🔥 Quarterbacks: The Field Generals
1. John Mateer – Oklahoma
Mateer is what every modern offense dreams of — calm under pressure, mobile enough to make defenses pay, and smart enough to never force the issue. He’s a calculated playmaker who controls tempo, manipulates coverage, and never looks panicked. When he’s in command, Oklahoma hums.
2. LaNorris Sellers – South Carolina
There’s no ceiling on Sellers’ game. He’s raw, electric, and fearless — the definition of a spark plug quarterback. His physical gifts alone make him dangerous, but what’s even scarier is his growth as a decision-maker. South Carolina finally has a leader who can will them into any game.
3. Drew Allar – Penn State
Allar doesn’t win headlines — he wins games. He’s stoic, deliberate, and unfazed by chaos. He’s a throwback field general who dictates pace and thrives in structure. Every offense needs a steady heartbeat; Allar is Penn State’s.
4. Garrett Nussmeier – LSU
Nussmeier brings gunslinger energy in the best way. He trusts his arm and his instincts, and he’s finally finding that balance between aggression and control. LSU’s offense has the personality of its quarterback — fiery, unpredictable, and explosive.
5. Arch Manning – Texas
Arch is done being “the name.” Now he’s just the guy. His mechanics are clean, his pocket presence refined, and his leadership quiet but commanding. He’s not chasing highlights — he’s building wins, one surgical drive at a time.
🏃 Running Backs: The Engines of Offense
1. Jeremiyah Love – Notre Dame
Love runs with a sense of destiny. Every cut looks intentional, every finish looks personal. He blends patience, balance, and physicality in a way that screams NFL readiness. Notre Dame’s attack leans on him to dictate rhythm — and he delivers.
2. Kaytron Allen – Penn State
Allen is a craftsman with the ball. He understands leverage and reads blocks like a veteran. You won’t find wasted movement in his game — just consistent, bruising efficiency. He’s a coach’s dream in shoulder pads.
3. Jam Miller – Alabama
Miller is Bama’s heartbeat. He plays angry but calculated, lowering his shoulder with authority while maintaining his burst in space. He’s not the next Alabama back — he is the standard.
4. Nicholas Singleton – Penn State
Singleton has that home-run factor. His acceleration punishes hesitation, and one crease is all he needs. He’s still sharpening his vision, but when the field opens, it’s lights out for defenders.
5. Jamal Haynes – Georgia Tech
Haynes is the underdog everyone underestimates until he burns them. Compact, fearless, and full of juice — he’s the definition of a modern all-purpose weapon. Every touch feels like it might change momentum.
🎯 Wide Receivers: The Playmakers
1. Zach Branch – Georgia
Branch is chaos with purpose. His routes are sharp, his acceleration instant, and his confidence unshakable. Georgia uses him like a joystick — slot, motion, screens — and every touch is a threat to go 60.
2. Denzel Boston – Washington
Boston plays the game like he’s directing it. His timing, body control, and composure make him nearly impossible to fluster. He’s the chain mover, the tone setter, and the veteran presence all in one.
3. Evan Stewart – Oregon
Stewart wins with intelligence and detail. He’s the guy who’s open even when he’s not, because his route pacing fools defenders. Oregon’s passing game lives off his precision and trustworthiness.
4. Jordyn Tyson – Arizona State
Tyson has that fire. He turns routine plays into statements and plays with visible swagger. He’s the emotional leader on every drive — fearless, confident, and magnetic.
5. Eric Singleton Jr. – Auburn
Singleton Jr. embodies consistency. He runs crisp routes, blocks hard, and never takes a rep off. The quiet types usually surprise people — he’s about to.
💪 Tight Ends: The Swiss Army Knives
1. Oscar Delp – Georgia
Delp’s game is all about versatility. One snap he’s pancaking a linebacker, the next he’s outrunning a safety. Georgia’s offense feels smarter and more fluid when he’s involved — he’s their modern Gronk archetype.
2. Kenyon Sadiq – Oregon
Sadiq is a hybrid nightmare. His speed and length create mismatches everywhere. Oregon loves using him in space, and his ceiling looks endless if his blocking keeps improving.
3. Eli Stowers – Vanderbilt
Stowers embodies toughness. He grinds through games, does the dirty work, and brings old-school value to a position going soft. Vanderbilt’s offense leans on his discipline as much as his production.
4. Max Kalre – Ohio State
Kalre is clean, explosive, and technically gifted. His routes have purpose and his after-catch power punishes smaller defenders. He’s built for the modern college offense — fast, fearless, and fluid.
5. Eli Raridon – Notre Dame
Raridon is a project with big-time potential. He’s got the frame, athleticism, and mentality — now it’s about consistency. He’s trending up fast.
⚡ Edge Rushers: The Game Wreckers
1. Rueben Bain Jr. – Miami
Bain is relentless — a one-man demolition crew. His motor runs hot every down, and his technical skill keeps improving. You don’t block him; you just survive him.
2. Matayo Uiagalelei – Oregon
Uiagalelei’s balance of power and agility is rare. He’s learning to harness it with real purpose now, turning raw athleticism into domination. When he converts speed to power, quarterbacks start praying.
3. Patrick Payton – LSU
Payton is polished and poised. He reads the game like a veteran, understanding when to rush, when to contain, and when to punish. He’s LSU’s tone-setter up front.
4. David Bailey – Texas Tech
Bailey plays every snap like he’s being timed. His first step is lethal, and his effort never dips. He’s an ascending name scouts are starting to whisper about.
