No sport rivals college football. Last week, I discussed how, despite three quarters of rough play, I felt more confident in Arch Manning. This week, I am borderline out on him as a top-10 pick. He went from playing at Ohio State to UTSA in that time frame; it should be the other way around. In the same stretch of games, Ole Miss players waved goodbye in Lane Kiffin’s face after a game-sealing interception that sent the former head coach packing. Kentucky beat the brakes off Texas A&M, Rutgers pushed USC to the brink on the back of WR KJ Duff, and QB Kamario Taylor showed South Carolina QB Lanorris Sellers what he could have been if he'd developed in a pristine program like Mississippi State.
It was a fun weekend of college football, and I had a ton of takeaways after diving into the film.
Trinidad Chambliss is Legitimate
I don’t care if he doesn't hit 6 feet when the measurements start flowing in during the pre-draft process or if he’ll be 25 before the 2027 NFL season; Trinidad Chambliss is playing quarterback better than anyone in the country except Darian Mensah, and his tools make him a much better draft prospect. He finished one of his biggest career games at 33 for 48 for 364 yards, two touchdowns, and an interception that wasn’t his fault. He also added 32 yards and a touchdown on the ground. I won’t go too deep into his evaluation, as I have a full all-22 breakdown coming later this week, but it was an outstanding performance, less a stretch in the third quarter where he struggled. Chambliss has a few superpowers, but the most impressive and jaw-dropping is the anticipation and understanding of where gaps in coverage reside. Chambliss consistently lets the ball go at points that make it impossible to make plays on, and that is why he’s legitimate. He certainly has his fair share of off-structure pizazz, and some of that reminds me of Cam Ward or Johnny Manziel. But his precision and accuracy while on the move remind me more of Caleb Williams. I’m not saying Chambliss is even close to Williams as a prospect, but I’ve been pretty surprised by the arm talent this season. He threw a ball about 60 miles per hour this weekend, so don’t let folks tell you he doesn’t have a strong arm.
I’ll leave the rest of my thoughts for the deep dive, but Chambliss is firmly on the radar for the No. 1 pick in the draft. I will leave you with this one throw:
More Notes from Ole Miss-LSU:
LSU TE Trey’Dez Green avoided major injury when he left this game, but he’s expected to miss multiple weeks. This is a significant blow to LSU’s passing attack, as he racked up 60 yards on four receptions after a 100-yard receiving game in Week 2. Green is a locked-in first-round pick, and this injury doesn’t change that.
LSU QB Sam Leavitt garnered some perplexing preseason hype, and that seems to have cooled off. He’s a frantic, squirrely player in the pocket, and his instinct to pull the ball down and run put LSU into some tough spots. His game-sealing interception also sealed his fate as a 2028 NFL Draft prospect, should he continue improving.
LSU RB Dilin Jones stacked another good performance, and he’s a legitimate prospect, though he looks more like a 2028 guy. Jones will pass his career-high in rushing yards with 15 more the next time he hits the field, and his burst and contact balance have him on my radar.
It was a quiet day for the LSU defense. S Ty Benefield, EDGE Jordan Ross, and S Dashawn Spears were fairly non-existent. Ross had three pressures, but failed to convert any into sacks. LB Whit Weeks improved his draft stock.
Ole Miss DT Will Echoles had perhaps his best performance to date, with seven pressures, a sack, and some excellent work as a run stopper. He was the engine of the Ole Miss defense, and he’s a large reason for Leavitt’s panic.
Ole Miss EDGE Kam Franklin flashed, as well. He joined Echoles around the quarterback, finishing with six pressures and a sack.
LSU OT Jordan Seaton, a definite first-round pick, struggled to move people in the run game, an Achilles heel of his game since his Colorado days. Still, he was sound in pass protection outside of a couple of pressures (one from Echoles), and he’s still on track to be one of the first 32 players off the board.
Ole Miss WR Deuce Alexander had a solid game, though some of the route-running issues we’ve seen were apparent. He finished with seven catches on ten targets for 60 yards and a touchdown.
