Top 25 Edge rankings entering Week 9 of college football
Like most positional rankings at this point in the season — entering Week 9 — the On3 Top 25 edge rushers is getting less and less volatile. With bigger bodies of work, it’s harder to make big moves up and down the list.
As such, only one edge rusher dropped out of the Top 25 from Week 8 and the shuffling up and down the board was not particularly notable. The conference breakdown 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 9 below.
1. Laiatu Latu, UCLA
Latu just keeps living atop the Top 25 edge rushers. And it’s fitting as he’s Top 3 in the nation in impact rate.
He’s been effective of late, too, with three sacks in three games. The two-loss Bruins remains a difficult out in the Pac-12 in large part because of the defense.
2. Jonah Elliss, Utah
Arguably no defender played better through the middle portion of the season than Elliss. The Utes star edge rusher has been on fire of late.
He showed up big time in an upset over USC on Saturday. And in his last four games, he has an eye-watering nine sacks.
3. Dallas Turner, Alabama
Turner continues an excellent run of play for the Crimson Tide as they head into a bye week. On the other side is a big showdown with LSU.
And Turner showed up big in a key defensive effort for Alabama, especially in the second half. He had one sack and three stops in the comeback win.
4. Kaimon Rucker, North Carolina
North Carolina suffered an inexplicable loss to Virginia on Saturday and the defense struggled to make impact plays. Rucker, who often gets sacks in bunches, was kept quiet.
He still finished with four pressures and five stops for a productive day. But not the havoc he or the Tar Heels would like to see.
5. Chris Braswell, Alabama
Braswell had a tough moment early on having to run down the field in coverage with a much smaller, faster receiver — and he was still almost in a position to make a play. It’s just another instance of the Alabama defender doing a bit of everything this year.
He also had the key strip sack that resulted in the dagger touchdown for the Crimson Tide, finishing with two on the game. He’s been a consistent and good as they come for Alabama.
6. Jalen Green, James Madison
Green and James Madison just keep on winning, even if they’re going to be denied a bowl due to NCAA rules. The Dukes, however, are still undefeated and the defense led by Green is a big reason for it.
He leads the nation with 69 impact plays and has 15 sacks total. He had an eye-popping five in a big win over the weekend.
7. James Pearce, Tennessee
Pearce and Co. were on the wrong end of what Turner and Braswell did in the second half, but was still effective himself. Alabama was held to just seven points in the first half and Pearce did enough to cause trouble.
He finished with one sack, putting him at seven on the year. That includes five in his last three games.
8. Jared Verse, Florida State
It has simply been a disappointing season for Verse, who might’ve been a Top 20 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but opted to return to Florida State. Many suspected he could be the best edge rusher in the country, but he has not been able to replicate his 2022 success.
He had three pressures and a pair of stops as the Seminoles outlasted a feisty Duke team. But he has just 2.5 sacks through seven games after recording nine last season in 12 games.
9. Solomon Byrd, USC
It’s been a rough go for the USC defense of late. And Byrd as subsequently been quieter on the stat sheet.
He recorded a handful of pressures and half a dozen stops against Utah, but it wasn’t enough. He also hasn’t recorded a sack since September.
10. Mohamed Kamara, Colorado State
A fringe Top 10 edge rusher for a few weeks now, Kamara cracks the list this week. He had a strong showing over the weekend with a sack plus two stops on top of five pressures.
He’s cooled slightly after a red-hot stretch in late September and early October. Still, he’s got a career-high 10.5 sacks already.
Edge rushers No. 11 through 25
11. Johnny Walker Jr., Missouri
12. Kydran Jenkins, Purdue
13. Grayson Murphy, UCLA
14. Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
15. B.J. Green II, Arizona State
16. Ben Bell, Texas State
17. Tre’Mon Morris-Brash, UCF
18. Tyler Baron, Tennessee
19. Princely Umanmielen, Florida
20. Antwaun Powell-Ryland, Virginia Tech
21. Jamil Muhammad, USC
22. Owen Porter, Marshall
23. Shemar Turner, Texas A&M
24. Jasheen Davis, Wake Forest
25. J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
Tuimoloau (No. 25) moved into the Top 25 after another dominant showing against Penn State. He replaces Houston’s Nelson Ceaser.