2026 NFL Draft: College Game Recaps – Week 9

After their surprising Week 1 loss to Florida State, Alabama has been rolling through the SEC with quarterback Ty Simpson leading them to some tough wins against good teams like Georgia, Vanderbilt, Tennessee, and Missouri. South Carolina entered the game at 3-4, but they have some talented players on both sides of the ball.

In the first half, the Alabama offensive line was losing at the point of attack. Simpson was seeing a lot of heat, and the Gamecocks’ defense was getting off the field. In the second quarter, Simpson had a blitzer get a blind-side strip-sack. That play wasn’t the fault of Simpson, and he led his team back soon. Simpson made a great play on a third down where he avoided a sack, scrambled to the outside, and lofted in a pass to an open target along the sideline to lead him down the field for a 41-yard gain. To cap the drive on fourth-and-goal, Simpson worked his eyes through his progressions to find an open tight end for a short touchdown toss.

In the second half, Simpson caught a break when he threw a deep ball downfield and had a Gamecock safety drop what should have been an interception. Shortly later, Simpson took a bone-rattling hit from South Carolina star defensive end Dylan Stewart, among a few other hits. Midway through the third quarter, Simpson had Germie Bernard running wide open downfield for a third-down conversion, but Simpson was inaccurate for an overthrow. Late in the fourth quarter, Simpson led a drive down the field with precision passes, and he threw a short touchdown pass and a two-point conversion to tie the game at 22. After a South Carolina turnover, Simpson had a few more conversions to help set up the game-winning score. Simpson completed 24-of-43 passes for 252 yards with two touchdowns and zero interceptions, and one fumble.

For the NFL, Simpson looks like a starter and a potential high first-round pick. Simpson has shown some serious arm talent, making some beautiful throws downfield with superb ball placement to beat tight coverage. Simpson (6-2, 208) is accurate, has a strong arm, and throws with timing and anticipation. With intelligence and instincts, Simpson makes good decisions and is adept at working through progressions. While Simpson is not a dynamic runner, he is a quality athlete who can glide in the pocket, extend plays, and pick up some yards on the ground. Simpson has shown superb ball security this season as well, with only one interception. If Simpson stays consistent, he could be a high first-round pick in the 2026 or 2027 NFL Draft.

South Carolina quarterback LaNorris Sellers caught fire down the stretch of the 2024 season, and that stretch put Sellers on the map as a potential first-round pick for the NFL. After an inconsistent start to the 2025 season, Sellers may have started a late-season push again with his performance against Alabama. Sellers showed his power arm, dynamic escapability, and big-play potential. While Gamecocks came up short, Sellers played his tail off and showed improvement from earlier games this season.

On the opening drive, Sellers had a couple of nice completions, a bad miss, and used his legs to convert a critical third-and-short. That possession produced a field goal, but on the next Gamecocks drive, Sellers had some bad luck. He wisely threw a check-down pass right to the chest of his running back, but the ball was bobbled, and an Alabama defender, DaShawn Jones, grabbed it and returned it 18 yards for a touchdown. Sellers made a good decision and pass, but bad luck turned it into a pick-six on his stat sheet.

Sellers came back to make some good throws to produce another drive, but the Gamecocks missed a field goal. He had a tremendous play to shake a sack and run for some positive yards shortly later. Sellers converted a fourth down with a pretty pass and had an impressive touchdown run that was called back by a penalty.

Early in the third quarter, Sellers laid out a perfect deep ball to speedster Nyck Harbor for a 54-yard touchdown. The moonshot dropped in perfectly in the front of the end zone for a huge score. Shortly later, Sellers made a good read when everything was covered, taking off on a 17-yard run, and then did it again, dodging a handful of defenders on a 12-yard run. Those runs produced a field goal to give the Gamecocks a lead entering the fourth quarter.

After a muffed punt, Sellers took advantage and used his legs on a zone-read run for a 10-yard score that put South Carolina up 22-14. However, late in the fourth quarter, Sellers was stripped of the ball on a run up the middle, and that fumble set up Alabama in South Carolina territory for the game-winning drive. The fumble was the only significant blemish for Sellers, but it came at a horrible time. He finished completing 17-of-31 passes for 213 yards with a touchdown and an interception. He also ran for 67 yards and a touchdown.