5. Keldric Faulk – Auburn
Faulk is the definition of trench toughness. He wins with leverage and pure determination. Auburn’s defense takes its identity from players like him.
🧱 Defensive Tackles: The Core
1. Peter Woods – Clemson
Woods is a storm inside. His explosion off the snap is elite, and he brings violence to every rep. Clemson’s defense depends on his ability to disrupt everything up the middle.
2. Christen Miller – Georgia
Miller is surgical. He dissects blocking schemes with intelligence and hand skill. Georgia trusts him to anchor and diagnose, and he rarely disappoints.
3. Albert Regis – Texas A&M
Regis brings blue-collar power. He eats space, collapses pockets, and makes everyone around him better. He’s the unsung hero every elite defense needs.
4. Damonic Williams – Oklahoma
Williams is a brawler. His strength and leverage make running inside a gamble. Oklahoma uses him as their anchor, and he thrives in that heavy-duty role.
5. Dontay Corleone – Cincinnati
Corleone plays angry — every snap feels like a statement. He sets the tone with effort and physicality that define the Bearcats’ culture.
🧢 Outside Linebackers: The Hybrids
1. Sonny Styles – Ohio State
Styles is positionless in the best way. He can cover, rush, or fill the alley like a freight train. His instincts make Ohio State’s defense unpredictable. He’s a future defensive cornerstone.
2. Suntarine Perkins – Ole Miss
Perkins is fast, violent, and full of chaos energy. He thrives in motion and is deadly in pursuit. His versatility keeps coordinators guessing — he’s never in one spot long.
3. Desmond Purnell – Kansas State
Purnell is the dependable general. He does his job, reads offenses perfectly, and elevates the guys next to him. You can trust him with the headset or the blitz call.
4. Gabe Jacas – Illinois
Jacas is smooth and violent — that’s rare. He can dip under tackles and close with precision. Illinois has found its quiet defensive star.
5. Jaylen Blackwell – Boston College
Blackwell is hustle personified. Every play, every pursuit, full speed. His energy alone can flip a defensive series.
🎯 Middle Linebackers: The Anchors
1. Anthony Hill Jr. – Texas
Hill is pure control in chaos. He diagnoses before others react and plays downhill with purpose. He’s the emotional center of that Texas defense.
2. Jaishawn Barham – Michigan
Barham is a field general. He’s disciplined, patient, and cerebral. Michigan trusts him to make calls, and his reliability makes everyone better.
3. Xavian Sorey Jr. – Arkansas
Sorey’s range changes games. His speed allows Arkansas to play aggressive fronts without fear. Once his instincts catch up to his athleticism, watch out.
4. Jason Henderson – Old Dominion
Henderson’s tape is pure effort and intelligence. He’s always in position, always first to contact. His leadership makes him impossible to replace.
5. Levani Damuni – Utah
Damuni plays angry, communicates loudly, and leads fearlessly. He’s the definition of Utah toughness — dependable and unbreakable.
🧤 Cornerbacks: The Island Men
1. Mansoor Delane – LSU
Delane owns his half of the field. His confidence is contagious, and his technique is elite. He doesn’t talk much — his coverage does it for him.
2. Ricardo Hallman – Wisconsin
Hallman is a tactician. He wins reps with IQ and timing more than raw speed. Wisconsin’s defense feels safest when he’s shadowing WR1.
3. Domani Jackson – Alabama
Jackson has all the tools: fluidity, speed, and toughness. When his instincts click, he looks like a first-rounder in waiting.
4. Malik Muhammad – Texas
Muhammad brings swagger and fight. He challenges every route, every throw. He’s the heartbeat of that Texas secondary.
5. D’Angelo Pounds – Indiana
Pounds plays with grit and heart. He’s the definition of a “prove-it” player who earns every snap through intensity.
🔒 Safeties: The Enforcers
1. Caleb Downs – Ohio State
Downs is the complete package — poised, instinctive, physical, and vocal. He controls the back end like a veteran, and it shows every play.
2. Xavier Nwankpa – Iowa
Nwankpa hits like a truck but covers like a corner. His range and reliability make Iowa’s secondary bulletproof.
3. Dillon Thieneman – Oregon
Thieneman is a chess player — patient, smart, and opportunistic. He always finds the ball, and Oregon’s defense flows through his instincts.
4. Jalen Catalon – Missouri
Catalon plays like every snap could be his last. He’s all heart and muscle, a tone-setter every defense wants.
5. Zakee Wheatley – Penn State
Wheatley has a nose for the football. His anticipation and closing speed make him a turnover machine waiting to happen.
🌙 Sleepers: The Ones Nobody Sees Coming
Diego Pavia – Vanderbilt
Pavia’s game is built on grit. He’s undersized, overlooked, and absolutely relentless. He brings chaos, confidence, and creativity to an offense that needs it.
Jaydn Ott – Oklahoma
Ott is the perfect blend of patience and explosion. He doesn’t waste movement — every cut is calculated. Once he gets rhythm, he controls games without needing flash.
Eugene Wilson III – Florida
Wilson is lightning in pads. His quickness and body control are freakish, and Florida’s offense finally looks dangerous when he’s in motion.
Jack Velling – Michigan State
Velling is the matchup nightmare every coordinator dreams of. He’s long, athletic, and competitive. He’ll be the name scouts circle by mid-season.
Korey Foreman – Fresno State
Foreman’s story is redemption. The talent was always there — now the confidence is catching up. Fresno State’s gamble might just pay off in a big way.
