Top 2025 college draft classes

August 10, 2024

TOP 15 COLLEGE DRAFT CLASSES For 2025:

  1. OHIO STATE (11-2): There won’t be any excuses for Ohio State this fall as the Buckeyes return arguably the most talented roster in the country despite losing star WR Marvin Harrison, the first non-QB selected at the 2024 NFL draft, to the pros. However, the Buckeyes do return just about everyone else who had been considered a top prospect for this past April’s draft including RB Tre’veyon Henderson, WR Emeka Egbuka, OG Donovan Jackson, DEs JT Tuimoloau and Jack Sawyer, DT Tyleik Williams and CB Denzel Burke who all returned for one last kick at the CFP can. For the record, Burke, Egbuka, Tuimoloau and Sawyer each has at least some first-round candidates potential for 2025, while Jackson and Williams are second-day prospects. Meanwhile, other Buckeye veterans to watch include LT Josh Simmons, LB Cody Simon and SS Lathan Ranson. At the same time, the Ohio State line-up will be augmented by several top transfers including RB Quinshon Judkins, who comes up from Mississippi and should combine with Henderson to give Ohio State the best 1-2 backfield combination in the country, and former Kansas State QB Will Howard who takes over from Kyle McCord who moved on to Syracuse. In fact, Howard, who isn’t a superstar but is a better prospect than McCord, could be the key to just how far the Buckeyes go this coming fall. The Buckeyes’ most intriguing transfer, though, and just maybe their best player period, could be former Alabama S Caleb Downs, a freshman All-American last year who won’t be draft eligible until 2026. Pro scouts will also be keeping an eye on LB Sonny Styles, a converted safety with sub-4.5 speed, who could emerge as a top prospect at that position. 
  2. GEORGIA (13-1):  Georgia was denied a shot at a 3rd straight national title last fall when the Bulldogs were upset by Alabama in the SEC championship game. However, they’ll almost assuredly be back in the mix this year with a deep roster headed by QB Carson Beck who could ultimately get some consideration to be the first player selected next April after he threw for just under 4,000 yards and 24 scores last fall while completing 72% of his throws with just 6 picks. Beck could be joined in next year’s opening round by safety Malachi Starks, one of the most dynamic impact defenders in college football. In the end, though, the Bulldogs best prospect could ultimately be DE Mykel Williams who didn’t necessarily have a dominant year last fall, but has all the tools to be the next great pass-rusher in the NFL. The Bulldogs also features one of the top OL lines in the country anchored by OT Earnest Greene, who could also get some late first-round interest, while fellow OT Xavier Truss and OGs Tate Rutledge and Dylan Fairchild have second-day possibilities. Meanwhile, other UGA players with solid second-day prospects include DT Nazir Stackhouse, LB Smael Mondon, WR Dominc Lovett, and TEs Oscar Delp and Ben Yurosek. Same for RB Travis Etienne who transferred north from Florida this winter. 
  3. MICHIGAN (15-0): The Wolverines go into the season as defending national champions, but they’ll almost be starting over after head coach Jim Harbaugh, QB JJ McCarthy and a host of other key contributors left for the NFL. However, the cupboard isn’t totally bare for the Wolverines who do return at least a couple of players with legitimate top ten potential for the 2025 draft in CB Will Johnson and DT Mason Graham, both of whom are the consensus leading prospects at their respective positions. Graham, in particular, combines with fellow DT Kenneth Grant, who has some late first potential of his own, to make arguably the strongest DT twosomes in the country. The Wolverines will also feature arguably the top TE prospect this year in Colston Loveland, another mid-to-late opening round candidate, while Donovan Edwards will get the chance to prove he’s a stud RB now that Blake Corum has moved on to the pros. Meanwhile, other Wolverines to watch include safeties Rod Moore and Makari Paige, DE Josiah Stewart and LB Derrick Moore.  Whether the Wolverines will have any legitimate chance to defend their title, though, will depend on finding someone to replace McCarthy at QB; dual-threat Alex Orji gets the first shot at the job, but at least until this year he’s been a far better runner than passer.
