By Lance Leach in College Football —

Lance's 2025 College Football Rankings: Wrap-up

Lance's 2025 College Football Rankings: Wrap-up

I decided to repost these because I saw an opportunity to make notes on underclassmen that would've made the rankings had they been draft eligible, sort of gives an idea of who to keep an eye on this season. Which reminds me, my rankings for these are strictly guys who would be eligible for the following draft. So, while you will see guys listed who didn't go pro, they still had the ability to do so prior to the draft deadline back in January. Also, if you read through any of my ranking articles last year you know I split them up based on level of competition, so top 10 Power 4 players, top 10 Group of 6, and top 10 FCS. However, one of the changes I made after the season ended was adjusting to account for each level of competition. The scores take that into account now, which means I will be using just one top 20 (or maybe top 15) each week this season. That's why there's a top 20 for each position below, rather than 3 separate top tens. One last note, for the players in the top 20 I will list the school they played for in 2025, and for the players in my notes I will be listing where they are playing heading into 2026.

Quarterback Rankings
# Player College Score
1 Taron Dickens Western Carolina 98.00
2 Diego Pavia Vanderbilt 94.65
3 Cole Payton North Dakota State 94.55
4 Joe Fagnano UCONN 92.92
5 Fernando Mendoza Indiana 91.31
6 Beau Brungard Youngstown State 91.14
7 Byrum Brown USF 89.42
8 Brendan Sorsby Cincinnati 86.58
9 Trinidad Chambliss Ole Miss 86.31
10 Eddie Lee Marburger UT Rio Grande 84.98
11 Dante Moore Oregon 84.16
12 Jayden Maiava USC 82.16
13 Chris Parson Austin Peay 79.44
14 Victor Gabalis Tarleton State 79.06
15 Joey Aguilar Tennessee 78.96
16 Darian Mensah Duke 78.92
17 Haynes King Georgia Tech 78.27
18 Devon Dampier Utah 77.09
19 Noah Fifita Arizona 76.76
20 Jaden Craig Harvard 76.18

Notes: Julian Sayin (Ohio State) is the only 2025 underclassmen who would've been top ten last year. Behind him, Drew Mestemaker (Oklahoma State) and C.J. Carr (Notre Dame) would've been in the top 15, and Brad Jackson (Texas State) would've snuck into the top 20. I'm going to mention him because I think it's pretty cool, though I'm pretty sure he was a true freshman last year which makes him ineligible for the 2027 draft, but Braden Atkinson, he was at Mercer in 2025 and has since transferred to Oregon State, would've been top 15 too. Other names that would not have made the top 20, but are eligible for the 2027 draft and finished with at least a score of 70 are: Anthony Colandrea (Nebraska), Justin Lamson (Montana State), Demond Williams Jr. (Washington), Arch Manning (Texas), Josh Hoover (Indiana), Katin Houser (Illinois), and Gunner Stockton (Georgia).

Running Back Rankings
# Player Team Score
1 Jeremiyah Love Notre Dame 94.47
2 Keyjuan Brown Louisville 89.64
3 Jai'Den Thomas UNLV 86.86
4 Marcellous Hawkins Virginia Tech 83.14
5 Cam Cook Jacksonville State 82.53
6 Emmett Johnson Nebraska 80.65
7 Zach Palmer-Smith UL Monroe 77.61
8 LJ Martin BYU 76.02
9 Kaytron Allen Penn State 75.97
10 Luke Yoder Lehigh 75.74
11 Hollywood Smothers NC State 75.64
12 Kente Edwards Lafayette 75.17
13 Elijah Howard Cen Connecticut St 73.71
14 Raleek Brown Arizona State 73.20
15 L.J. Phillips Jr. South Dakota 72.69
16 Braylon McReynolds UL Monroe 72.06
17 Mark Fletcher Jr. Miami 70.70
18 Tawee Walker Cincinnati 69.56
19 Jonah Coleman Washington 68.56
20 Mike Washington Jr. Arkansas 68.22

Notes: Trying to hold to the same way I did things with the QB notes. Isaac Brown (Louisville) would've both been top 3. Ahmad Hardy (Missouri) would've been top 5. Antwan Raymond (Rutgers) would've been top 10. Jadan Baugh (Florida), J'Koby Williams (Texas Tech) and Wayshawn Parker (Utah) would've all been top 15. Kewan Lacy (Ole Miss) is the only other player who finished at 70+, would not have made the top 20 list if everyone was draft eligible for the 2026 class, AND is eligible for the 2027 draft. Fun extra note: Caleb Hawkins (Oklahoma State), Nate Sheppard (Duke), and Bo Jackson (Ohio State) were all true freshman (from what I can tell) and all would've made the top 20, Hawkins at 2, Sheppard at 7, and Jackson at 16.

