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On3 Impact Rankings: The Top Risers from Week3

wam1Wl2j_400x400by: Clark Brooks4 hours agoClarkBrooks_On3
Alabama QB Ty Simpson
Alabama QB Ty Simpson (Gary Cosby Jr. / Imagn Images)

Strong starts are important. After all, folks are much more memorable if they’re able to set great first impressions.

And following three fantastic weeks to start the season, the first quarter of 2025 has seen loads of players produce favorable opinions for themselves, per our On3 Impact Rankings.

John Mateer and Taylen Green continue to be two of the most exciting QBs around, Utah’s bookends are both trending to be first round picks, and close to a half-dozen linebackers have seriously improved their stocks among the game’s best.

But as impressive as those dudes have been, none made our weekly list of the top risers in college ball.

Impact Riser of the Week: QB Ty Simpson, Alabama

Previous Rank: QB 52, Outside Top300
Current Rank: QB 30, Player No. 232

Ty Simpson’s hot hand has been a buzz-worthy story over the last couple of games. Along with a perfect outing in the Tide’s get-right game vs UL Monroe, he went 24-29 for 382 yards and 4 scores this past weekend versus Wisconsin. No passer in the country tops his 89.1% Completion or 93.1% Adjusted Completion in that span. Sharp and confident, he has routinely popped carving foes in the intermediate area of the field, particularly towards the middle off play action. Excluding the FSU game, all 15 of his downfield throws have been on-target, with his two lone incompletions being drops.

Top-level efficiency has seen him produce a marvelous 71.7% Passing Success Rate, 21.7% Explosive Pass Rate, 15.9 Adjusted Net Passing Yards/Attempt (ANY/A) the last two weeks. Subsequently, Simpson’s 0.4 Expected Points Added/dropback on the year presently cracks the top10 among Power4 QBs.

No. 2: WR Chris Brazzell II, Tennessee

Previous Rank: WR 77, Outside Top300
Current Rank: WR 18, Player No. 159

Dinged by a disappointing 2024 campaign, Chris Brazzell has quickly and resoundingly branded himself as one of college football’s top big play threats. Blessed with size, speed, and skill, Tennessee’s flanker has racked up college football’s 2nd-most yards (364) and 3rd-most total EPA (28.1). On half the targets in a third of the games, he’s already yielded better numbers last year.

His impact winning downfield and providing splash plays has Tennessee tracking the right way, despite Saturday’s slip-up closing out Georgia. Including a turkey against the Bulldogs, Brazzell has heroically accounted for 5 tuddies the last two games. Plus, his 63.2% First Down+TD Rate, 15.3 Yards/Target, and 4.1 yards per route run so far this season are among the best for major conference pass catchers.

No. 3: QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

Previous Rank: QB 38, Outside Top300
Current Rank: QB 25, Player No. 200

Marcel Reed and the Aggies all but slammed Notre Dame’s post-season hopes shut in Saturday’s 41-40 triumph. Speaking of 40-burgers, TAMU is currently riding it’s longest win-streak of scoring north of that threshold since 2013. Reed’s presence guiding the offense has been a major reason why. Though a dynamic playmaker with his legs, his arm has generated the 11th-most EPA among P4 passers (top20 on a per dropback basis). And the old heads citing counting stats will surely point to his top10 pass yards per game clip among major conference QBs as well as being responsible for 10 scores and only 1 turnover.

No. 4: CB Hezekiah Masses , Cal

Previous Rank: CB 57, Outside Top300
Current Rank: CB 28, Player No. 288

California has sneakily become a factory finding value in the secondary through the portal. The Bears’ latest gem appears to be former-FIU corner Hezekiah Masses, who has defended more passes (9) the first three weeks of the season than any other D1 defender — No one else has more than 7. Constantly altering targets, he’s tallied 2 pass breakups and an INT in every contest. No P4 coverageman with at least 12 targets boasts a preferable Ball Hawk Rate than his 37.5% clip. Plus, his 6 stops are tied for the 14-most among collegiate cornerbacks. That’s making an impact!

No. 5: TE Eli Raridon, Notre Dame

Previous Rank: TE 35, Outside Top300
Current Rank: TE 15, Player No. 286

Eli Raridon has built solid street cred to start the season. The Golden Domer has already surpassed his 2024 output two games into this fall. And, no tight end averages more yards/game (91.0). In fact, no one else has a figure over 81.0. Plus, he’s 1/3 Power4 TEs to sport both a +14 Yards/Target and +20 Yards/Catch — Excellent metrics considering they came against a pair of ranked Power4 opponents.

No. 6: OT Jesse Perry, Tennessee

Previous Rank: OT 65, Outside Top300
Current Rank: OT 33, No. 280

This time last month, Jesse Perry was destined to ride the pine and back up Freshman All-American David Sanders on the frontside of Tennessee’s line. Flash forward to today, the second-year tackle has been so sensational that he’s among the SEC’s most stable blockers. In addition to being 1/5 P4 OTs with at least 100 pass set to have a sub-1% Pressure Rate Allowed, his 86.7 PFF pass block grade is 7th-best in the country. While his starting role isn’t guaranteed moving forward, his rock-steady play will make replacing him an awfully hard decision for Tennessee’s offensive staff.

No. 7: EDGE Caden Curry, Ohio State

Previous Rank: EDGE 77, Outside Top300
Current Rank: EDGE 57, Outside Top300

Caden Curry had his best game at Ohio State this past weekend. He logged 7 pressures, 3 stops, and a pair of sacks, which were as many as he had all of last season (a common through-line in this week’s piece) . On the year, his 21 impact plays (havocs + stops) are top15-worthy at the position. And on a per-snap basis, his 18.4% clip is top10 among edges with at least 75 snaps.

No. 8: RB Raleek Brown, Arizona State

Previous Rank: Unranked
Current Rank: RB 55, Outside Top300

Raleek Brown has always had game-changing burst, despite being on the smaller side. And after back-to-back 100-yard performances, his special set of skills have him poised to be one of the Big 12’s breakout ball carriers. Over a fifth of his carries have resulted in a gain of at least 10 yards, and over a third have netted either a fresh set of downs or six points. As you might suspect, this has translated to shining some pearly advanced metrics. Brown’s 13.3 total EPA is top25 nationally; and his 0.38 EPA/attempt is just outside the top10 among P4 running backs.

Blue Chip Shoutout: RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

Previous Rank: RB 4, Player No. 51
Current Rank: RB 1, Player No. 16

Ahmad Hardy is well ahead of schedule to becoming a star in The Land Where it Just Means More. The super-talented sophomore is showing no signs of slowing down and is teasing elite upside. A perfect fit for Eli Drinkwitz’s heavy outside zone offense, he has 5-straight 100-yard showings dating back to last season. And against Louisiana, Hardy raced for two-and-a-half fields worth of production — a career-best — in addition to three scores. Exiting this weekend, his 27 broken tackles and 14 explosive runs are the most in the major conferences. I’m not messing around with this one. He has all the makings of a top-notch back with homrun ability, contact balance, and very good vision, which is why he’s our new RB1 in the On3 Impact Rankings.