Greg McElroy ranks Top 10 college football defenses entering 2025

It’s officially June, and, as summer temperatures creep closer to triple digits, that means one thing to college football fans: it’s ranking season.

ESPN analyst and former Alabama quarterback Greg McElroy brought the heat with his laterst episode of the Always College Football Podcast when he ranked college football’s Top 10 defenses entering the 2025 season. In his preseason evaluation, McElroy made it clear he’s weighing his defensive ranking based around fewest points allowed as opposed to yardage, focusing on scoring defense over overall defense.

That said, since these are projections, McElroy also weighed roster turnover and who added the most talent this offseason, rather than just copy-and-pasting last season’s Top 10 scoring defenses. Significant offseason roster turnover was a major factor among McElroy’s honorable mentions revealed at the end of this article, while his actual Top 10 was filled with teams with proven defensive play-callers.

Greg McElroy ranked college football’s Top 10 defenses entering 2025 season:

1. Texas Longhorns

While much of the offseason talk has centered around new QB1 Arch Manning, McElroy is even higher on the Longhorns’ star-powered defense. That includes LB Anthony Hill, who led Texas with 113 tackles last season as a sophomore, and elite EDGEs Trey Moore and Colin Simmons, who combined for 14.5 sacks in 2024. McElroy also liked the transfer DL additions in Travis Shaw (UNC) and Cole Brevard (Purdue) to replace some key losses up front.

McElroy: “If you look at what they have, it’s honestly off the charts from a star-power standpoint. … I don’t think there’s a team in the country that has a higher ceiling than Texas with the amount of guys that can take over a game. … (Hill) is a complete superstar, I think he’s the best linebacker in the country. … (Simmons) is ridiculous, I’m not sure there’s a more feared pass rusher in the SEC.”

2. Ohio State Buckeyes

The reigning national champion Buckeyes had the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense in 2024 (12.9 ppg) but is replacing its DC with former Detroit Lions head coach Matt Patricia. Certainly helping matters is the return of versatile superstar Caleb Downs as well fellow safety Sonny Styles and CB Davison Igbinosun. McElroy is also high on UNC transfer pass rusher Beau Atkinson as “an immediate impact player.”

McElroy: “You lose your defensive coordinator … but you bring in Matt Patricia to replace Jim Knowles. Longtime NFL assistant, former head coach, … bringing that NFL experience. … He’s a really smart, fundamentally-sound coach that is going to get the most out some of his returning talent. … There’s a bunch of new faces, but the way they’ve recruited, the way they’ve developed, I’m just not concerned.”

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

The Nittany Lions defense might have actually gotten an upgrade at DC after James Franklin poached Ohio State’s Jim Knowles following Tom Allen‘s departure for Clemson. The loss of pass rusher Abdul Carter will be hard to replace, but DE Dani Dennis-Sutton has a chance to fill his shoes admirably. Helping matters is an experienced secondary led by CB A.J. Harris and safeties Zakee Wheatley and King Mack.

McElroy: “Should be one of the best defenses in the country this year and I love the addition of Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator. … Dani Dennis-Sutton is a different player than Abdul Carter, he’s not going to have 20 sacks, it’s not who he is. … But I love this coordinator, I love this personnel, I love the veteran leadership they have at all three levels defensively. I think this could be one of the best groups that Penn State has had on defense in some time.”

4. Georgia Bulldogs

The Bulldogs’ elite defense took a bit of a step back in 2024, dropping from 5th nationally in 2023 to 23rd after allowing an average of 20.6 ppg last season. Gone are key leaders in safety Malaki Starks and LBs Jalon Walker and Mykel Williams, but Georgia is never without top talent on defense. That includes MLB CJ Allen, DB KJ Bolden as well as DTs Christian Miller and five-star freshman Elijah Griffin.

McElroy: “This might be a little controversial because they were not quite the same last year as they were in year’s past. … (It’s) partly because I just trust Kirby Smart, he’s one of the best defensive minds in the entire country. … Christian Miller is back, he’s got a chance to be a breakout candidate in the interior defensive line … he could be the next man up as far as a dominant presence there.”

5. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

McElroy rounds out his Top 5 with the defending national runner-up Fighting Irish, who had the fourth-ranked scoring defense in 2024 allowing just 15.5 ppg last season. But that was with Al Golden leading the unit, and he’s now in the NFL. Notre Dame hired Chris Ash as its new DC, and still features plenty of elite defensive talent, but the turnover at coordinator caused McElroy to hesitate just a tad.

