play0:35Miami stuns Buckeyes with a 72-yard pick-sixMiami’s Keionte Scott intercepts Julian Sayin and takes it 72 yards to the house for the Hurricanes.
play0:51Indiana starts off Peach Bowl with an electric pick-sixOregon QB Dante Moore goes to pass but is picked off by Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds, who takes it to the crib for a touchdown.
‘Looking like Grandpa!’ Arch Manning takes off for big-time TD (0:12)Arch Manning breaks free up the middle for an impressive rushing touchdown. (0:12)
Miami stuns Buckeyes with a 72-yard pick-sixMiami’s Keionte Scott intercepts Julian Sayin and takes it 72 yards to the house for the Hurricanes.
Miami’s Keionte Scott intercepts Julian Sayin and takes it 72 yards to the house for the Hurricanes.
Indiana starts off Peach Bowl with an electric pick-sixOregon QB Dante Moore goes to pass but is picked off by Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds, who takes it to the crib for a touchdown.
Oregon QB Dante Moore goes to pass but is picked off by Indiana’s D’Angelo Ponds, who takes it to the crib for a touchdown.
The best player of the 2025 season dove through a host of Miami defenders and into the end zone for a program-defining touchdown on a fourth-and-5 in the College Football Playoff National Championship game.
After that, however, things get a little tougher. Ohio State’s defense was dominant, and certainly Arvell Reese and Caleb Downs warranted lots of love. Miami’s playoff run boosted the hype around players such as Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. And even if Texas Tech couldn’t score in the playoff, no one could question the impact of that defense led by David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez.
Add in the likes of Jeremiyah Love, Jeremiah Smith, Diego Pavia and Francis Mauigoa on the other side of the ball, and you get a sense of just how hard it is to slot the biggest stars of 2025 into some sort of coherent top 100.
But, as learned football reporters, that’s the burden we carried, and in truth, recounting the dominant seasons by so many exceptional players was worth the effort.
Four of ESPN’s college football experts (Bill Connelly, David Hale, Adam Rittenberg and Max Olson) tried cracking the code in ranking the 100 best players of the 2025-26 season. — Hale
RB, James Madison, junior 2025 notable stats: 1,373 yards, 9 TD, 207 carries 2025 preseason ranking: NR
The Utes’ offensive ineptitude of 2023 and 2024 was solved with the arrival of Dampier and offensive coordinator Jason Beck from New Mexico. Dampier gave the Utes a dynamic dual-threat quarterback who was equally effective in both phases of the game, which helped Utah to an 11-2 season. Dampier finished the year with 2,490 yards passing, 24 touchdown passes, 5 interceptions and a QBR of 84.4. He also ran for 835 yards and 10 touchdowns. — Kyle Bonagura
Johnson, a redshirt senior from Katy, Texas, finished his standout Arizona career with the finest season. He had four interceptions, 11 passes defensed, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He led the Wildcats with 97 tackles and was a first-team All-Big 12 selection. — Bonagura
RB, Virginia, senior 2025 notable stats: 1,062 yards, 15 TD, 253 rec yards 2025 preseason ranking: NR
The linchpin of Virginia’s surprising 11-win season, Taylor went from FCS walk-on to one of the top runners in the country. Taylor rushed for 1,062 yards, becoming Virginia’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2018, and added 253 yards receiving while finding the end zone 15 times in 2025. He topped 95 scrimmage yards in nine games and 150 yards twice. He finished second in the ACC with 1,315 scrimmage yards on the season. — Hale
DB, Louisiana Tech, senior 2025 notable stats: 58 total tackles, 8 INT, 5 PBU 2025 preseason ranking: NR
QB, Arizona, junior 2025 notable stats: 3,228 passing yards, 29 TD, 222 rush yards 2025 preseason ranking: NR
After a disappointing 2024 season in Tucson, Fifita led a resurgent Wildcats team this season, earning first-team All-Big 12 honors. He finished with 3,228 yards passing, 29 touchdowns and 6 interceptions as the Wildcats went 9-4. — Bonagura
OL, Northwestern, senior 2025 notable stat: Allowed 0 sacks in 8 of 9 league games 2025 preseason ranking: NR
Northwestern’s three-win improvement and return to the postseason could be tied to the offensive line Tiernan anchored. A liability in 2024, Northwestern’s line became a strength, and Tiernan was an asset in protecting quarterback Preston Stone and helping the run game eclipse 2,000 yards. Tiernan earned second-team All-Big Ten honors and finished with 43 career starts at Northwestern. — Adam Rittenberg
WR, North Texas, sophomore 2025 notable stats: 1,264 rec yards, 10 TD, 18.1 avg 2025 preseason ranking: NR
Coach Eric Morris gets a lot of credit for his work with quarterbacks, but he also develops productive wide receivers such as Young, who ranked eighth nationally in receiving yards per game (90.3) and had five 100-yard performances and a 295-yard effort at Rice that set an American Conference single-game record. He earned first-team all-conference honors and had the second-highest single-season receiving-yards total in team history. — Rittenberg
