Week 11 was a big weekend for me both on and off the gridiron. My Noles snapped a four game skid against the ‘Canes, and did so in dramatic fashion, relying on a Jordan Travis dime on 4th and 14 with under a minute to play. My daughter, my favorite diaper dandy, was so excited by this Seminole win (only the fourth in her life), that she began crawling around the room in celebration. Now that she is mobile, my wife and I are scrambling to baby proof our home. Similarly, defenses around the country are scrambling to baby proof their defenses before next weekend after week 11 brought an explosion of big games by the talented members of the ’24 draft class (trying to work on my Dad game with that metaphor).
The Freshmen
Braelon Allen
Wisconsin – RB – 0.9159 247 composite
SIX games over a hundred rushing yards in a row. Six games over a hundred rushing yards before turning 18. With Mellusi done for the year, the door was wide open for the Man-Child, as his teammates affectionately refer to him, to seize control of the backfield. Against Northwestern, he achieved personal bests in carries, yards, and touchdowns. He toted the rock 25 times for 179 yards and 3 scores! He is undeniably a top 5 RB in the ’24 class, and I personally have him at RB2. He will be getting drafted in the top 24 of devy startups this summer. He has legit NFL size and is demolishing defenses stocked full of players 2-5 years older than he is.
Devin Neal
Kansas – RB – 0.8852 247 composite
In my opinion, Neal has been going toe to toe with Allen (and Shipley) in the battle for RB2 in the class. He has slotted into rushing guru Leipold’s system perfectly and Neal was an integral cog in the biggest Kansas win of the last 10 years. Devin Neal was awarded Big 12 Player of the Week for his herculean 143 yard and 3 touchdown effort on the road against Texas. He was also a factor in the passing game, adding another 26 yards and his 4th touchdown of the game. His 4.5 ypc on the year suggests that some of his success has come from volume, the fact that he has earned that volume outright as a true freshman is nevertheless impressive!
Dacari Collins
Clemson- WR – 0.9248 247 composite
In only his second game seeing the field, the 6’5” 215 lb freshman earned 12 targets against UConn. He converted 6 of those 12 targets into 96 yards, all career highs. The Clemson WR room has been hit hard by injuries this season, with Collins, Ross, Ngata, and EJ Williams all missing time. While the ATL native does not profile as the slot receiver that the Tigers are desperately missing, it was still nice seeing Dacari explode in this game and seeing him quickly building rapport with the Clemson signal-callers. If he can string together a solid couple of games, he has a chance to see a significant value spike entering next year’s drafts.
Kye Robichaux
Western Kentucky- RB – NR 247 composite
Unrated recruit Kye Robichaux entered the game against Rice third on the team in carries. However against the Owls, he led the Hilltoppers in that category, rushing 12 times for 61 yards and a score. Robichaux also added another 39 yards and a touchdown through the air. The Columbus, GA native was a productive high school player, rushing for over 1800 yards and 18 touchdowns his senior year. WKU is likely to be a hot spot for just about every transfer portal rumor this summer, so he is likely not someone that I am pursuing in C2C drafts just yet, but if he continues to play well to close out the year, and he gets some luck via a lack of incoming transfer competition, he could be a sexy stash for the future.
Jordan Moore
Duke – QB – 0.8552 247 composite
The Towson native got his most burn of the season against Virginia Tech. He took over for Riley Leonard in the second half and showcased what made him such a prized recruit for the Blue Devils. While his passing numbers were modest, 6/12 for 63 yards, he still avoided throwing an interception and scored his first passing touchdown of the year. The area he was most impressive, however, was on the ground. Moore dashed for 113 yards and another score on only 17 carries. It is unknown what his role will be for the remainder of 2021, as Gunnar Holmberg was spotted at practice on Sunday. However, it was noted that Moore still received some first team reps. He has the potential to be a nice college producer for years to come for the Blue Devils.
Quick Hits
Alton McCaskill – RB – Houston
Was surgical against Temple, pummeling their defense to the tune of 129 yards and 2 touchdowns on 21 carries. He now has 14 touchdowns on the year!
Xavier Worthy – WR – Texas
Led the nation in targets with 22 against Kansas. Catching 14 of them for 152 and 3 scores. He was electric and is a top 3 WR in Devy right now.
Jimmy Horn Jr – WR – USF
Horn had his best game of the season on national television on Friday night against Cincinnati. Horn caught 5 of 7 targets for 108 yards and showcased his speed on an 80 yard score in the third quarter.
TreVeyon Henderson – RB – OSU
13 carries, 98 yards and 2 scores against Purdue. All this guy does is produce. RB1.
Byron Cardwell – RB – Orgeon
The frosh scored twice against Wazzu. He also averaged north of 10 yards per carry, running 9 times for 98 yards.
Ahmari Huggins-Bruce – WR – Louisville
Nice to see AHB get back on track after a couple of slow weeks. He caught 6 balls for 54 yards and 2 touchdowns against Syracuse.
De’Zhaun Stribling – WR – Wazzu
Stribling also got back on track after his season totals had hit a lull the last few weeks. He caught 5 passes for 51 yards and a score against Oregon.
Garrett Nussmeier – QB – LSU
18/31 for 179 and a score (and 2 picks) against Arkansas. Need to see more improvement from him down the stretch if he is to hold off Walker Howard next season)
