Welcome to The BRoto “Devy Dives” series, where once a week we take a look at some of the biggest names and breakouts in College Football. Throughout this series, we will take an in-depth look at five players who either shone bright or failed to make an impact in the weekly slate of games. With the Devy and Dynasty Fantasy Football communities becoming more and more popular, this short read is your one-stop-shop for weekly updates on some players you need to keep your eye on!
Writer’s Note: Due to a nasty bout with Covid-19, I was unable to produce a Devy Dive following Week 6 of the college football season. Thus, I am now providing an extra-long article this week discussing a whopping ten players who stood out over the past two weeks rather than the usual five. Enjoy!
Week 6 Standouts
C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State (Junior)
SBNation.com
Michigan State was on a three-game skid heading into their Week 6 meeting with 5-0 Ohio State and the team was desperately looking to find their footing against the then 3rd-ranked team in the nation. C.J. Stroud didn’t give them a chance to do much of anything in what turned into his best game of the season while providing another reason for NFL teams to draft him near the top of the first round in the 2023 NFL draft.
It wasn’t all perfect, as following a touchdown on the team’s first offensive possession, Stroud gave the points right back with a pick-six to tie the game at seven. From then on, however, Stroud took off, leading touchdown drives on the next six possessions before taking a seat for the fourth quarter. Stroud threw touchdown passes of 69- and 51-yards en route to a 21/26, 361-yard, six touchdown outing, with his only blemish being the aforementioned interception. If Stroud wasn’t already in the conversation for the top pick in 2023, he certainly is now.
Israel Abanikanda, RB, Pittsburgh (Junior)
Thirty-six carries. Three-hundred and twenty rushing yards. Six touchdowns. These numbers are spectacular for a full team to put up in multiple weeks but against the Virginia Tech Hokies in Week 6, Pitt running back Israel Abanikanda did all of that on his own. In what wound up being a 45-29 demolition, Abanikanda thrust his name into the draft conversation with authority.
The Junior back opened the scoring for the day with a 38-yard scamper late in the first quarter, adding a 17-yard score in the second to close the first half with 107 yards and the two touchdowns on 17 carries. He found another gear entirely in the second half, however, taking his final 19 carries for 211 yards and four more touchdowns, including an 80-yard explosion to ice the game midway through the fourth quarter. That run also cemented his place in history by tying a school and ACC record for the most rushing touchdowns in a single game, and firmly shoved Abanikanda’s draft stock through the roof.
Jonathan Mingo, WR, Ole Miss (Senior)
Heading into a Week 6 clash with Vanderbilt, Ole Miss’ Jonathan Mingo had been a solid-albeit-unspectacular deep-threat for the 9th ranked Rebels, accounting for 260 yards and a touchdown on 13 catches over the first five weeks of the season. In the teams 52-28 victory over the Commodores, Mingo nearly doubled his season totals in a truly dominant outing.
Mingo started slowly, tallying just 28 yards on his first three receptions before bringing in a 48-yard reception to set up an Ole Miss touchdown that ended the first half. Following two more catches on the team’s first offensive possession of the second half, Mingo took off for a 71-yard touchdown in a one-play drive midway through the third and again found the endzone two possessions later on a 72-yard catch and run. The Senior might not have the best draft projections but every team in the league could use a deep threat like that on their roster. He is a name to keep an eye on.
Michael Mayer, TE, Notre Dame (Junior)
Slap the Sign
Dubbed “Baby Gronk” by fans and the media for his playstyle that closely emulates the great Rob Gronkowski, Michael Mayer is well on his way towards a first-round selection in the 2023 NFL draft. A tremendously strong receiver, Mayer projects extremely favorably to the NFL as a potential future star and his Week 6 showing against then 4-1 Brigham Young Cougars helped paint the picture of what we might see on future Sundays.
The 6’4”, 265lb monster of a tight end came into the game looking to help a struggling Fighting Irish squad find its way and he did just that, en route to 118 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 11 receptions in a 28-20 victory to push the team over .500 for the first time in the 2022 season. It was Mayer’s fourth straight outing with a touchdown reception and his first multi-touchdown performance of the season. Keep watching Mayer as he follows up a Week 8 meeting with UNLV by taking on 14th-ranked Syracuse and 5th-ranked Clemson in back-to-back weeks.
Week 7 Standouts
Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee (Senior)
What. A. Game. Even if you aren’t a Tennessee fan (and unless you are an Alabama fan), you simply could not help but feel the excitement and thrill of the affair that ended in a 52-49 victory for the Vols, putting a cap on a 15-year long drought against rival Alabama and firmly thrusting quarterback Hendon Hooker into the Heisman spotlight. We can only hope that the uprights are returned in time for their next home game so that we are able to witness more of his greatness.
Hooker had been having a fantastic season to date, completing two touchdown passes in each of the team’s first five games of the season while also collecting 231 yards and three scores on the ground. But in a Week 7 date with destiny, Hooker stepped up to the plate and demolished all expectations, completing 21 of his 30 passing attempts for 385 yards and five touchdowns, adding another 56 rushing yards on the ground. Despite his age (he will be 25 by the 2023 NFL draft), Hooker could be pushing his way into first round consideration after this magical campaign he has put together for the Vols.
