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Week 10 has arrived, and with it comes an exciting slate of rivalries, ranked matchups, and the potential for teams to make or break their bowl-season aspirations.
As the lights get brighter and the home stretch approaches, those with their eyes on the 2026 NFL Draft will feel the heat. There's only so much time to produce, both statistics and quality tape. With conference clashes making life difficult, playing well later in the fall is a matter of meeting the moment.
So many prospects will enter Week 10 with the NFL watching. Let's take a look at a handful of Sunday hopefuls with particularly important contests waiting for them on Saturday.
Brendan Sorsby, QB, Cincinnati (at Utah)
No player in the country has as much to gain as Cincinnati Bearcats quarterback Brendan Sorsby. He's quickly risen up the ranks and is operating one of the most high-octane offenses in college football, boasting the fourth-highest total EPA in the country (ESPN).
Sorsby (6'2", 235 pounds) checks the box with his size and has a surplus of physical tools. He's athletic enough to be used as a rushing threat and gain chunk plays on the ground. As a passer, Sorsby flaunts easy velocity and an aggressive itch to stretch the field.
He has more to prove over the middle of the field, and he must become more consistent with his accuracy and processing before becoming an NFL starter. Still, if he wasn't considered a Day 2 option before this week, a win -- on the road -- against a ranked Utah team could seal the deal.
From there, it's just three weeks until a date with BYU and a chance to truly add helium to his stock.
Jayce Brown, WR, Kansas State (vs. Texas Tech)
Brown entered the year as a priority undrafted free agent on my board. He's been incredibly productive since his season began in Dublin. Having already posted two 100-yard games against Baylor and Kansas (and another against lower-level North Dakota), it's clear he's a focal point in the Kansas State Wildcats' offense.
Brown is continuing to make splash plays and has found 106 of his 683 yards from scrimmage on the ground. He's impacting every level of the field, stepping up against quality competition, and creating explosive plays out of thin air.
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He's doing everything necessary to earn Day 3 capital, and a strong showing against Texas Tech would add another layer of legitimacy to his rise. Brown will always be fighting against his 179-pound frame, but his athleticism is proving difficult to contain.
Nicholas Singleton, RB, Penn State (at Ohio State)
It's been a nightmare season for the Penn State Nittany Lions, and Singleton is no exception. Game scripts haven't been kind to him, but he's making less of an impact on the ground (3.6 yards per attempt) and through the air (13 catches through seven games).
This is a broken offense with a broken running back. He's been less consistent between the tackles, and he's not creating the big plays necessary to compensate.
The ingredients for Singleton to see his stock rebound are present. He still has the prototypical size (6'0", 224 pounds) and 4.40 speed, along with the pedigree of prior seasons. If those skills aren't showing up against the NFL-level defenders lining up against him on Saturday, Penn State will be in trouble, watching its bowl eligibility slip further out of grasp.
Austin Barber, OT, Florida (vs. Georgia)
Barber began his 2025 campaign with a decent amount of Day 2 hype, but each passing week against high-level competition has put an additional dent in his stock.
It's probably not a coincidence that his worst games have come against the defensive lines with the most Sunday talent available: Miami, Texas, and Texas A&M. To an extent, that's intuitive, but the drop-off in these contests is a real concern.
The good news for Barber is that the Georgia Bulldogs offer him a chance to rewrite that narrative, or at least gain some ground. Without a strong showing, it's hard to make the case for him as a top-100 prospect in this 2026 class, even with most offensive tackles failing to put their best foot forward in 2025.
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