ESPN staffSep 12, 2024, 10:00 AM ET
After an exciting Week 2, we look ahead to a Week 3 slate with a battle involving the Wildcats on Friday night, as new Big 12 member No. 20 Arizona faces No. 14 Kansas State. Elsewhere, a Tulane wide receiver will make his return to his original college stomping grounds.
Can Tulane’s Mario Williams continue his trend of at least 100 receiving yards per game in his first visit back to Oklahoma? Can Kansas State’s defense stop Arizona WR Cheers McMillan? Both Arizona and Kansas State go into Friday’s matchup 2-0, so one Wildcats team is bound to lose their first game.
And for an extra dose of excitement, Colorado and Colorado State face off, and Deion Sanders had something to say as the Buffaloes are 1-1 going into Saturday’s matchup.
Our college football reporters give insight on big storylines and players to keep your eyes on in Week 3.
Jump to a section:
Journey to UNLV | Returning to old stomping grounds | New conference rivals
Freshman QB shines | Five freshman to know
Quotes of the week
Jacob De Jesus’ journey to UNLV
In high school, Jacob De Jesus left recruiting camps feeling discouraged and unsure.
Not of himself. He shined at those camps and dominated some, but coaches never talked to him afterward. De Jesus knew why.
“I used to question myself, I used to question God and be like, ‘Why did you give me this dream to play football? Like, why do I love football so much? I’m so small,'” De Jesus told ESPN. “Nobody wants me to be on their team.”
Fortunately for De Jesus, he was wrong about the last part. As he neared a future without football, probably working as a UPS driver and caring for his 2-year-old daughter, UNLV reached out. Three years later, he’s an All-American returner and productive wide receiver for the Rebels, who aim for a 3-0 start and their second win against a Big 12 opponent Friday at Kansas.
De Jesus is often the smallest player on the field, at 5-foot-7, 175 pounds. He’s also one of the best, leading the FBS in total return yards last season (1,079), finishing second on the team in average yards per runback, behind All-American Ricky White.
“I knew I was good enough to play at this level,” De Jesus said. “I just didn’t know if anybody was going to give me a chance.”
UNLV wide receivers coach, Del Alexander, seemed unlikely to be that person. Alexander’s history is with big wide receivers. Only once had he taken one as small as De Jesus, in Wisconsin‘s Kenzel Doe, a 5-8 dynamo who finished second in team career kick-return average.
But then Nelson Fishback, a staff member who initially discovered De Jesus while working at Morehead Statealerted Alexander about De Jesus.
“I honestly believed that he was going to be exactly who he was on film,” Alexander said. “I just knew that his speed was not an accident.”
De Jesus had amassed 2,550 yards for Modesto Junior College, near his home in Manteca, California. But as the 2022 season ended, he appeared to be out of options. He had been working at UPS as a package handler and was close to becoming a driver. The money would’ve been good. De Jesus had just turned 21.
“I was really close to being done with it,” he said.
UNLV’s new coaching staff, led by Barry Odom, needed a returner. As the coaches surveyed options, Alexander became more convinced about De Jesus, who received an offer from UNLV on New Year’s Day 2023.
Days later, De Jesus was on campus, working out with the team.
“He did everything full speed,” Alexander said. “He won every race, he won every agility [drill]he was ultra competitive. It was just noticeable. It just made everybody else look bad.”
De Jesus’ life changed. After UNLV’s spring game that April, he proposed to his girlfriend, Kirsten Lopez, on the field at Allegiant Stadium.
He had 208 all-purpose yards, 158 on kickoff returns, in his Rebels debut. He earned All-Mountain West honors at both return spots, the first Rebel to be recognized for two positions since quarterback Randall Cunningham, who also punted, in 1984. De Jesus was a finalist for the Jet Award, given to the nation’s top return specialist. Alexander heard from friends on opposing coaching staffs, such as Michigan and San José Stateall with the same message: “Man, that 21 is special.” The coach who was leery of small receivers now wants to get De Jesus to the NFL.
There are immediate goals, too, namely a scoring return. UNLV hasn’t had a punt return touchdown in 23 years, the longest drought of any FBS team, and no kickoff return touchdowns since 2011.
“We’ve been close, so close,” De Jesus said. “I know how my team feels about it. They know that I can and I’m capable.” — Adam Rittenberg
Returning to old stomping grounds
Tulane’s Mario Williams was supposed to be the next great Oklahoma Sooners wide receiver.
That was the plan, at least, when Williams arrived at the school as ESPN’s No. 1 high school pass catcher in early 2021. It was all so clear to Williams at the time, too.
He’d settle in at Oklahoma, carve a role in Lincoln Riley’s high-scoring offense and quickly become a key piece within a program competing for Big 12 titles and national championships. A few years after that, perhaps, Williams would be in a position to jump to the NFL.
“I was going to have a career at Oklahoma and that was going to be that,” he told ESPN this week. “But God took me on another path and I’m thankful for every moment.”
