The Boise State Broncos, having lost Ashton Jeanty, were among the most vulnerable ranked teams on the Week 1 slate. When the South Florida Bulls beat them 34-7, it felt like the 5-12 matchup in March Madness -- an upset well within the realm of possibility.
One week later, the Bulls sent a message, knocking off a talented Florida Gators team in the final seconds. Now, USF is ranked, setting the stage for the biggest game of the school's season, a date with the fifth-ranked Miami Hurricanes on Saturday.
Through two games, the Bulls have quarterback Byrum Brown to thank for their production. He's a one-man offense, and with each strong performance, his 2026 NFL Draft stock continues to rise.
Byrum Brown's strengths make him an intriguing option
Standing 6'3", 232 pounds, Brown has the size to shrug off sacks and the power to break tackles. That was on full display against Boise State, when he ran rampant and put those Mountain West tacklers to shame.
A true rushing threat, Brown has the explosiveness to truly take advantage of his broken tackles and the speed to hit the occasional home run. It's the headlining trait of his profile and theoretically gives him a path to early-career success. If a rookie quarterback isn't quite sure what he's seeing, their traits can bail them out. It gives him a path to playing time, and coordinators will appreciate what his gravity does for the ground game.
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Of course, no passer is being drafted solely on their ability to tote the rock. His arm strength stands out and puts him in the upper echelon of physical talents in this draft class. Brown can stretch the field with ease and has more than enough velocity for NFL windows.
Elsewhere, his poise is impressive. He's willing to take hits to deliver tough throws and isn't overly burdened by pressure in terms of decision-making or accuracy. His traits bode well for success out of structure, even if the results haven't arrived just yet, and he has shown the ability to manipulate defenders to create throwing windows.
Brown is still developing
While the physical traits jump off the screen, Brown's consistency, intangibles, and mechanics all need work. His feet can freeze on his initial read, and poor lower-body mechanics don't help an accuracy profile that can be scattershot to every level of the field. He hits his layups within structure, but proper touch has been elusive at times. A long, vertical throwing motion can impact his accuracy, as well.
Brown is willing to be aggressive downfield and largely avoids turnovers, although he has some questions to answer as he translates to NFL offenses. He can be late to sensing pressure and stubborn on his first read, and entering the season, he didn't appear to have the same command of the offense as some of the class's more experienced passers.
Fortunately, these flaws are largely fixable with reps. Perhaps that pushes him into the 2027 class. For now, the possibility that he propels his stock high enough to declare is a real one, particularly if he shows out against Miami.
He'll need to become more consistent within structure and refine his accuracy down the stretch. With his late-season schedule softer than September, he may not get the high-profile matchups necessary to prove his campaign-long development. Improving upon tangible traits (like his accuracy) can still be accomplished as the weather worsens.
Brown's NFL projection
Brown began the season with a seventh-round grade on my board. The runway for his development and physical tools means improving his stock is entirely possible, and things couldn't have started better in 2025.
In knocking off two ranked opponents, he has already thrown for 473 yards and rushed for another 109. He's a true dual-threat passer who has the mobility to steal early downs and the arm to create explosives. If you squint, you can see the Jalen Hurts archetype of physical-running, boundary-throwing field stretcher that can find a role on a handful of teams.
There's work to be done to push his stock into Day 2 (or early Day 3), but Brown has officially put himself on the map. Now that he's captured college football's attention, Brown can create the momentum necessary to boost his stock throughout the pre-draft process. In the meantime, he remains a late Day 3 option for a team to take a flier on in pursuit of surplus value under center.
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