2024 NFL Draft: College Football Recap, Week 2

Week 2 in the world of college football didn’t disappoint as some of the most anticipated matchups of the week brought the juice with several very competitive scoring shootouts. The main event of the week saw No. 11 Texas take down No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa — winning 34-24. The other ranked matchup was No. 20 Ole Miss facing No. 24 Tulane. Green Wave starting quarterback Michael Pratt didn’t play in this game due to injury, which ended up taking some air out of the hype behind the matchup. The Rebels won 37-20 after being tied through three quarters.

There were a few performances that really stood out in some of the marquee games this past week from draft-eligible prospects. Let’s dish on who’s stock is up after their performance in Week 2.

Texas QB Quinn Ewers Has His Best Performance To Date

The Texas Longhorns haven’t been at the pinnacle of college football after Week 1 in quite a long time — think about the Vince Young days for the last time they were truly relevant at the peak of the sport. Ohio State transfer quarterback Quinn Ewers has always been regarded as elite, back to his pre-college days when he was considered a top-two overall player in his high school class.

It hasn’t always been an easy road for Ewers, who has had his fair share of sporadic play at the position through his first couple of seasons. His debut in 2023 wasn’t clean either, as he looked similar to his 2022 form than many were hoping to discover.

Something was different on Saturday night in Alabama, as Ewers wouldn’t be denied his biggest showcase yet. Ewers cruised to a 350-yard game with three touchdowns to boot.

No throw was prettier than a 44-yard bomb to drop one right in the bucket to star wideout Xavier Worthy.

Miami Safety Duo Asserting Their Dominance As College Football’s Best

There are few people aware of just how special the safety duo is down in Coral Gables, FL. There should be many more that see the special pairing Miami brings to the table in 2023 after the ‘Canes huge win against Texas A&M Saturday evening.

Kam Kinchens was already perceived as one of the 2024 NFL Draft’s best prospects at safety. He looked like he belonged in every way as he racked up seven tackles, an interception, and a fumble recovery. Kinchens left the game late with a scary-looking injury, but it does appear he’ll make a full recovery. Assuming Kinchens can get back on the field sooner than later, he’s must-see television for his impressive range and ball-hawking skills.

Former five-star recruit James Williams was all the rage coming out of high school as the number-one safety recruit in the country. Up to this point, he’s failed to live up to the billing as he’s been victimized for lack of effort, discipline, and too-frequent instances of missed tackles for a 6’5” safety.

Williams is a specimen who finally looked like he belonged when it came to actually playing football on Saturday. He’s at his best coming downhill and he’s a forceful hitter with serious straight-line speed. Where NFL defenses choose to line him up will be fascinating, but he’s a prospect who only continues to get better with the arrow pointing up from a height/weight/speed prospect getting better at diagnosing the game.

Utah S Cole Bishop Is A Multi-Phased Play Maker

The money Cole Bishop is going to make at the next level will be for what he presents as an option closer to the line of scrimmage. He’s a much different player than the aforementioned Kinchens and even Williams. But Bishop is battling for supremacy in the 2024 NFL Draft at the safety spot. He flashed a ton against Florida in Week 1, and that carried into Week 2 in a tight game with Baylor where the defense needed to stand on their head.

For Bills fans reading this, think of Taylor Rapp when you think of Bishop — the ability to align at multiple spots, but there’s legitimate ability to play the Nickel or even Dime linebacker role due to his size and physicality profile.