Prospect Pulse Week Two

Welcome to “Prospect Pulse,” your premier source for tracking the Top Devy Prospects throughout the 2024 football season. Each week, we will spotlight key games and the standout players poised to make an impact, providing in-depth analysis and insights into their performances. Whether you are a fan, a scout, or just curious about the future stars of the NFL, “Prospect Pulse” will keep you updated. Stay tuned as we delve into the thrilling journey of these young athletes, game by game.

This week we talk about six matchups and 16 different players that are looking to pursue greatness in week two of College Football.

Game Scheduled for Saturday September 7 at Noon (EST)

Texas – Running Backs – Jaydon Blue & Jerrick Gibson

Both Blue and Gibson saw work against Colorado State, however, Blue got the starting nod. Gibson did not see his first touch until the score was 38 to zero. Even in garbage time, Gibson showed why he should get split opportunities with Blue. Gibson averaged 6.7 yards-per-carry off ten attempts with one touchdown. The game was out of reach by time Gibson started getting work, but he still out produced Blue on the ground with one less carry. Blue had 11 rushing attempts for 57 yards. Additionally, Blue had three receptions for 37 yards. As Texas travels to the ninth ranked team, Michigan, it will be interesting to see how they deploy their running backs. Even if the game against Colorado State was a shut out, both running backs ran with efficiency. They should both be involved in the Longhorn offense moving forward.

Michigan – Running Backs – Donovan Edwards & Kalel Mullings

Edwards got multiple opportunities but could not find his stride against Fresno State. Instead senior running back, Mullings, was the more efficient runner. Mullings averaged 6.1 yards-per-carry. This was 3.6 more yards-per-carry than Edwards 27 rushing yards off 11 attempts. The Texas defense looked stout against Colorado State, but they did give up 118 yards on the ground. Texas will look to clean up their run defense against a Michigan team that ran for 148 yards. Edwards should get the starting nod again, but if he struggles early we may see Mullings early again looking to maintain his efficiency.

Game Scheduled for Saturday September 7 at Noon (EST)

Kansas State – Running Back – DJ Giddens

Giddens is part of the deep running back class of 2025. In week one he delivered with 124 yards averaging 9.2 yards-per-carry. Last season, Giddens averaged 5.5 yards-per-carry, so week one was an outlier game for him. The Tulane defense allowed 3.2 yards-per-carry to South East Louisiana in week one. Giddens will need to show his burst again this week as he did during his 48 yard run. Kansas State has a better rushing attack than South East Louisiana, but Tulane’s run defense should not be overlooked. They closed their gaps swiftly making it hard for running backs to get through their lanes. Giddens will look to build off his week one momentum heading into week two.

Tulane – Wide Receiver – Mario Williams

After being with USC for two seasons, Williams decided to transfer to Tulane for the 2024 season. The junior had something to prove after having just over 900 receiving yards in two seasons with USC. In his first game with Tulane he led the team with four receptions and 124 yards. Kansas State has a better secondary that includes a versatile safety in VJ Payne. Plus, the Kansas State defense does a little better up front in adding pressure to the quarterback. The season will only get more difficult as we progress. Williams will continue to be a focus in the offense and he will look continue his week one success while hosting the Wildcats.

Game Scheduled for Saturday September 7 at 3:30PM (EST)

South Carolina – Linebacker – Debo Williams

Williams is a defender to watch all season. In week one he delivered by leading the team in total tackles. Williams had seven total tackles with five being solo. Plus, he also recovered one fumble. He will be the leader of the Gamecocks defense, but this week is their first conference battle. The SEC in general will be filled with difficult matchups including this week against a Kentucky team that shutout their week one opponents. The front seven led by Williams will need to add pressure against former Georgia quarterback Brock Vandagriff to avoid him him having time to get the ball to his playmaking receivers. Look for Williams to be all over the field in this game whether it is causing pressure on the backfield or running sideline to sideline making the play on the ball.

Kentucky – Defensive Lineman – Deone Walker

Walker is considered one of the top defensive lineman in the class of 2025. However, in week one he only had two pressures. The team did shutout Southern Mississippi, so Walker was not needed as much. This week they face a tougher opponent in South Carolina with a quarterback that can extend the play in LaNorris Sellers. Plus, South Carolina has an established running back in Raheim Sanders that runs with aggression. Walker will need to do more this week to give Kentucky any hope in finding success. Last season, Walker had at total of 29 run stops off 51 total pressures. One of his best games last year was against South Carolina, so he will hope to replicate that performance. The Gamecock’s offense is different with Sellers at the helm, so the Kentucky defense will have their hands full. If Walker can make his presence known early he could make it a long day for Sellers at the offense.

