Top 25 EDGE rankings entering Week 6 of college football

The latest On3 edge rusher Top 25 rankings have come ahead of the Week 6 slate. And with the season hitting the approximate halfway point, the group is starting to solidify.

There are only two new names in the Top 25 compared to Week 5, both toward the bottom of the list. It’s also a season for pass rushing duos, with four teams having a pair of pass rushers ranked in the Top 25. The conference breakdown is as follows: Eight from the SEC, six from the Pac-12, four each from the ACC and Group of 5 teams, two from the Big 12 and just one from the Big 10.

Check out the full edge rusher rankings below.

1. Laiatu Latu, UCLA

Laiatu had a week of as UCLA was idle in Week 5. The Bruins will need the best from Laiatu down the stretch.

He’s got four sacks and seven tackles for loss in four games. With games against ranked teams the next two weeks, UCLA will need Latu to crank it up.

2. Dallas Turner, Alabama

After a slow start to the year, Turner is on a tear. He’s recorded a sack in each of the last three games for Alabama.

Along with producing 5.5 sacks in three games, Turner has a pair of forced fumbles and 7.5 tackles for loss. He’s developed into the edge-rushing havoc creator Alabama hoped he could be.

3. Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina

North Carolina was also idle in Week 5, leaving Rucker to hang around at No. 3 on the rankings. His production has come in spurts so far through four games.

Rucker has four sacks, recording two two-sack games, and has 7.5 tackles for loss, with most coming in the opener. He’ll have a big task corralling Syracuse’s Garrett Shrader this weekend.

4. Jared Verse, Florida State

Verse was also off this weekend at Florida State rested at 4-0. And despite the Seminoles starting strong and Verse playing his role well enough, the overall stats haven’t shown up.

With that being the case, he’s starting to slip in the rankings. A few more fallow weeks and the slide could start to speed up for Verse.

5. Jonah Elliss, Utah

Elliss has been on a tear the last two weeks, becoming a true force off the edge. Utah will need more of the same from him after suffering a first loss of the season.

In his last two games, Elliss has 16 pressures and five sacks, an eye-watering pace. Pac-12 quarterbacks are on notice when the Utes roll in.

6. Chris Braswell, Alabama

Braswell has had a few quieter weeks since a standout showing against South Florida. On Saturday, he made his presence felt again.

Braswell had an interception that he returned for a touchdown to go with two tackles. He’s now got that to go with 3.5 sacks and 5.5 tackles for loss.

7. Solomon Byrd, USC

While USC’s defense is under scrutiny after a second half of slippage against Colorado, Byrd was not the issue. He was highly impactful against the Buffaloes.

Byrd had five pressures and a sack on Saturday. USC will need him to keep producing as the defense tries to shape up.

8. James Pearce, Tennessee

Pearce got to face a banged-up South Carolina offensive line this past Saturday. He didn’t miss on his opportunity.

Peace recorded three sacks and nine pressures in the win for Tennessee. He’s up to five sacks on the season.

9. Kydran Jenkins, Purdue

Few players have produced in the offensive backfield quite like Jenkins in 2023. He’s got at least a tackle for loss in every game.

And he’s recorded a sack in four out of five games. He’s already matched his 2022 sack total and has seven weeks to blow past it.

10. Jalen Green, James Madison

Green has been humming along in recent weeks for a quietly quite effective James Madison defense. And Green has been keying that in of late.

He’s got 6.5 sacks and 11 tackles for loss. In his last three games, he’s got 5.5 sacks and 8.5 tackles for loss.

Edge rushers No. 11 through 25

11. Sam Burton, Marshall
12. Grayson Murphy, UCLA
13. Johnny Walker Jr., Missouri
14. Jasheen Davis, Wake Forest
15. Nelson Ceaser, Houston
16. Tyler Baron, Tennessee
17. Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
18. Mohammad Kamara, Colorado State
19. Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, UCF
20. Jamil Muhammad, USC
21. Owen Porter, Marshall
22. Davin Vann, NC State
23. Mykel Williams, Georgia
24. B.J. Green II, Arizona State
25. Princely Umanmielen, Florida

New in the rankings are Morris Brash (No. 19) and Muhammad (No. 20). Falling out after Week 5 are Kansas State’s Khalid Duke and Penn State’s Chop Robinson.