Williams caught 35 passes for 380 yards and four touchdowns in his lone season at Oklahoma in 2021, then followed Riley to USC. Now on his third school in four seasons this fall, Williams has become a playmaker in the Green Wave passing game during the initial weeks of his debut season with Tulane.
On Saturday, he returns to Oklahoma Memorial Stadium as one of 2024’s early transfer portal gems under first-year head coach Jon Sumrall when the Green Wave visit the No. 15 Sooners in Norman.
Williams caught four passes for 124 yards in Tulane’s season opener against SE Louisiana on Aug. 29, then followed with six catches for 128 yards in a narrow loss to Kansas State in Week 2 to mark the first back-to-back 100-yard receiving games of his college career.
Through two weeks, he leads all FBS transfer wide receivers with 252 total receiving yards. Williams’ 126 yards per game rank 10th in the country and his 25.2 yards per catch sit 18th nationally with Williams playing the best football of his college career in a Green Wave offense poised to make an upset bid in Week 3.
“I’m just having fun,” Williams said. “Getting back to my groove and getting in my groove. Going out there and enjoying the game with my teammates.”
Williams is having fun again on a path that has exposed him to some of the college football’s rough edges: the pressure of being the nation’s No. 17 overall prospect, the uncertainty of a sudden coaching change after Riley left for USC in 2021 and two trips through the transfer portal leading to stops at USC and now Tulane.
“I’ve just been able to experience a lot about how college football works and the business side of the game,” Williams said. “I’ve gotten to experience playing high-level football and everything that comes with it.”
After two seasons at USC, Williams hit the transfer portal looking for a fresh start last December. Alabama and UCF emerged as early contenders. So did Tulane through a connection with Green Wave offensive analyst Collin D’Angelo, who had recruited Williams in high school. A visit with Sumrall’s staff helped seal Williams’ decision.
“They’re player-first driven — they love their players,” Williams said. “They’re going to make sure the players are good and that’s what I really like about them.”
Williams doesn’t have any expectations for what it will feel like to be back at Oklahoma on Saturday (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN).
He plans to rekindle connections with former teammates Danny Stutsman, Billy Bowman Jr. and There’s Washingtonthree of the Sooners’ four remaining Riley-era holdovers. Past that, Williams is approaching the Week 3 matchup with the even-keeled mentality he has brought in his early games at Tulane, a perspective honed through the experience of his modern college football journey.
“Just keep going and have fun,” Williams said. “The story didn’t get written how I expected. But that’s the best part about it. Just keep going and keep proving people wrong.” — That is, Lederman
Get to know your new conference rival
Arizona’s trip to Manhattan, Kansas, on Friday is a Big 12 test run of sorts. The game was scheduled before Arizona’s move from the Pac-12, so for scheduling purposes, it was easier to keep it as a nonconference game to prevent the schools from both having to try to find a new opponent with not much lead time. That dynamic lessens the stakes a bit because it effectively gives the loser a mulligan in conference play, but with the teams ranked in the top 20, the outcome will still set the tone for both schools as conference play begins the following week.
After Michigan’s loss last week, Arizona’s nine-game winning streak is the longest active one in the country, but after a subpar showing last week against FCS Northern ArizonaESPN BET installed Kansas State as a 7.5-point favorite in this battle of Wildcats. There might not be a more intriguing quarterback matchup in college football this week with Arizona’s Noah Fifita and Kansas State’s Avery Johnson both emerging last season after starting the year on the bench.
After throwing for 422 yards and four scores — with 304 of those yards and all four touchdowns to Tetairoa McMillan — in the opener against New MexicoFifita was more pedestrian against NAU last week, throwing for just 173 yards. For any team Arizona plays this season, the defensive focus will be on McMillan, the likely first-round pick who arrived in Tucson as one of the most celebrated recruits in school history.
K-State’s start has been similar. After a ho-hum win against UT Martin to start the season, it was fortunate to escape last week’s trip to Tulane after trailing by a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Johnson was solid in both games, but Friday’s game will be more revealing about what to expect in conference play. — Kyle Bonagura
DJ Lagway shines in the spotlight
Trent Miller had a small gathering at his house to watch Florida play Samford last weekend, his eyes trained on true freshman quarterback DJ Lagway and his every move.
Miller coached Lagway at Willis (Texas) High, watching Lagway make the impossible plays possible. In the third quarter against Samford, Lagway dropped back to pass, then scrambled back toward the line of scrimmage as he felt the pressure around him. He did a little jump hop, shot-putting the ball toward the corner of the end zone, for a 41-yard touchdown pass to Aidan Mizell.
Back in Texas, Miller could not help but flash back to the moment he knew Lagway would be one of the top quarterback recruits in the country. It was during the first day of spring practice, a few months after Miller got the job at Willis. Lagway was a sophomore.
“We were doing 7-on-7 against our defense,” Miller told ESPN in a recent phone interview. “He rolls out, hits that little jump throw, hits the receiver in the back corner of the end zone, and I was like, ‘Oh wow. 16-year-old kids d on’t make that throw.'”