Against Alabama, Sellers showed special starter ability for the NFL. He has a cannon for an arm that attacks defenses deep down the field. When Sellers wants to throw a fastball, the ball explodes out of his hand. On top of a power arm, Sellers is incredible with his escapability. Sellers breaks tackles with tremendous strength and balance. He is fast, agile, and shifty as a runner to dodge tacklers. Sellers did have three easy completions that he missed with inaccuracy, but overall, his accuracy looked improved compared to other games from earlier in the season. This tape will help Sellers with pro evaluators. He showed elite talent that is capable of getting the better of other good athletes. In some games, Sellers has looked eerily similar to Anthony Richardson, but in this game, he looked more like Josh Allen or Lamar Jackson.

Alabama left tackle Kayden Proctor could be a top-20 pick next April, according to team sources, and he was facing a talented Gamecocks defensive line. South Carolina sophomore defensive end Dylan Stewart looks like a first-round pick in the 2027 NFL Draft, so this was an important tape that could have a significant influence on how high Proctor gets drafted.

In the first quarter, Proctor was beaten with a speed rush to get upfield and then a rip move to gain leverage for a hit on the quarterback. In the second quarter, Proctor saw a linebacker blitzing late and couldn’t get back in time to cut off the edge. That defender produced a blind-side strip-sack that the Gamecocks recovered. On the next drive, a spin move got Proctor, and he came close to giving up another sack, but Simpson got the ball out. Early in the second half, Proctor got pushed aside by a defensive tackle to give up a tackle for a loss on a third-and-one. The very next play, Prcotor was beat on a speed rush by Bryan Thomas Jr. and almost allowed a strip-sack, but Simpson just got the ball off before the hit.

This was an alarming tape for Proctor. He was getting beaten regularly with speed rushes around the corner. The Gamecocks’ defenders made him look sluggish, slow-footed, and stiff. This tape could cause some evaluators to think that Proctor might be better off at right tackle in the NFL.

This game had two quarterback prospects on display for NFL evaluators, and Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza is in contention to be the top quarterback prospect in the 2026 NFL Draft. Mendoza cruised over a bad UCLA team, carving up their defense and showing his starter skill set.

In the first quarter, Mendoza was leading the Hoosiers down the field when he had some bad luck strike. He had a pass batted at the line of scrimmage, and a Bruins defender was able to catch the deflection for an interception. Mendoza came back to lead Indiana on a pair of drives that produced touchdowns. One was rushing, and the other was a short strike from Mendoza to wideout Elijah Sarratt. To cape the blowout by halftime, Mendoza rolled out to his left, reset his feet, and threw a strike into a tight window for a short touchdown.

For the NFL, Mendoza looks like a pro starter. Mendoza has a strong arm and is accurate in passing at all levels of the field. This year, he has shown improvement in his pocket presence, reading coverage, working through progressions, and manipulating the pocket with his feet. He was smart and read the field well. Mendoza threw accurately with good timing and anticipation. This tape will help Mendoza get a starter’s grade from NFL teams.

UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava has the skill set to be a pro-starter as well. Iamaleava has fallen under the radar playing on a bad team, but he is a very talented prospect with excellent mobility, passing talent, size, and athleticism. Iamaleava carried the Bruins to a huge upset of Penn State, but Indiana dominated and Iamaleava didn’t stand a chance. UCLA’s defense was dominated, the offensive line was horrible, and the wide receivers were incapable of getting open.

It was a horrific start to the game for UCLA. On the first play, the protection quickly broke down, and Iamaleava was sacked. On the second play from scrimmage, Iamaleava was pressured by a blitz off the edge; his running back was losing the block on the blitzer, and Iamaleava threw into the blitz —typically a good decision. However, his receiver just past the line of scrimmage had a bunch of defenders around him, and linebacker Aiden Fisher intercepted the pass and had a short return for a touchdown.

Iamaleava came back to throw some strikes, and he used his legs to move the ball, but the Bruins’ drives were stalling out as the receivers could not generate separation, and the offensive line was getting whipped at the point of attack. In the third quarter, Iamaleava made an incredible play, breaking two tackles in the pocket and saving his offensive linemen from giving up a sack. After scrambling, he was being hugged by another lineman, but still threw a perfect pass downfield for a gain of about 20 yards. Iamaleava used his legs for an impressive run a few plays later. Iamaleava finished completing 13-of-27 passes for 113 yards with two interceptions.

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. It would probably be in his best interest to return to college football and continue to develop before jumping to the pros. Iamaleava should transfer to a team with better talent around him to help his development and draft grade.