Preseason top-100 list requires mixing information, reporting and assumptions. Some player rankings are clear, such as Jeremiah Smith and highly regarded prospects like Arch Manning. Several programs (Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame, Alabama) start inexperienced new quarterbacks, creating ranking uncertainty and potential Heisman contenders. Freshmen like Smith, Leonard Moore and Ryan Williams shined in 2024, making first-year breakout predictions difficult. Unexpected players such as Sam Leavitt, LaNorris Sellers and Blake Horvath became national standouts by season's end. The top-100 list reflects compromise among five ESPN experts using data and educated guesswork.
Piecing together a list of the best players in college football before the season begins is no easy task. It requires a mix of information, reporting and assumptions. While some choices are easy ( Jeremiah Smith is good, you heard it here first) and some projections are nearly universally agreed upon (hello, Arch Manning), there are enough wild cards to ensure that, by season's end, this list will probably look at least a little silly.
Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Alabama all start new QBs with little experience, so ranking those players near the top seems presumptuous. Odds are, though, at least a few will be Heisman Trophy contenders by season's end. Smith, Leonard Moore and Ryan Williams quickly established themselves as stars during elite freshman campaigns in 2024, but it's a nearly impossible task to predict which first-year players will break out in 2025.
Our top 100 players represent something of a compromise. Five of ESPN's college football experts (David Hale, Adam Rittenberg, Chris Low, Paolo Uggetti and Bill Connelly) weighed in, each using some variation of hard data and educated guesswork to compile a list. They then debated, refined and adjusted until coming to an agreement -- or, perhaps, just giving up -- on an official ranking.
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