Future Hogs – Week 13: A look at college football players who could help the Washington Commanders

The marquee matchup of Week 13, #5 Indiana vs. #2 Ohio State, was not nearly as competitive as each team’s ranking would suggest. Although the Hoosiers took the lead by scoring on their first drive, they wouldn’t score again until their last drive of the game. The Buckeyes decisively won and will remain in the top four of the College Football Playoff rankings. Looking at the other top four teams, Oregon did not play. Texas handled business against Kentucky. Penn State survived a scare from Minnesota, but remains in the top four. Who is not in the top four is Alabama after playing possibly their worst game in recent memory in a loss to unraked Oklahoma team. Their chances of making the expanded College Football Playoff are pretty much done.

Week 14 is rivalry week and will wrap up the college football regular season. Ohio State and Michigan will face off in arguably the sport’s biggest rivalry, The Game. Penn State will look for a win over Maryland to keep their hopes of making the Big Ten Championship Game alive. Texas and Texas A&M will go head-to-head for the chance to play Georgia in the SEC Championship Game. Oregon will play familiar foe Washington in their first game as members of the Big Ten. Clemson will take on South Carolina and Miami will play Syracuse with the chance to play SMU in the ACC title game at stake. With three teams – Arizona State, Iowa State, and BYU – tied atop the Big 12, this weekend will settle who will appear in that conference’s championship game.

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

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Behren Morton, QB, Junior, Texas Tech

With NIL being what it is, I figure most underclassman QBs will stay in school and find a situation where they can elevate their draft status. I think Behren Morton will do the same thing, but he is draft eligible. The Junior is 6’2”, 220 lbs and has what looks to be a strong arm. Morton’s mechanics are good and he can deliver an accurate ball off platform. He navigates the pocket well, but I’m not sure how mobile his is out of the pocket. The little I’ve seen from him makes him an interesting developmental QB. He went 37 of 53 for 401 yards and four touchdowns and one pick in a win over Oklahoma State.

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Ollie Gordon II, RB, Junior, Oklahoma State

After rushing for for over 1700 yards as a sophomore and winning the Doak Walker Award as the nation’s best running back, Ollie Gordon II’s encore has been underwhelming. Pretty much all of his stats are down from last year. He did recapture some of his magic from last season this past weekend against Texas Tech. The 6’2”, 225 lb junior is a big back, but he has quick feet and attacks the line of scrimmage. In the open field, he’s fast enough to break off long runs with ease. He’s a bit of an upright runner, so learning to lower his shoulders and give defenders less of his body to hit would serve him well. Gordon II had 15 carries for 156 yards and three touchdowns.

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Jayden Higgins, WR, Senior, Iowa State

Iowa State has two very good wide receivers: speedster Jaylin Noel and possession receiver Jayden Higgins. Higgins is 6’4” and 215 lbs. At that size, he’s good at getting into and out of his breaks. What helps him create separation is his footwork at the top of his routes. His hands are solid and he has the ability to gain yards after the catch. He helped the Cyclones beat the Utes of Utah with nine receptions for 155 yards and a touchdown.

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Michael Trigg, TE, Redshirt Junior, Baylor

At 6’4”, 245 lbs, Michael Trigg is not the biggest tight end. That’s okay because his athleticism is best used as a receiver. He uses it to find open spaces in the defense quickly and make himself available as a target. As evidenced in the clip below, his hands are reliable. He’ll pick up yards in chucks after the ball is in his hands. I need to see more of his blocking to determine how good he is in this area. In a win over Houston, Trigg caught four passes for 96 yards and a touchdown.

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Jonah Savaiinaea, OT, Junior, Arizona

Arizona suffered a loss to TCU, but they have a talented offensive lineman in Jonah Savaiinaea. The right tackle is 6’5”, 336 lbs, and really shines in the run game. He’s a mauler that has drawn some comparisons to Taliese Fuaga, a first rounder last year. I think his feet are quick enough to remain at right tackle, but there are people who think his ceiling would be higher at guard. His feet are quick enough, his athleticism is evident when he blocks in space, and he has the strength to anchor against a pass rush and move players in the run game.

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Jack Sawyer, DE, Senior, Ohio State

Jack Sawyer may not be the twitchiest pass rusher, but he’s a solid player at defensive end. That’s not to say that the 6’5”, 260 lb senior lacks the quickness necessary for the position. Sawyer holds the edge against the run, collapses the pocket with power, and has enough athleticism to run stunts and twists effectively. Bending and flattening to the quarterback is not a strength of his, but he has a high motor Sawyer finished the day against Indiana with four tackles and 1.5 sacks.

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Jack Kiser, LB, Senior, Notre Dame

Jack Kiser had a modest game, as Notre Dame easily defeated Army, with four total tackles, one of them for a loss. The game was significant for Kiser as it gave him the record for most games played in Notre Dame’s history. Kiser isn’t the same athlete as some top prospects, but he moves well in space and does a good job getting through traffic to get to the ball. Kiser understands his assignment when dropping in zone coverage, but I haven’t seen a lot of him in man coverage.

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Dorian Strong, CB, Senior, Virginia

I highlighted Virginia Tech cornerback Mansoor Delane earlier this season, but some commenters suggested checking out his teammate opposite him, Dorian Strong. It was impossible to miss him against Duke. At 6’1”, 185 lbs, Strong has good length at cornerback and it helps him get his hands on a lot of balls. He is a physical competitor against receivers, but he has fluid hips that allow him to stay in phase with receivers throughout the route. Although Duke got the win, Strong was impressive with five tackles, two interceptions, and three PBUs.

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Andrew Mukuba, S, Senior, Texas

Andrew Mukuba decided to transfer from Clemson and play for his hometown Texas Longhorns. He might be undersized at 6’0”, 190 lbs, but Mukuba is willing to throw his body around to make plays. How quickly he can come from depth to the line of scrimmage is one of his major attributes. He looks to have the speed to handle single-high free safety. Injuries are a bit of a concern with him. While he hasn’t missed many games, he seems to get nicked up a bit. In the Longhorns’ defeat of Kentucky, Mukuba had five tackles, one interception, and a PBU.

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