The Week 3 College Football slate wasn’t loaded with marquee matchups, at least on paper, but it was certainly one to remember. There were numerous high-level performances from players across the country.
We’ve got a lot of players to break down, so let’s go to it.
Week 3 College Football Top Players
It’s important to note that the CFN Week 3 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 3 Team of the Week.
Quarterback of the Week: Tucker Gleason, Toledo
The top quarterbacking performance of the weekend came from a surprising source, Toledo’s Tucker Gleason, on the road against an SEC foe.
I’m not sure anyone expected the Rockets to go on the road against Mississippi State and just completely blow out the Bulldogs, but that’s what they did. Gleason finished 23 of 28 with 285 yards and four touchdowns, adding 40 yards on the ground for the Rockets.
The combination of Gleason’s performance and the quality of competition make him an easy pick for quarterback of the week.
Running Back of the Week: RJ Harvey, UCF
RJ Harvey was a huge part of UCF’s comeback victory against TCU. He ran for 180 yards and was the only guy who could do anything on offense early, helping the Knights stay in the game until the passing game could get going.
Running Back of the Week: Ja’Quinden Jackson, Arkansas
The Arkansas offense has been extraordinary this year but struggled to punch it in for six last week in a crazy loss to Oklahoma State. That wasn’t an issue this week, as Ja’Quinden Jackson led on offense that scored 37 against UAB.
Jackson averaged nearly 10 yards per touch, and whenever the Razorbacks needed a big play, he provided it.
Wide Receiver of the Week: De’Zhaun Stribling, Oklahoma State
Oklahoma State is apparently a pass-first offense now, as Mike Gundy has unleashed super senior Alan Bowman. Bowman’s top option this week was De’Zhaun Stripling, who racked up 174 yards on just seven catches, adding two touchdowns in the process. He was unguardable, and the Cowboys now seem to truly be a balanced offense.
The emergence of Stribling as a true receiving threat has to scare the rest of the Big 12, as the Cowboys were scary enough when the offense was just the Ollie Gordon show.
Wide Receiver of the Week: Nick Nash, San Jose State
Well, duh.
We don’t always prioritize stats when compiling these lists, but a 17-catch, 225-yard, three-touchdown game will always land a player on the Team of the Week, full stop.
With this catch, Nick Nash has broken the SJSU single game record with 16 receptions! 🙌💪
Watch live on @TruTV
Presented by Rubenstein Supply#AllSpartans pic.twitter.com/KGuO9HplF8
— San José State Football (@SanJoseStateFB) September 15, 2024
Nash has made Ken Niumatalolo’s transition from triple option to spread system look flawless and he’s done so in a variety of ways. Five of his 17 catches were beyond 10 yards, but he also caught all 12 of his targets under 10 yards. Simply put, Kennesaw State couldn’t stop him.
Wide Receiver of the Week: Omari Kelly, Middle Tennessee State
Much like Nash, Omari Kelly had a game to remember. Kelly was targeted just 10 times, but he caught nine passes for 239 yards and three touchdowns in a loss to Western Kentucky.
Kelly was essentially the entire offense for the Blue Raiders, as they only scored 21 points the entire game. The Blue Raiders had no running game, but Kelly still dominated on the outside. A week after a one-catch outing, Kelly exploded against Western Kentucky.
Tight End of the Week: Eli Stowers, Vanderbilt
Eli Stowers was one of two tight ends to have at least seven catches this week, finishing with nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown. While Diego Pavia has been making headlines as the impact transfer from New Mexico State, Stowers has quietly become one of the best tight ends in the SEC.
Stowers has really improved as a blocker this season, marking the completion of a transition from quarterback to tight end. I’ve been really impressed with how he’s continued to improve every week.
Flex Offensive Player of the Week: Kobe Hudson, UCF
UCF really struggled to throw the ball early against TCU, but the Knights finally got it going late, thanks to Kobe Hudson on the outside.
Hudson ended up with over 60% of the Knights’ receiving yards on just six catches, capping a huge night with the game-winning touchdown
Offensive Tackle of the Week: Dalton Cooper, Oklahoma State
Dalton Cooper was excellent, especially as a pass blocker, as the Cowboys aired it out against Tulsa. Alan Bowman was kept mostly clean, especially from his blindside, as Cooper looked incredibly calm in pass protection.
He wasn’t bad in run blocking either, as Ollie Gordon scored both of his touchdowns off the left side of the line. The fact that Bowman has time is a huge deal as the Cowboys look to become a more potent passing offense.
Offensive Guard of the Week: Timothy McKay, NC State
It wasn’t a pretty outing for the Wolfpack, but they were finally able to establish a consistent running game after backup quarterback CJ Bailey entered the game and threatened with his legs. Part of the reason the true freshman was able to succeed was that he was kept mostly clean, thanks to Timothy McKay, among others.