QB, South Florida, senior 2025 notable stats: 3,158 yards, 28 TD, 77.8 QBR 2025 preseason ranking: NR
LB, Clemson, sophomore 2025 notable stats: 106 total tackles, 5 sacks, 13.5 TFL 2025 preseason ranking: NR
In his sophomore season in 2025, Brown developed into a force in the middle of Clemson’s defense. Brown racked up 106 tackles — second most in the ACC — including 13.5 for a loss, 5 sacks, 5 PBUs, 6 QB hurries, a forced fumble and an interception. As Clemson looks to rebound in 2026, its defense will be built around Brown, who figures to be one of the top defenders in the country entering next season. — Hale
A projected first-round pick in April’s NFL draft, Ioane didn’t allow a sack all season and was flagged for just one penalty. He started 32 games over the past three seasons, helping pave the way for Kaytron Allen, who finished as Penn State’s all-time leading rusher with 4,180 yards. — Jake Trotter
A perfect complement to KC Concepcion out of the slot, Craver was at his best at the start and end of the season. He charged out of the gate with 20 catches for 443 yards in his first three games, peaking with an incredible 207-yard performance in A&M’s thrilling win over Notre Dame. And in A&M’s season-ending loss to Miami, as gusty winds made passing almost impossible, he caught seven balls for 92 yards, including a 59-yarder in the second quarter, to give the Aggies a shot. — Connelly
C, Florida, senior 2025 notable stats: 2 pressures allowed, 717 snaps played 2025 preseason ranking: 37
Murdock finished an excellent career with his most productive season. He led the FBS with six forced fumbles, giving him an NCAA record 17 over the past three seasons, and had a career-high five sacks to go along with a team-high 13 tackles for loss. Murdock earned second-team AP All-America honors and ranked second nationally with 142 tackles. He had nine or more tackles in each of his final 10 games and in all but one contest. — Rittenberg
The Wake Forest transfer stabilized Missouri’s offensive line at right tackle and helped open holes for Hardy to run wild. He had a 91.3 overall grade by Pro Football Focus during the regular season, which was 2.6 points higher than any other lineman in the country. His 90.5 run-blocking grade was also the highest by PFF. Trost allowed only two sacks and nine pass pressures in 386 pass-blocking snaps during the regular season. — Mark Schlabach
LB, Pittsburgh, junior 2025 notable stats: 101 total tackles, 17 TFL, 2 INT 2025 preseason ranking: NR
One of the most prolific linebackers in the country, Biles racked up 101 tackles (sixth in the ACC), including 17 for a loss (second). His 31.5 TFL over the past two seasons are the most in the ACC during that span. Biles was also one of just two Power 4 players in the country — alongside All-American Jacob Rodriguez — to rack up 100 tackles, two forced fumbles and two interceptions this season. — Hale
LB, Bowling Green, junior 2025 notable stats: 119 total tackles, 17.5 TFL, 2 FF 2025 preseason ranking: NR
Pro Football Focus’ No. 7-ranked tackle in 2025, Parker concluded a sterling career at Duke with 33 career starts, All-America nods in 2024 and 2025 and helped the Blue Devils to 35 wins and four bowl appearances to cap arguably the best stretch of Duke football in modern history. Over the past two seasons, Parker allowed just 22 pressures and four sacks in nearly 1,700 snaps. — Hale
LB, Ole Miss, junior 2025 notable stats: 81 total tackles, 4.5 sacks, 3 FF 2025 preseason ranking: 51
Perkins was the most consistent performer on a defense that made big plays when needed most. He sacked Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton on a fourth-and-2 play early in the fourth quarter of a CFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. Perkins forced a fumble and recovered the ball at the Georgia 23, leading to a touchdown that put the Rebels up 10 in their 39-34 victory. — Schlabach
Production has followed Sarratt throughout his unique college career, which began at Division III St. Francis, continued at James Madison and culminated at Indiana, where he earned All-Big Ten honors twice and once again led the Hoosiers in touchdown receptions, despite missing two games because of an injury. Sarratt had a touchdown catch in each of the seven games he played against Big Ten opponents, including the go-ahead score against Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. — Rittenberg
Fletcher was the anchor for Miami early, but a midseason slump seemed to coincide with the Canes’ offensive woes. By the time the playoff arrived, however, Fletcher had grown into a powerhouse. Over Miami’s four postseason games, Fletcher rushed for 507 yards, scored 3 times and averaged 6.7 yards per carry. For the season, he finished with 1,192 rushing yards, the most by a Miami tailback since 2014. — Hale
OL, Georgia Tech, senior 2025 notable stat: Three pressures allowed on 840 snaps 2025 preseason ranking: 88