Top 25 Edge rankings entering Week 10 of college football
It’s time for Week 10 of the college football season and another round of the Top 25 edge rusher rankings. And the list held mostly steady.
Only one pass rusher fell out of the Top 25 and was replaced by a faster riser from a school already with a pair of Top 25 edge rushers. The conference breakdown (which stayed the same from Week 9) is as follows: seven from the SEC, six from the Pac-12, five from the ACC, four from Group of 5 schools, two from the Big Ten and one from the Big 12.
Check out the full On3 Top 25 edge rushers entering Week 10 below.
1. Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Latu had the type of game dominant edge rushers have against bad offensive lines on Saturday. He finished with a trio of sacks and nine total pressures.
And the play is translating for Latu, who is climbing higher and higher up draft boards. UCLA might be out of the playoff picture, but they’ve got no shortage of meaningful matchups down the stretch for him to shine.
2. Jonah Elliss, Utah
Utah got rolled up by Oregon for a full 60 minutes. Even still, Elliss managed to at least disrupt the Ducks.
He managed five pressures on Bo Nix, but it just didn’t matter. It’s his first game without a sack in more than a month.
3. Dallas Turner, Alabama
Turner and Alabama had the week off in Week 9. Now they come out of the bye with a massive game against LSU.
Turner should play a key role in that game, working against a pair of top-shelf tackles. If he can slow down Jayden Daniels, Alabama could pick up a big win.
4. Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina
North Carolina’s season went from an outside shot at the playoff to fighting for 10 wins in a two weeks with back-to-back losses. In both games, the Tar Heels struggled for splash plays on defense.
In Week 9, Rucker had five pressures and two stops but he nor his teammates were effective enough. The Tar Heels aren’t eliminated in the ACC, but they’ll need to win out and get help to get there — including from Rucker, who only had one sack between the pair of losses.
5. Jalen Green, James Madison
James Madison keeps winning, and Green keeps dominating. He recorded 2.5 sacks in the most recent victory as the Dukes stayed undefeated.
He’s got 15.5 sacks and 21 tackles for loss in eight games. He’s got 3.5 more sacks than the second player on the list.
6. Chris Braswell, Alabama
Braswell will have much the same task as Turner: Trying to slow down a supernova LSU offense. If there’s a tandem of edge rushers who can, it’s probably these two.
Braswell has 6.5 sacks on the season, half a sack less than Turner. And both have been among the most impactful edge rushers on a snap-to-snap basis.
7. James Pearce, Tennessee
Pearce had a relatively quiet day in a relatively uneventful win for Tennessee. He recorded a pair of pressures and a stop.
Tennessee hasn’t been an offensive juggernaut, and the disruptive presence from Pearce has played a big role in keeping the Volunteers competitive. He’s got seven sacks in eight games.
8. Jared Verse, Florida State
Verse had the type of game dominant pass rushers as himself are supposed to have from time to time. He finished with two sacks and eight pressures as the Seminoles stayed perfect.
It’s been a quiet season for Verse, who has just 4.5 sacks and two additional tackles for loss. He’ll still have ample opportunity to remind watchers how good he is.
9. Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
One of only four players to get to double-digit sacks at this point in the season, Kamara has been a force for CSU. His 10.5 sacks ranks No. 3 nationally.
In a loss to Air Force over the weekend, he was kept quiet. He finished with five tackles and a pressure.
10. Johnny Walker Jr., Missouri
Walker moved into the Top 10 while on a bye mostly due to a USC edge rusher slipping out of the Top 10. Even still, the Missouri edge defender has been a defensive cornerstone.
The senior has been thoroughly disruptive in eight games for the Tigers. He has four sacks, nearly twice as many tackles for loss and a pair of forced fumbles.
Edge rushers No. 11 through 25
11. Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech
12. Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
13. B.J. Green II, Arizona State
14. Kydran Jenkins, Purdue
15. Solomon Byrd, USC
16. Grayson Murphy, UCLA
17. Ben Bell, Texas State
18. Princely Umanmielen, Florida
19. Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, UCF
20. Tyler Baron, Tennessee
21. Gabriel Murphy, UCLA
22. Jasheen Davis, Wake Forest
23. Owen Porter, Marshall
24. Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
25. J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
Gabriel Murphy (No. 21) — brother of Grayson — enters the Top 25 for the first time. USC’s Jamil Muhammad slid out after being in the ranking for most of the middle of the season.