Blake Watson, RB, Old Dominion (Senior)
In what wound up being a record-setting day for the Old Dominion Senior, Blake Watson put the Monarchs on his back against then undefeated Coastal Carolina. Reeling from three straight losses, it wasn’t looking promising for Old Dominion heading in, but Watson didn’t seem to care about the odds, looking entirely unstoppable in taking 18 carries for 256 yards and three touchdowns, including scores from 58- and 67-yards out.
After a slow start to the game that saw just a single 25-yard touchdown from Watson as the only score for the first 27 minutes of play, Coastal Carolina tied the game up and put the pressure on. Watson answered almost immediately, however, galloping for his 58-yard score just three plays later. After this, Old Dominion found the end zone on every drive through the end of the game, with Watson tallying 132 yards and a touchdown on seven carries in the fourth quarter after not seeing the ball for the entire third quarter. As a Senior, Watson seems less likely to find a home at the next level but nonetheless his performance firmly put him on the map and will have scouts taking a second look.
Jalin Hyatt, WR, Tennessee (Junior)
The Daily Times
I’m sorry, Bama fans, but Tennessee deserves a second name on the list from their Week 7 triumph that might well be the game and story of the season. After all, it’s not as though Hyatt isn’t deserving of this spot on the Devy Dives list following his explosion in the game in which he caught each of Hooker’s five touchdowns on the day. Yes, if you missed the game, that was written correctly: Hyatt caught five touchdowns against Alabama.
In a battle between the 3rd- and 6th-ranked teams in the nation, Jalin Hyatt thrust his name towards the top of the receiving prospects list in the 2023 NFL draft to the tune of 207 yards and five scores on just six receptions. He was able to accomplish this by catching touchdowns of 60 and 78 yards as well as a 13-yard score with just over three minutes remaining in the game to tie it at 49. This showing didn’t come completely out of nowhere, as Hyatt has been dominant for seemingly the entire season, but this showing against one of the best teams in college football will certainly push him into first-round conversations by the time the NFL draft rolls around.
Dalton Kincaid, TE, Utah (Senior)
Following Mayer’s dominant outing in Week 6, we were waiting for the next breakout outing from a tight end eligible for the 2023 NFL draft. Dalton Kincaid, while not nearly at the same level as Mayer, provided that against then 6-0 USC, upsetting the AP 7th-best team in the nation in a 43-42 shootout, with Kincaid leading the charge with a whopping 16-catch, 234-yard, one touchdown outing.
Pairing with quarterback Cameron Rising, who had a phenomenal day with three rushing scores and a game-winning two-point conversion himself, Kincaid kept the engine chugging, catching a number of big passes and doing everything in his power to give Utah every chance to win. Kincaid tallied four of his receptions and fifty yards on the team’s final drive of the game to set up the go-ahead score, with three of these catches coming on third down to keep the 15-play, 5-minute and 27-second drive alive. While he still has much to prove, his performance in the clutch could easily push him up draft boards and into consideration for an NFL lineup.
Multi-Week Standouts
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan (Junior)
MLive.com
For the first time, we have a repeat offender on the Devy Dives series. And while this section was initially reserved for players who have only had good weeks in each of the past two weeks, Corum has been dominant for the past five. After debuting on the list following a Week 4 trouncing of Maryland to the tune of 243 yards on 30 carries, Corum kept chugging along, with a Week 7 victory over Penn State being his fourth straight outing topping 25 carries and 120 yards.
Corum has yet to have a game this season in which he fails to find the end zone,and his 901 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns land him second and first, respectively, in all of college football this season. As he looks to continue his dominance over the coming weeks, it seems as though only a bout of major regression or his diminutive stature could hold him back from shooting up draft boards and hearing his name called early in the 2023 NFL draft.
Braelon Allen, RB, Wisconsin (Sophomore)
As Corum chugs towards a selection in the 2023 draft, Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen keeps plugging along on his way towards being a likely top-20 draft pick in 2024. The massive runner caught the college world by storm as a True Freshman in 2021 and he has continued to dominate as a sophomore this season, accounting for 757 yards and 8 touchdowns on the ground already on the year. If you want a better display of his talent, look no further than the past two weeks.
Matching up with Northwestern in Week 6, Allen showed out with 135 yards on 23 carries, but his most impressive feat of the game came on a 23-yard passing touchdown as time expired in the first half to put Wisconsin up 28-0. Then, despite Wisconsin falling to 3-4 in a disappointing loss to the struggling Michigan State, Allen was again fantastic, broaching the century mark for the second week in a row with 123 yards and a pair of scores on 29 carries, while also bringing in 3 passes for an additional 33 yards. While Allen is far from polished as a receiver, his rushing talents and size comparable to Derrick Henry of the Tennessee Titans, the Wisconsin back will eventually find a slot as a lead back on an NFL roster.
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By Trenton Roberts
For a second straight season, I am betting against Mahomes.