  4. OREGON (12-2): The Ducks head to the BIG TEN this fall with a revamped line-up featuring a number of top transfers. Heading that list is QB Dillon Gabriel who takes over the helm of the high-octane Oregon offence from Bo Nix, the 12th player selected at the 2024 draft. Gabriel, at barely 5-11, isn’t quite the prospect Nix was, but he’s still been a highly productive college player who completed 69% of his passes for 3,700 and 30 TDs against just 6 picks last year at Oklahoma. And he’ll have a couple of excellent WR targets to work with including Evan Stewart, a mid-to-late-first round prospect with 4.35 type speed who transferred in from Texas A&M, and Tez Johnson, a second-day candidate who set the Ducks single season record last fall with 86 receptions. For good measure, the Ducks also feature arguably the best 1-2 OT combination in the country outside the SEC in LT Josh Conerly and RT Ajani Cornelius, while Jordan James takes over at RB. At the same time, CB Jabbar Muhammad, yet another transfer (from Washington) with mid-to-late first round potential is the top prospect on a veteran defence that also includes DE Jordan Burch, DT Jamaree Caldwell, LBs Jeffrey Bassa and Jestin Jacobs, and CBs Dontae Manning and Kam Alexander. 
  5. TEXAS (12-2): The Longhorns head to the SEC this fall after last year’s CFP run that ended with a heart-breaking semi-final loss to Washington. And while it’s a step up in class for the Longhorns, they have the class to step up. OT Kelvin Banks, for example, is one of the prime 2-3 OL prospects for the 2025 draft with legitimate top ten potential. Meanwhile, QB Quinn Ewers had a break out year last fall when he completed 69% of his passes for 3,500 yards and 22 scores against just 6 picks. And while he can still be somewhat inconsistent at times, Ewers has all the tools to be very much in the mix among the top prospects at the position next April. The other really intriguing Texas prospect is DE Trey Moore, who transferred from Texas-San Antonio after posting 14 sacks last fall, the second most in D1 football. Other Texas prospects include WR Isaiah Bond, OG DJ Campbell, DTs Alfred Collins and Jermayne Lole, DE Barryn Sorrell and safeties Andrew Mukuba and Jahdae Barron.  
  6. MISSISSIPPI (11-2): The Rebels has slowly closed the gap on the Alabamas and Georgias of the SEC and despite the loss of star RB Quinshon Judkins who upped and transferred north to Ohio State, Ole Miss will be a tough out again this fall. In fact, it says here they are a legitimate dark-horse to win it all this year. And while they did lose Judkins, the Rebels were still a big winner in the transfer portal attracting WR Juice Wells from South Carolina, DT Walter Nolen from Texas A&M, DE Princely Umanmielen from Florida and LB Chris Paul from Arkansas, each of whom has at least second-day potential. Wells, for example, should combine with fellow WRs Tre Harris, another second-round prospect who averaged over 18 yards per catch, veteran Jordan Watkins, and JC All-American Deion Smith, another big-play threat, and TE Caden Prieskorn to give QB Jaxson Dart one of the better receiving corps in the country. Indeed, speaking of sleepers, the much-travelled Dart has the tools to ultimately grade out as one of the top candidates at the position this coming April. Meanwhile, Nolen and Umanmielen will work what should be a very good defensive line with DT JJ Pegues, while other Ole Miss defenders to watch include LB Khari Coleman, CB Trey Amos and safeties Key Lawrence and Trey Washington. 
