The college football regular season is over. Now, schools are either preparing for a bowl game, competing in a conference championship game, or building towards getting better next year. As is an annual tradition, the season ends with rivalry week, which always provides for the extra entertainment value.
Some of the top quarterback prospects just so happened to play in the final week of the season. Let's look at how they performed.
Note: Caleb Williams didn't play in Week 13 due to the USC Trojans' regular season ending the week prior. Also, Shedeur Sanders was ruled out of the Colorado Buffaloes' season-finale against the Utah Utes due to injury.
Previous editions of In the Market can be found below:
Taking Stock: How top 2024 NFL Draft QBs fared in Week 13
Drake Maye, North Carolina
Drake Maye won't have the opportunity to help the North Carolina Tar Heels win the ACC Championship or compete in the College Football Playoff. That's due to the Tar Heels losing three of their previous five games. In Week 13, Maye had the chance to at least lead the team over their in-state rivals in the North Carolina State Wolfpack.
The Tar Heels were defeated by the Wolfpack 39-20. By the start of the third quarter, the game felt completely out of reach with NC State leading 33-7 in the early goings of the third quarter. Maye would try to will his team back that quarter, as he ran for a one-yard touchdown and threw a 21-yard pass to Tez Walker. But the team went scoreless in the second half, with two of the three drives ended with interceptions by Maye.
Maye completed 22-of-38 pass attempts for 254 yards and two touchdowns while throwing the two aforementioned interceptions. The quarterback had a big day running the football, however, as he picked up 106 yards and a touchdown on nine carries.
The quarterback played well against the blitz, as he completed six of nine throws for 79 yards and a touchdown on 10-of-43 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus.
Now, the Tar Heels wait for Selection Sunday to find out what bowl game they will play this winter. Once they do, it will be interesting to see if Maye will play in that game at all, considering he could be a top-five pick in the draft if he declares.
Next Game: TBD
Michael Penix Jr., Washington
The Washington Huskies have College Football Playoff aspirations, as they entered Week 13 with an undefeated record. With the Oregon Ducks not far behind them in the rankings, they had to win to hold an advantage over them. All they had to do was beat the Washington State Cougars in the Apple Cup.
Credit to Washington State, as they gave the Huskies a true fight. Ultimately, it was late-game heroics and poise by Penix that helped lead the team to a game-winning, 12-yard drive, culminating in a 42-yard field goal by Grady Gross.
Penix completed 18-of-33 pass attempts for 204 yards and two touchdowns while throwing one interception.
Washington's offense mostly gave Penix a clean pocket, in which he completed 16-of-26 pass attempts for 177 yards and one touchdown on 26 dropbacks, per Pro Football Focus. But on eight dropbacks in which Penix was pressured, the quarterback threw for 27 yards, one touchdown, and one interception while completing two of seven pass attempts.
Next up, the Pac-12 Championship Game against the Oregon Ducks and Bo Nix
Next Game: Pac-12 Championship vs. Oregon, Friday, Dec. 1, 8:00 p.m. ET
Bo Nix, Oregon
Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks clinched their rematch against the Washington Huskies and Michael Penix Jr. last week. Even with the conference championship game clinched, the Ducks were looking to show they are out to avenge their narrow loss to the Huskies back in October. To end their regular season, the Oregon Ducks faced the No. 16 Oregon State Beavers.
Once again, Nix and the Ducks made easy work of their opponents, even against a Top 25 team in the nation. The Ducks entered halftime with a 21-7 lead after two touchdown passes from Nix to Bucky Irving and Troy Franklin, and a 16-yard touchdown run by the quarterback. The Ducks defense did their part as well, holding the Beavers to just 273 yards of total offense. With that, the Ducks picked up the 31-7 lead to end their regular season.
Nix completed 33-of-40 pass attempts for 367 yards and two touchdowns while running for 31 yards and a touchdown on six carries.
The quarterback had an all-around strong performance, and one area that sticks out is when he was under pressure. On 10 dropbacks, Nix threw six completions for 117 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts, per Pro Football Focus.
Next up, Nix is playing for the Pac-12 Championship. Not only that, but he could be playing for the Heisman Trophy if he out-duels Penix and picks up the win.
Next Game: Pac-12 Championship vs. Washington, Friday, Dec. 1, 8:00 p.m. ET
Quinn Ewers, Texas
Quinn Ewers returned from a shoulder sprain two weeks ago. The Texas Longhorns did their part to keep the wins coming, and since returning, Ewers hasn't played catastrophically to cost the team wins. In Week 13, they accomplished their goal of clinching their spot in the Big 12 Championship Game.
The Longhorns faced off against the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and let's just say that they didn't have to sweat out a "W." Instead, the Longhorns won 57-7. In fact, the game was so out of reach, that Ewers was benched for the rest of the game to allow Arch Manning to make his debut for Texas.
Ewers didn't have a numbers-heavy performance, as he completed 17-of-26 throws for 196 yards and a touchdown while throwing one interception. That interception was on a pass to the end zone midway through the second quarter. As for his touchdown pass, that was a 19-yarder to put Texas up 43-7 late in the third quarter.
Next up, Ewers and Texas take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys. Whenever their season ends, questions will be raised as to whether Ewers will declare for the NFL Draft, or if he will return for another year as recent reports have mentioned as a possibility.
One 2024 NFL Draft QB sleeper who turned heads in Week 13
Joe Milton III, Tennessee
A sleeper prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft who shined in Week 13 is Tennessee Volunteers senior Joe Milton III. While Tennessee was unable to match what they accomplished last year, they did qualify for a bowl game this year. Milton and Tennessee ended the regular season on a high note.
In Week 13, Milton and Tennessee beat the Vanderbilt Commodores 42-24. Milton accounted for all six of the Volunteers' touchdowns, four of which coming through the air ad the other two arriving on runs. Milton completed 22-of-33 pass attempts for 383 yards while picking up 11 yards on five carries.
Milton attempted six passes 20 yards and further in this game and completed three of them for 119 yards and two touchdowns.
On the year, Milton threw for 2,813 yards, 20 touchdowns, and five interceptions while completing 64.7 percent of his passes, while running for 299 yards and seven touchdowns on 78 carries.
One 2024 NFL Draft QB who needs to show teams more after Week 13
J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
This is not to say that J.J. McCarthy hasn't played well this season. While he has the prototypical size that NFL teams will view as a positive, he hasn't had to take over the Wolverines offense to lead the team to wins. Rather, the team has relied on it's running game and their strong defense to victory. That was the case against the Ohio State Buckeyes.
Let's see how McCarthy can do against the Iowa Hawkeyes in the Big Ten Championship Game. Will it be the same strategy as it has been in recent games? Or will the passing attack get more time to shine?
Updated NFL Draft order: Who's buying in the NFL?
- Chicago Bears (via Carolina Panthers (1-10))
- Arizona Cardinals (2-10)
- New England Patriots (2-9)
- Chicago Bears (4-8)
- Washington Commanders (4-8)
- New York Giants (4-8)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7)
- New York Jets (4-7)
- Los Angeles Chargers (4-7)
- Tennessee Titans (4-7)
- Las Vegas Raiders (5-7)
- New Orleans Saints (5-6)
- Green Bay Packers (5-6)
- Los Angeles Rams (5-6)
- Cincinnati Bengals (5-6)
- Buffalo Bills (6-6)
- Arizona Cardinals (via Houston Texans (6-5))
- Denver Broncos (6-5)
- Atlanta Falcons (5-6)
- Minnesota Vikings (6-6)
- Indianapolis Colts (6-5)
- Seattle Seahawks (6-5)
- Pittsburgh Steelers (7-4)
- Houston Texans (via Cleveland Browns (7-4))
- Miami Dolphins (8-3)
- Dallas Cowboys (8-3)
- Detroit Lions (8-3)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (8-3)
- Kansas City Chiefs (8-3)
- San Francisco 49ers (8-3)
- Baltimore Ravens (9-3)
- Philadelphia Eagles (10-1)
The Chicago Bears have high odds to end up with the first overall pick due to the fact they have the Carolina Panthers' first-round pick following their trade last year. Now, the Panthers are 1-10 and recently fired head coach Frank Reich, quarterbacks coach Josh McCown, and running backs coach Duce Staley. If the Panthers lose out for the rest of the year, the Bears will have to decide whether or not to draft Williams or Maye, or continue to evaluate Justin Fields.
Holding the second overall pick are the Arizona Cardinals. This will likely be a move up spot for a quarterback-needy team that is outside of the top three. If this were to hold, a team would have to jump over the New England Patriots, who have all but officially confirmed that the Mac Jones experiment is over. Some teams that fit the bill are the recently hot New York Giants, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and the Las Vegas Raiders.
The New York Jets can't be ruled out of drafting a quarterback at some point. They desperately need depth behind Aaron Rodgers, and Zach Wilson and Tim Boyle have proven they are incapable of stepping up in that role.