Game Scheduled for Saturday September 7 at 7:30PM (EST)

Tennessee – Wide Receivers – Dont’e Thornton Jr. , Bru McCoy, Chris Brazzell II

Quarterback Nico Iamaleava showed his ability to spread the ball around connecting with nine different receivers. Three of the Volunteers receivers showed out in week one, but the leader was Thornton Jr. with 105 yards off three receptions. Thornton Jr.’s two touchdowns were two of three thrown by Iamaleava. McCoy led the team in receptions with Brazzell coming in second. The 89 yards from McCoy came off a six receptions. Brazzell had five receptions for 59 yards. Iamaleava had the offense looking smoother than last season with his elegance at the helm. It will be interesting to see if Thornton Jr. is able to keep up his explosive field stretching abilities. McCoy and Brazzell will still be heavily involved in the offense, but they will need to do more with their opportunities as the season progresses. The Volunteers wide receiver room will be on watch all season to see if any of them run away with becoming the Iamaleava’s favorite target.

NC State – Wide Receiver – Kevin Concepcion

Quarterback, Grayson McCall, must be ecstatic after having his first game with the Wolfpack. Why? One might ask. Well, now he has a star wide receiver that climbed the ranks after his freshman breakout season. Concepcion looked phenomenal in week one with his new quarterback. He had nine receptions for 121 yards and three touchdowns. His three touchdown performance was only achieved by four other receivers in week one. The Tennessee defense will likely add more pressure on McCall, and the secondary will be more difficult than Western Carolina. Regardless, Concepcion will be the primary target for the Wolfpack all season long. He may not replicate his week one performance, but he will still make an impact. This is NC State’s only game against an SEC opponent, so it will be nice to see how the breakout wide receiver does against stout competition.

Game Scheduled for Saturday September 7 at 7:30PM (EST)

Colorado – Quarterback – Shedeur Sanders

Sanders displayed his arm while having two wide receivers have over 130 receiving yards in week one. Two-way player, Travis Hunter, connected with Sanders for three touchdowns off seven receptions. Jimmy Horn Jr. also had seven receptions but he had 66 more yards than Hunter with only one touchdown. Their week one matchup was tough as North Dakota State came to play. Unfortunately, for the Bison the Buffalo and Sander’s offense were too much for them to handle. North Dakota State is an FCS team, yet they were still able to add pressure on Sanders causing some slight disruption to the offensive flow. In week two they will go against an FBS team that put up 40 points with a freshman quarterback. Since last season, the defense has been the weaker link for Colorado and it looks like the same situation this season. Against a tougher opponent in week two it will be wise for Sanders to prepare for a shootout to bring his Colorado team another victory.

Nebraska – Quarterback – Dylan Raiola

Raiola made his freshman mistakes, however, he completed 70.3 percent of his passes. The freshman looked good showing his dominance in week one. He had 238 yards with two touchdowns. Colorado’s secondary is good, but we have seen them get exposed before. Plus, in week one that secondary seem to have made costly mistakes, an area they had hoped to improve from last season. The freshman is expected to make his own mistakes, but he battles through and continues to lead his team. Week one showed his leadership. Raiola, to many, is the QB1 of the freshman class and eyes will be on him all season. Even though Nebraska is in the BIG10 this game might be the one with the most eyes on him. Why? Because Colorado does one hell of a job in promoting since Coach Prime arrived. Expect this to be a shootout which allows us to see Raiola’s arm used at full strength!

Game Scheduled for Saturday September 7 at 10:00PM (EST)

Boise State – Running Back – Ashton Jeanty

Nobody put on a better performance in week one than Jeanty did for Boise State. The star running back had a spectacular stat line. He finished with 267 rushing yards and six touchdowns while averaging 13.4 yards-per-carry. The Oregon front seven did look better, but Jeanty is a running back that takes advantage of every opportunity given. Oregon’s front seven will have their hands full trying to contain him. To some Jeanty is the top running back of the 2025 class. Rightfully so, he showed his speed, elusiveness, and open field abilities in his dominating performance. Jeanty will be on watch all season even within a Group of Five program. Oregon should be a tougher matchup, but Jeanty will be one of the better running backs Oregon faces all season.

Oregon – Quarterback – Dillon Gabriel

Gabriel led the team to a victory, to say the least. He was called upon to throw the ball 49 times while connecting on 41 of those passes for 380 yards. However, the offensive line looked like an area of improvement after allowing three sacks on Gabriel. Boise State has some playmakers up front that will likely take advantage of the weaknesses shown in Oregon’s offensive line. Week one was a long game for Gabriel. The Oregon offense could not get in rhythm and took no shots down the field. They seemed to have lost their explosiveness. Gabriel’s offense will need to find that explosiveness in week two knowing on the other side of the field is a running back built on explosive playmaking abilities. The benefit is Gabriel had a solid connection with returning Oregon receiver, Tez Johnson, connecting with him on 12 of 13 targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

That concludes my week two Prospect Pulse. Stay tuned for more Prospect Pulse articles highlighting different prospects each week. Follow me on X @thepprshow for daily weekly recap threads. If you enjoy fantasy football then do not forget to subscribe to our Fantasy Football Universe Youtube page. Plus, for more articles like this on our website fantasyfootballuniverse.com. Thank you for reading!