  7. LSU (10-3): LSU had a huge impact on the 2024 draft when former QB Jayden Daniels and WR Malik Nabers were both selected within the first half dozen picks. And the Tigers could be back for more of the same next April as OT Will Campbell has top 5 potential for 2025. LT Campbell, in fact, combines with RT Emory Jones, who has some late first round potential of his own, to give LSU the top 1-2 OT combination in the country. The Tigers also have decent replacements for Daniels and Nabers in veteran QB Grant Nussmeier and transfer WRs CJ Daniels from Liberty and Zavion Thomas from Mississippi State, although none of the new players have the kind of All-America skill of the guys they replace. The Tigers also have intriguing prospects on the other side of the ball starting with OLB Harold Perkins, a terrific athlete who should be more comfortable at OLB this fall rather than AT DE where he is somewhat undersized. Pro scouts are also intrigued to see where 6-6, 280-pound DE Sai’vion Jones is this fall; even at that size he’s a freakish athlete with first round tools but has yet to be that productive to date. Meanwhile, other Tigers with later round grades include TE Mason Taylor, RB Josh Williams, OG Miles Frazier, DT Jalen Lee, LB Greg Penn, CB Zy Alexander, and S Jardin Gilbert. 
  8. ALABAMA (12-2): It is a new day at Alabama as Nick Saban, arguably the most successful coach in college football history, has retired. Bill DeBoer, his replacement did build a national contender at Washington that made last year’s CFP championship game, but he still has big shoes to fill with the Tide. Fortunately, DeBoer does inherit a talented squad including QB Jalen Milroe, OGs Tyler Booker and Jaeden Roberts, WR Germie Bernard, LB Deontae Lawson, S Malachi Moore, DTs Jaheim Oatis and Tim Smith and TE CJ Dippre among others. However, while several of those players have some late-first potential, none is a lock at this time to be selected in the opening round. And that could put Alabama’s record streak of having at least one player selected in the first round for 17 straight years in jeopardy. The key to the Alabama season, though, is Milroe, a big, athletic dual-threat type who really came on at the end of the 2023 season when he completed 66% of his passes, including 23 for scores, against just 6 picks while running for another 530 yards and 12 scores. At the same time, OG Booker, LB Lawson and S Moore are also very good players, but don’t play necessarily high-value draft positions.
  9. TEXAS A&M (7-6): No program in the country benefited more from the transfer portal this year than the Aggies who added over 20 players. Indeed, DE Nic Scourton, who transferred from Purdue is arguably the Aggies best prospect; he’s a full-sized 6-4, 280-pounder with LB-like athleticism, who had 10 sacks in 2023 and is considered to have one of the highest-ceilings of anyone in the upcoming draft. At the same time, QB Casey Weigmann, who has battled injuries in the past, is an intriguing second-tier prospect at the position if he can stay healthy, while the Aggies have a virtual small army of decent third-day candidates including WRs Moose Muhammad and Chris Marshall, TE Jake Johnson, OTs Reuben Fatherlee and Trey Zuhn, C Bryce Foster, DT Shemar Turner, and CBs Tony Grimes and Denver Harris.  
  10. NOTRE DAME (10-3): Probably no program in college football is happier that we are now in the 12-team CFP era than Notre Dame as it was always going to be difficult for the Irish to make the 4-team playoff given their schedule. The Irish will again have a quality veteran transfer at QB this fall with Riley Leonard coming over from Wake Forest where he was considered to be a rising star for the 2024 draft at one time last year before missing the back half of the campaign with an injury. Leonard will some decent targets in TE Mitch Evans, arguably the top prospect at the position for next year, along wth WRs Beaux Collins and Kris Mitchell. However, the offensive line will be manned by largely unproven players. No such problems for the defense, though, which features CB Ben Morrison, a legit top ten prospect for next year’s draft, along with S Xavier Watts, who led the country with 7 picks last year, active DTs Howard Cross and Rylie Mills, DE RJ Oben, another ACC transfer, veteran LB Jack Kiser, and underrated CB Jordan Clark. 
  11. COLORADO (4-8): The Buffalos don’t have a lot of talent for the upcoming draft, but what they do have is really good. Indeed, both QB Shedeur Sanders and CB/WR Travis Hunter are potential top 5 picks for the 2025 draft. Sanders, for example, was being talked about in the same breath as Caleb Williams and Drake May before opting to return to school last fall, while Hunter, an All-American CB and very good receiver, is the only D1 player who plays both ways. Meanwhile Shilo Sanders, Deion’s ‘other’ son with the Buffs, has some second-day potential of his own, but may lead the league in off-field issues. On the one hand, Sanders had shoulder surgery earlier this summer and may not be ready for the start of the season; then there is the somewhat bizarre soap opera of his bankruptcy.
