Tuesday newsletter: Big named QB heads back to school, Travis Hunter wins the Heisman,

Drew Allar news, talking College Football Playoffs, the Travis Hunter award show, and more!

Dec 17, 2024

Let’s do something new.

Instead of plastering a podcast episode into your inbox every day, why not plaster a newsletter instead? This way I can blast out the podcast episode within it, but also wrap up all of the bigger NFL Draft news into the newsletter to give you a one-stop shop for it all.

So today, we get to talk about a quarterback who was gathering first round buzz that we’ll have to wait another year on, the Travis Hunter show, and more.

Let’s go!

Drew Allar heading back to school in 2025

ESPN’s Pete Thamel dropped the bomb that Penn State’s Drew Allar is heading back to school for his senior season. In a weak quarterback class, Allar was starting to be recognized as a potential first rounder and QB3 behind Shedeur Sanders and Cam Ward.

This is the right call though. His safe numbers translate to his tape. He’s being schemed up safe throws from offensive coordinator Andy Kotelnicki, but he’s executing them for the most part. He deserves merit for this. However, some deficiencies in his game stuck out like a sore thumb in the Big 10 Championship game.

He will be losing his top target in tight end Tyler Warren, and perhaps running back Nick Singleton as well. Now it’s Penn State’s job to get him some receivers in the transfer portal.

He’ll enter the 2026 NFL Draft as a top quarterback prospect but needs to leap to fend off the likes of Arch Manning, Nico Iamaleava, LaNorris Sellers, and more.

LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier also announced he was going back to school last week as well.

The best player in College Football wins the Heisman Trophy

Colorado CB/WR Travis Hunter won the Heisman Trophy. People in Idaho had big feelings about it.

But Hunter deserved it.

He is not only the best player in the 2025 NFL Draft class, but he is the best player in the country. It will be quite some time before we see anyone do what Hunter did this season again. Not only was he a premier, lockdown cornerback this year as he won the Bednarik Award, but he also won the Biletnikoff award for the best wide receiver in the nation too.

While quarterbacks likely get pushed up the board out of desperation, Hunter deserves to be the first overall pick.

This does not take away from the season that Ashton Jeanty has had! He is the No. 3 player on my big board for a reason. He’ll likely break Barry Sanders’ rushing record (in three extra games albeit), and will hear his name called in the first round this upcoming April as a result.

But the voters got this one right.

A fun little gem along Maryland’s defensive interior

While the University of Maryland will be known for the two wide receivers entering the 2025 NFL Draft in Tai Felton and Kaden Prather, they have a fun little defensive tackle to keep a close eye on as well.

I noticed they had a third-year sophomore declare. And anytime that happens my interest gets piqued. Especially in the NIL era where these young guys are making money at the college level and there is little risk to leap to the NFL level. So naturally I had to turn on the tape of Jordan Phillips.

And boy is he fun.

Phillips is still extraordinarily raw as a pass rusher with no career sacks to his name. However, the raw tools are what make him enticing. He made this year’s Feldman’s Freak List due to his ability to move some serious weight (squats 665, cleans 365, and overhead presses 365 for two reps) and is just 20 years old.

With raw explosiveness and power, Phillips may hear his name called in the top 100 as he presents a fun ball of clay.

Raiders fans are begging to tank for Shedeur

It was ugly for the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday Night Football, and they still hold the No. 1 pick. It’s no secret who the fans want either, as there were signs caught on television reading “Tanks for Shedeur” on them.

Antonio Pierce is likely a one-and-done, and the Raiders lack significant other pieces at premium positions. That may not be the best situation to bring a rookie quarterback into. We’ll see if 1. the Raiders hold onto that top pick, and 2. if general manager Tom Telesco opts to take the Colorado product with the pick.

Your daily Daft on Draft Podcast episode

Dalton and I return, this time breaking down some of the early declarees and returnees. We highlight a handful of specific players who we thought made the most curious decisions.

We’ll be back with Daft or Draft!? tomorrow, then will get back into building our boards to end the week.

What’s new on Daft on Draft?

In case you missed it on Monday, I dropped a new mock draft. Just one round this time, I got the quarterbacks out of the way early and let the blue-chip players fall where they must after that.

I’m sure you’ll hate your favorite team’s pick. Read it anyway!