2026 NFL Draft: College Game Recaps – Week 12

Texas linebacker Anthony Hill had excellent production in the early years of his career. After a slow start to this season, Hill has heated up recently, and that continued against Georgia. Hill contributed to some nice tackles in the ground game. Midway through the third quarter, Hill got nice depth dropping into zone coverage and made a leaping grab for an interception. It was a fantastic catch from Hill and showed special athleticism for a linebacker. Hill has starter ability for the NFL, and he could be a nice day-two pick in the 2026 NFL Draft.

Perhaps the top draft-eligible prospect in this game was Georgia linebacker C.J. Allen. He has been a beast this year, and team sources have said that Allen is the top Bulldogs prospect for the 2026 draft. In the early going against Texas, Allen showed his speed getting to Arch Manning on a blitz and delivering a hard hit just after the pass was released. Allen was active in the ground game and stayed around the ball. However, midway through the first half, he limped into the locker room with the trainers. Allen could have late first-round potential, but with how teams deemphasize linebackers, he might slip into the second round if he enters the 2026 NFL Draft.

Georgia has a pair of receivers who have NFL talent, but have their production suppressed by the Bulldogs’ offensive scheme. Zachariah Branch is a fast and athletic slot receiver, and he showcased his explosiveness with a 30-yard reception in the first quarter, setting up a touchdown. Branch helped tee up teammate Noah Thomas for a touchdown catch. In the first half, Thomas caught two touchdown passes using his size to box out defenders and darting through the secondary on his first scoring play. He finished with four receptions for 32 yards and a touchdown. Branch finished with six catches for 41 yards. Thomas is a big receiver who runs well for his size. Both Branch and Thomas could produce good numbers if they played in a different offense. If they enter the NFL draft, they could be mid-round steals.

Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson has become a hot prospect as he has been playing at a very high level for the Crimson Tide. In tight games, Simpson made some great passes to lead his team to wins over good teams like Georgia, Missouri, Tennessee, and Vanderbilt. Against Oklahoma, Simpson was not prolific or mistake-free, but he played well and continued his march towards being a high first-round pick.

Midway through the first quarter, Simpson started to get in a groove, ripping some completions through the Sooners’ secondary. However, Simpson had an uncharacteristic mistake. The right side of the offensive line blew their protection assignment to let a linebacker come straight down the pocket to Simpson. Simpson rushed his throw, threw off the mark, and threw into double coverage. Sooners safety Eli Bowen picked off the pass and raced down the sideline with an 87-yard pick-six.

On the next Alabama possession, Simpson had some good completions to move down the field. He threw another pass off the mark in the end zone that was intercepted, but the turnover was canceled out by a pass interference. The Crimson Tide got a rushing touchdown, but on the next possession, Simpson had a bad overthrow with Germie Bernard wide open down the field with no defender around him in busted coverage. But a couple of plays later, Simpson found his tight end, Josh Cuevas, on a slant with Oklahoma blowing the coverage, and Cuevas sprinted through the middle of the field for a 25-yard touchdown.

In the third quarter, Simpson connected with Cuevas for a nice gain, and then Simpson dropped in a beauty along the sideline for a 25-yard gain that set up a first-and-goal. It was a phenomenal play by Simpson as he recognized a blitz coming pre-snap. He moved Cuevas from being split out wide to pick up the extra rusher, and then quickly threw the deep ball with perfect placement. That set up a rushing touchdown for Alabama to take the lead.

Midway through the second half, Simpson climbed the pocket and had his vision downfield when he took a huge hit and sack that resulted in a fumble recovered by Oklahoma. Midway through the fourth quarter, Simpson had a critical third-down conversion to Germie Bernard as Simpson fired a perfect strike to move the chains. But after getting sacked, Simpson had a downfield throw bounce in front of his receiver, and it could have been a conversion on a second-and-21. He made a nice throw on a third down, but on a fourth down, Bowen broke up the pass to clinch the win for Oklahoma. Simpson finished completing 28-of-42 passes for 326 yards with one touchdown and an interception.

With the way Simpson has played this season, he looks like a starter and a potential high first-round pick next April, even though this tape is not going to help him. 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, smart, has a strong arm, and throws with timing and anticipation. Simpson has shown good ball security and decision-making this season. With his skill set and upside, Simpson could be a good pro starter.

Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer was superb to start the season, but after sustaining a thumb injury that required surgery, Mateer hasn’t been the same. He rushed back playing versus Texas only 17 days after the surgery. He was awful against the Longhorns and then had some other underwhelming performances, including some poor throws in the fourth quarter to ensure a loss to Ole Miss. Mateer started to find his pre-injury form in the second half against Tennessee, so it would be interesting to see how Mateer handled an elite team like Alabama on the road.

