Top performers from CFB Week 0: USC's Jayden Maiava joins elite company, and Virginia's Beau Pribula surprises

Tankathon lists Maiava as its No. 8 QB on its updated big board. The 6-foot-4, 230-pound passer will climb it if he can keep building on Saturday's showing in Week 1 against the Fresno State Bulldogs (Fox, 9 p.m. ET, Friday). He clearly has skills that should pique the interest of NFL teams.

"He fits exactly what NFL coaches want in a young QB: He's a calm, efficient, decisive pocket navigator with elite decision-making and placement," wrote Shriners Bowl director of football operations and player personnel Eric Galko before USC's season opener. 

Virginia Cavaliers QB Beau Pribula 

Entering Virginia's season opener, more scouts were focused on North Carolina State Wolfpack QB CJ Bailey. Pribula, however, stole the show.

The QB logged 265 yards (155 passing, 110 rushing) and threw two TD passes in a 34-8 Virginia rout. Following the win, Fox analyst Robert Griffin III, the 2011 Heisman winner, gave the Cavaliers QB a shout-out, saying he was "the best player on the field against NC State."

Pribula's future as a pro prospect remains murky. The fifth-year senior has to test defenses with his arm more to prove he can translate to the NFL. (He went 9-of-11 passing against the Wolfpack.)

His athleticism, though, is one reason to keep tabs on him. Per The Athletic's Bruce Feldman, he clocked a 3.94 shuttle time, the second-fastest time since Seattle Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba posted a 3.93 at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine. 

North Carolina Tar Heels DT Xavier Lewis 

Lewis, a sophomore, helped dismantle the backfield of the TCU Horned Frogs in a 15-10 win at the Aer Lingus College Football Classic in Dublin. He logged a team-high 4.5 tackles for loss, earning the game's MVP honors. 

"Last year was just a start for me, just to get out on the field. I was a third-down, passing situational guy last year," Lewis said postgame, via Rodd Baxley of the Fayetteville Observer. "Just to be able to come out here and have the staff put their trust in me to play all downs...I just embrace the role to come out and ball out. I feel like everything that I put on display was something that I could've done."

Lewis' role should continue to expand after Week 0. He could clearly become a stalwart for the Tar Heels defense.

Florida State Seminoles RB Ousmane Kromah 

Kromah, who ran for just 408 yards on 72 carries during his freshman season in 2025, looks like a breakout candidate after Week 0. In a 34-17 home win over the New Mexico State Aggies, he ran for 115 yards on 14 carries (8.2 yards per carry, well above average) and one TD.

Kromah was named to the preseason Doak Walker Award (college football's best RB) watch list. The 6-foot-1, 216-pounder has a similar frame to the 2025 Doak Walker winner, Arizona Cardinals rookie Jeremiyah Love (6-foot, 212 pounds). Like Love, a former Notre Dame Fighting Irish star, Kromah can continue to use his size to his advantage in Week 1 against the No. 19 SMU Mustangs (ESPN, 7:30 p.m. ET, Sept. 7)

Memphis Tigers RB Jaylin Carter

New Tigers HC Charles Huff is probably even happier that Carter followed him from the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles to Memphis. The sophomore RB ran for 97 yards on 15 carries in a 27-21 road win over the UNLV Rebels.

Questions about Carter's size will remain. Listed at 5-foot-11, 190 pounds, he lacks prototypical size for a RB. If Carter can overcome them, he can become an effective weapon, like former Memphis RB Tony Pollard (now with the Tennessee Titans).

Memphis hopes Carter remains on an upward trajectory in Week 1 against the Arkansas State Red Wolves (ESPN+, 7 p.m. ET) this upcoming Saturday.