Week 2 of the college football season saw many conferences finally kick off their seasons such as the ACC and the Big XII. Trevor Lawrence continues to show why he is the undisputed best QB in the nation, and Levi Lewis manages a huge upset that propels him into the top 10.
#1) Trevor Lawrence – Clemson
- Previous Rank: #1 (Bye week)
- Trend: –
Lawrence’s game against Wake Forest was a prime example of the fundamentals this young man has when looking at his prospects. It is no wonder he is regarded as the absolute best QB prospect in years. While Wake Forest did not offer much in the way of resistance, he still shows numerous great points including ball placement and trajectory, accuracy across the entire field, great throwing motion, and athleticism. The only knocks you can make on Lawrence based on the film this week is that Lawrence can hold onto the ball a little longer than needed in order to try and force a play to happen, and he can get caught underestimating his opponents which in turn lends to some plays that almost seem gift-wrapped to the defense. Regardless Lawrence did enough to maintain the top spot this week, and nobody really performed well enough to knock him off the pedestal.
#2) Kellen Mond – Texas A&M (BYE)
#3) Sam Ehlinger – Texas
- Previous Rank: #3 (Bye week)
- Trend: –
UTEP was not a strong opponent to really show what Ehlinger can do when he is put in the spotlight, but he left the strong win with some good film. Aside from improved vision of the field which built on his strengths from last season, Ehlinger also put his aggressive playstyle on display as he decided to lead block for a runner and managed to drive a defender considerably back before the runner was taken down. While Ehlinger walked away with 400+ yards and 5 TDs, the lack of legit competition puts a damper on an otherwise dominant performance.
#4) Kenny Pickett – Pitt
- Previous Rank: #4 (bye week)
- Trend: –
Similar to Ehlinger, Pickett performed well against a non-existent opposition. With Austin Peay being the poor team that took a 55-3 beating by the hands of the Panthers, Pickett wasn’t even in for the entire game. Despite running the score on them, Pickett himself only threw a single touchdown and was only given 20 attempts for the game. A majority of the load went to the running game. In the short time he was in, Pickett showed some positive points on his game, including his promising ball placement, and ability to play outside of the pocket. He does have a tendency to float away from his protection as deeper passes still developing, which can be a negative should a D-Line take advantage of that little habit.
#5) Ian Book – Notre Dame
- Previous Rank: #5 (bye week)
- Trend: –
Book had a good game to show where his game has developed since we last saw him months ago. His maneuverability and pocket presence have definitely improved, as has his accuracy on intermediate throws. He did show he is easy to shake, and can be pressured fairly easily compared to the other QBs, though this could potentially be first game jitters. Time will tell if that lacking resiliency is a one time thing or a recurring problem.
#6) Kyle Trask – Florida (BYE)
#7) Levi Lewis – Louisiana
- Previous Rank: #13
- Trend: +6
Lewis benefited a lot this week from actually winning his game, against a ranked opponent no less. #23 Iowa State was rusty top to bottom and the Lewis-lead ULL offense took full advantage of that. While the game was won by special teams, Lewis did show he has promising pocket presence to sense when the protection is going to give. Other than that the game did not look too well for him, as he struggled with keeping his eyes downfield, throwing under pressure, progressing through his reads, and throwing on the run. Of all his faults, the one that needs to be addressed is his tendency to lock onto his first look and stare him down until he gets open.
#8)Charlie Brewer – Baylor (Bye)
Baylor was supposed to start their season with Louisiana Tech, but was canceled because of positive COVID tests.
#9) Shane Buechele – SMU (BYE)
#10) Jack Abraham – Southern Miss (BYE)
#11) KJ Costello – Mississippi State (BYE)
#12) Brock Purdy – Iowa State
- Previous Rank: #7
- Trend: -5
#13) James Blackman – Florida State
- Previous Rank: #14
- Trend: +1
#14) D’eriq King – Miami
- Previous Rank: #15
- Trend: +1
#15) Skylar Thompson – Kansas State
- Previous Rank: #19
- Trend: +4
Everyone Else:
#16) Desmond Ridder – Cincinnati (BYE)
#17) Zach Smith – Tulsa (BYE)
#18) Chance Lovertich – South Alabama (N/A)
#19) Chase Brice – Duke (N/A)
#20) Holton Ahlers – East Carolina (BYE)
#21) Tyler Vitt – Texas State (N/A)
#22) Isaiah Green – Marshall (BYE)
#23) Anthony Russo – Temple (BYE)
#24) Jarrett Guarantano – Tennessee (BYE)
#25) Frank Harris – UTSA (N/A)
#26) Colin Hill – South Carolina (BYE)
#27) Tommy DeVito – Syracuse (-9)
#28) Zac Thomas – Appalachian State (-7)
#29) Hendon Hooker – Virginia Tech (BYE)
#30) Tyler Johnston III – UAB (-5)
#31) Chris Reynolds – Charlotte (-19)
#32) Zach Wilson – BYU (BYE)
#33) Shai Werts – Georgia Southern (-6)
#34) Asher O’hara – Middle Tennessee (BYE)
#35) Micale Cunningham – Louisville (-4)
#36) Logan Bonner – Arkansas State (-3)
#37) Jarret Doege – West Virginia (N/A)
#38) Keon Howard – Tulane (N/A)
#39) Tyrrell Pigrome – Western Kentucky (N/A)
#40) Sam Hartman – Wake Forest (N/A)
#41) Gavin Hardison – UTEP (N/A)
#42) Jordan McCloud – South Florida (N/A)
The Gridiron Guy 
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