Week 4 was “show me” Saturday as teams proved who they were, for better or for worse. Several players solidified themselves as players of the week with huge performances in games across the slate.
James Madison dominated North Carolina, and UConn ran for over 400 yards in surprising results. BYU made huge plays in all three phases, Elsewhere, Tennessee’s defensive line exposed the weakness of Oklahoma’s offense and Travis Hunter did Travis Hunter things.
All of these teams are well represented on the Week 4 College Football Network Team of the Week.
Week 4 College Football Top Players
It’s important to note that the CFN Week 4 College Football Team of the Week awards players based on their impact in their respective games and is not necessarily based on total statistical output.
The strength of the competition and the situation — both the timing in the game and the score — are accounted for. These individual awards are also solely based on a player’s ability on the field and do not consider any future beyond college football.
Here’s the CFN Week 4 Team of the Week.
Quarterback of the Week: Alonza Barnett III, James Madison
If a Group of Five quarterback throws for nearly 400 yards and five touchdowns in a win over an undefeated Power Four school, he’s probably going to make the team of the week. If he also adds 99 rushing yards and two touchdowns, he’s definitely going to make the team of the week.
Alonza Barnett III threw for more yardage against North Carolina (388) than in his entire career before Saturday (383). He was in control the entire game, hitting both outside the numbers and in the middle of the field at all three depths of the defense.
Running Back of the Week: Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
I’m really not sure if Iowa’s found some offensive firepower or if Kaleb Johnson is just that good. Against a solid Minnesota defense, Johnson ran for over 200 yards and three touchdowns against the Golden Gophers, furthering his budding Heisman campaign.
The Hawkeyes have reached 30 points in all three of their wins and are leaning heavily on Johnson in the process. Making things even more impressive is that the Hawkeyes haven’t really been able to move the ball through the air, meaning Johnson and the offensive line are largely on their own.
Running Back of the Week: Kalel Mullings, Michigan
When Michigan made the quarterback switch from Davis Warren to Alex Orji, people speculated that meant Michigan was going to get back to running the ball early and often. For once, people were right. The Wolverines attempted just 12 passes for 32 yards, so the offense had to come from elsewhere.
Kalel Mullings and the running game added pressure against USC and delivered. Mullings finished with 159 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner. His 63-yard rush on the game-winning drive was unbelievable.
Wide Receiver of the Week: Devonte Ross, Troy
Big performances against lesser competition rarely get recognized on the team of the week, but Devonte Ross was just so much better than everybody else this week that he had to make it. Ross had career-highs in catches, yards, and touchdowns after an 11-catch, 229-yard, three-touchdown performance against Florida A&M.
For the second straight week, he showed off his ridiculous explosiveness, this time with a 98-yard touchdown reception.
Wide Receiver of the Week: Nick Nash, San José State
Everyone knows at this point that Nick Nash is going to get his targets, but no one can stop him. Against Washington State, Nash was targeted 23 times, catching 16 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s not just the raw numbers though. Down the stretch, when the Spartans needed a play, they went over and over to Nash, who rose to the occasion nearly every play.
Wide Receiver of the Week: Hudson Clement, West Virginia
There were guys with slightly better stats Saturday, but no one had the impact on a big game from the receiver position that Hudson Clement had. Kansas initially had success loading the box and playing the run, but Clement hit the Jayhawks over the top a few times, causing the defense to back up and create space underneath for the running game. Clement’s emergence as a true deep threat has really improved West Virginia’s offense
Tight End of the Week: Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
Harold Fannin Jr. has been the best player on the field in games against Penn State and now Texas A&M, and he went for over 135 yards in each. Fannin was one of our favorite players in the MAC in the preseason and has been exceptional early this season.
Fannin has improved steadily as a run blocker in 2024, making him a high-level draft prospect. It certainly doesn’t hurt his case that he’s had over 65 yards in every game this season.
Flex Offensive Player of the Week: Blake Horvath, QB, Navy
Blake Horvath was sensational in an upset over Memphis, running Navy’s option offense to perfection. Like many of the service academy quarterbacks in recent seasons, Horvath is throwing a bit more this year and tossed for 192 yards on just 12 attempts, adding an absurd 211 yards on just 12 carries. He had six total touchdowns, including a 90-yard run to essentially put the game away.
Offensive Tackle of the Week: Valentin Senn, UConn
UConn earned its first home win over an FBS opponent in over a year in a dominant win over FAU, highlighted by an absurd display on the ground. The Huskies ran for well over 400 yards on the ground, much of it outside around the left tackle. Valentin Senn was a huge part of that success and was excellent in protection as well.
