ESPN ranks the Top 100 college football players from 2025 season

No. 1 Indiana achieved perfection and secured the first 16-0 season in more than 130 years with a history-making 27-21 win over No. 10 Miami in last Monday’s College Football Playoff National Championship game. A week later, ESPN took the opportunity to look back at the entire 2025 college football season and re-rank the Top 100 players from the past season.

Based on what the entire world witnessed Dec. 19 inside Hard Rock Stadium, there should be no surprise which player takes the No. 1 overall spot: Indiana’s Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Not only did Mendoza put the Hoosiers on his back and pinball his way into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, he also cemented his place in the hearts of college football fans everywhere with an endearing personality.

Of course, there were plenty of other college football standouts that established themselves as superstars, be it key transfer imports on Texas Tech‘s rebuilt roster, members of Ohio State‘s nation’s-leading defense or individual transcendent talents like Notre Dame‘s Jeremiyah Love or Vanderbilt‘s Diego Pavia. With that in mind, check out how ESPN experts Bill Connelly, David Hale, Adam Rittenberg and Max Olson ranked the Top 100 players from the 2025 college football season below:

1. Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana

The former Cal transfer established himself as the Hoosiers’ perfect quarterback with uncanny consistency and efficiency, directing Indiana to the program’s first-ever undefeated regular season and its first Big Ten championship since 1967. Mendoza’s 41 passing touchdowns led the nation and set a single-season program record in Bloomington. Now he’s destined to be the No. 1 overall pick in April’s NFL Draft.

ESPN: “Indiana’s first Heisman Trophy winner propelled the Hoosiers to their first outright Big Ten title since 1945, first wins in the Rose and Peach bowls and a once-unthinkable national title.”

2. Rueben Bain Jr., DE, Miami

Despite measurement questions that could impact his NFL draft stock, Bain was a nightmare matchup for opposing offensive linemen as a key piece of the Hurricanes’ fierce defensive front. And he simply produced game-in and game-out, racking up 9.5 sacks, 15.5 tackles for loss and nearly 70 total pressures while helping guide Miami to a runner-up finish in the national championship game.

ESPN: “Bain’s production included a game-changing interception against Notre Dame in the opener and a dominant postseason run with 5 sacks, 20 pressures and 9 tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage.”

3. David Bailey, EDGE, Texas Tech

Arguably the most impactful transfer not named “Fernando Mendoza,” Bailey was a key part of the Red Raiders defense that transformed into one of the nation’s best overall units last season. Bailey was a monster off the edge, and tied for the nation’s lead with 14.5 sacks to go along with 19.5 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hurries and three forced fumbles in 2025.

ESPN: “Bailey was a Stanford transfer and made the most of his one season in Lubbock, where he was part of a transfer portal class that elevated the Red Raiders to a CFP team.”

4. Jacob Rodriguez, LB, Texas Tech

The former Red Raiders walk-on is a converted quarterback who established himself as the single-most impactful defensive player in all of college football last season. Rodriguez led Texas Tech with 128 total tackles to go along with four interceptions and a fumble return for a touchdown, while also adding a pair of rushing touchdowns on offense.

ESPN: “Rodriguez was the nation’s most decorated defender, a first-team All-American who finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy voting and won the Bednarik, Butkus, Lombardi and Nagurski trophies.”

5. Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

Downs has been one of college football’s best defensive players since he first stepped foot on campus in Tuscaloosa, when the five-star true freshman led Alabama with 107 total tackles. That success carried over after transferred to Ohio State, where he proved to be the cornerstone of the Buckeye’s FBS-leading defense each of the past two seasons.

ESPN: “The Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and Jim Thorpe Award winner finished his college career with another spectacular season.”

6. Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

Arguably the most explosive running back in college football the past two years, Love cemented his status as the 2025 Doak Walker Award winner (best RB in college football) with 1,372 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns on just 199 carries last season. A homerun threat whenever he touched the ball, Love finished second nationally with 39 runs of 10 or more yards.

ESPN: “The most electric runner in the country, Love finished as a Heisman finalist while racking up more than 1,600 yards from scrimmage and six games with 100 rushing yards or more.”

7. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss

A former Division II star from Ferris State, Chambliss entered the season as the Rebels’ backup QB and didn’t start until the third game of the season. But once there, the dual-threat talent took ahold of that job and never relented, combining on 4,464 total yards and 30 touchdowns in what amounted to roughly 13 complete games while guiding Ole Miss to a historic Playoff run.

ESPN: “Once Chambliss took over, he led the Rebels to their greatest season in school history. Thanks to Chambliss’ big plays, Ole Miss went 13-2 and reached the CFP semifinals.”

8. Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State

The former five-star superstar built upon his breakout freshman campaign with a strong sophomore season in Columbus. While he wasn’t able to match last year’s numbers, Smith still led the Big Ten with 1,243 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns. And he elevated his play in the biggest games, combining on 15 catches for 301 yards and one touchdown in Ohio State’s last two contests of 2025.

