This weekend was full of exciting college games and players that continue to impress me as devy assets. We have reached the halfway point of the college football season, where I also like to dive into my overall devy rankings and move players around based on the trends I have seen thus far. After reading this article, please go check out the latest update in the devy rankings from the DFF crew!
Without further ado, let’s get to some of the notable names that stood out in this week’s edition of The Devy Notebook.
- Tai Felton faced his toughest competition yet this season. Despite Maryland taking the loss, Felton accumulated 77 yards on 9 catches. Currently, he is PFF’s top graded Big Ten wide receiver, just ahead of Emeka Egbuka. He has great hands, is very competitive at the catch point, and easily creates yards after the catch.
- For the third straight week, Ricky White lit up the opposition. This time, he caught 7 balls for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns. He continues to thrive with new quarterback Hajj-Malik Williams, and I think his high level of production will bode well for him to be a sleeper in the 2025 class.
- Cam Skattebo has been one of the lone bright spots for the Arizona State Sun Devils. He had one of the more impressive runs that you will see this weekend against Utah. He is a physical runner with good contact balance, but lacks true top-end speed. I’m not sure it equates to a valuable NFL asset, but he will be getting longer looks from me in the coming weeks.
*Click image to view full tweet and video*
- A week ago, the Washington defense stifled the Michigan runningbacks. This week, Kaleb Johnson exploded for 166 yards and 2 touchdowns against that same defense. His trend line continues to point up, and he should probably be considered in the top 5 for the upcoming class.
- Tawee Walker has become the unquestioned lead back for Wisconsin. Chez Mellusi has taken a medical red shirt for the rest of the season. He rushed for 198 yards this week against Rutgers and has reached the end zone six times in his first two real games as the starter. At 5’9” and 218 lbs. I don’t love his overall size and weight combination, but it’s hard to ignore what he has done so far. We get tests against Northwestern, Penn State, Iowa, and Oregon in the next four games, all of whom have solid run defenses. Let’s see what he can do against all of them.
- People are going to slander me for this, but I can’t help but think that Luther Burden is an overhyped manufactured touch player. He plays more in the slot than I typically like for my wide receiver profiles coming out of college, and I don’t think he is an above-average separator. Even this weekend against a poor UMASS defense, his lone touchdown came on a 61-yard jet sweep where the defense looked like they didn’t want to try to tackle him. There is a part of me that wants to say he could be the next Antonio Brown-type of player, but the majority of me thinks he is the riskiest option of the top 5 wide receivers.
- Antonio Williams has yet to have a truly explosive game, but that is in large part due to Clemson being in so many lopsided games this season. He caught six balls for 69 yards and a touchdown this weekend, and even threw a touchdown himself. He is extremely creative after the catch and has the versatility to do it all at the next level. He has been hampered a bit by injuries throughout his college career, but if he can stay healthy I believe he could be a steal in rookie drafts when he enters the NFL.
- One week after he made an appearance in The Devy Notebook, Isaac Brown proved to be deserving. Against Virginia this weekend, he rushed 20 times for 146 yards and 2 touchdowns. It was one of the more impressive performances that I can remember from a true freshman. With how depleted the running back landscape is going to be with the 2025 class leaving this year, dare I say that Isaac Brown could be a top 10 C2C and devy running back next year?
- The best performance of the weekend came from a tight end. Tyler Warren has cemented himself as the top devy TE in my rankings and the top tight end in the 2025 class by a decent margin. He caught 17 passes for 224 yards, along with a touchdown while he was playing center. Yes, you read that correctly. He has incredible versatility, size, and receiving ability for a collegiate tight end. I also think he ends up posting one of the better RAS scores in the class for the position, which is the most important piece of the puzzle for tight ends, in my opinion.
