Good evening New York Giants fans!.
At long last we’ve come to the final game of the 2025-2026 college football season. Tonight (1) Indiana will take on (10) Miami for the College Football National Championship.
This is a matchup nobody would have predicted back in August, but there isn’t really a question that these are the two best teams in the land. Certainly not after Miami took down Ohio State, while Indiana dismantled Alabama and Oregon.
For our purposes here, this also promises to be a game full of future NFL players.
The centerpiece of it all is Indiana quarterback (and likely future Las Vegas Raiders QB) Fernando Mendoza. However both of these teams are stacked with talent that could appeal to the Giants.
My standard “big game” advice stands; watch and enjoy the game, but take note of players who jump off the screen. There will be plenty of time to circle back to them later.
*Note: Miami’s Malachi Toney will almost certainly flash brighly. However, he’s a freshman and won’t be draft eligible for a while yet.
That said, I’ll highlight an offensive and defensive player on each team that I’m watching.
Miami
- Francis Mauigoa (OT/OG) – We’ve talked about Mauigoa a lot this year. He’s been consistently linked to the Giants as a potential option for their offensive line. Mauigoa has been a very good collegiate tackle, but the big question is whether he can remain at (right) tackle in the NFL or if he’ll have to move to guard at the next level. The big question is whether he has the foot quickness and lower-body flexibility to match up with speed off the edge. His ultimate position will determine his draft stock but he certainly has the play strength and mentality to be a starter in the NFL.
- Rueben Bain Jr. (DE/EDGE) – Bain has been the best all-around edge defender in college football this year. He’s a stocky and powerful defensive end who’s bendier than he should be and has a deceptively fast first step. Bain reminds of a young Justin Tuck and should be able to play in pretty much every scheme at the NFL level, and rush from a two or three-point stance, as well as on the interior. The big question with him is just how long his arms are. Bain is expected — feared — to have sub-31 inch arms. If he measures less than 31 inches, that would put him in (roughly) the bottom 0.3 percentile of EDGE, DE, and DT prospects. Bain’s tape says he should be one of the first two edge defenders off the board, but the question is if his arm length would prevent that from translating to the NFL.
Indiana
- Carter Smith (OT) – Staying in the trenches, Indiana’s left tackle has been one of the very best linemen in college football. Like many of Indiana’s prospects, he didn’t get much recognition at the national level until Indiana’s talent was undeniable. However, he hasn’t given up a single sack or hit this year, and just 6 hurries. Smith has just pedestrian size at 6-foot-5, 315 pounds, and is a bit better at blocking for zone schemes than man-gap, but he has the potential to rocket up draft boards as we get into the draft process. (Note: Smith has until January 23rd to declare for the draft due to the National Championship)
- Mikail Kamara – Kamara has slipped off the national radar a bit this year. He had 10 sacks a year ago but just 2 this year. That said, the 6-foot-1, 265 pounder is an absolute handful for blockers and has had an impressive 88 hurries over the last two season (48 this year, 40 the last). His natural leverage allows him to maximize his explosiveness and punish blockers who can’t consistently play with great pad level.
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