Only three weeks remain in the college football regular season after Week 11 brought five losses by ranked teams, Penn State’s near-upset of No. 2 Indiana, and gritty, poise-featuring performances from the nation’s top quarterbacks.
Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza and Oregon’s Dante Moore each led game-winning drives inside of the final minute, while Alabama’s Ty Simpson spearheaded a put-away possession in the fourth quarter.
Week 11’s biggest risers indirectly involve quarterbacks, be it pressuring them, blocking for them or catching passes from them.
Here’s Sports Illustrated’s gauge on risers and fallers after another competitive week.
RISERS
Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State
Singleton’s struggles this season have been well-documented—he was a faller on this list three weeks ago—but delivered a breakthrough performance despite the Nittany Lions’ 27–24 loss to Indiana. Singleton scored three touchdowns, two on the ground and one through the air, while averaging 7.1 yards per carry and catching three passes for 22 yards. The 6' 0", 224-pound Singleton ripped off a 59-yard run, his longest of the season, and proved an efficient red zone option. Singleton, a tremendous size-speed ballcarrier, has likely fallen out of the first two days, but he offered a reminder Saturday that he’s capable of making plays.
Isaiah World, OT, Oregon
After a slow start to his first season with the Ducks, World has turned the corner of late, and he played perhaps his best game this season in Oregon’s last-second 18–16 win over Iowa. World, a Nevada transfer, didn’t allow a single pressure against the Hawkeyes’ defensive front, according to Pro Football Focus, and he helped pave the way for Oregon’s 261-yard rushing performance. The 6' 8", 318-pound World has allowed only one sack and six quarterback pressures this season, and he’s started to pair his athleticism with better technique to thwart pass rushers. World is firmly in the first-round discussion, though likely in the latter portion.
Makai Lemon, WR, USC
Lemon has already played his way into a likely first-round selection, but he had another stellar outing in the Trojans’ 38–17 victory over Northwestern. The 5' 11", 195-pounder caught 11 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown, marking his fourth game this season with over 125 receiving yards and his third with at least 150 yards. He added a rushing touchdown. Lemon is a route technician, with terrific run-after-catch skills and the explosiveness to hit big plays. In a competitive race for the draft’s second-best receiver spot behind Arizona State’s Jordyn Tyson, Lemon is a strong candidate.
Zane Durant, DT, Penn State
Durant enjoyed his most productive performance this season against a quality Indiana offensive line, recording seven quarterback pressures, one sack and three run stops, according to Pro Football Focus. The 6' 1", 288-pounder controlled the line of scrimmage, made plays laterally and closely resembled the physical, disruptive pass rusher who generated intrigue over the summer. Durant, who entered the season with Day 2 potential, looked like a third-round pick Saturday.
Yhonzae Pierre, edge, Alabama
There’s been little draft discussion about Pierre, who’s only a redshirt sophomore, but the more he continues to wreck games, the more necessary the conversation becomes. Pierre tallied two sacks and a forced fumble in Alabama’s 20–9 win over LSU, and he exits Week 11 with six sacks and 32 pressures, according to PFF. On the lighter side at 6' 3" and 248 pounds, Pierre has loads of athleticism, but he’s also proven he can win with nuance and power at the top of his rushes. Pierre will have a decision to make at season’s end, but he’s been one of the SEC’s most disruptive pass rushers over the past month.
FALLERS
Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU
Nussmeier hasn’t finished either of the Tigers’ past two games, both of which were losses, and interim coach Frank Wilson confirmed this week that Nussmeier will start in Week 12. It’s the latest in a disappointing, if not stunning, fall from grace for Nussmeier, who entered the season as Sports Illustrated’s No. 1 quarterback prospect. Nussmeier’s game has lacked explosiveness this season, and he’s hesitant to take shots and thread the same tight windows he routinely hit in 2024. From potential top draft pick to shaky job security, Nussmeier has tumbled out of the draft’s first two days.
Kevin Coleman Jr., WR, Missouri
Coleman’s rollercoaster season continued in Missouri’s 38–17 loss to Texas A&M, as he made only one reception for one yard. It’s his second one-catch performance this season, and he’s tallied 20-or-fewer receiving yards in three of the Tigers’ nine games. Coleman, an athletic weapon who’s elusive in space, also has three games with over 100 receiving yards, and he has six carries for 51 yards this season. At his best, the 5' 11", 180-pounder is a versatile playmaker with the twitch to separate, but he struggled against the third-ranked Aggies.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Five Prospects Who Improved Their 2026 NFL Draft Stock in Week 11.
