The first weekend of college football is here, and it is a loaded schedule with several matchups that have the full attention of the NFL.
Some of the highlights include top-ranked matchups between Texas and Ohio State, LSU and Clemson, and Miami and Notre Dame. On top of that, from a non-field perspective, we get to see Lee Corso one last time on the College Gameday desk, so one way or another, Vikings fans should be propped in front of the TV this weekend. If you find yourself there, we want to be able to provide you with a watchlist of players in games who may find themselves being future Vikings.
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Right now, we are projecting the Vikings’ draft needs to be cornerbacks, safety, linebacker, defensive line, and running back.
Cornerback and safety are the two biggest needs of this team, with glaring holes either immediately present or on the horizon. Byron Murphy Jr. needs help in the secondary, and we may be watching the final season of Harrison Smith; thus, those are the top needs. Linebacker could emerge as a need depending on what the team does with Ivan Pace Jr., and Blake Cashman will be a free agent after the 2026 season. Lastly, the defensive line and running back both look great right now, but have new faces at the positions, whose potential we do not know, and have some older faces in the group, so some depth pieces may be added there.
This is a great roster the Vikings have built, but with 11 selections in the upcoming NFL Draft, we will be covering a wide range of players and positions. With that in mind, here is our first watchlist of the college football season.
Editor’s Note: College football does not have the best injury report system; some do not even report them until gameday. If a player is listed to watch and does not play, we apologize.
Cornerbacks Schedule
Noon/11:00 AM CST
Texas’ Malik Muhammad (No. 5) vs. Ohio State on FOX
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Ohio State’s Davison Igbinosun (No. 1) vs. Texas on Fox
3:30 P.M. EST/2:30 P.M. CST
Alabama’s Cameron Calhoun (No. 9) vs. Florida State on ABC
Alabama’s Domani Jackson (No. 1) vs. Florida State on ABC
7:30 P.M. EST/6:30 P.M. CST
LSU’s Mansoor Delane (No. 4) vs. Clemson on ABC
Clemson’s Avieon Terrell (No. 8) vs. LSU on ABC
10:00 P.M. EST/9:00 P.M. CST
Arizona State’s Keith Abney II (No. 1) vs. Northern Arizona on ESPN+
Safety Schedule
Noon/11:00 AM CST
Texas’ Michael Taaffe (No. 16) vs. Ohio State on FOX
3:30 P.M. EST/2:30 P.M. CST
Alabama’s Bray Hubbard (No. 18) vs. Florida State on ABC
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Alabama’s Keon Sabb (No. 3) vs. Florida State on ABC
7:30 P.M. EST/6:30 P.M. CST
Clemson’s Khalil Barnes (No. 7) vs. LSU on ABC
LSU’s Tamarcus Cooley (No. 0) vs. Clemson on ABC
11:00 P.M. EST/10:00 P.M. CST
Utah’s Tao Johnson (No. 5) vs. UCLA on FOX
Linebacker Schedule
Noon/11:00 AM CST
Texas’ Anthony Hill (No. 0) vs. Ohio State on FOX
Ohio State’s Sonny Styles (No. 6) vs. Texas on FOX
3:30 P.M. EST/2:30 P.M. CST
Georgia’s CJ Allen (No. 3) vs. Marshall on ESPN
7:30 P.M. EST/6:30 P.M. CST
LSU’s Whit Wheeks (No. 40) vs. Clemson on ABC
Clemson’s Wade Woodaz (No. 17) vs. LSU on ABC
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10:00 P.M. EST/9:00 P.M. CST
Utah’s Lander Barton (No. 8) vs. UCLA on FOX
Defensive Line Schedule
Noon/11:00 AM CST
Tennessee’s Bryson Eason (No. 20) vs. Syracuse on ABC
3:30 P.M. EST/2:30 P.M. CST
Alabama’s Tim Keenan III (No. 96) vs. Florida State on ABC
Alabama’s James Smith (No. 23) vs. Florida State on ABC
Florida State’s Darrell Jackson Jr. (No. 6) vs. Alabama on ABC
7:30 P.M. EST/6:30 P.M. CST
Clemson’s DeMonte Capehart (No. 9) vs. LSU on ABC
Clemson’s Peter Woods (No. 11) vs. LSU on ABC
10:00 P.M. EST/9:00 P.M. CST
Arizona State’s C.J. Fite (No. 99) vs. Northern Arizona on ESPN+
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Running Back Schedule
Noon/11:00 AM CST
Pittsburgh’s Desmond Reid (No. 0) vs. Duquesne on ACC Network
3:30 P.M. EST/2:30 P.M. CST
Penn State’s Nick Singleton (No. 10) vs. Nevada on CBS
Penn State’s Kaytron Allen (No. 13) vs. Nevada on CBS
7:00 P.M. EST/6:00 P.M. CST
Texas A&M’s Le’Veon Moss (No. 8) vs. UTSA on ESPN
11:00 P.M. EST/10:00 P.M. CST
Washington’s Jonah Coleman (No. 1) vs. Colorado State on Big Ten Network
This article originally appeared on Vikings Wire: 2026 NFL Draft: Prospects Vikings fans should watch in CFB Week 1