ESPN: “One year after shattering Ohio State’s freshman receiving records, Smith … was a Biletnikoff Award finalist, the Big Ten Receiver of the Year and a unanimous All-American. “

9. Diego Pavia, QB, Vanderbilt

The ex-JUCO QB cemented his place in Vanderbilt lore after transforming the ‘Dores from SEC doormat to conference contender in just two seasons. Exuding flash and bravado, the dual-threat Pavia produced nearly 7,500 total yards and 67 touchdowns during his time in Nashville. That included guiding Vanderbilt to its first-ever 10-win season with 4,401 total yards and 39 touchdowns in 2025.

ESPN: “Arguably, no player had more of an impact at an FBS program in recent history than Pavia, who joined the Commodores from New Mexico State before the 2024 season.”

10. Cashius Howell, DE, Texas A&M

The former Bowling Green transfer emerged as one of the SEC’s top pass rushers in his second season with the Aggies, finishing second in the league with 11.5 sacks to go along with 14 tackles for loss and 31 total tackles in 2025. Given that success off the edge, Howell is widely considered a first-round lock in the upcoming 2026 NFL Draft.

ESPN: “After coming into his own with 13.5 sacks in his past two seasons at Bowling Green, Howell became one of the nation’s best pass rushers at A&M in 2025.”

ESPN Top 100 players of 2025, Nos. 11-25:

11. Spencer Fano, OL, Utah
12. Francis Mauigoa, OL, Miami
13. Makai Lemon, WR, USC
14. Kayden McDonald, DT, Ohio State
15. Leonarrd Moore, CB, Notre Dame
16. D’Angelo Pounds, CB, Indiana
17. Arvell Reese, LB, Ohio Sate
18. Carter Smith, OL, Indiana
19. Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri
20. Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss
21. KC Concepcion, WR, Texas A&M
22. Lee Hunter, DT, Texas Tech
23. Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
24. Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
25. CJ Allen, LB, Georgia

ESPN Top 100 players of 2025, Nos. 26-50:

26. Malachi Toney, WR, Miami
27. Mansoor Delane, CB, LSU
28. Akheem Mesidor, DE, Miami
29. Aiden Fisher, LB, Indiana
30. Brice Pollock, CB, Texas Tech
31. Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas
32. Bishop Fitzgerald, S, USC
33. Eli Stowers, TE, Vanderbilt
34. Logan Jones, C, Iowa
35. Skyler Bell, WR, UConn
36. Chris Johnson, CB, San Diego State
37. Keionte Scott, S, Miami
38. Caden Curry, DE, Ohio State
39. Emmanuel Pregnon, OL, Oregon
40. Emmett Johnson, RB, Nebraska
41. Kenyon Sadiq, TE, Oregon
42. Nadame Tucker, DE, Western Michigan
43. John Henry Daley, DE, Utah
44. Cam Cook, RB, Jacksonville State
45. Haynes King, QB, Georgia Tech
46. Romello Height, EDGE, Texas Tech
47. Ty Simpson, QB, Alabama
48. Will Echoles, DT, Ole Miss
49. Carson Beck, QB, Miami
50. Carnell Tate, WR, Ohio State

ESPN Top 100 players of 2025, Nos. 51-75:

51. Hezekiah Masses, CB, Cal
52. KJ Duff, WR, Rutgers
53. CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
54. A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon
55. Omar Cooper Jr., WR, Indiana
56. Jayden Maiava, QB, USC
57. Dillon Thieneman, S, Oregon
58. Arch Manning, QB, Texas
59. Zachariah Branch, WR, Georgia
60. A.J. Haulcy, S, LSU
61. Danny Scudero, WR, San Jose State
62. Anthony Smith, DE, Minnesota
63. Pat Coogan, C, Indiana
64. Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia
65. Darian Mensah, QB, Duke
66. Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State
67. Drew Mestemaker, QB, North Texas
68. Caleb Hawkins, RB, North Texas
69. LJ Martin, RB, BYU
70. Landon Robinson, DT, Navy
71. Beau Stephens, OL, Iowa
72. Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia
73. Bray Hubbard, S, Alabama
74. Keylan Rutledge, OL, Georgia Tech
75. Mark Fletcher Jr., RB, Miami

ESPN Top 100 players of 2025, Nos. 76-100:

76. Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana
77. Suntarine Perkins, LB, Ole Miss
78. Brian Parker II, OL Duke
79. Stephen Daley, DE, Indiana
80. Gideon Lampron, LB, Bowling Green
81. J.C. Davis, OL, Illinois
82. Rasheem Biles, LB, Pittsburgh
83. Keagan Trost, OL, Missouri
84. Red Murdock, LB, Buffalo
85. Jake Slaughter, C, Florida
86. Tanner Koziol, TE, Houston
87. Mario Craver, WR, Texas A&M
88. Elijah Green, CB, Tulsa
89. Olaivavega Ioane, OL, Penn State
90. Sammy Brown, LB, Clemson
91. Byrum Brown, QB, USF
92. Wyatt Young, WR, North Texas
93. Caleb Tiernan, OL, Northwestern
94. Noah Fifita, QB, Arizona
95. Jakari Foster, S, Louisiana Tech
96. Eric McAlister, WR, TCU
97. J’Mari Taylor, RB, Virginia
98. Dalton Johnson, S, Arizona
99. Devon Dampier, QB, Utah
100. Wayne Knight, RB, James Madison