• Army's Bryson Daily overtakes Blake Horvath: The Army-Navy rivalry runs deep, even in PFF's ranking of the highest-graded Group of Five quarterback.
• Mason Graham is the highest-graded interior defensive lineman: The Michigan star has still quietly put together an All-American season, which many expected out of him.
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Estimated reading time: 7 minutes
QUARTERBACK
Power Four: Cam Ward, Miami Hurricanes – 92.3
Against Louisville, Cam Ward continued his stretch of dominant play with three more big-time throws and four more touchdowns added to his already stellar resume. On Saturday, he became the first player in Miami history to throw for 300 yards in seven straight games.
Group of Five: Bryson Daily, Army Black Knights – 93.6
Bryson Daily earned this week’s Offensive Player of the Week with a 92.2 PFF grade against East Carolina. Daily ran for five touchdowns and tallied 169 rushing yards, earning an 83.5 PFF rushing grade for the game as a result. It was also the third straight 100-plus-yard passing game for Daily — a significant feat for a service academy quarterback — and he recorded a career-high two big-time throws. He finished with a near-elite PFF passing grade for the game (83.0).
Bryson Daily👑
629 passing yards, 7 passing touchdowns
909 rushing yards, 19 rushing touchdowns (most in FBS)Hello, @HeismanTrophy 👋#AmericanWay x @ArmyWP_Football pic.twitter.com/4JuCyGTDj1
— The American (@American_Conf) October 20, 2024
RUNNING BACK
Power Four: Brashard Smith, SMU Mustangs – 92.7
Brashard Smith has caught all 16 of his targeted passes this year for 149 yards, which gives him the second-highest receiving grade in the country among halfbacks at 91.7. He also has 13 designed runs for over 15 yards which ranks him top 10 in the nation of that metric.
Group of Five: Ashton Jeanty, Boise State Broncos – 96.2
Ashton Jeanty had a bye week, where I imagine he would’ve run for 300 yards with 20 broken tackles. His Heisman odds are now tied with Cam Ward’s at +200. Jeanty now faces one of his biggest challenges yet, though, against UNLV on Friday. If he can continue his dominant run, this could put Boise State in prime position to make the College Football Playoff.
WIDE RECEIVER
Power Four: Tre Harris, Ole Miss Rebels – 90.1
Tre Harris is coming off a bye week where Ole Miss hopes to have figured some things out to save its season. Still, Harris’ 987 yards and 90.1 receiving grade are first in the nation among WRs.
Group of Five: Nick Nash, San Jose State Spartans – 89.3
Nick Nash has caught a touchdown pass in all seven games this season, which makes 11 total on the year to lead the FBS. Meanwhile, his 12 contested catches rank second.
TIGHT END
Power Five: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt Commodores – 89.3
Eli Stowers is a big reason as to why Vanderbilt is now ranked. He has accounted for the majority of the Commodores’ passing offense this season with 463 receiving yards, more than double their next-highest pass catcher. His 308 yards after the catch rank second at the position.
Diego Pavia finds Eli Stowers for a 41-yard touchdown reception.
That caps a 97-yard drive to give it a 14-7 lead.pic.twitter.com/oWzGojAdUw
— Joey Dwyer (@joey_dwy) October 20, 2024
Group of Five: Harold Fannin Jr, Bowling Green Falcons – 96.6
You can look across the board, and Harold Fannin Jr is leading all tight ends in almost every PFF statistical category.
|
Stat |
Number |
Rank |
|
Yards |
873 | 1st |
| TDs | 5 |
1st |
|
Receiving Grade |
96.7 | 1st |
| YAC | 495 |
1st |
|
Y/RR |
4.08 | 1st |
| MTF | 22 |
1st |
|
1st Downs |
42 |
1st |
OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Power Four: Wyatt Milum, West Virginia Mountaineers – 92.1
Wyatt Milum is playing his way into the first-round conversation. He is one of only four tackles left in college football who hasn’t allowed a pressure and still has a perfect pass-blocking percentage for the year.
Group of Five: Kage Casey, Boise State – 85.6
Kage Casey has certainly meant a lot to Ashton Jeanty this season in the ground game with a 79.5 run-blocking grade that ranks in the top 16. But where he’s been even better is pass protection, where he ranks top-15 among tackles in pass-blocking grade with an 86.1.
OFFENSIVE GUARD
Power Four: Willie Lampkin, North Carolina Tar Heels – 83.8
Willie Lampkin had a bye week but he still remains top five among guards in run-blocking grade at 85.3. Amid five pressures and three quarterback hits, Lampkin still hasn’t given up a sack once this year to put his pass-blocking efficiency rate at 99.1.
