Max Duggan, CJ Stroud and 6 other NFL Draft prospects with most to gain in New Year’s bowls
With New Year’s Day falling on Sunday this year, the biggest bowl games of the 2022 college football season are spread out over Saturday, Dec. 31 and the national holiday of Monday, Jan. 2.
With all the NFL playoff implications — and quite a few fantasy football championships — on the line Sunday, this holiday weekend truly is the most magical time of the year for football fans.
It is for scouts, as well.
Like the fervent college football fans eager to see players star one last time for their favorite teams, scouts are on the lookout for prospects who rise to the occasion under the brightest of lights. And while playing well in big games has always been important, in today’s era of opt-outs and transfers, the chance to leave a truly lasting impression can literally be a million-dollar opportunity.
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The list below is not simply a ranking of the top prospects for the holiday weekend’s eight bowl games. In fact, just two of the players listed below made my recent mock draft, and only one of them is in the first round.
Instead, we are highlighting one draft-eligible player from each contest with the most to gain (or lose) in the New Year’s Bowls.
SUGAR BOWL
Kansas State vs. Alabama
Saturday at Noon ET
Felix Anudike-Uzomoah, edge rusher, Kansas State, 6-3, 255, junior
The reigning Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year for the Big 12, Anudike-Uzomoah is the perfect player to kick off this list. He is not only an established star but also has not yet announced a decision on whether he will enter the 2023 NFL Draft. He made my recent mock draft, but as a second-round selection.
Anudike-Uzomoah's numbers speak for themselves. Over 26 career games, he has 26.5 tackles for loss, with 20.5 of those coming as sacks. He possesses a compact frame with good initial quickness, and bend to dip and rip the corner and efficiently close on the quarterback. However, he lacks ideal length for the position, and while his production suggests consistency, in reality, prior to recording a sack (among five tackles) against TCU in the Big 12 Championship game, the not-yet-21-year-old had not registered one since Oct. 29.
To pull off the upset over the favored Tide (-6.5, according to FOX Bet), the Wildcats must contain Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. With Alabama boasting future NFL draft picks all over the offensive line, and yet still allowing 20 sacks in 12 games this season (44th in the FBS), Anudike-Uzomoah has a real chance at creating the type of buzz that could power him to a first-round selection next spring.
MUSIC CITY BOWL
Iowa vs. Kentucky
Saturday at Noon ET
Jack Campbell, ILB, Iowa, 6-4, 246, redshirt junior, hasn't declared
Regardless of how this game unfolds, one of the biggest storylines to watch in the pre-draft process will be how NFL scouts react to Kentucky quarterback Will Levis' decision to opt out of a rematch against Iowa and its stingy defense, a program the Wildcats beat in the Citrus Bowl almost exactly a year ago.
That decision shifts the attention for most scouts from the undeniably gifted but inconsistent signal-caller to Iowa's star defensive quarterback Campbell, who won the Butkus Award as the nation's top linebacker and was named the Defensive Player of the Year in the Big Ten. Campbell possesses rare size for an inside linebacker and the jarring hits he can provide serve as a testament to his effectiveness in the box.
Some scouts are not convinced that he will be able to duplicate his magical season (115 tackles, 3.5 for loss, two interceptions, forced fumble) against NFL speed, however. A splashy finale against SEC speed could help convince them and lead Campbell, who has not yet announced a decision on his future, to make the early jump.
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FIESTA BOWL (CFP SEMIFINAL)
Michigan vs. TCU
Saturday at 4 p.m. ET
Max Duggan, QB, TCU, 6-1, 210, senior
The Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year and winner of both the Davey O'Brien Award and Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award as the nation's top quarterback, Duggan is even more decorated than that house with all the lights down the street. Like the aforementioned Campbell, however, there are plenty of scouts skeptical of Duggan's ability to excel outside the up-tempo spread scheme new coach Sonny Dykes brought this year to Fort Worth, which is why the quarterback is sure to be one of this year's most heavily scrutinized prospects at this year's Senior Bowl.
Duggan entered the year with a respectable 41-20 career touchdown to interception ratio, but he emerged as one of the nation's most efficient QBs this season with 30 scores and just four picks, with another 404 yards and six scores on the ground. Duggan will be facing the best defense he's seen all season in Michigan, which has allowed just nine touchdowns in 13 games this year, tops in the FBS.
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PEACH BOWL (CFP SEMIFINAL)
Georgia vs. Ohio State
Saturday at 8 p.m. ET
C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State, 6-3, 218, redshirt sophomore
From a scouting perspective, the Peach Bowl is easily the most anticipated of the holiday weekend, with a handful of likely first-round prospects — and perhaps as many as 20 other future draft picks — on display for these two blue blood programs. With so many presents under the (Peach) tree, it makes sense to focus on the admittedly low-hanging fruit that is Stroud, who many have projected as an early entry to the NFL Draft (Rang's Top 5 QB breakdown) but has yet to make an announcement as to his plans.
