Have you had your fill of college football yet? No, of course not. That’s ridiculous. We’re just getting started, and it’s only going to get better with the Week 5 college football prospects and matchups on deck. Which CFB games should you watch closely to get an idea of the NFL talent on the field? Let’s dive in!
Top college football Week 5 prospects and matchups
Here’s a look at our prospects and matchups to watch in Week 5 of the college football season.
Ole Miss at Alabama
It’s scheduled to take place at 3:30 PM ET on Saturday, but it feels like it should be a primetime game. Alabama is the best team in the nation, but Ole Miss — a top-10 team in PFN’s Top 25 CFB rankings — isn’t far behind. The Rebels have talent, and they also might have the best quarterback in college football. Which prospect matchups demand attention in this contest?
Ole Miss QB Matt Corral vs. Alabama defense
Stop me if you think I’m being dramatic, but this is the matchup of the season — or at least one of them. Matt Corral is a burgeoning QB1 candidate who has an electric skill set. Alabama will be his biggest test, and if he passes, he could flip the QB pecking order on its head. He won’t have an easy time, however.
Alabama’s defense boasts college football prospects like Phidarian Mathis, DJ Dale, Justin Eboigbe, Christian Harris, Josh Jobe, and Jordan Battle. Corral can affirm his standing if he plays well against this group.
Sticking with the Ole Miss offense for a moment, wide receiver Dontario Drummond is a rising player. He’s a stocky receiver who’s taken on the role of the Rebels’ chief playmaker. If he can navigate through Alabama’s secondary, he too could find himself moving up.
Ole Miss EDGE Sam Williams vs. Alabama OT Evan Neal
This is one of the most exciting impending Week 5 battles between college football prospects. Sam Williams has been on a tear this year. Through three games, Williams has 11 tackles, 4 sacks, 4 tackles for loss, a pass deflection, 2 forced fumbles, and a fumble recovery for a touchdown.
Much like Evan Neal, Williams has top-tier physical tools at his position. He’s 6’4″, 265 pounds, and incredibly explosive and powerful. Against Neal, however, he’ll have to use more technique and polish. This will be a great litmus test to see how much he’s grown this year.
Boston College at Clemson
On Saturday, the Boston College Eagles will travel to Death Valley. In past years, the Clemson Tigers would be able to promise death to teams’ CFB Playoff hopes when teams trudged through the doors. But this season, the Tigers don’t have nearly as much teeth. Clemson is extremely vulnerable, and even without their starting quarterback, the Eagles could come out on top. Which college football prospects will they rely on to make it happen in Week 5?
Boston College WR Zay Flowers vs. Clemson CB Andrew Booth Jr.
My fellow NFL Draft analyst Oliver Hodgkinson brought this matchup up to me unprompted. That’s how good of a battle it’s shaping up to be on paper.
In one corner, you have Zay Flowers, an eternally elusive and explosive threat in the passing game. In the other corner, you have Andrew Booth Jr. — a long, flexible cornerback who has the explosiveness, twitch, and hip fluidity to match Flowers. If he succeeds in doing so, his stock could keep rising.
On the other side, there are other intriguing WR-CB battles as well. Can Justyn Ross and Frank Ladson hold their own against a rising tandem in Brandon Sebastian and Josh DeBerry?
Boston College offensive line vs. Clemson defensive line
This matchup won’t be all that it was shaping up to be a few weeks ago. The Tigers recently lost both Bryan Bresee and 2022 NFL Draft prospect Tyler Davis to injury. The former tore his ACL, while the latter needed surgery to repair a torn bicep.
Still, the Tigers have Myles Murphy and a rebounding Xavier Thomas in tow. They’ll go up against a Boston College line that has Tyler Vrabel, Zion Johnson, Alec Lindstrom, and Ben Petrula. For Thomas in particular, this is a potential stock-up game.
Arkansas at Georgia
The SEC hierarchy is set to change after Week 5. Ole Miss plays Alabama, and two more highly-ranked SEC squads square off in Arkansas and Georgia. The Razorbacks are coming off a win against Texas A&M, while the Bulldogs have been cruising since their season-opening bout with Clemson. Which college football prospects will be most crucial in this Week 5 contest?
Arkansas C Ricky Stromberg vs. Georgia DT Jordan Davis
This game won’t be headlined by Treylon Burks, but instead by a battle between rising college football prospects in the trenches. By now, Jordan Davis is a potential first-round pick. He’s a massive specimen at 6’6″, 340 pounds, and yet, he has great explosiveness, urgency, and play strength.
Ricky Stromberg isn’t quite as large, but he’s tough, fundamentally sound, and excellent at blocking with leverage. Will Davis’ superior traits shine through, or will Stromberg prove he’s up to the task?
Arkansas WR Treylon Burks vs. Georgia CB Derion Kendrick
Although Treylon Burks isn’t our first mention, he still deserves his own paragraph. The Arkansas wide receiver had an exceptional showing last week against Texas A&M. However, Georgia cornerback Derion Kendrick should provide more of a challenge for Burks.
Kendrick is long and physical, but the battle may come down to Burks’ superior size and long speed. Burks is a mismatch nightmare for most cornerbacks who face him. Kendrick can boost his stock if he can lock him down.
