
Wk 13 - 9
Wk 14 - BYE
10. Cameron Ward, Washington State (NEW)
Wk 13 - 33/52 322 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/16 carries -5 yds 1 touchdown v no.13 Washington (51-33 L)
Season - 298/465 3,094 yds 23 touchdowns 8 interceptions/96 carries 62 yds 5 touchdowns
Like I said with Penix before, it's a damn shame someone had to come out on the losing end of the 2022 Apple Cup, with both quarterbacks putting on an absolute clinic throwing the football. Again, like Penix, Ward had a damn near career day last Saturday, coming away with 322 yards with two touchdowns through the air and another touchdown on the ground to boot. Ward's been on a nice little stretch as of late, where he has now avoided throwing an interception in five straight games, with his last one coming all the way back on October 15th against Oregon State. That was a problem for Ward early on in his Washington State career, as he threw at least one interception in five of Washington State's first seven games of the season, throwing two interceptions three different times during those games. It's really nice to see Ward find some consistency in the passing game, and again, posting one of his best games of the season against the Cougars bitter instate rival. Now, for the game. After a field goal on their first drive, which saw Ward pick up a nice first down using his legs early on, the Cougars would be forced to punt on their next drive, despite Ward saving a potential safety on the drive, going three and out. Then, after Washington managed to get their first score of the game, Washington State followed suit, as they managed to get their first touchdown of the game as well, and would do so on their next three drives, with their first drive getting a nice shot from a fake punt. After the fake punt picked up a whopping 36-yards, the Cougar offense came back out firing, with Ward hitting Donovan Ollie and Leyton Smithson on back-to-back plays to make up for a sack that forced the Cougars into a 3rd and 15 situation. Then, on another 3rd down attempt, we'd see Ward score his first and only rushing touchdown of the game. After the pocket collapsed around him, Ward ran to his left before cutting up field and making a few miss before punching it into the end zone. Though his total rushing numbers this season aren't mind blowing, this was a fine example of Ward's abilities in the run game, as he is a very capable runner and has the ability to make a man miss. On their next drive, while taking a shot from a Husky defender, Ward would find Donovan Ollie up the seem for a nice 26-yard gain. Now, Ward is not necessarily the biggest guy out there, and with smaller quarterbacks you tend to see them get a little more timid in the pocket, but Ward stood tall, took the shot, and delivered a strike for a big first down on 2nd and 14. Then, on 4th and 10, Ward would show off his athleticism again, this time, making multiple tacklers miss in the backfield before firing down field and finding Robert Ferrel for the 34-yard score, putting the Cougars up 17-14 in the second. Again, this showed off Ward's maneuverability inside the pocket, with his ability to slip past defenders and make people miss coming up big time on this touchdown throw. Great play from Ward. Washington State would score again on their next drive, thanks to a Ward dump down pass to Nakia Watson to go up again, 24-14 midway through the second. This drive saw Ward have a couple of nice opportunities, i.e. his throw to Robert Ferrel down the seem that was slightly over thrown that should've ended with a touchdown, and his throw to De'Zhaun Stribling on fourth down that he slightly under threw, which forced Stribling to make a diving effort back towards the ball. All in all, the Cougars wound up in the end zone and found themselves in the lead once again. Fast forward to about the 10 minute mark in the third quarter and we see Washington State's offense start to really move again, starting off with a nice touch pass from Ward to Robert Ferrel for 19-yards to pick up a first on 3rd and five. Ferrel ran a really nice post corner route and Ward placed the ball towards the sideline and away from the two Husky defenders. Washington State would score on a run play a few plays later thanks to Nakia Watson but that'd be pretty much it from the Cougar offense, as they couldn't really get much going after that. The Cougars next four drives ended with two punts and two turnover on downs. Though this game was back and forth throughout, Washington State should be thankful Cameron Ward is their quarterback, because there were many times throughout where Ward should've been sacked, but managed to escape and pick up a decent gain for the Cougars. In the game, Ward was sacked a joint season high six times, but lord knows how often he was hit in the backfield throughout the course of the game. That being said, this was still a very fun game to watch and Cameron Ward put forth a very solid performance against the Huskies last Saturday.
Pre-Season - H/M
Wk 1 - H/M
Wk 2 - N/R
Wk 3 - H/M
Wk 4 - H/M
Wk 5 - 10
Wk 6 - 9
Wk 7 - H/M
Wk 8 - H/M
Wk 9 - 10
Wk 10 - 8 (didn't post)
Wk 11 - H/M
Wk 12 - H/M
Wk 13 - 10
Wk 14 - BYE
Others
Jayden Daniels, LSU
Wk 13 - 21/35 189 yds 0 touchdowns 0 interceptions/12 carries 84 yds 0 touchdowns v Texas A&M (38-23 L)
Season - 238/347 2,566 yds 15 touchdowns 2 interceptions/174 carries 824 yds 11 touchdowns
Max Duggan, TCU
Wk 13 - 17/24 212 yds 3 touchdowns 0 interceptions/3 carries 3 yds 0 touchdowns v Iowa State (62-14 W)
Season - 221/332 3,070 yds 29 touchdowns 3 interceptions/97 carries 294 yds 5 touchdowns
KJ Jefferson, Arkansas
Wk 13 - 20/27 212 yds 2 touchdowns 1 interception/19 carries 38 yds 1 touchdown @ Missouri (29-27 L)
Season - 185/271 2,361 yds 22 touchdowns 4 interceptions/144 carries 510 yds 7 touchdowns
Aidan O'Connell, Purdue
Wk 13 - 18/29 290 yds 2 touchdowns 0 interceptions/5 carries -6 yds 0 touchdowns @ Indiana (30-16 W)
Season - 288/452 3,124 yds 22 touchdowns 11 interceptions/37 carries -45 yds 1 touchdown
Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
Wk 13 - 21/30 189 yds 1 touchdown 0 interceptions/14 carries 88 yds 2 touchdowns @ Cal (35-28 W)
Season - 250/358 2,883 yds 25 touchdowns 7 interceptions/112 carries 632 yds 11 touchdowns
Previous Rankings
Pre-Season - https://www.theloganblackmanshow.com/post/the-draft-expert-insanely-early-2023-nfl-draft-prospect-rankings
Wk 2 - https://www.theloganblackmanshow.com/post/the-draft-expert-2023-nfl-draft-wk-2-prospect-rankings
Wk 10 - Didn't post
Thank you for taking the time to read through the list! Hope you enjoyed it! If you did, give the article a like and comment down below how you felt!
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