Saturday night's game will be the 25th start of Stroud's career, and his production during that time is something out of a video game, including an 81-12 touchdown to interception ratio. When he is comfortable in the pocket and not forced to move his feet, Stroud can be surgical in his accuracy. Like a lot of quarterbacks (especially young ones), Stroud's accuracy drops once he's forced off his spot, however, and Georgia's defense is even faster than the Michigan unit that beat him (and bullied his Heisman chances) a month ago.
ReliaQuest Bowl
Illinois vs. Mississippi State
Monday, at Noon ET
Jer'Zhan Newton, DT, Illinois, 6-2, 295, redshirt sophomore
The death of Mike Leach adds a different degree of emotion to an already interesting matchup of two of the year's biggest surprise teams, which enter the game with identical 8-4 records. The world lost the unforgettable Leach, 61, on Dec. 12, and this game lost some of its luster since, with many of its top players opting out, including the Bulldogs' All-American cornerback Emmanuel Forbes and Illinois' All-American duo of cornerback Devon Witherspoon and running back Chase Brown.
Their absence only brightens the spotlight on yet another All-American in Newton, who, at just 20, leads the nation with 19 QB hits, ranks second in the Big Ten with 13 tackles for loss, and led the Illini with 5.5 sacks. Still growing into his body, Newton is far from a finished product, but he plays with greater awareness than his experience would suggest and can beat opponents with quickness, leverage and technique. Named First Team All-Big Ten by league coaches (but only honorable mention by the league's media), Newton is the only defensive tackle for the Illini since Mel Agee back in 1990 to receive this recognition.
Cotton Bowl
Tulane vs. USC
Monday at 1 p.m. ET
Tyjae Spears, RB, Tulane, 5-10, 195, junior, has not declared
Needless to say, there will be plenty of attention heaped on Heisman Trophy winner Caleb Williams, but given the fact that he is a sophomore and ineligible for the NFL Draft until at least 2024, the award-winner scouts will have their eyes on the most in this year's Cotton Bowl is Spears, the first non-quarterback to ever be named Offensive Player of the Year in the American Athletic Conference.
Spears isn't just good, he's hot, having rushed for more than 120 yards in seven consecutive games to push Tulane to an 11-2 record and a No. 14 ranking in the AP Poll. Spears isn't the most physically intimidating back in the country, but he changes directions like a hummingbird, darting laterally and stop-starting to elude would-be tacklers. The true junior, who has yet to announce his intentions for next year, showed UCF in the AAC Championship Game just a few weeks ago the elusiveness that will, sooner or later, earn him NFL interest.
Spears is facing a USC defense angry after surrendering 223 yards and three touchdowns in a 47-24 beatdown by Utah in the Pac-12 title game.
Citrus Bowl
LSU vs. Purdue
Monday at 1 p.m. ET
Jay Ward, DB, LSU, 6-1, 184, redshirt senior
Unless a few players for LSU and Purdue wake up feeling the "cheesiest," the Citrus Bowl sponsored by Cheez-It threatens to be one stale cracker and a story more about who didn’t suit rather than who did. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell, wide receiver Charlie Jones, tight end Payne Durham and cornerback Cory Trice have all opted out — and that is just for Purdue! LSU has even more players choosing not to play, including wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, who declared for the draft Wednesday after initially announcing his plans to return.
The absences are even greater on the other side of the line. LSU will be missing three of its four starters along the defensive line and starting cornerback Mekhi Garner, which is expected to move the versatile Ward back outside. Ward has started at every position in the secondary over his time at LSU, a program as respected as any in the country by NFL teams for producing quality defensive backs. He has the frame of a cornerback but plays with the attacking downhill mentality of a safety. He’s been overshadowed over his career — having never earned all-conference accolades — but offers the combination of length, speed and physicality that the NFL is looking for. No one should be surprised if he earns a selection among the top 100 this spring.
Rose Bowl
Penn State vs. Utah
Monday at 5 p.m. ET
Ji'ayir Brown, S, Penn State, 5-11, 208, redshirt senior
If scouts are intrigued by the aforementioned Ward at LSU, they will certainly appreciate the ball-hawking ability shown by Brown over his career. Boasting more of a prototypical frame for the position, Brown has played a role in an eye-popping 15 turnovers the past two seasons (nine interceptions, three forced fumbles, three recoveries) for the Nittany Lions.
At first glance, Utah may seem less likely to attack Brown in this game with All-American tight end Dalton Kincaid opting out of the Rose Bowl. The Utes are very deep at the tight end, however, and boast one of the toughest downhill running attacks in the country. Brown is athletic, but he has some missed tackles on tape and could be placed in more difficult situations than he's used to in this contest with Penn State's top prospect, cornerback Joey Porter Jr., opting out. If Utah quarterback Cameron Rising does, indeed, torch Brown and Penn State the way he did USC, the redshirt senior quarterback might very well push himself up draft boards, instead.
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Rob Rang is an NFL Draft analyst for FOX Sports. He has been covering the NFL Draft for more than 20 years, with work at FOX, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, USA Today, Yahoo, NFL.com and NFLDraftScout.com, among others. He also works as a scout with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Follow him on Twitter @RobRang.
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