College football’s Week 4 slate didn’t feature much in the way of chaos. Only three ranked teams—Illinois, Utah and Auburn—lost, four of the top 10 teams didn’t play, and several programs wrapped their nonconference schedule with confidence-building blowout wins over significantly inferior opponents.
However, the week featured an abundance of standout performers in key individual matchups. Some highly rated prospects carried their momentum forward from an intense first three weeks of the season, while others fell short in important litmus tests.
The season is still young and draft boards are still shifting, but the 2025 campaign is already one-third of the way done for most schools. Urgency, naturally, is rising.
Here’s who seized the moment—and who didn’t—in Week 4.
Week 1 Risers and Fallers | Week 2 | Week 3
RISERS
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana
In a quarterback class where several summer hotshots have fallen flat, Mendoza has turned potential into production. The Cal transfer went 21-of-23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns against Illinois. He leads the FBS with 14 passing scores through four games, and has yet to throw an interception. The 6' 5", 225-pound Mendoza has a tremendous blend of size, arm strength and athleticism, and his decision-making and accuracy have improved each week. He’s firmly in the Heisman Trophy race.
David Bailey, edge, Texas Tech
Bailey entered the season in a similar spot as Mendoza: A talented transfer with intriguing upside but needing to seize the moment. So far, so good, and he did it impressively in Week 4 against two of college football’s best offensive tackles. Facing Utah’s Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu, a pair of potential first-round picks, Bailey recorded four quarterback pressures—one sack and three hurries, according to Pro Football Focus—in the Red Raiders’ 34–10 road win. For the season, Bailey is tied for 12th nationally with 3.5 sacks, and he’s tied for third with 26 pressures. At 6' 3" and 250 pounds, Bailey is athletic and powerful, and he has experience dropping into coverage. He’s a legitimate first-round candidate.
Justice Haynes, RB, Michigan
The Alabama transfer appears rejuvenated at Michigan, eclipsing 100 rushing yards in every game, and surpassing 125 yards in all but one, including 149 yards and a touchdown in the Wolverines’ 30–27 win at Nebraska. The 5' 11", 210-pound Haynes has a strong base, above-average contact balance and big-play potential—he has four runs of 50-plus yards through four games, including a 75-yarder against Nebraska. Haynes is a capable, albeit unspectacular, pass catcher, and he’s a potent blocker who’s allowed only two pressures in 27 pass-protection snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. He’s running his way into the Day 2 conversation.
Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
Sadiq has been a trendy riser throughout the first month of the season, and he had his most productive outing thus far in Week 4. He notched a team-high four catches for 60 yards and a touchdown in Oregon’s 41–7 victory over archrival Oregon State. Sadiq has registered gains of 20-plus yards in each of the Ducks’ first four games. At 6' 3" and 245 pounds, Sadiq is a potent run blocker, and he’s a steady playmaker in the passing game. Sadiq is well-established as a top-five tight end in the class and projects as a top-50 pick in April.
Keldric Faulk, edge, Auburn
Faulk, the No. 2 edge rusher on Sports Illustrated’s summer big board, doesn’t have incredibly gaudy numbers—he’s registered two sacks and three tackles for loss—but he’s been disruptive and productive against Power 4 opponents. The 6' 6", 285-pound Faulk, who had three pressures and a sack against Baylor in Week 1, wreaked havoc against Oklahoma on Saturday, collecting seven total pressures and one sack. Faulk is long, athletic and has considerable upside, which puts him in the mix as a potential top-20 pick next spring.
FALLERS
Austin Barber, OT, Florida
Barber started the season as Sports Illustrated’s No. 17 prospect, and he lived up to expectations through the first quarter of the year, capped by a brilliant effort against LSU in Week 3. However, against Miami’s vaunted pass rush duo of Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor, Barber struggled. He allowed six pressures, according to Pro Football Focus, en route to a 17.0 pass-blocking grade and 41.6 overall rating. Bain has been perhaps the best pass rusher in college football this fall, and he and Mesidor form one of the best tandems in the sport. Barber likely won’t see a more challenging test this year, but he didn’t necessarily hit the mark Saturday.
Behren Morton, QB, Texas Tech
Morton was among several quarterbacks who played their way onto the national radar in the first three games, entering Week 4 tied for the FBS lead with 11 passing touchdowns. While the Red Raiders made a statement against Utah, Morton was hardly the story. He went 12-of-19 for 143 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions before exiting the game early in the third quarter due to a big hit in the head and neck area. Morton has natural arm talent and has been one of college football’s best downfield throwers this season. Still, he’ll need to prove he can do it against higher levels of competition than Texas Tech faced before Utah.
Xavier Scott, DB, Illinois
To no fault of Scott’s, the Fighting Illini fell 63–10 to Indiana, while their secondary struggled to slow Mendoza and the Hoosiers’ aerial attack. Scott didn’t play due to a lower-leg injury sustained against Western Michigan in Week 3, and Illinois coach Bret Bielema said Monday that Scott will undergo surgery on Wednesday and will miss most of the season. He has a chance to return near the end of the year, Bielema said. It’s tricky timing for Scott, a first-team All-Big Ten selection at nickel last season, who has spent the majority of 2025 on the perimeter. Versatile and athletic with six interceptions the previous two seasons, Scott was projected as a Day 2 pick before the injury. One silver lining? Based on Bielema’s timetable, Scott should be good to go for predraft workouts.
This article was originally published on www.si.com as QB Transfer Among Five Prospects Who Improved Their 2026 NFL Draft Stock in Week 4.