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Week 4 was a particularly interesting week for one of our 2023 NFL prospects.
I noted last week that Miami quarterback Tyler Van Dyke threw for 217 yards, with no touchdowns and no interceptions in Miami’s 17-9 Week 3 loss to Texas A&M, and touched on his slow start to the season.
Once viewed as a potential first-round pick in next year’s draft, Van Dyke needed a big Week 4 performance against Middle Tennessee in what should have been a blowout win for Miami.
Instead of a strong performance in a big win, Van Dyke went 16-of-32 passing for 138 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions, and was benched in the third quarter for backup Jake Garcia in a game the Hurricanes lost 45-31.
To add insult to injury, Van Dyke was critical of Miami fans before Saturday’s game, knocking them for their lousy home atmosphere.
Oh no, Tyler Van Dyke 😳 pic.twitter.com/oNlSmKu5pd
— 247Sports (@247Sports) September 24, 2022
Miami has a week off before playing host to UNC on October 8th. It’d be surprising to see Van Dyke permanently benched for Garcia at this point, but things aren’t looking good for Miami’s redshirt sophomore.
We’ll have more updates on Van Dyke as the season progresses, but for now, let’s touch on some other top players and their performances from Week 4.
Note: Stats and information courtesy of PFF.com, CollegeFootballData.com and Sports-Reference.com.
C.J. Stroud, QB (Ohio State)
Passing: 17-of-27 passing, 281 yards, 5 TDs, 1 INT
I’ve put off writing about C.J. Stroud due to his easy schedule out of the gate. After hosting Notre Dame in Week 1, the Buckeyes played host to the likes of Arkansas State and Toledo in games they won by a combined score of 122-33.
As you might imagine, Stroud was solid throughout those games, entering Saturday’s game against Wisconsin with 941 yards, 11 touchdowns and no interceptions.
Ohio State was expected to run away with this game, entering the day as 18.5-point favorites, but we couldn’t get out of September without touching on Stroud.
Unlike Van Dyke, Stroud didn’t find himself getting pulled on the weekend. Instead, he managed five touchdowns on the afternoon, which included scores from 12, 13 and 32 yards out.
Feel like we'll say it every week:
— Big Ten Network (@BigTenNetwork) September 25, 2022
This No. 3 Ohio State offense has 𝘴𝘰 many weapons.@julian_040 x @OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/XXNMLLfcxc
Arguably the No. 1 pick of the 2023 NFL Draft, Stroud has gotten off to a dominant start. Throwing for 1,281-16-1 through four weeks, Stroud is completing 70.3% of his passes and is third in the nation with an 11.0 YPA. He’s completed 50% of his deep passes for 255 yards and three scores but has only attempted 14 deep passes on the year.
Stroud has done most of his damage without his top target on the field, as Jaxon Smith-Njigba is currently sidelined with a hamstring injury.
If the draft was this week, teams would likely be debating between Stroud or Alabama quarterback Bryce Young as the first player off the board.
Blake Corum, RB (Michigan)
Rushing: 30 carries, 243 yards, 2 TDs
Currently ranked as the No. 13 back of the 2023 draft class per NFL Mock Draft Database, it’s too early to know whether or not a team will take a shot on Blake Corum as a future bell cow.
However, the Michigan product is now the lead back for the Wolverines in 2022 after sharing a backfield with Hassan Haskins last season and had his first big game of the season against Maryland.
Michigan enjoyed a cakewalk to 3-0, with dominant wins over Colorado State, Hawaii and UConn. Before last week’s game against Maryland, Corum hadn’t seen more than 13 carries in a game, as the Wolverines blew out their first three opponents by a score of 116-17.
In Week 4 against the Terps, the Wolverines lead on Corum early and often, narrowly escaping an upset loss at home.
To say Corum had a good game would be an understatement. His two touchdowns came on runs of 33 and 47 yards on the day, but Corum had four rushes of 20+ yards on the afternoon, averaging 8.1 YPC while forcing five missed tackles on the afternoon.
Fittingly, it's Blake Corum that puts the nail in the coffin.