  12. PENN STATE (10-3): Once again, the battle cry at Penn State will be ‘we’re #3 and we try harder’ as the Nittany Lions will try and close the gap on perennial Big Ten powers Ohio State and Michigan, although the task will be complicated this fall with the arrival of Southern Cal, Oregon, Washington and UCLA from the now defunct PAC-12. And the big question for the Lions will be can they generate some offence. They should be able to run the ball this fall as they return one of the better RB combos in the country in Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen, although neither is likely more than an early 3rd day prospect for 2025. For the offence to really improve, though, Penn State will need QB Drew Allar, who has all the tools of an elite passer, to raise the level of his game big-time after he threw for just 2,600 yards last fall when he completed less than 60% of his throws. It won’t help, too that other than TE Tyler Warren, another early 3rd day candidate, the Lions don’t return much at receiver, although getting WR Julian Fleming from Ohio State will help. In fact, if the Lions are to compete at the highest level this year, it will likely depend on the defence which features rising OLB Abdul Carter, Penn State’s only real opening round prospect this year, along with S Kevin Winston and DE Dani Dennis-Sutton, both of whom have second-day potential. 
  13. LOUISVILLE (10-4): This is a team that even diehard Cardinals’ fans will likely need a program for, at least early on this fall, as Louisville was one of the most active programs in the transfer portal this off-season. The Cardinals’ passing attack, for example, was pretty much rebuilt with the arrival of QB Tyler Shough from Texas Tech and WRs Ja’Corey Brooks from Alabama and Caullin Lacy from South Alabama. Lacy, one of the top returning receivers in the country after nabbing 91 receptions for over 1,300 yards last fall at USA, has legit second-day potential, while the 6-5 Shough, who has a big arm, could be something of a sleeper at that critical position. In many ways, though, the Cardinals’ most interesting transfer is DT Thor Griffith, a rugged 320-pound run stuffer from  Harvard who does not play anything like an Ivy Leaguer. All that said, the Cardinals’ best prospects are holdovers in DE Ashton Gillotte, a mid-to-late first round candidate, and CB Quincy Riley who has second-day potential. Meanwhile, other Cardinals to watch include OG Michael Gonzalez, DT Jordan Guerad, and safeties Devin Neal and MJ Griffin. 
  14. ARIZONA (10-3): The Wildcats are another program that doesn’t necessarily have a lot of prospects for the upcoming draft, but what they do have are really intriguing. It starts with 6-5 WR Tetairoa McMillan, a physical mismatch waiting to happen, who has a chance to be Arizona’s first top ten pick this century; in fact, he’s a legitimate top 5 candidate with a chance to be the highest Wildcat ever selected. Its also not hard to figure that pro scouts will be lining up to get into Arizona practices to watch McMillan go up against 6-4 CB Tacario Davis, another rising prospect with some mid-to-late first-round potential of his own. The Wildcats also feature one of the better offensive linemen in the 2025 draft class in 340-pound G/T Jonah Savalinaea. We’d also be remiss in not mentioning QB Noah Fifita, one of the most exciting passers in college football, although he’s somewhat undersized at just 5-11, 195 and as a 3rd year junior may be inclined to stay in college past this season. 
  15. IOWA (9-3): The Hawkeyes likely won’t have anyone selected at the upcoming opening round, but do have several solid second day prospects including safeties Xavier Nwankpa and Sebastain Cabot, TE Luke Lachey, LB Jay Higgins, and OG Connor Colby, each of whom is among the top prospects at their respective positions.  Meanwhile, QB Cade McNamara, C Logan Jones, DT Yahya Black, and LB Nick Jackson are later round or free agent candidates. 

Just missed: MIAMI; TENNESSEE; FLORIDA: MISSOURI; FLORIDA STATE; CLEMSON