Arkansas S Jalen Catalon vs. Georgia QB JT Daniels
We’ll give out one more bonus college football prospects matchup to watch in this one, and that’s the battle between Georgia quarterback JT Daniels and Arkansas safety Jalen Catalon.
Daniels hasn’t quite left the top QB conversation, but he’s steadily trending down, while his defense carries the Bulldogs to wins. Daniels needs to elevate his team at some point, but doing it against Catalon may be difficult. The Arkansas safety is an elite playmaker on the back end, with great range, instincts, and conversion ability.
More college football matchups to watch in Week 5
- Ohio State OG Thayer Munford vs. Rutgers DT Julius Turner
- Ohio State WRs Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave vs. Rutgers CB Avery Young
- Cincinnati QB Desmond Ridder vs. Notre Dame S Kyle Hamilton
- Notre Dame OL Jarrett Patterson vs. Cincinnati DL Malik Vann and Curtis Brooks
- Oregon C Alex Forsyth vs. Stanford DT Thomas Booker
- Oklahoma State QB Spencer Sanders vs. Baylor DBs Jalen Pitre, JT Woods
- Penn State WR Jahan Dotson vs. Indiana CB Tiawan Mullen
- Indiana QB Michael Penix Jr. vs. Penn State defense
- UCLA OT Sean Rhyan vs. Arizona State OLB Merlin Robertson
- UCLA OG Paul Grattan vs. Arizona State DL Jermayne Lole and D.J. Davidson
- Auburn OT Brodarious Hamm vs. LSU EDGE Ali Gaye
- Michigan State OT Jarrett Horst vs. Western Kentucky EDGE DeAngelo Malone
- Western Kentucky QB Bailey Zappe vs. Michigan State S Xavier Henderson
- Hawaii RB Calvin Turner vs. Fresno State EDGE Arron Mosby
- Texas A&M WR Ainias Smith vs. Mississippi State CB Martin Emerson
- Mississippi State OT Charles Cross vs. Texas A&M DL DeMarvin Leal
- Kansas State OG Josh Rivas vs. Oklahoma DL Perrion Winfrey and Isaiah Thomas
- Louisville QB Malik Cunningham vs. Wake Forest CB Ja’Sir Taylor
- Wake Forest WR Jaquarii Roberson vs. Louisville DBs Chandler Jones, Kenderick Duncan
- Maryland QB Taulia Tagovailoa vs. Iowa DEF Jack Campbell, Riley Moss, etc.
More Week 5 college football prospects
- Wisconsin OT Logan Bruss vs. Michigan EDGE Aidan Hutchinson
- Wisconsin WR Danny Davis vs. Michigan DB Daxton Hill
- BYU RB Tyler Allgeier vs. Utah State LB Justin Rice
- Kentucky QB Will Levis vs. Florida DBs Kaiir Elam, Trey Dean
- Kentucky OT Darian Kinnard vs. Florida DL Zachary Carter, Brenton Cox Jr.
- South Alabama WR Jalen Tolbert vs. Louisiana DB Percy Butler
- South Alabama QB Jake Bentley vs. Louisiana DT Zi’Yon Hill
- South Carolina RB Kevin Harris vs. Troy DT Will Choloh Jr., LB Carlton Martial
- USC WR Drake London vs. Colorado CB Mekhi Blackmon
- Washington TE Cade Otton vs. Oregon State LB Omar Speights
- Florida State QB McKenzie Milton vs. Syracuse CB Garrett Williams
- NC State QB Devin Leary vs. Louisiana Tech LB Trey Baldwin
- North Carolina QB Sam Howell vs. Duke LB Shaka Heyward
- Texas WR Jordan Whittington vs. TCU CB Tre’Vius Hodges-Tomlinson
- Texas Tech WR Erik Ezukanma vs. West Virginia DB Alonzo Addae
- West Virginia OL Doug Nester vs. Texas Tech DL Jaylon Hutchings
- Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker (+) vs. Missouri LB Blaze Alldredge
- Pitt QB Kenny Pickett vs. Georgia Tech DBs Juanyeh Thomas, Tre Swilling
- Nebraska WR Samori Toure vs. Northwestern S Brandon Joseph
- Washington State OT Abraham Lucas vs. California OLB Kuony Deng
- Western Michigan QB Kaleb Eleby vs. Buffalo LB Kadofi Wright
- Miami OT Zion Nelson vs. Virginia OLB Noah Taylor
- Purdue WR David Bell vs. Minnesota CB Coney Durr
- Appalachian State WR Corey Sutton vs. Georgia State S Jacorey Crawford
- Coastal Carolina QB Grayson McCall vs. UL Monroe S Traveion Webster
- Northern Illinois OT Marques Cox vs. Eastern Michigan DL Turan Rush
- Florida International RB D’vonte Price vs. Florida Atlantic LB Akileis Leroy
- UCF WR Jaylon Robinson vs. Navy S Kevin Brennan
- Central Michigan OT Bernhard Raimann vs. Miami-Ohio EDGE Dominique Robinson
- East Carolina QB Holton Ahlers vs. Tulane LB Dorian Williams