— Testudo Times (@testudotimes) September 24, 2022
The junior running back explodes for a 47-yard touchdown, bringing him up to 243 yards and two TDs on the day.
Michigan leads Maryland, 34-19, with 3:31 left in the game. pic.twitter.com/kzPCeyRjLI
Corum will certainly hear his name called in next year’s draft -- assuming he declares. Now entering Big Ten play, these next few months could have a tremendous impact on his draft stock. Teammate Hassan Haskins parlayed a 270-1327-20 season into fourth-round draft capital when the Titans selected him in this year’s draft.
Per Corum’s 247Sports recruiting profile, the former four-star back ran a 4.44 in high school and profiled and was comped to Packers running back Aaron Jones. He has only two receptions this season but caught 24 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown last season. Corum is a player to watch as he and the Wolverines prepare to ramp up the competition.
Zach Charbonnet, RB (UCLA)
Rushing: 9 carries, 104 yards, 3 TDs
If a player once comped to Aaron Jones doesn’t get you excited, maybe a player once comped to David Johnson will.
Former Michigan Man, Zach Charbonnet, drew early comps to Johnson as a member of the 2019 recruiting class. Ranked as the No. 4 running back in his class, Charbonnet enrolled at Michigan and spent two seasons with the Wolverines before transferring to UCLA for the 2021 season.
In his first season with the Bruins, Charbonnet went for 203-1137-24 on the ground, while also catching 24 passes for 197 yards. Opting to return for his senior season, Charbonnet has surpassed the century mark in two of his first three games and enjoyed a big game against the Buffaloes in limited action.
Charbonnet scored from 13, 36 and 46 yards out on his way to a dominant performance. To date, Charbonnet is averaging 4.36 YCO/ATT and has forced a missed tackle on 45.2% of his carries. Last season, he ranked eighth in the nation in missed tackles (69) forced per PFF and averaged 3.50 YCO/ATT.
Currently ranked as the No. 6 back of the 2023 class per NFL Mock Draft Database, Charbonnet has a chance to be an every-down contributor at the NFL level.
Quentin Johnston, WR (TCU)
Receiving: 3 receptions, 29 yards, 0 TDs
Quentin Johnston entered the 2022 season with a first-round draft grade from many scouts and analysts. He’s currently ranked as the 17th-best player in the 2023 draft class per NFL Mock Draft Database and is ranked as the fourth-best wide receiver.
It’s too early to sound the alarm on Johnston just yet, but his start through three games is undeniably concerning.
To date, Johnston has caught eight passes for 73 yards and no touchdowns, averaging a dismal 9.1 yards per reception. Never a high-volume producer, Johnston had a receiving line of 50-1001-7 through his first two seasons (20.0 YPR) and was known for his explosive play-making ability.
It’s worth noting that Johnston is still operating as TCU’s No. 1 receiver, leading the team in targets (16) and routes run (63), but he’s been victimized by an explosive passing game that seems to be propping up every other receiver on the roster except him.
On the year, TCU quarterback Max Duggan has thrown for 695 yards, eight touchdowns and no interceptions, completing an impressive 77% of his passes. TCU’s top-five receivers on the year are all averaging 12.6 YPR or better, and have racked up 560 yards of YAC.
One notable difference between TCU’s offense, and Johnston’s usage, has been their lack of aggressiveness early on. Duggan’s ADOT has dropped from 11.9 in 2021 to 8.1 this year, which has directly coincided with Johnston’s ADOT plummeting from 18.7 to 9.8.
Some of this could land on head coach Sonny Dykes, who is in his first season with TCU after spending five seasons at SMU. During his five seasons at SMU, Dykes’ starting quarterbacks posted a 10.0+ ADOT on just two occasions. Under former TCU coach Gary Patterson, Duggan’s ADOT never fell below 10.3.
Johnston’s start has been wildly underwhelming, but there’s enough to point to that suggests he’s not entirely to blame. We’ll hold out hope that he and the staff can right the ship and find ways to utilize the talents that made him a top receiver in the 2023 class.