Wide Receivers Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Makai Lemon USC 94.29
2 Carnell Tate Ohio State 92.22
3 Skyler Bell UCONN 90.90
4 Zachariah Branch Georgia 90.50
5 Malik Rutherford Georgia Tech 89.46
6 Jared Richardson Pennsylvania 88.73
7 Omar Cooper Jr. Indiana 88.09
8 Nico Brown Yale 87.18
9 Beau Sparks Texas State 86.89
10 Elijah Sarratt Indiana 85.52
11 Amare Thomas Houston 83.77
12 Chris Brazzell II Tennessee 83.24
13 Jackson Harris Hawaii 82.29
14 Denzel Boston Washington 81.39
15 Josh Derry Monmouth 81.25
16 Jordyn Tyson Arizona State 80.08
17 Chris Bell Louisville 79.82
18 Antonio Williams Clemson 78.24
19 Lewis Bond Boston College 78.11
20 Kendrick Law Kentucky 76.99

Notes: This will probably shock you to your very core, but Jeremiah Smith (Ohio State) would've been #1 last year. Malachi Toney (Miami) would've joined him in the top 3, at 3. Wyatt Young (Oklahoma State), yet another North Texas 2025 underclassman, would've been #12. And K.J. Duff (Rutgers) is the only other player who would've found his way into the top 20, at 16. Other guys that are draft eligible in 2027 and finished with at least a 70: Mario Craver (Texas A&M), Jalen Jones (Texas Tech), Junior Sherrill (Vanderbilt), Isaiah Sategna III (Oklahoma), Yamir Knight (SMU), Sam Milligan (Bucknell), and Jordan Faison (Notre Dame).

Tight End Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Tanner Koziol Houston 87.39
2 Terrance Carter Jr. Texas Tech 82.29
3 Peter Clarke Temple 81.24
4 Jeremiah Hasley Duke 80.96
5 Eli Stowers Vanderbilt 80.87
6 Kenyon Sadiq Oregon 79.28
7 Carsen Ryan BYU 77.63
8 Justin Joly NC State 73.74
9 Dallen Bentley Utah 73.63
10 Joe Royer Cincinnati 73.52
11 Rocky Beers Colorado State 70.42
12 Jamari Johnson Oregon 69.47
13 Brody Foley Tulsa 67.98
14 Dylan Wade UCF 67.80
15 Michael Trigg Baylor 67.71
16 Garrett Oakley Kansas State 66.61
17 Max Klare Ohio State 63.44
18 Josh Cuevas Alabama 61.81
19 DJ Rogers TCU 61.17
20 Boden Groen Kansas 60.93

Notes: Trey'Dez Green (LSU) and DJ Vonnahme (Iowa) both would've been in the top 15. The only other player who would've made the top 20 if eligible was Kaelan Chudzinski (Boston College), but he was a true freshman from what I can tell, and also worth noting that he is expected to miss all of 2026 with an Achilles injury. As you can tell, there weren't any other players at even 60+, not a very talent rich position. Even if we drop the score down to 50+ we only add three more players who are eligible for the 2027 draft: Chris Corbo (Georgia Tech), Ethan Davis (Tennessee), and Luke Lindenmeyer (Nebraska).

