I played offensive line for eight seasons in the NFL, and before that I spent my Saturdays in Autzen Stadium in Eugene, Oregon, blocking for guys who ended up on lists like this one. So when I watch college football now, I watch for the stuff that signaled to me in the huddle whether a guy was for real.
I’m picking the 10 players who impressed me most during the previous weekend. Not just the gaudiest stat lines, but the performances that hold up when you turn the tape on. Some weeks, that’ll be a quarterback carving up a defense. Other weeks, it’ll be a lineman you’ve never heard of who didn’t lose a rep all afternoon. I have a soft spot for those guys.
Week 1 gave us plenty. Let’s get into it.
In Missouri’s 38-21 win over Kansas, Simmons completed 19-of-29 passes for 292 yards and three touchdowns, leading the Tigers to a huge road win over their rival. Each mark was the second-highest of his career. It was also his first career start with at least 20 pass attempts and no interceptions.
Underwood still isn’t a complete passer, but as an athlete, he’s hard to beat at this position. He carried the ball 18 times for nearly 100 yards and had a back-breaking touchdown run to help Michigan upset Oklahoma.
Mestemaker had a Power Four coming out party against Oregon this past weekend. His 317 yards and two touchdowns helped propel his Cowboys squad in their upset over the Ducks. Mestemaker made high-level NFL throws with pressure in his face all game and then finished his excellent performance with an incredible touchdown run, where he was flipped and hit hard as he tumbled into the end zone for a score.
Jackson had two monster plays for the Ducks defense. He showed off his 4.3 speed to catch Mestemaker on a 75-yard run. His ability to knock him out of bounds saved four points for the Ducks as the Cowboys couldn’t finish with a touchdown. Jackson later went nearly 100 yards for an interception return after catching a tipped pass.
The freshman receiver had an amazing performance against Texas Tech on Saturday in the Beavers near upset of the Red Raiders. He finished with eight catches for 240 yards and two touchdowns with a long of 75 yards. He’s got nearly 400 yards in two games this season. Keep an eye on this budding star in Corvallis.
Taylor is quickly becoming a household name after the first two weeks of the season. After 354 yards in the opener, he started his first road game at Minnesota. He completed 16-of-22 passes for 227 yards and three touchdowns. He also added 86 rushing yards. His highlight video from Saturday shows Taylor throwing fastballs all over the field. He’s been extremely impressive so far.
The Oregon transfer has started fast this season for the Bears. In the Bears win over Syracuse, he had five tackles, three pass breakups and three interceptions, including a pick-six and the game-clinching play. He’s been all over the field for the Bears and appears to be a slam dunk addition for Tosh Lupoi.
Johnson is a beast for the Gophers and a fun watch each week. PFF graded him as the best offensive lineman in the game on Saturday, and it shows on the film. He’s an effortless mover who’s able to latch onto defenders and take them for a ride.
THICC-SIX alert!
In Idaho State’s 59-17 thrashing over San Diego, the 6-foot-1, 319-pound defensive tackle caught a tipped pass and took it back 28 yards for the score. You know I love my big-man scores!
It was a nightmare Saturday night for the Buckeyes, who suffered the largest blown lead by an AP No. 1 team ever and the biggest by Ohio State since at least 2003. But Smith still delivered another massive performance, finishing with eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown. He now has five career games with at least 150 receiving yards, the most in the FBS since 2024. His 30 receiving touchdowns over that span are also seven more than any other player, with Elijah Sarratt ranking second with 23.
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