When the Wolfpack needed a touchdown, Bailey ran behind McKay, who bullied his man into the end zone on a quarterback power. He and the rest of the offensive line will need to be excellent, as Bailey will need to feel comfortable if he’s the guy going forward.
Center of the Week: Mike Katic, Indiana
Indiana just bullied UCLA’s defensive line in a blowout win over the Bruins. Katic was in the middle of that, both literally and figuratively, for the Indiana offensive line. He’s been excellent all season but was especially good against the Bruins.
The raw stats aren’t overly impressive, but every time Indiana needed tough yards, it ran behind Katic. He and the rest of the line allowed quarterback Kurtis Rourke almost unlimited time in the pocket as well
Offensive Guard of the Week: Jack Wilty, South Florida
South Florida ran for over 350 yards against Southern Miss, and Jack Wilty was dominant up front. Wilty played most of the game at guard but did kick out to tackle a few times as well. He didn’t allow a pressure and bullied the Southern Miss front throughout the game.
It was a fantastic showing for Wilty and the rest of the front, one that is worth recognizing on our team of the week.
Offensive Tackle of the Week: Percy Lewis, Auburn
Auburn debuted quarterback Hank Brown, and the redshirt freshman was excellent thanks to an impressive game from his offensive line. Percy Lewis was fantastic both in the running game and the passing game.
Lewis was probably the best offensive lineman in the country Saturday, and he had to be to give the Auburn offense (and specifically the passing attack) confidence heading into the SEC slate.
Edge Defender of the Week: Kyle Kennard, South Carolina
While he had three costly (and controversial) penalties, Kyle Kennard made himself a lot of money against LSU. Facing two of the top offensive tackles in the country, Kennard was everywhere, finishing with three pressures and multiple tackles for loss while living in the backfield.
On a crucial two-point conversion attempt, Kennard tackled the running back at the mesh point to blow up the play, causing Garrett Nussmeier to trip and miss a wide-open receiver. While the attention has been on freshman Dylan Stewart, Kennard has been fantastic this season.
Defensive Tackle of the Week: Santana Hopper, App State
App State had high hopes for this season, with the potential to make the College Football Playoff before a blowout loss to Clemson. The Mountaineers eked out a win at East Carolina and Santana Hopper was borderline unblockable.
Hopper finished with three pressures and a forced fumble. More importantly for the Mountaineers, though, he was a brick wall in the running game, stopping East Carolina in a few short-yardage situations.
Defensive Tackle of the Week: Jason Onye, Notre Dame
Jason Onye played the second-most snaps in his career Saturday against Purdue, finishing with 22. Even in limited reps, he made his mark, picking up four pressures and two sacks on just 13 dropbacks.
The Notre Dame defensive line took some criticism last week after a strong start against Texas A&M, and it looks like that group is back on track. This spot could have gone to a couple of different players on the Irish defensive line, but Onye gets the nod in what could be a breakout game for the interior defender.
Edge Defender of the Week: Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins, Georgia
Georgia struggled to beat Kentucky, but without Tyrion Ingram-Dawkins’ efforts, that struggle may have led to a loss. He had six pressures on just a handful of Kentucky dropbacks and lived in the backfield, making key stops on multiple short-yardage plays.
Ingram-Dawkins looks like the next man up for the Bulldogs after they’ve put multiple high-level edge rushers in the NFL in recent seasons. If he keeps this up, he’ll play on Sundays as well.
Linebacker of the Week: Shaun Dolac, Buffalo
Shaun Dolac was everywhere for the Bulls Saturday against UMass, racking up 16 tackles, a sack, and two tackles for loss. Though Buffalo didn’t have the highest expectations coming into the season, the defense has been solid and Dolac is making an early case for MAC Defensive Player of the Year.
Dolac displayed some good pass-rushing moves as a blitzer and was excellent in run defense and pass coverage as the Bulls suffocated the Minutemen offense.
Linebacker of the Week: Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh
Louis led both teams in tackles and also had an interception to end the game against West Virginia in an entertaining Backyard Brawl. Louis has really taken his game to another level as he’s become the full-time starter at Pittsburgh and despite the high-scoring nature of the game, Louis stood out over and over on defense.
His game was great, but the game-winning interception in a rivalry game is everyone’s dream. To do so after a 10-tackle performance is just icing on the cake.
Linebacker of the Week: Chris Paul Jr., Ole Miss
Ole Miss’s offense is getting all the accolades, but it’s the defense that has quietly been more impressive to me. Chris Paul Jr. is one of the many talented transfers the Rebels added to bolster that side of the ball.