Offensive Tackle Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Keagen Trost Missouri 98.94
2 Trevor Lauck Iowa 96.95
3 Carter Smith Indiana 96.66
4 J.C. Davis Illinois 96.51
5 Cayden Green Missouri 96.48
6 Kadyn Proctor Alabama 96.28
7 Brian Parker II Duke 95.67
8 Spencer Fano Utah 95.65
9 Austin Siereveld Ohio State 94.26
10 Trevor Goosby Texas 93.88
11 Francis Mauigoa Miami 93.77
12 Gennings Dunker Iowa 93.63
13 Austin Barber Florida 90.94
14 Blake Miller Clemson 90.50
15 PJ Williams SMU 90.08
16 Trey Zuhn III Texas A&M 88.71
17 Travis Burke Memphis 87.25
18 Kage Casey Boise State 86.11
19 Teddy Williams Army 85.82
20 Monroe Freeling Georgia 85.75

Notes: What you see is the full top 20, everyone in it would've been eligible for the 2026 draft whether they came out or not. Also, there were plenty more guys in the 80+ range, so I'm only including guys that were at 80 or higher and are eligible for the 2027 draft: Ryan Baer (Pittsburgh), Nick Del Grande (Duke), John Pastore (Kansas State), Melvin Siani (Texas), Tristan Bounds (Arizona), Jacarrius Peak (South Carolina), and Zach Cochnauer (Nevada).

Offensive Guard Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Emmanuel Pregnon Oregon 99.35
2 Beau Stephens Iowa 99.08
3 Evan Tengesdahl Cincinnati 97.75
4 Olaivavega Ioane Penn State 97.41
5 Kade Pieper Iowa 96.55
6 Omar Aigbedion Baylor 96.44
7 Evan Beerntsen Northwestern 94.91
8 Will Jeffcoat Army 94.68
9 Tristian Smith Arkansas State 93.84
10 Keylan Rutledge Georgia Tech 92.99
11 Gabe Blair North Texas 92.50
12 Logan Parr SMU 91.98
13 Shadre Hurst Tulane 91.80
14 Addison Nichols SMU 91.79
15 Jack Burnett Air Force 89.59
16 Greg Johnson Minnesota 88.95
17 Micah Morris Georgia 88.93
18 Febechi Nwaiwu Oklahoma 88.32
19 Langston Jones Lehigh 87.85
20 Davion Carter Texas Tech 86.72

Notes: Exact same situation as the Tackles. Here's the 80+ crowd: Chris Moreno (Mid Tennessee State), Drew Evans (Indiana), Kwabena Asamoah (Rutgers), Shalik Hubbard (South Alabama), Ezomo Oratokhai (Northwestern), Luke Montgomery (Ohio State), Eric King (Temple), Wendell Moe Jr. (Tennessee), Taran Tyo (Cincinnati), and Griffin Empey (North Dakota State).

Center Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Matt Gulbin Michigan State 98.23
2 Logan Jones Iowa 97.14
3 Jake Slaughter Florida 96.04
4 Sam Hecht Kansas State 95.05
5 Pat Coogan Indiana 93.79
6 Elijah Fisher UL Monroe 93.74
7 Justin Evans Nebraska 92.91
8 Bruce Mitchell BYU 92.46
9 Jackson Carsello Northwestern 89.36
10 Drew Bobo Georgia 88.18
11 Luke Petitbon Florida State 86.44
12 Mark Chapman Columbia 85.86
13 James Brockermeyer Miami 84.68
14 Zarian McGill Colorado 84.13
15 Jim Bonifas Iowa State 83.00
16 Gus Zilinskas Rutgers 82.61
17 Brady Small Army 82.42
18 Jack Ziebell Northern Colorado 81.78
19 Coleton Price Baylor 81.75
20 Jacob Spomer Fresno State 80.17

Notes: Finally a little variety among the O-Lineman. Colby Reph (Lehigh) is the only underclassman from last year who would've made the top 20 (at 20). There's only one other player that scored 80+ and is eligible for the 2027 draft, so we'll list him along with anyone else at 70+: Anthony Boswell (Houston), Carson Hinzman (Ohio State), Braelin Moore (LSU), Jake Maikkula (Oklahoma), Sheridan Wilson (Texas Tech), John Ohnegian (Wake Forest), Iapani Laloulu (Oregon), Joshua Bates (SMU), and Tyson Ruffins (Cal).