In the first quarter, Mateer completed a couple of passes to Deion Burks to set up a quick field goal. Early in the second quarter, on a third down, Mateer had a pass off the mark to an open receiver along the sideline for an incompletion. However, Alabama fumbled the ball away on the punt, and Mateer made them pay. He threw a laser for a first down, and then took off up the middle on a designed quarterback run through the Crimson Tide defense. Mateer zigzagged and then powered his way through four tacklers inside the five for a 20-yard touchdown run.

Early in the third quarter, Mateer made a fantastic play to step up in the pocket, shake off an arm tackle, and then fire a strike to the sideline for a 20-yard completion. However, a couple of plays later, Mateer scrambled and had to get rid of the ball, but he took a bad sack. The Sooners were still able to get a field goal that proved to be the game-winner. Mateer finished completing 15-of-23 passes for 138 yards. He had no interceptions, and that was huge. He did some damage on the ground, including his rushing touchdown.

Mateer has a lot of talent to be a pro starter. He has a strong arm, can fire some lasers into tight windows, is very mobile, and is a dangerous runner with speed and toughness. His accuracy can be streaky, and while he will make some beautiful throws, he has some get-away-from-him. Part of that issue could be the thumb injury on his throwing hand, but he still needs to get more consistent. His decision-making needs some improvement, as Mateer can be reckless as a gunslinger with some dangerous passes and then taking some bad sacks, waiting for a big play to emerge rather than taking a check-down or throwing it away. Mateer has a lot of talent, and he could be a Baker Mayfield-style quarterback in the NFL. However, he needs refinement and development. Sources say Mateer is inclined to go back to school, and that is a good idea for making him better prepared for the NFL.

Not only has Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love proved he is a true first-round pick for the NFL Draft. During the 2025 season, Love has shown that he is an elite prospect and one of the best football players in next year’s draft. Love was dominant against Pitt, rolling over the Panthers and providing some changing plays for the Fighting Irish.

In the first quarter, Love made an incredible run, bursting through the line. About five yards downfield, Love made a lightning-fast spin move to make a safety whiff, and then Love exploded down the field for a 56-yard touchdown. Shortly later, Love had an excellent blitz protection block to keep his quarterback clean and give him time to find a completion downfield. Later in the second half, Love shook a tackle in the backfield and then darted to the perimeter to get a 22-yard gain on a fourth-and-2. Love totaled 147 yards on 23 carries with a touchdown. He also caught two passes for 20 yards.

For the NFL, Love looks like a three-down starter who is capable of being a work-horse back like Josh Jacobs or Nick Chubb. Love is a physical downhill runner with excellent vision, patience, and cutting ability. Love shows serious power to pick up yards after contact and is capable of creating on his own. In the passing game, Love is pro-ready and very impressive. He runs good routes from a variety of places, has soft hands, and is athletic to adjust to the ball. Love has also blocked extremely well in pass protection. As long as he can stay healthy, Love looks like a high first-round pick for the 2026 NFL Draft.

Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis was a tremendous playmaker for the Panthers in 2024, and while he has not been as prolific, Louis has provided some big plays in 2025 as well. Louis is a fast and instinctive linebacker who is very good in pass coverage. However, Louis is undersized, and that leads to concerns about him holding up as a run defender in the NFL. With a physical offensive line and an elite back in Jeremiyah Love, this tape was a good gauge for Louis regarding the pro level.

Overall, this was a disappointing game as Louis had some lowlights and was very quiet. Throughout the game, Louis was having issues getting off blocks and was being kept away from the ball. In the first half, Louis had a bad missed tackle on Jadarian Price. Early in the third quarter, on a fourth-and-2, Louis fired into the backfield and had a bead on Love for a tackle for a loss and big turnover on downs for his team, but Louis missed the tackle, and Love was able to explode to the perimeter to get 22 yards. This tape made Louis look more like a mid-rounder rather than an early-round prospect. He could be a rotational linebacker to help in pass coverage, but may not have the size and strength to be a three-down starter.

Notre Dame wide receiver Malachi Fields had an excellent game and produced a tape that is going to impress pro evaluators. The Clemson transfer made some incredible catches to help produce critical points that put away Pitt. In the first half, Fields made one of the best catches of the season when he ran a post down the middle of the field and made a leaping one-handed catch over a defensive back for a 35-yard gain. Later on, Fields made a leaping back shoulder catch along the sideline of the end zone for a 25-yard touchdown. In the third quarter, Fields got open on an out route to haul in his second touchdown from eight yards out. Fields finished with seven catches for 99 yards and two scores.

Fields could be a nice day-two prospect that ends up competing to be a No. 2 or 3 receiver in the NFL. The 6-foot-4 wideout is tall, long, and has a large catch radius thanks to his leaping ability. Fields high points the ball well, and he uses his large frame to box out defenders. He runs well enough for his size, and Fields could be a nice weapon in the red zone. This tape could help him to be a day-two pick next April.