Offensive Guard of the Week: Bryan Felter, Rutgers
Rutgers imposed its will on Virginia Tech in Blacksburg, Va., running consistently into heavy fronts with success. Felter was a huge part of that as he played a nearly flawless game, keeping quarterback Athan Kaliakmanis clean, but also opening holes for Kyle Monangai and the rest of the Rutgers running backs. Rutgers was far more physical than Virginia Tech as the Scarlet Knights took a nice road win.
Center of the Week: Drew Kendall, Boston College
It took Boston College some time to get rolling, but eventually, the offense got it in gear against Michigan State to eke out a win. Drew Kendall was excellent, anchoring a line that gave up just five pressures all game.
Kendall helped lead a rushing attack that averaged over six yards per running back rushing attempt
Offensive Guard of the Week: Bruce Mitchell, BYU
BYU’s offense was excellent against Kansas State in every phase of the game Saturday, and that included the offensive line. We considered several BYU offensive linemen for this but ultimately ran with Bruce Mitchell, who was fantastic against a defensive front that is typically fairly strong.
Offensive Tackle of the Week: Spencer Fano, Utah
Utah had its work cut out for it without Cam Rising against an excellent Oklahoma State team, and the Utes predictably relied on the run. Micah Bernard ran all over the Cowboys’ front, often behind Spencer Fano on the right side. The sophomore was dominant, as he has been all season, and helped lead a short-handed Utah team to a victory with huge College Football Playoff implications.
Edge Defender of the Week: Eric O’Neill, James Madison
Eric O’Neill was one of several James Madison defensive linemen who could have made the team of the week, but he’s the one who gets the nod.
O’Neill had two sacks, three tackles for loss, and a forced fumble against the Tar Heels while completely owning the line of scrimmage. He provided pressure on Terrence Spence’s pick-six and pretty much lived in the backfield.
Defensive Tackle of the Week: David Gusta, Washington State
David Gusta was everywhere for the Washington State, picking up five pressures as an interior lineman and making the San José State offense uncomfortable. Gusta hasn’t done a ton in the running game, but he’s progressed as a pass-rusher and has dominated interior offensive linemen, especially on Friday against the Spartans.
Defensive Tackle of the Week: Rene Konga, Louisville
Georgia Tech wanted to run the ball up the middle all game against the Louisville Cardinals but struggled in that department, mainly because Rene Konga was a brick wall defensively. He had five solo tackles, all against the running game, and was impossible to block 1-on-1 all game. He ate up double teams and freed his linebackers up to flow downhill.
Edge Defender of the Week: Josaiah Stewart, Michigan
If Michigan wants to execute its 1950s philosophy of never passing and simply controlling the ball in low-scoring wins, the defense is going to need to be excellent. Josaiah Stewart made sure that the defense was fantastic against USC as he lived in the backfield. Stewart racked up eight pressures, including two sacks and three hits on USC quarterback Miller Moss, helping the Wolverines pull out a late home win.
Linebacker of the Week: Shaun Dolac, Buffalo
For the second week in a row, Shaun Dolac is one of our linebackers of the week. This time, he had an absurd 19 tackles, including 4.5 for a loss and a key interception that he nearly returned for a touchdown.
Dolac also had a huge pass breakup in a goal-to-go situation at the end of the game to help hold Northern Illinois to a game-tying field goal when a touchdown would have won the game. It helped Buffalo get it to overtime where the Bulls finished the upset. Dolac has been one of the best defenders in the country this season.
Linebacker of the Week: Colin Ramos, Navy
One of the most shocking results of the day was Navy’s surprise upset of Group of Five College Football Playoff favorite Memphis. While the Tigers moved the ball offensively, Colin Ramos was there every time the game started to get close.
Ramos had 20 tackles, including two for a loss. He also had a sack and a pass deflection, with most of those plays coming at key points in the game.
Linebacker of the Week: Jordan Cobbs, San José State
San José State nearly pulled off the upset Friday night against Washington State, largely due to timely plays from its stars. While the defense couldn’t consistently stop the Cougar offense, it did create some big defensive plays, namely a huge pick by Jordan Cobbs. He was consistent with his run fits and really helped the Spartans stay close late.
Cornerback of the Week: Terrence Spence, James Madison
Terrence Spence was one of the many bright spots for James Madison Saturday, as his blocked punt kickstarted the Dukes against North Carolina. In coverage, Spence had two interceptions, returning one for a touchdown.
Spence, along with the rest of the Dukes was nearly flawless Saturday. It wasn’t just how he played but the timing of the plays he made and the level of competition.