Edge Rusher Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 David Bailey Texas Tech 97.22
2 Clev Lubin Louisville 96.55
3 Caden Curry Ohio State 95.72
4 J'Mond Tapp Southern Miss 95.45
5 John Henry Daley Utah 95.45
6 Cameron Robertson SMU 94.75
7 Akheem Mesidor Miami 93.09
8 Nadame Tucker Western Michigan 93.07
9 Rueben Bain Jr. Miami 92.53
10 Adam Trick Miami (OH) 91.14
11 Keyshawn James-Newby New Mexico 90.66
12 Derrick Moore Michigan 89.80
13 Zion Young Missouri 89.49
14 Michael Heldman Central Michigan 89.37
15 Suntarine Perkins Ole Miss 89.05
16 James Stewart Tennessee State 88.76
17 Teitum Tuioti Oregon 88.68
18 Marques White UMASS 87.06
19 Joshua Josephs Tennessee 86.92
20 Tony Anyanwu Rice 86.77

Notes: Two underclassmen from 2025 would've made the top 20, Dylan Labarbera (Nevada) would've been #1, and Colin Simmons (Texas) would've been #10. There's also plenty of 80+ guys eligible in 2027, so that's what I'm running with: Michael Kilbane (Northwestern), Thomas Johnson (Cincinnati), Will Heldt (Clemson), Yhonzae Pierre (Alabama), Langston Hardy (Wake Forest), Melkart Abou-Jaoude (North Carolina), and Isaac Terrell (Iowa State).

Defensive Line Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Carlos Allen Jr. Houston 93.63
2 Kayden McDonald Ohio State 93.34
3 Ezra Christensen New Mexico State 92.73
4 Brandon Maina Wofford 91.02
5 Landon Robinson Navy 90.50
6 Brodarius Lewis Southern Miss 90.04
7 Sam Buerkle Fordham 87.96
8 Chris McClellan Missouri 86.48
9 Jeremiah Williams Jackson State 85.75
10 Marquis Hood NC A&T 85.64
11 Kemari Copeland Virginia Tech 85.20
12 Zxavian Harris Ole Miss 84.32
13 Gafa Faga San Jose State 83.42
14 A.J. Holmes Jr. Texas Tech 83.40
15 Rene Konga Louisville 82.97
16 Amari McNeill Colorado 82.30
17 Darrell Jackson Jr. Florida State 82.25
18 Lee Hunter Texas Tech 82.11
19 Gracen Halton Oklahoma 80.95
20 Payton Zdroik Air Force 79.88

Notes: Three 2025 underclassman would've made the top 20: Scoop Gardner Jr. (Western Michigan) at #3, Will Echoles (Ole Miss) at #4, and Trevion Traylor (Central Arkansas) at #17. Beyond what you see there is only one player at 80+ that is eligible in 2027, and a TON of 70+ guys, for that reason I give you the 75+ guys: David Stone (Oklahoma), Brad Gurley Jr. (UCF), Dakota Quinonez (Duke), Tavion Gadson (Kentucky), Elias Sherman (Arkansas State), Carter Janki (Illinois), DeSean Watts (Washington), Bear Alexander (Oregon), Joshua Barker (South Carolina State), Case Mankins (Rhode Island), and Alex VanSumeren (USC).

Linebacker Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Red Murdock Buffalo 94.45
2 Rasheem Biles Pittsburgh 94.33
3 Jacob Rodriguez Texas Tech 94.12
4 Ray Coney Tulsa 93.61
5 Quinn Urwiler Northern Illinois 92.68
6 Kaleb Elarms-Orr TCU 90.32
7 Micah Davey UTEP 88.65
8 Ben Roberts Texas Tech 87.90
9 Bryun Parham UCONN 87.80
10 Owen Chambliss San Diego State 86.86
11 Sonny Styles Ohio State 86.33
12 Jaxton Eck New Mexico 85.55
13 Gideon Lampron Bowling Green 85.42
14 James Conway Fordham 85.13
15 Jake Golday Cincinnati 85.06
16 Ethan Wesloski North Texas 84.21
17 Colton Phares Appalachian State 83.33
18 Matt Rose Stanford 82.24
19 Jordan Crook Arizona State 79.40
20 Bryce Boettcher Oregon 79.30

