Week 9 in college football wasn’t easy for a few of the top teams in the AP Top 25. No. 1 Miami squeaked out a win by relying on their star offensive players Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney. The same could not be said for No. 2 Ohio State. Missing starting quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes struggled to score in their loss to USC. No. 4 Indiana needed overtime and great plays by wide receiver Charlie Becker to take down Minnesota. Teams like No. 3 Georgia and No. 5 Notre Dame, however, coasted to victory.
The first College Football Playoff rankings of the season have been released ahead of a great slate of games in Week 10. The feature matchup of the week will be No. 1 Miami traveling to South Bend, Ind., to face No. 4 Notre Dame. The Holy War will take place in Salt Lake City between No. 3 Utah and No. 7 BYU. Arch Manning and No. 10 Texas will try to continue their strong play against No. 19 Missouri. No. 8 Kentucky visits No. 16 Tennessee while No. 9 Alabama will go on the road to Baton Rouge to face No. 15 LSU. No. 2 Georgia will face one of their stiffest challenges in No. 12 Ole Miss.
Here are a few players who had a good week and might be able to help out the Commanders. Let me know what you think about these prospects and feel free to post players that stood out to you:
Kevin Jennings | QB | RS Senior | SMU
SMU’s Kevin Jennings did all he could to try to get a win for the Mustangs, but they came up a little short versus Syracuse. Let’s get the biggest knock on Jennings out of the way: he’s an incredibly small quarterback at 6’, 195 pounds. Given that he’s a redshirt senior, he probably can’t get much bigger. If you are comfortable with his size, Jennings has a lot of tools at the position. He has a quick release and is an accurate passer. There is good velocity on his passes that helps him fit throws into tight windows and beat coverage. With that said, he doesn’t have a rocket arm, but it is good enough for the pros. He’s also shown the ability to put touch on his passes to get over defenders. Jennings will manipulate coverage with his eyes and pump fakes to help his receivers get open. While he’s not a dazzling runner, Jennings is decisive when he tucks the ball to run. An area where Jennings can improve is getting rid of the ball to avoid sacks. He can hold the ball a beat too long and take sacks unnecessarily. Jennings threw for 352 yards and two touchdowns, going 29 of 36, in a loss.
Cole Tabb | RB | Junior | Cincinnati
After a thrilling upset of Texas Tech, Cincinnati came back down to earth with a loss to Utah. Cole Tabb, however, is still playing out of this world. A smaller back that’s only 5’8”, 200 pounds, Tabb excels in a zone blocking scheme because of his vision and burst. He can feel the holes developing, find them, and burst through. Once in the open field, Tabb has very good long speed. He’s not the most powerful or elusive runner, but his low center of gravity allows him to break his fair share of tackles. Tabb will also contribute in the passing game, making him a viable third-down back. In the loss to Utah, Tabb had 131 yards on 14 carries and a touchdown.
Carlos Hernandez | WR | Senior | Wake Forest
Wake Forest is having one of their best seasons in recent memory, with their only loss coming to Miami. Carlos Hernandez has been their best receiver. At 6’, 190 pounds, Hernandez is quick at the top of his routes. That creates the separation he needs to get open. His hands are reliable, even making some tough contested catches despite not being the biggest receiver. He looks to have good speed after the catch. I’d also like to see him beat press man coverage; otherwise, he might be limited to the slot in the NFL. Hernandez made eight catches for 136 yards and a touchdown in the Demon Deacons win over UVA.
Jelani Thurman | TE | RS Junior | UNC
UNC gave Miami a scare in Chapel Hill, NC, but the Hurricanes survived. Jelani Thurman was a big reason why the Tar Heels had a chance in the game. A transfer from Ohio State, the 6’6”, 245 pounder is an athletic pass catcher. UNC likes to use his speed to out run defenders on crossing routes or to beat defenders down the seam. Improving the diversity of his routes would make him an even more dangerous receiving threat. He’s a competitive blocker who is effective, but needs to work on getting lower to improve his leverage. Thurman had five receptions for 70 yards and two touchdowns against Miami. Thurman is tied for second in the nation for receiving touchdowns for tight ends with six.
Anthonie Knapp | OG | Junior | Notre Dame
Notre Dame is one of the most talented teams in the country thanks to talented players like Anthonie Knapp. Only a true junior, Knapp has started at tackle and guard since his freshman year. He’s an incredibly strong player at 6’5”, 305 pounds. Knapp plays with a wide base and stays balanced in pass protection. Notre Dame uses both gap and zone scheme runs. Knapp excels at both because of his athleticism. He’s an effective puller and lead blocker on gap runs, and he gets to necessary spots to cut off defenders on zone runs. With power and leverage, he can move defenders as a run blocker and plays through the whistle.
Sebastian Cheeks | EDGE | Senior | Wisconsin
Wisconsin took it on the chin and got shut out by Iowa. Nonetheless, Sebastian Cheeks still had a good day rushing the passer. Cheeks started his career at UNC and has had modest production in previous years. At 6’3”, 243 pounds, Cheeks might be a little undersized to be an edge rusher in a 3-4 defense. He uses his speed and quickness to his advantage. Cheeks converts speed to power effectively, bull rushing blockers into the pocket. If the blocker anchors, his hand usage is good enough to disengage and get to the quarterback. His speed and quickness make him effective running stunts and looping inside on rushes. He is strong enough to hold the edge in the run game but needs to make sure he doesn’t give up contain being too eager to make a play. Cheeks had five tackles and a sack against Iowa.
Nicholas Rodriguez | LB | Junior | Missouri
Missouri beat Arkansas to retain the Battle Line trophy. On the defensive side of the ball, Nicholas Rodriguez continued his prolific ways against the Razorbacks. Rodriguez has had double-digit tackles in every game this season except the opener. He’s small at 6’, 225 pounds, but Rodriguez is technically sound as a tackler and he rarely misses. His quickness allows him to sift through the line of scrimmage, avoiding blockers to make plays in the backfield. He’s good in coverage, especially in zone where he can read the eyes of the quarterback to break on the ball and force incompletions. Rodriguez had 11 tackles and a forced fumble in the Tigers’ win.
Elliot Washington II | CB | Senior | Clemson
Florida State fired head coach Mike Norvell after the Seminoles loss to Clemson. While Ashton Hampton is seen as Clemson’s best cornerback prospect, Elliot Washington II deserves more attention. At 5’11”, 200 pounds, Washington is a dense cornerback. That size works in his favor when playing press coverage, displaying an effective punch to disrupt route timing. It also makes him an effective tackler. What stands out to me is his ability to play zone effectively. His feel for passing off his responsibilities or his awareness to follow the quarterback’s eyes to the ball is outstanding. While Hampton might be a better prospect for a team that runs a lot of man coverage, Washington II would fit well in a scheme that uses a lot of zone or wants to disguise coverage often. Washington II had two tackles, a PBU, and two interceptions against Florida State.
Zach Lutmer | S | Senior | Iowa
Iowa’s defense pitched a shutout against Wisconsin. Zach Lutmer, the Hawkeyes’ Swiss Army knife of a defensive back, played a big role in the rout. His versatility allows the Hawkeyes to line him up in multiple places. As a deep safety, he has the speed to get to the line of scrimmage quickly and stop the run. While he is speedy, it’d be asking a lot for him to play single-high safety often. He shines in the slot where his quickness lets him match receivers, but he has plenty of size at 6’1”, 201 pounds to stop the run or blitz the quarterback. Lutmer had three tackles and a forced fumble in the win over Wisconsin.
Which college players caught your eye in Week 9 and could help the Washington Commanders? Let us know in the comments below: