Future Hogs - Week 10: A look at college football players who could help the Washington Commanders

The big matchup of Week 10 in college football featured the 3rd-ranked Penn State Nittany Lions taking on the 4th-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. A mostly defensive battle between Big Ten foes saw the Buckeyes come out on top and replace the Nittany Lions in the rankings. Iowa State and Pittsburgh suffered their first losses of the year to Texas Tech and SMU, respectively. Clemson and Texas A&M had been rising in the rankings, but that came to the halt as both lost. Clemson was taken down at home by Louisville while Texas A&M fell on the road to South Carolina.

The first College Football Playoff rankings are out and the top four teams are Oregon, Ohio State, Georgia, and Miami. All these teams will see action and try to remain atop the rankings. Miami will try to stay undefeated and atone for a memorable loss from last season to Georgia Tech. Georgia will have their hands full with an Ole Miss team that has just as many wins as the Bulldogs. Purdue has one win on the season, so it'll be a tall task for them to upset the Buckeyes. Oregon will look to stay on top of the the rankings as they host Maryland. Other intriguing matchups will be an undefeated BYU taking on Utah, Alabama and LSU battling to keep their SEC Championship hopes alive, and Indiana trying to stay perfect against Michigan.

Below are just a few players who had a good week and might be able to improve the Commanders' roster. Let me know what you think of these prospects and feel free to post players that stood out to you.

Will Howard, QB, Senior, Ohio State In all honesty, it wasn't a great day for Will Howard. He threw an early pick six against Penn State and didn't throw for many yards or touchdowns. Throughout the season and in this game, the 6'4", 235 lbs signal caller shows glimpses of an NFL passer. He has good running ability and a big enough arm to push the ball downfield. It's the decision making that needs to be improved, but as an older prospect, there's a question about how much better he can in that area. He completed 16 of 24 passes for a touchdown along with the aforementioned interception.

Omarion Hampton, RB, Junior, UNC Last year, many argued that Drake Maye did not have a talented supporting cast. Those people must have overlooked Omarion Hampton. He's 6'0", 220 lbs, and is not afraid of contact, a quality that helps him be one of the better blockers at running back. His long strides makes it look like he's not running as fast as he is. He not only uses his vision to find daylight at the line of scrimmage but to navigate defenders in the open field. Defenders bounce off him because of his excellent contact balance. He should be a candidate to add to the Commanders especially if Brian Robinson, Jr. does not re-sign in the offseason. Hampton led the Tar Heels in rushing and receiving in a win over Florida State. He had 172 yards and four touchdowns on the ground and three receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown through the air.

Xavier Restrepo, WR, Senior, Miami A lot of talented wide receivers have made their mark at the U, but after his game against Duke, Xavier Restrepo is the all-time leader in receptions and yards. How does the 5'10", 198 lbs receiver do it? It starts with his quickness. It helps him get off the line of scrimmage and change direction during his routes to help him get open. Solid hands and the ability to make defenders miss after the catch allow him to rack up yardage. Restrepo had eight receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns.

Joshua Simon, TE, Senior, South Carolina South Carolina surprised many be taking down Texas A&M thanks to a career day from tight end Joshua Simon. Simon displayed a lot of skill as a pass catcher, getting downfield behind the defense to make catches and taking screens the distance. Both demonstrated Simon's speed at 6'5", 259 lbs. He was also integral as a blocker and helped opened holes for running back Raheim "Rocket" Sanders rush for 144 yards and two touchdowns. Simon finished the day with four catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns.

Mason Richman, OT, Senior, Iowas Iowa has been showing signs of developing more of an offensive identity beyond running the ball. It all starts with the trenches and that includes Mason Richman. The left tackle for Iowa does not only excel at opening holes in the run game for the Hawkeyes, but is one of the best pass protectors in the country according to PFF. His movement skills help him mirror pass rushers and open lanes in the zone running game. He also has the strength to play in a gap run scheme. I'm curious to see Richman's arm length as it may factor into whether he plays tackle or guard at the next level. Check out #78 in the clip below.

Abdul Carter, DE, Junior, Penn State Abdul Carter is a former off-ball linebacker turned edge rusher to impressive results for the Nittany Lions. Carter is 6'3", 252 lbs, and has explosive athleticism and a relentless motor. Carter has displayed impressive ability to use pass rush moves and not just rely on his athleticism, but there is still room for him to improve in this area. He needs to keep getting stronger to hold the edge in the run game, but the ability to find the quarterback could have Carter be the first edge rusher drafted in 2025. Although Penn State came up short against Ohio State, Carter had four tackles and two sacks.

Marlowe Wax, LB, Senior, Syracuse Syracuse pulled out an overtime win over Virginia Tech with Marlowe Wax leading the way on defense. Wax is a good-sized linebacker that stands 6'1" and weighs 236 lbs. He does a good job of getting into the backfield and flowing with the ball. I'd like to see more of him in pass coverage, but he has the ability to be a good early down linebacker. One issue for Wax is he has missed games due to injury. Wax had nine tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Mansoor Delane, CB, Junior, Virginia Tech The Hokies have had a few close games this season not go their way. The most recent was a loss to Syracuse in overtime. Despite the loss, Mansoor Delane stood out by making impact plays to give his team a chance to win. He's 6'1", 187 lbs, and has the length you like to see at the position. In coverage, Delane stays in phase with receivers throughout their routes and gives quarterbacks little space to complete passes. Against the Orange, Delane finished the game with six tackles, a PBU, a forced fumble, and an interception.

Casey Larkin, S, Junior, Army Listed as a nickleback, Larkin plays a hybrid CB/S for the Black Knights and is one of the reasons Army is undefeated. He's a heady player that can diagnose a play a know where to be before the ball gets there. The big knock against him is his size. 6'0", 189 lbs is fine for a nickle, but he'll have to get bigger if he is going to play more of a safety role at the next level. Larkin had five tackles and an interception against fellow service academy Air Force.