Week 12 Devy Dives: College Players to Watch

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!

Spencer Rattler, QB, South Carolina (RS-Junior)

WholeHogSports

While current college football superstar and future top draft pick Caleb Williams made waves in the offseason by following head coach Lincoln Riley in a move to USC, Spencer Rattler’s decision to transfer from Oklahoma to South Carolina somewhat flew under the radar. This is despite the fact the Rattler was actually the starter for the Sooners over Williams for much of the season before his unceremonious benching after a 5-0 start to the season. While he hadn’t yet meshed with the new team through the first 10 games of the season, topping 200 yards just three times and passing for multiple touchdowns twice, the performance witnessed in Week 12 reminded the college football world and NFL draft scouts of the talent that the one-time Heisman candidate possesses.

Entering the game against the 5th ranked Tennessee Volunteers, nobody expected much from the Gamecocks despite their respectable 6-4 record going into the game. It took less than five minutes for Rattler to begin the team’s scoring assault, hitting Jaheim Bell for a score from 19 yards out. Over the course of the next 55 minutes, Rattler continuously exposed weakness after weakness in the Vol’s secondary en route to a 30-of-37 showing with 438 yards and six touchdowns, setting new season-highs in each category. While Tennessee always seemed to have a weak link in their pass defense, nobody could have expected Rattler to do what he did. By doing so, the young quarterback has once again vaulted his name into draft circles and prepares to make a run toward the NFL in the near future. 

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas (Junior)

Back in Week 11, TCU set a mold for defenses to follow if they wanted to shut down the future first-round draft pick out of Texas. In the loss, running back Bijan Robinson was stifled almost entirely, managing just 29 yards on 12 carries, his first game below 100 yards in seven weeks and his lowest rushing output since his third game as a Freshman. If you want to beat Texas, you first have to stop Bijan, and TCU did just that to near perfection and created a blueprint for Kansas to follow.

Kansas never received the blueprint. Maybe the game plan got lost in the mail or TCU simply forgot to hit send. Whatever the case may be, perhaps nothing could have stopped Robinson from bouncing back this past weekend. In a 55-14 throttling of the Jayhawks, the Longhorns back exploded, totaling 243 yards and four touchdowns on just 25 carries and proving to draft scouts that his performance the week prior was simply a fluke. Explosiveness, power, intelligence; Bijan Robinson has it all and will look to bring that complete package to an NFL roster as one of the highest rated running back prospects I have ever had the pleasure to grade.

Raheim Sanders, RB, Arkansas (Sophomore)

Michael Woods/AP

Let’s revisit another young running back who is making strides toward being a top pick in his own draft class. Raheim Sanders, the sophomore workhorse for the Razorbacks, has put together quite the season to date, gaining over 100 yards from scrimmage in seven of the first ten games of the season while chipping in consistently as a pass catcher out of the backfield. Going up against 14th ranked Ole Miss in Week 12, Sanders put it all together with his biggest statement game yet, leading Arkansas to a 42-27 upset over the Rebels.

Going up against another back who had previously made the Devy Dives list in Quinshon Judkins, the pair dueled it out in the greatest rushing battle of the season. While Judkins 214 yards on 24 carries were impressive in their own right, it was eventually Sanders who won the war, taking his own 24 rushes for 232 yards and three touchdowns to Judkins’ one. As mentioned above, Sanders once again displayed his receiving chops on top of his damage on the ground, hauling in five passes for another 29 yards and leaving scouts watching the game between two of the most prolific rushers of the 2022 season drooling.

Odieu Hilaire, WR, Bowling Green (Senior)

Okay, the competition isn’t great. In the MAC, we don’t often see talented prospects face stiff competition and prove their worth, such as you might in the SEC or the Big-12. After watching Hilaire’s performance just over a week ago (Bowling Green played on Tuesday), however, the Senior is at least deserving of a mention on the list for a performance in which it seemed that nothing could go wrong.

At 7-3 heading into the contest, the Toledo Rockets were among the better teams in the conference and looked to make short work of the 5-5 Falcons. Hilaire didn’t care, hauling in a 25-yard touchdown to open the scoring in the game early on and adding an eye-popping one-handed grab in the fourth which he followed up with his blazing speed for a 59-yard score. In total, Hilaire mustered 246 yards and the two aforementioned touchdowns on eight catches, carving up the Rockets’ secondary and helping to propel the team to the 42-35 victory.

Jordan Addison, WR, USC (Junior)

In 2021, Jordan Addison was one of the stars of college football, leading a surprising Pitt team that finished 11-3 and 13th in the final AP rankings by hauling in 100 receptions and taking them for 1,593 yards and 17 touchdowns, propelling Kenny Pickett’s breakout season that led to his eventual first-round selection. With Pickett gone, Addison transferred to USC, where he has since become star quarterback Caleb Williams’ favorite target, taking 40 receptions for 567 yards and seven touchdowns through eight games played.

Despite his success throughout the season, it was Week 12 that proved to be his best game, as the Junior receiver hauled in 11 passes against then 16th ranked UCLA which he took for 178 yards and a touchdown, helping USC win a 48-45 dogfight. Addison and stud QB Caleb Williams moved USC into its first top-five appearance in the AP-poll in five years. With his dominant performance in 2021 being followed up with another impressive season raising up a second star quarterback, Addison seems well on his way to the NFL and his skillset should allow him great success at the pro level.

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By Trenton Roberts