.@UNCFootball guard Willie Lampkin is a fun watch. Undersized but fights like crazy. Incredible hands. Quick feet. Creative techniques. pic.twitter.com/Sviw7ItcnM
— Cole Cubelic (@colecubelic) October 18, 2024
Group of Five: Addison West, Western Michigan Broncos – 90.8
Addison West gave up his first pressure of the season on Saturday to lower his pass blocking efficiency rate to 99.7. It didn’t affect his pass-blocking grade too much, though, as the sixth-year senior still leads the nation in that category with a 91.4 grade.
CENTER
Power Four: Bryce Foster, Kansas Jayhawks, 80.8
The Texas A&M transfer has done wonders for this Kansas line this season, as the Jayhawks have the third-highest run-blocking grade as a unit at 81.5. Foster has been equally consistent in pass protection, as he has not yet given up a sack.
Group of Five: Jacob Gardner, Colorado State Rams – 86.9
Jacob Gardner has been arguably the most reliable offensive linemen in college football. He has earned 84-plus PFF grades in run- and pass-blocking, which no other center in the country has done.
INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMAN
Power Four: Mason Graham, Michigan Wolverines – 89.5
Amid the team’s struggles, Mason Graham has still quietly put together an All-American season, which many expected out of him. It’s no surprise to see him as the nation’s highest-graded DT eight weeks in with 19 run stops. Graham is currently the third-ranked player on PFF’s Big Board.
A lot of defensive players bouncing back after slow starts. Mason Graham has been unblockable the last few weeks pic.twitter.com/FqF0lwRbus
— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) October 21, 2024
Group of Five: Peyton Zdroik, Air Force Falcons – 92.0
Peyton Zdroik is still out, dealing with an injury, but no defensive tackle has surpassed his PFF grade yet. In the five games he’s played, he has tallied 13 pressures, 11 defensive stops and one forced fumble.
EDGE DEFENDER
Power Four: Josaiah Stewart, Michigan Wolverines – 93.7
Let’s be clear that Michigan’s issues have nothing to do with the defensive side of the ball. That unit is thriving — specifically the defensive line, led by Josaiah Stewart on the edge. On 134 pass-rushing snaps, Stewart has racked up five sacks to earn a 93.7 pass-rushing grade which is the highest among DEs.
Group of Five: Mike Green, Marshall Thundering Herd – 85.9
Mike Green has been exceptional for the Thundering Herd from a production standpoint. His 33 pressures and nine sacks both rank in the top three among all edge rushers.
LINEBACKER
Power Four: Chris Paul Jr, Ole Miss Rebels – 90.9
Chris Paul Jr is coming off a bye week but still has the most pressures among LBs with 19. He’s been so good for this Rebel defense on all three levels, nearly earning an 80.0-plus grade in every PFF statistical category.
|
PFF Stat |
Grade |
|
Defense |
90.9 |
| Run Defense |
88.8 |
|
Tackling |
81.8 |
| Pass Rushing |
79.8 |
|
Coverage |
87.8 |
Group of Five: Shaun Dolac, Buffalo Bulls – 88.4
Shaun Dolac added nine more tackles and three more defensive stops to his resume, where he happens to lead the nation in both of those categories. His overall tackling grade is 90.2, which is fourth at the position.
CORNERBACK
Power Four: Jahdae Barron, Texas Longhorns – 88.8
Jahdae Barron had a field day against Georgia, where he essentially kept Texas in the game for a while with his two takeaways. He broke up one more pass as well which lowered his opponent’s passer rating to 28.2 anytime he’s targeted.
CIRCUS INTERCEPTION🔥🤘🏻
This time it’s JAHDAE BARRON
🎥: ABC#HookEm pic.twitter.com/nuDTyC0Oh4
— Inside Texas (@InsideTexas) October 20, 2024
Group of Five: Christian Bodner, Liberty Flames – 86.1
Liberty suffered its first loss Wednesday night, which is a rarity in the regular season for the Flames. But Christian Bodner was still spectacular nonetheless with an 80.8 PFF grade for the game. The loss is certainly not on his shoulders, as he only allowed 4 receiving yards all night. Bodnar also picked up his first career sack to earn an 89.6 pass-rushing grade.
SAFETY
Power Four: Antwan Peek Jr, Cincinnati Bearcats – 90.1
Antwan Peek Jr. has been on a tear lately after working his way into the starting lineup. He had seven more tackles and another forced fumble on Saturday, which makes three in the last two games. This puts Peek’s run defense grade at a 96.4, which is first in the NCAA among all positions. Peek will certainly have his hands full this weekend going up against Shedeur Sanders and the powerful Colorado passing attack.
Group of Five: Rayuan Lane III, Navy Midshipmen – 90.2
Rayuan Lane is a big part of why Navy is still undefeated. The team’s secondary has been elite all season with a 90.4 coverage grade as a unit, a top-15 mark in the FBS. Lane has two interceptions and three pass breakups on the year which has earned him an 89.7 individual coverage grade.
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