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Kids who will be playing on Sundays: Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Texas' Ryan Wingo highlight best Week 1 CFB performances
Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Kids who will be playing on Sundays: Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith, Texas' Ryan Wingo highlight best Week 1 CFB performances

Each week of the college football season, Yardbarker will spotlight standout performers, some of whom will be playing on Sundays. With that in mind, here are five from Week 1.

Ohio State Buckeyes junior WR Jeremiah Smith 

Reminder: Smith is still the best player in college football. 

In a 56-3 home win over the Ball State Cardinals, Smith logged eight receptions for 151 yards and two touchdown catches, including a 48-yarder from junior QB Julian Sayin. Along with generating explosive plays, he does the little things right, which NFL scouts will love. 

On his second TD catch late in the second quarter, Smith ensured he kept both feet in the end zone instead of one. In college, pass-catchers only need to get one foot down in bounds, but in the NFL, they must keep both feet in.

The TD shows that Smith, who turns 21 on Nov. 29, has a football IQ well beyond his years, which makes him one of the best WR prospects in recent memory.

"This is who your 99-overall Create-A-Player creates HIS player after," A to Z Sports' Kyle Crabbs wrote of Smith in his preseason scouting report. 

Texas Longhorns  junior WR Ryan Wingo

Fellow junior Cam Coleman was billed as the team's best WR after he transferred from the Auburn Tigers this offseason. Wingo, however, was the No. 1 option for Texas' passing attack in a 59-7 home win over the Texas State Bobcats, with seven receptions for a team-leading 121 yards and one TD catch. 

"People forget this guy was a second-team All-SEC receiver last year," Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian said in a postgame news conference. "Take nothing away from Cam. Cam's a fantastic player too. But Ryan Wingo's pretty good. I think he probably reminded a few people of that today."

Wingo is becoming a sure-handed receiver, making him even more impactful. He said he's been catching at least 500 footballs on a jugs machine daily to avoid drops. It's clearly working. Pro Football Focus credited him with one drop on Saturday after logging seven last season.

Scouts will be keeping a close eye on Wingo and Smith when the No. 5 Longhorns (1-0) host the No. 1 Buckeyes (1-0) in Week 2 (ABC, 7:30 p.m. ET). The Texas star's draft stock would skyrocket with another big showing in prime time.

Oregon Ducks senior QB Dante Moore 

No. 2 Oregon (1-0) may get grilled in the film room after struggling in a 34-27 home win over the Boise State Broncos (0-1) on Saturday. Moore's performance remains one positive. 

Moore finished 28-of-37 passing for 378 yards and three touchdowns, including a 62-yarder to sophomore WR Dakorien Moore in the fourth quarter. The QB's ability to respond to early obstacles impressed talent evaluators. The Ducks trailed the Broncos 17-7 with 2:48 remaining in the second quarter.

"My biggest concern [regarding Moore] was what happened when pressure started bearing down and things got messy," wrote The Ringer's Todd McShay on Sunday. "Week 1 gave us some adversity, and I liked the response." 

Oregon, which faces the Oklahoma State Cowboys (0-1) on the road in Week 2, doesn't want Moore to keep carrying the squad. But it's nice knowing he can.

Florida Gators  junior RB Jadan Baugh 

Longtime ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. tabbed Baugh as his RB1 in the draft before the Gators hosted the Florida Atlantic Owls on Saturday. He showed why, rushing for 160 yards and three TDs on 14 carries in a 66-21 home blowout.

Listed at 6-foot-1, 225 pounds, Baugh is a power back, but he can make defenders miss as well as run through them. He made a sweet cutback on a 12-yard TD run in the second quarter.

Expect him to put more defenders on skates when the Gators (1-0) host the Campbell Fighting Camels (1-0) in Week 2. 

Iowa Hawkeyes  senior RB Kamari Moulton 

Moulton looks like he will break out after rushing for 183 yards and two TDs on 11 carries in a 40-0 Hawkeyes win over the Northern Illinois Huskies (0-1). He ran for a 50-yard TD and a 37-yarder.

"Moulton is a fourth-year Iowa back—not a transfer—and he led the Hawkeyes in rushing [878 rushing yards] last season," wrote McShay. "But 183 yards on 11 carries, an absurd 16.6 yards per attempt, demands attention."  

Moulton will continue getting more attention if he makes Iowa's offense, which is typically boring, entertaining. See if he can when the No. 22 Hawkeyes (1-0) battle the Iowa State Cyclones (1-0) for the Cy-Hawk Trophy (NBC, 7:30 p.m. ET) in Week 2.  

Clark Dalton

Clark Dalton is a 2022 journalism graduate of the University of Texas at Austin. He gained experience in sports media over the past seven years — from live broadcasting and creating short films to podcasting and producing. In college, he wrote for The Daily Texan. He loves sports and enjoys hiking, kayaking and camping.

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