- On the surface, it would seem Ryan Wingo has overtaken Johntay Cook on the depth chart for Texas, but I think it’s more of a skillset difference for the two. Cook has a similar skillset to guys playing on the outside in Bond and Golden, and I think he is stuck “waiting his turn”. Wingo is the only receiver with his size and speed combination, so Texas can use him in different ways. He is not a great route runner and doesn’t create much separation, but he does some fun things with the ball in his hands. He is a developmental project, but one that is at least intriguing.
- Any time a freshman quarterback throws for over 300 yards against a tough defense, I’m forced to pay attention. Michael Van Buren did just that against a top 5 Georgia team in Week 7. He also threw for three touchdowns. He is a dual-threat quarterback who is more of a one-read guy for now, but his development is going to be one to watch both this season and moving forward.
- It’s getting eerily close to the point where we should press the panic button on Nico Iamaleava. It’s hard to tell if the Tennessee offense and staff is just bad, or if the blame should land squarely on Nico’s shoulders. At home against a poor Florida team, he mustered only 169 passing yards and one rushing yard. He threw for zero touchdowns and had one interception on the day. It marks the fourth consecutive week that he has thrown for less than 200 yards, and he has only thrown two touchdowns in that four-game span. For a player that is supposed to be the devy QB1 next season, this is extremely concerning. He is no longer a CFF asset, and it feels gross to have him as the top QB in 2026.
- In other, more exciting Tennessee news, Dylan Sampson continued to be an absolute force. He sits only two rushing touchdowns away from the single-season Tennessee record. He has the ideal frame to be an NFL back at 5’11” and ~200 lbs. He displays good vision, great short-area quickness, and has good contact balance for his size. After hitting holes, he can throttle it up to a different gear at the second level. He is my favorite back to come out of Tennessee in recent years.
- Garrett Nussmeier has the best arm talent in the 2025 class and I say that with the utmost confidence. He probably trusts his arm a little too much, and defenses can take advantage of him by daring him to make certain throws, but no other QB can do what he does with the football. He threw for 337 yards and three touchdowns to lead his team to a comeback victory against Ole Miss this weekend. He is going to be a late riser in this draft class and could make a team look very smart in the late first or early second round.
- I am comfortable in saying that DJ Giddens is my favorite back in the 2025 class. He likely won’t go above my current RB4 ranking, but his skill set in both the running and passing game should translate excellently to the next level. He rushed for 182 yards against Colorado, while also adding 38 receiving yards. His main flaw is his lack of true breakaway speed, but I don’t think that will stop him from scoring us fantasy points on Sundays,
*Click image to view full tweet and video*
- All wide receivers in the Oregon v. Ohio State game showed out. Jeremiah Smith caught 9 balls for 100 yards and a touchdown, Emeka Egbuka caught 10 balls for 93 yards and a touchdown, and the best performance came from Evan Stewart, who caught 7 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown. It appears Oregon held back a ton of their playbook leading up to this game, and Stewart was the beneficiary. In previous weeks, we discussed their short-area passing tendencies which do not favor Stewart, but in this game, they opened things up. Stewart looked the part of a top-rated wide receiver, and I will be curious to see if he does this consistently now that the secrets are out for the Ducks.
What I am looking for heading into Week 8
- The trio of Auburn’s freshman receivers play a road game against Missouri. Can Malcolm Simmons continue to be the best of the bunch?
- Alabama and Tennessee go head-to-head this week. Can Jam Miller or Justice Haynes produce against this Tennessee front 7? Will Nico be able to keep up the pace with Jalen Milroe?
- Tet McMillan vs Travis Hunter in a battle for best receiver in the 2025 class (I’m kidding, the answer is Tet, but this showdown should be fun).
- Texas and Georgia should be a highly contested matchup as well. Which devy assets will put their stamp on this game?
Thank you for reading the 7th edition of The Devy Notebook. If you have any thoughts or questions regarding any of the players mentioned, or if you would like my opinions on a player who is not mentioned in this article, you can reach out to me on Twitter @Evan_Kerr_. #DFFArmy #AlwaysBeBuilding