Lagway became the No. 1 quarterback in the class of 2024, with Miller by his side through it all. When he chose Florida, Lagway knew the spotlight would not only be on him but on his coaches to deliver, too. When he got his opportunity to start last week in place of injured Graham Mertzhe made the most of it, setting a school record for passing yards by a freshman with 456 yards, while adding three touchdowns in a 45-7 win.
The question moving forward is how Florida plans to use Lagway, as he starts Saturday against Texas A&M in the SEC opener, especially as coach Billy Napier faces increasing pressure to win this season. Napier has been mum on how he plans to handle the rotation with a healthy Mertz in the mix, saying only he would play both quarterbacks moving forward.
“For DJ to go out there and do what he did, it puts a lot of pressure on the coaching staff this week to be very strategic on how they roll out the two quarterbacks, but I don’t think there’s any denying that he’ll get out there at some point and play meaningful reps,” Miller said. “What that is, and what that looks like, I don’t know. But what I do know is Coach Napier has never lied to him about what the process looks like.”
Miller said Napier was honest from the beginning about sharing time with Mertz. Miller also said the coaches did a great job during the recruitment process of acknowledging the elephant in the room — that they had to get the Gators turned around in short order.
“They did a great job of getting DJ to commit early to help the process of building that brand with recruits and everybody else around him,” Miller said.
Lagway committed to Florida in December 2022 and held firm a year later, after USC made a final push to flip him. Miller said, Lagway is in a good head space and committed to getting the job done with the Gators — no matter what that looks like moving forward.
“Whatever DJ’s role is, big or small, he’s going to do it to the best of his ability,” Miller said. “You’ll never hear him say anything negative about his playing time, the coaching staff, whatever it is. He made a decision to go there. He’s committed to being there and he’s going to do whatever he can whenever his number’s called to benefit that football team.” — Andrea Adelson
Five freshman running backs to know
Nate Frazier, Georgia: Frazier made the most of his opportunities in his college debut against Clemsonrushing for 83 yards and a touchdown on 11 carries in the Bulldogs’ 34-3 blowout win. The No. 3-ranked running back recruit and No. 62 overall recruit in the 2024 ESPN 300 has impressed Georgia coaches since he arrived from California powerhouse Mater Dei and should continue to have a key role in their rushing attack alongside Florida transfer Trevor Etienne.
Jerrick Gibson, Texas: Gibson, the No. 2-ranked running back and No. 59 overall recruit in his class, is showing he’s ready to step up and help a Texas run game that lost CJ Baxter and Christian Clark to season-ending injuries. The 5-10, 205-pound back from IMG Academy leads the team with 103 rushing yards and has scored in each of his first two games, including a 7-yard touchdown run against Michigan in the Longhorns’ 31-12 rout at Ann Arbor.
Isaac Brown, Louisville: Boone foams reentering the transfer portal in April opened the door for Brown and several young backs to help power Louisville’s run game. The four-star signee from Florida leads the team with 187 yards from scrimmage, including a 77-yard touchdown in his debut against Austin Peayand is also returning kicks. Fellow true freshman Duke Watson has gained 137 yards and scored two TDs on only 10 carries and redshirt freshman Keyjuan Brown has put up 116 rushing yards and two scores for a Cardinals offense that’s No. 2 in the ACC and 14th nationally in rushing.
Wayshawn Parker, Washington State: The three-star back from Sacramento, Calif. has teamed with quarterback John Mather to give Washington State a surprisingly dangerous rushing attack. Parker has produced 219 yards from scrimmage over his first two college games and has scored touchdowns of 54, 52 and 43 yards. The Cougars burned Texas Tech for 301 yards on the ground in their 37-16 upset win Saturday, their second-most rushing yards in a game in more than a decade.
Antwan Raymond, Rutgers: The Scarlet Knights currently have college football’s second-leading rusher in Kyle Monangai and found a steal in Raymond to complement him. The 5-11, 202-pound back hails from Canada and reclassified from the 2025 class to join the program this summer. Raymond has turned 23 carries into 126 yards and two touchdowns, has seven rushes of 10 or more yards and has forced nine missed tackles, according to TruMedia. — Max Olson
Quotes of the week
“The rivalry, the energy in the air. It’s not just one day. It’s bragging rights for the year and for the rest of time. … Other people are looking forward to games against Ohio State or Michigan down the road, but this is my Super Bowl.” — Oregon senior linebacker Bryce Boettcher on playing Oregon State one last time in his career.
“When you lose, you’re going to be ridiculed, you’re going to be prosecuted and persecuted and I’m good. I’ve been on the cross for a long time, and I’m still hanging.” — Colorado coach Deion Sanders after the team’s 1-1 start.
“This is not a statement win. Washington State has played at the highest level forever. We beat another team that plays at the highest level. That’s it. We’ve done that hundreds of times,” — WSU coach Jake Dickert on the win against Texas Tech.