Future Hogs – Week 6: A look at college football players who could help the Washington Commanders

This may have been the most exciting weekend of college football this season. The Red River Rivalry lived up to the hype, but it was Oklahoma that did a little more to get the win. It was a coming out party for Georgia quarterback Carson Beck as he and the Bulldogs throttled previously undefeated Kentucky. Notre Dame’s college football aspirations all but faded in a loss to Louisville, a team that hopes to remain undefeated and keep their playoff push alive. USC looked like it would easily get by Arizona on its way to a matchup with Notre Dame, but that wasn’t the case. Despite a substandard game by Caleb Williams, he willed the Trojans to victory.

This weekend, the top-ten matchup between Washington and Oregon is a must watch that will feature tons of NFL talent. USC and Notre Dame will be looking to bounce back from performances below their standard. UNC looks to remain undefeated as they take on a Miami team that had a stunning collapse against Georgia Tech last weekend. Finally, UCLA’s fast-paced offense will take on a stingy Oregon State defense in a ranked-on-ranked matchup.

Below are just a few players who had good weeks and might be able to help improve the Commanders’ roster. Let me know what you think of these prospects and feel free to post players that stood out to you.

Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma

If there is one thing fans in Washington appreciate in a quarterback, it’s resiliency. It wasn’t perfect, but Dillon Gabriel did what it took to take down archrival Texas. Dillon Gabriel made some big-time throws to the outside hash and down the field that showed he has an NFL arm. When the redshirt senior wasn’t making plays through the air, he made them in the ground game. He completed 60% of his passes for 285 yards and a touchdown and added 113 yards on the ground and a rushing TD. The biggest knock against Gabriel is his size at only 5’11” and 204 lbs.

Trey Benson, RB, Florida State

Trey Benson popped on my radar late last season when he returned from a significant knee injury. He rarely went down after first contact, and that was only if defenders could get their hands on him because he is elusive for a 6’1”, 223 lb back. With enough speed to break off long runs and ability to catch out of the backfield, the redshirt junior has a good chance of being the first running back drafted next year. Sorry Hokie fans, but Benson went for 200 yards and two touchdowns on just 11 carries in a win over Virginia Tech.

Jermaine Burton, WR, Alabama

Senior wideout Jermaine Burton could not be stopped by Texas A&M. If his route running wasn’t creating separation from defenders, he was making contested catches against the Aggies. He was a major part of the Crimson Tide’s win with two trips to the endzone and 197 yards on nine catches.

Mitchell Evans, TE, Notre Dame

Stop me if you’ve heard this before: Notre Dame has a really good tight end. I wanted to highlight junior Mitchell Evans last week as he was the best receiver on the field against Duke, but Brock Bowers put Georgia on his back. Evans was the best receiver for the Irish again in a loss to Louisville. He had four catches for 71 yards and a touchdown.

Jordan Morgan, OT, Arizona

Arizona gave USC all they could handle this past weekend, taking them to three overtimes before being defeated. Their redshirt freshman QB, Noah Fifita, threw five TDs to give the Wildcats a chance. You can only do that if you remain upright and LT Jordan Morgan helped give Fifita the time he needed to dissect the Trojan’s defense. Morgan is an excellent athlete that easily moves his feet to mirror rushers and get out in space to block. He anchors well against power, but could stand to get stronger.

Mason Reiger, DE, Louisville

One of the main reason Notre Dame fell to Louisville was pressure. The Cardinals sacked Sam Hartman five times and rushed him into bad throws. Mason Reiger, a junior, was a key factor as he was able to get two sacks and a forced fumble to go along with four total tackles. Reiger’s game is power, so he’ll have to diversify his rushes to be more effective at the next level.

Ashanti Cistrunk, LB, Ole Miss

Ole Miss was able to get by Arkansas this past weekend thanks to key plays on defense. One of those plays happened early in the game when senior Ashanti Cistrunk dropped back in zone coverage and picked off Arkansas on their side of the field. He would finish the game by adding nine tackles including a tackle for a loss.

Tahveon Nicholson, CB, Illinois

Filling the shoes of Devon Witherspoon is junior Tahveon Nicholson. He is a hard-hitting cornerback who has no fear striking opponents. Some Commanders’ fans want the secondary to be more physical and Nicholson could help with that. He had four tackles and one pass breakup against Nebraska.

Beau Brade, S, Maryland

Maryland hung with Ohio State until the fourth quarter and part of the reason was their defense slowed the Buckeyes’ offense. Beau Brade was quick to react to routes in front of him and get his hands on balls. He also is not afraid to come up and make a tackle in run support. The senior had eight total tackles, including one for a loss, and two pass breakups.

Trevor Wilson, WR/PR, Kansas

Trevor Wilson, a redshirt junior, only returned one punt against UCF, but he took it back 82 yards for a touchdown. Wilson hasn’t produced much as a receiver outside of a handful of catches for big plays, so I expect him to remain in school another year to see if he can improve his draft stock.