McElroy: “I love the identity Marcus Freeman has employed, I think he’s a defensive guru. … They’re going to get up in your face, they’re going to challenge you, they’re going to go press-man and be pretty aggressive with their blitz schemes. … They’ve got a lot of players back and they should be very, very good. … I really like what they have back on the edges defensively.”

6. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Tide defense is entering Year 2 under DC Kane Wommack and McElroy is expecting big things in 2025. Alabama’s defense starts up front with returning EDGE LT Overton and DT Tim Keenan, but McElroy is particularly high on sophomore LB Qua Russaw, as well as veteran MLBs Deonte Lawson and Justin Jefferson and safety Keon Sabb, who was banged up much of last season.

McElroy: “The big question for Alabama’s defense is where is the pass rush going to come from. … Qua Russaw is the guy that has a chance to take over (that part of) the game. … He’s got All-SEC and All-American potential for sure. … Really the second level is where I think most people are really optimistic about what this group might look like.”

7. Oklahoma Sooners

The Sooners should be much improved with head coach Brent Venables taking over play-calling in 2025. McElroy is a believer in Venables, as well as new LBs coach Wes Goodwin, who replaced Venables as Clemson’s DC the past two years. He also raved about the Sooners’ “best assest” up front with returning DLs Damonic Williams and Gracen Halton, as well as LB Kip Lewis, DB Peyton Bowen and FSU transfer OLB Marvin Jones Jr.

McElroy: “I think this group has a chance to be the most improved group in the country from where they were a year ago. … (Venables) is widely considered one of the best (defensive) minds in college football for a really long time. … They’re going to attack, they’re going to be aggressive, and they’re going to have a great understanding of what the opponent’s offense is doing week-to-week.”

8. Michigan Wolverines

The Wolverines lost some serious talent from the past few seasons with DTs Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant and CB Will Johnson now in the NFL. Still, senior EDGEs TJ Guy and Derrick Moore are back, as are veteran defensive backs Zeke Berry, Jyaire Hill and Rod Moore, who missed all of 2024 following a pair of surgeries. Add in Year 2 under longtime NFL DC Wink Martindale and Michigan could be special in 2025.

McElroy: “Wink Martindale is back for his second season, he’s got a ton of NFL experience and I think after a year in college he probably has a better feel for how teams are going to attack. … They are going to be physical, they’re going to be sound across the line of scrimmage, and while they might not have as much star power as they did last year, I still don’t think there will be much drop-off.”

9. Oregon Ducks

While the Ducks lost several stars off last year’s squad, including first-round pick Derrick Harmon, they return some elite talent, especially on the edge with pass rushers Matayo Uiagalelei, who led the Big Ten with 10.5 sacks, and Teitum Tuioti, who is the team’s top returning tackler. McElroy is also high on former USC and Georgia transfer DT Bear Alexander helping fill the void of losing Harmon in the middle.

McElroy: “Their defensive coordinator Tosh Lupoi does a really good job, he’s been there for four years, and they’ve built an identity on aggression … and they have a really heavy emphasis on creating a pass rush that puts a lot of pressure on opposing (offenses). … I think they’ll be one of the top groups in the Big Ten, and should be one of the top groups in all of college football by season’s end.”

10. Clemson Tigers

The Tigers defense took a step back in 2024, finishing 49th in scoring defense and 69th in total defense last season. But McElory is enamored by new DC Tom Allen from Penn State, which finished in the Top 10 in both scoring defense and total defense in 2024. Add in returning defensive end TJ Parker and defensive tackle Peter Woods, and Clemson is once again a Top 10 defense in 2025.

McElroy: “(Allen) was really one of the best hires of the entire offseason. … I love the way he disguises his schemes. I love the way he puts players in position to create their own shot in the pass rush, and (Clemson) has a couple of fun players that he’ll have some fun with. … I think in this scheme, (Parker) has a chance to bring home a bunch of national defensive awards if he can reach his potential this season.”

Greg McElroy’s honorable mentions: Indiana Hoosiers, Ole Miss Rebels, Iowa Hawkeyes, Nebraska Cornhuskers, South Carolina, Tennessee Volunteers.