2026 NFL Draft: College Game Recaps – Week 6

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava has fallen off the radar as a quarterback prospect with the Bruins struggling in 2025, but Iamaleava played his tail off against Penn State and showed next-level ability while taking on a superior opponent. Iamaleava used his arm and legs to make big plays, showing his talent to produce points while elevating his play versus a tough defense with future pro competitors.

On the opening drive, Iamaleava completed a few passes for some short gains and keyed the drive with a 22-yard run up the middle of the Penn State defense, with Iamaleava powering through a few tacklers. To cap the drive, Iamaleava threw an 11-yard touchdown strike. Early in the second quarter, Iamaleava showed his speed and running ability to scramble for a 20-yard gain to convert a third-and-15 to the Penn State five. On third-and-goal, Iamaleava threw a strike on a slant for a touchdown. On the next drive, Iamaleava dropped in a beautiful deep ball for a 43-yard gain, and then ran it into the end zone from a few yards out.

In the third quarter, Iamaleava had another excellent run, but a missed field goal hurt the Bruins. After Penn State got a long touchdown pass and a blocked punt for a touchdown, Iamaleava came through with a clutch play. On a third-and-7, Iamaleava took off up the middle of the defense. He sprinted away from defenders, broke tackles, spun away, and rumbled for 52 yards. To end the drive, Iamaleava scored a short touchdown. Midway through the fourth quarter, Iamaleava used his feet again and scrambled to run for a touchdown from about seven yards out. He made a superb play to dodge the sack and then throw a strike to the back of the end zone for a two-point conversion. He finished completing 17-of-24 passes for 166 yards with two touchdowns. On the ground, Iamaleava ran for 128 yards on 16 carries with three touchdowns.

For the NFL, Iamaleava has a good skill set with a strong arm and dynamic running ability. Iamaleava has a burst to accelerate into the open field, shiftiness as a runner, and strength to run through tackles. As a passer, Iamaleava has the arm strength to push the ball vertically and throws some fastballs in the short to intermediate part of the field. He could use development, but Iamaleava has the skill set to be a starter in the NFL, and this game tape is going to help his draft stock.

Penn State quarterback Drew Allar is a big quarterback with a cannon for an arm, but he has struggled in some big games against good opponents, and that trend continued in a big loss to Oregon a week ago. Allar has beaten up on weak competition during his career, so he would expect a bounce-back game against a UCLA team that entered this game with a 0-4 record. While Allar didn’t play poorly, he wasn’t able to avoid a huge upset loss, and the first-half struggles dug a big hole.

Midway through the second quarter, Allar missed on a critical third down. Allar double-clutched when he had a receiver open on a comeback route. Allar fired to the wideout, but the double clutch gave the Bruins safety the necessary time to recover and slap the ball away for an incompletion. The UCLA defense did an excellent job of tackling and getting off the field with a successful onside kick to steal a possession. In the third quarter, Allar found a tight end wide open in busted coverage for a 40-yard touchdown. Early in the fourth quarter, Allar converted a third-and-long with a jaunt up the middle of the Bruins’ defense for a 20-yard run that set up a short rushing touchdown. Late in the fourth quarter, Allar made a perfect throw to the back sideline in the end zone for a touchdown strike that kept Penn State in the game. A fourth-down stop near midfield gave Allar one more chance with a short field. Allar finished completing 18-of-25 passes for 200 yards with two touchdowns. He ran for 78 yards on 11 carries.

Allar is a big-armed pocket passer, but he lacks composure, and that leads to him having some inconsistent ball placement. Over his career, he has struggled against good teams and pressure situations. As a result, Allar could end up getting backup grades from scouts.

Clemson defensive end T.J. Parker has been disappointing this season and has not been the pass-rushing force that many thought he would be. However, the entire Clemson team has been a massive disappointment on the field. After their bye week, the Tigers were looking to reset and get back on track for the back half of the season. Going back to basics helped Parker as he played well against North Carolina.

Late in the first quarter, Parker had a nice series that started on second down when he worked off the block from the left tackle and took down the running back for a loss of a yard. The next play, Parker fired past the left tackle and powered into the running back to get penetration into the backfield to force Max Johnson to scramble and throw incomplete on third down. Late in the second quarter, Parker worked off the right tackle to take down Johnson for a sack as he climbed the pocket.

For the NFL, Parker has starter ability, but he needs to get more consistent. Parker could stand to play with more effort and urgency. He has some functional strength to fight off blocks, speed to get upfield, and the ability to win with power or strength. However, given his inconsistent play this season, Parker looks more like a day-two prospect rather than a first-rounder next April

During the preseason, there were some in the media who were pushing Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik as a high first-round talent for the 2026 NFL Draft. This analyst never had him higher than a potential day-two pick based on his tape from last year and a limited skill set. Klubnik has disappointed and struggled this season, but was able to lead a blowout of North Carolina. Still, Klubnik showed some of the reasons why he has not been a riser this season.

In the early going, Klubnik had some easy completions, including a touchdown where he had a wideout make a nice run after a catch in the intermediate portion of the field. At the end of the first quarter, Klubnick threw a pass deep down the field into triple coverage, and North Carolina safety Marcus Allen ran under the ball for an interception in the back of the end zone. However, the referees blew the call and ruled it incomplete, so Klubnik benefited from the officials’ incompetence. To end the drive, he found a running back wide open on a wheel route for an easy touchdown pass. Later in the first half, Klubnik had a poor decision break his way again when an interception was dropped. Klubnik completed 22-of-24 passes for 254 yards with four touchdowns.

Klubnik looks like a day-three pick and backup competition at the NFL level. While he has some running ability, he has limitations as a passer. Klubnik has been a good college quarterback overall during his career, but he looks like a third-string caliber quarterback for the NFL.