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On3 Impact Rankings: The Top Risers from Week5

wam1Wl2j_400x400by: Clark Brooks2 hours agoClarkBrooks_On3
Syndication: The Clarion-Ledger
Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss (6) carries the ball during a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025.

Ahh, Week 5: The unofficial start of the “meat” of the college football schedule. Also known as when conference play is in full swing and every game carries even more significance in the ever-evolving post-season chase. During this stretch, true contenders are revealed and fraudulent pretenders are exposed.

And like every week in college football, stars dazzled, unknowns became noteworthy, and commodities transformed into valued goods. Our On3 College Football Impact Rankings definitely clocked a number of premium performances in our latest update.

Let’s check out which players rose the most over the weekend!

Impact Riser of the Week: QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

Previous Rank: QB 65, Outside Top300
Current Rank: QB 23, Player No. 193

After totaling 385 yards and being the best player on the field, Trinidad Chambliss improved his stock more than any college football player last weekend. He’s only the second SEC passer in my life to start his career with 3-straight games with over 300 pass yards and 50 rush yards.

He’s a clear difference-maker, and Ole Miss’s offense remains one of the most dangerous units in America with him behind center. So much so, the Rebels’ 109 penalty yards against a top5 team were overly irrelevant. Against the Tigers, the former DII star produced 9 explosive plays. Two came on the final drive that iced the game — a key scramble to space to get a conversion as well as the clincher hitting TE Dae’Quan Wright towards the left side on 4th down. Moreover, he helped his offense convert 55.6% of their late down chances against LSU.

This time last week, he was no guarantee to start. But after another kick ass showing, hardly anyone is calling for him to return to the bench; especially considering his 0.46 Expected Points Added/dropback is tied for the top mark in the conference and is top10 nationally exiting this weekend.

No. 2: WR Emmanuel Henderson, Kansas

Previous Rank: Not Ranked
Current Rank: WR 55, Outside Top300

No pass catcher had as many yards as Emmanuel Henderson in Week 5. It wasn’t even close. His 214 yards were 64 more than the next man up. And off the heels of his second +100-yard, multi-TD performance in September, he vaulted up our rankings. Speaking of those scores against Cinci — a 93-yarder on KU’s first snap and a 75-yard equalizer in the middle of the 3rd quarter — Henderson proved to be a viable weapon within the Jayhawks’ attack. He now sits inside the nation’s top10 in receiving yards and top15 in yards per route run with plus-efficiencies across the board.

No. 3: RB Caleb Hawkins, North Texas

Previous Rank: RB 79, Outside Top300
Current Rank: RB 54, Outside Top300

For the time being, North Texas freshman Caleb Hawkins is one of the best-kept secrets in college football. He might not have earned our True Freshman of the Week off his 218-yard, 3 TD performance against South Alabama. But, he’s on track to be an all-conference player as well as a notable potential transfer portal target for any program looking for some juice.

Hawkins is the only running back in the country to be top10 in First Down+TD Rate (45.2%) , Broken Tackle Rate (47.6%), and yards per route run (3.33). And the folks at Pro Football Focus have donned him with a 92.7 grade, which is the top mark for any freshmen regardless of position so far this fall.

No. 4: LB Xavier Atkins, Auburn

Previous Rank: LB 46, Outside Top300
Current Rank: LB 31, Outside Top300

Though some of Auburn’s offensive transfers have left plenty to be desired over the first month of play, it’s top defensive addition had a busy day containing Texas A&M’s offense. Xavier Atkins was involved in every facet. He stuffed runs, got after Marcel Reed for a sack, and even came down with an interception.

No, Jackson Arnold and Co. didn’t do enough to make his afternoon worthwhile. But, the sophomore standout now has 29 impact plays (havocs + stops) on the year, which is tied for the 15th-most at the position. And on a per snap basis, only ten LBs that average at least 50 plays/game have a preferable clip than his 11.2% mark ahead of Week 6.

No. 5: EDGE Caden Curry, Ohio State

Previous Rank: EDGE 52, Outside Top300
Current Rank: EDGE 28, Player No. 212

Caden Curry has been a steady riser in our Impact Rankings this fall and keeps making the most of his opportunities now that he’s a full-time starter. For the second-straight game, he snatched 2 sacks. And, his 6 stops against Washington were tied for the most from a P4 d-linemen this weekend.

Miami Hurricane Rueben Bain is the only major conference defender with at least 150 snaps to boast a higher Impact Rate than Curry’s 19.3% clip. Curry ranks no worse than 22nd nationally among qualifying edges in Stop Rate, Sack Rate, and PFF defensive grade. There’s a difference between stuffing the stat sheet and stuffing the stat sheet, you know?

No. 6: DL Kayden McDonald, Ohio State

Previous Rank: DL 63, Outside Top300
Current Rank: DL 35, Outside Top300

Let’s keep things in Columbus for a second to single-out another Buckeye defender who tallied two sacks. Though Kayden McDonald is usually deployed as a space occupier with his 6’3, 326 pound build, he had an awesome afternoon collapsing the middle of the Huskies’ front. He had as many pressures Saturday as he did all of last season. And for good measure, he tacked on a couple of defensive stops. Additionally, only six other interiors sport a higher Stop Rate than his 7.5% clip across 2025.

No. 7: WR Vandrevius Jacobs, South Carolina

Previous Rank: Not Ranked
Current Rank: WR 58, Outside Top300

Though many hoped freak athlete Nyck Harbor would be LaNoriss Sellers‘ favorite target, Vandrevius Jacobs has emerged as the Gamecocks’ top pass catcher each of the last two weeks with back-to-back +100 yard games. In that span, only four P4 receivers accumulated more than his 236 yards; and his 12 catches were as many as his 2024 total. A potential flash in the pan, but Jacobs has been downright incendiary.

Leading the nation in Catch Rate among dudes with at least 12 targets, his reliability has translated to Jacobs to being ultra-efficient. Ahead of Week 6, he slots inside college football’s top10 in Yards/Target (17.0) and First Down+TD Rate (63.2%).

No. 8: LB Caden Fordham, NC State

Previous Rank: Unranked
Current Rank: TE 60, Outside Top300

Before getting injured and missing the back-half of 2024, Caden Fordham was one of the best bang-for-buck linebackers in the country. His 12.1% Impact Rate placed inside the top15 at the position.

But despite optimism that he would stay among the ACC’s best thumpers, his fall has been more fine than fantastic; to the point Fordham has precipitously fallen out of our rankings over the first month of action.

However, Saturday’s 13-tackle and 11-stop performance — 3 more than any defender this week — quickly has jolted him back inside our top60 linebackers. Only four of his peers have more than his 24 stops, which are the most in the ACC by 5, ahead of Week 6.

Blue Chip Shoutout: OT Brian Parker II, Duke

Previous Rank: OT 9, Player No. 63
Current Rank: OT 3, Player No. 25

Brian Parker might not have the star ranking or pre-season accolades of some of his peers, but he’s dutifully gone about his business and morphed into one of college football’s best blockers. While grading as PFF’s top offensive tackle to start the season, no other P4 offensive tackle has a run block score over 89 — let alone come close to challenging his 95.1 mark.

Likewise, he’s the only big boy to slot inside the top5 in both facets. Moreover, only five P4-ers with at least 150 pass sets have been better at disallowing pressure. And with him dominating the trenches, it’s no accident Duke dons a top35 EPA/play and top25 yards/play.