Paul had four pressures and was in on seemingly every stop for the Rebels. He did an excellent job crashing the mesh point of Wake Forest’s slow mesh and putting himself in a position to make big plays.
Cornerback of the Week: Cam Lockridge, Fresno State
How do you make your two-interception day look even better? Just ask Cam Lockridge, who was active in the running game and delivered several big hits as he came up to support the run.
But obviously, the highlight was the the two interceptions, the only corner in the country to have multiple picks in the Week 3 slate. Lockridge looked good in coverage and as a run supporter, helping the Fresno State defense blank New Mexico State.
Cornerback of the Week: Amare Ferrell, Indiana
Amare Ferrell was only targeted twice but made the most of those targets, intercepting one of them and not allowing the other to be caught. But that wasn’t all Ferrell did in a dominant defensive performance.
Ferrell excelled at coming down to the line of scrimmage and supporting in the running game, picking up four tackles at or near the line of scrimmage. Ferrell made six tackles and was one of the best players on the field Saturday.
Safety of the Week: Kerry Brown, Minnesota
Kerry Brown picked off two passes as the entire Minnesota defense made a Nevada offense that has been surprisingly competent up to this point look anything but solid Saturday.
Brown was excellent in coverage and also came down to help out in run support. His two interceptions highlighted a three-takeaway defensive performance that saw Minnesota hold Nevada to less than 175 yards in a shutout.
Safety of the Week: Antonio Clary, Virginia
Clary was the leading tackler on his defense and was one of the best defenders in the country in coverage, deflecting two passes in a 27-13 loss to Maryland. The Cavaliers had some issues in coverage, but Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards basically looked away from Clary once it was clear that he was having no success there.
Clary has had a great year so far, and on Saturday, he further solidified himself as the best player on the Virginia defense.
Defensive Flex of the Week: Jalon Walker, Georgia
Jalon Walker has become one of the best undersized edge rushers in college football and he showed that Saturday against Kentucky.
Anytime the Wildcats dropped back, Walker was in the backfield, registering eight pressures and three quarterback hits.
Kicker of the Week: Alex Raynor, Kentucky
Alex Raynor is the obvious choice here, as he went 4-4 in Kentucky’s near upset of Georgia. Not only was he perfect, but he hit from 54 and 55 yards against the Bulldogs.
Mark Stoops may not have confidence in his offense, but he certainly has confidence in his kicker.
Punter of the Week: Ryan Helcher, Arkansas State
Helcher averaged nearly 47 yards a punt and put two inside the 20 against Michigan. He’s been called upon more than the Arkansas State coaching staff expected this season, but he’s excelled in his extra action.
Kick Returner of the Week: Darnell Deas, Bethune-Cookman
How does a player from an 0-3 FCS team make the Team of the Week in a 28-point loss? Well, the player with the only kick return touchdowns of the week will always make the team.
Yes, I said touchdowns, plural. On a day when the offense couldn’t get much going, Darnell Deas had over 250 kickoff return yards on just four returns, taking two kicks back for touchdowns.
Punt Returner of the Week: Jamaal Pritchett, South Alabama
A lot went right for South Alabama Friday night, but Pritchett was the best of the bunch, as he had three punt returns for 141 yards and a touchdown.
He made some incredible moves on his 62-yard touchdown, but to turn around from that and have two other near touchdowns is just the cherry on top.
Week 3 Second Team College Football Offensive Team of the Week
QB: Caden Veltkamp, Western Kentucky
RB: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
RB: Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
WR: Jack Bech, TCU
WR: Devonte Ross, Troy
WR: Cade McDonald, Miami (OH)
TE: Anthony Landphere, Memphis
FLEX: Tru Edwards, WR, Louisiana Tech
OT: Ethan Owianwa, Rice
OG: Otis Pitts III, UTEP
OC: Brandon Yates, West Virginia
OG: Wendall Moe, Arizona
OT: Malcolm Lamar Sr., FAU
Week 3 Second Team College Football Defensive Team of the Week
EDGE: TJ Bush, Liberty
DT: Walter Nolan, Ole Miss
DT: Devin Morgan, Buffalo
EDGE: Bradley Weaver, Ohio
LB: Bryce Edmondson, Memphis
LB: Mac Harris, USF
LB: Matt Jones, Baylor
CB: Charles Brantley, Michigan State
CB: Jermari Harris, Iowa
CB: Marquis Cooper, Buffalo
S: Jack Henderson, Minnesota
S: Nick Anderson, Wake Forest
FLEX: Marcel Walker-Burgess, Edge, Ohio
Week 3 Second Team College Football Special Teams Team of the Week
PK: Jesus Gomez, Eastern Michigan
P: Brett Thorson, Georgia
KR: Leyton Smithson, Washington State
PR: Dylan Edwards, Kansas State