Notes: Technically two underclassman from 2025 would've made the top 20, but only one of them is 2027 draft eligible and that's Peyton Seelmann (North Carolina) he would've come in at #20. The other was a true freshman, Charlie Christopher (Ohio) he would've been #17. Not a lot of 75+ guys, but a lot of 70+, so here's a big list of names: Sean Allison (Rutgers), Lewis Carter (UCF), Brycen Edwards (UT Rio Grande), Jordan Hall (Michigan State), Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa (Notre Dame), Owen Long (Arizona State), Robert Woodyard Jr. (Missouri), Noah Flemmings (UL Monroe), Trey Lathan (Kansas), CJ Young (Miami (OH)), Nate Fischer (FAU), Amare Campbell (Tennessee), Taye Brown (Arizona), Daniel Wingate (Maryland), Austin Romaine (Texas Tech), and Christian Magliacano (Colgate).

Cornerback Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Treydan Stukes Arizona 94.18
2 John Nestor Minnesota 92.63
3 Mansoor Delane LSU 90.57
4 Devon Marshall NC State 89.34
5 Brice Pollock Texas Tech 89.18
6 D'Angelo Ponds Indiana 88.91
7 Zach Lutmer Iowa 88.53
8 Keionte Scott Miami 88.36
9 Chris Johnson San Diego State 88.25
10 Jadon Canady Oregon 87.76
11 Jalen Mayo Stephen F. Austin 87.47
12 Boogie Trotter Marshall 87.09
13 Keith Abney II Arizona State 86.60
14 Devan Boykin Indiana 85.56
15 Simeon Harris Fresno State 85.35
16 Davison Igbinosun Ohio State 84.82
17 Jaquez White Troy 84.76
18 Evan Johnson BYU 83.67
19 Ian Foster Southern Miss 82.85
20 Antonio Watts Louisville 82.85

Notes: Just one 2025 underclassman that would've made the list and it would've been at #1 overall, Leonard Moore (Notre Dame). There's a handful of 80+ guys eligible in 2027, and a decent chunk of 75+ guys, so I'm gonna split them up. The 80+ guys: Donovan Woolen (North Dakota State), Eric Zachery (Prairie View A&M), Jay'Vion Cole (Arizona), and Elijah Green (Tulsa). And the 70+ guys: Cam Jones (Toledo), Daniel Cobbs (Baylor), Ryan Gadson (FIU), Abu Kamara (Yale), Nic Lendino (Valparaiso), Devaon Holman (Youngstown State), Scooter Jackson (UCLA), Tyran Chappell (Michigan State), and John Curry* (Texas Tech). Curry gets an * because he's technically a Linebacker, who was used as a multi-tool type out of necessity last year and wound up lining up mostly in the slot, which is why he's in this list.

Safety Rankings
# Player Team PCT
1 Dalton Johnson Arizona 88.40
2 Bishop Fitzgerald USC 87.46
3 Louis Moore Indiana 87.27
4 Jalen Huskey Maryland 87.08
5 Bray Hubbard Alabama 86.80
6 Dillon Thieneman Oregon 84.63
7 Jakari Foster Louisiana Tech 84.57
8 Devin Neal Virginia 82.71
9 Wydett Williams Jr. Ole Miss 82.61
10 Bud Clark TCU 82.26
11 Caleb Downs Ohio State 80.85
12 Jelani McDonald Texas 80.65
13 A.J. Haulcy LSU 80.26
14 Bryce Thornton Florida 79.68
15 Nick Andersen Wake Forest 79.25
16 Emmanuel McNeil-Warren Toledo 79.22
17 Jakobe Thomas Miami 78.71
18 Eli Blakey Miami (OH) 78.59
19 Michael Taaffe Texas 77.82
20 Ty Bryant Kentucky 77.08

Notes: Two underclassman from 2025 that would've made the list, and it would've been at #1, Tae Johnson (Notre Dame), and at #2, KJ Bolden (Georgia). And here are the rest of the 70+, 2027 draft eligible players: Cam Chapa (Arizona), Faletau Satuala (BYU), Daytione Smith (Marshall), Alex McLaughlin (Washington), Koa Akui (Rice), Cruce Brookins (Pittsburgh), and Corey Myrick (Clemson).