Cornerback of the Week: Quindarrius Jones, Florida State
Despite playing just 23 snaps, Jones was extremely active against Cal. The sophomore defensive back was targeted seven times and had more pass deflections (three) than catches allowed (one) as the primary cover guy. Jones also made a few tackles, and some of his key defensive plays were in clutch spots as the Seminoles gave up only nine points to the Bears.
Safety of the Week: Devonte’ Mathews, Western Kentucky
Devonte’ Mathews had one of the most unique endings to a game that I’ve personally ever seen. After the Hilltoppers stormed back to take the lead, Toledo drove into the red zone. There, Mathews picked off a pass in the end zone with less than a minute left to pretty much seal the win.
Except Western Kentucky fumbled to give Toledo another shot at a win. Mathews picked off a second pass three plays later to essentially finish the game with two game-winning interceptions.
Safety of the Week: Rayuan Lane III, Navy
Despite the high-scoring nature of Navy-Memphis, there were several defensive standouts for the Midshipmen, and Rayuan Lane III was among them. The highlight was a long pick-six that sealed the game as Memphis was driving late looking for a lead, but he was fantastic all day. In coverage, he allowed just two catches on five targets and had a deflection in addition to the interception.
Defensive Flex of the Week: James Pearce Jr., Edge, Tennessee
A potential top 10 pick next year, James Pearce Jr. made his presence felt against the Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, living in the backfield and making Jackson Arnold and eventually Michael Hawkins Jr. extremely uncomfortable. Oklahoma couldn’t get anything going, and Pearce and Company exposed the cracks in the Sooners’ offense Saturday night.
Kicker of the Week: Noe Ruelas, James Madison
James Madison scored a lot against North Carolina, so kicker Noe Ruelas got a lot of work on extra points. He hit a 50-yarder early in the game, then a 44-yarder to extend the lead in the fourth quarter. However, his contributions elsewhere were the real story.
Ruelas had a sequence in the second quarter where he threw a two-point conversion to his long-snapper, then immediately caught North Carolina by surprise with a successful onside kick.
Punter of the Week: Kai Kroeger, South Carolina
Kai Kroeger is back. After a 2023 season during which he played at 70-80%, he’s fully healthy and absolutely booming punts. Kroeger averaged over 53 yards on his four punts, including a 75-yarder and two inside the 10-yard line. One of those bounced directly out of bounds inside the one.
In typical Kroeger fashion, he also ran in a two-point conversion on a trick play.
Kick Returner of the Week: Rayshawn Pleasant, Tulane
In a back-and-forth game, Tulane needed a huge play to seize momentum, and Rayshawn Pleasant provided that as a kick returner. He had a huge 96-yard touchdown return to start the second half that put Tulane up two scores. Pleasant’s return kickstarted an offensive explosion in the second half and helped the Green Wave gain a possession advantage
Punt Returner of the Week: Parker Kingston, BYU
BYU won the middle eight minutes of the game thanks to defense and special teams, and that was capped by Parker Kingston’s incredible 90-yard punt return. Kingston nearly muffed the punt before picking it up and running all the way across the field before turning it down the sideline for the touchdown. That score turned what was simply a potential upset into a true blowout.
Week 4 Second Team College Football Offensive Team of the Week
QB: John Mateer, Washington State
RB: Micah Bernard, Utah
RB: Fluff Bothwell, South Alabama
WR: KeAndre Lambert-Smith, Auburn
WR: Ja’Corey Brooks, Louisville
WR: Chris Parker, Central Michigan
TE: Tanner Koziol, Ball State
FLEX: Durell Robinson, RB, UConn
OT: Hollin Pierce, Rutgers
OG: Logan Taylor, Boston College
OC: Brent Self, Navy
OG: Weylin Lapuaho, BYU
OT: Lucas Scott, Army
Week 4 Second Team College Football Defensive Team of the Week
EDGE: David Bailey, Stanford
DT: Elijah Simmons, Tennessee
DT: Joshua Farmer, Florida State
EDGE: Tyler Batty, BYU
LB: Eric Gentry, USC
LB: Jay Higgins, Iowa
LB: Cameron Bergeron, Duke
CB: Dexter Ricks Jr., Liberty
CB: Will Johnson, Michigan
CB: Travis Hunter, Colorado
S: Ahmaad Moses, SMU
S: TJ Metcalf, Arkansas
FLEX: Joshua Josephs, Edge, Tennessee
Week 4 Second Team College Football Special Teams Team of the Week
PK: Maddux Trujillo, Temple
P: Luke Larsen, East Carolina
KR: Jamaal Bell, Baylor
PR: Roderick Daniels Jr., SMU
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