With ESPN’s top 100 college football players for 2024 having been decided, there could be no room for debate, right? It has to be a perfect, infallible list, correct?
Maybe not so. Should Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers have been in the top 10? Should some Ohio State players have been knocked down a few spots? And what about some under-the-radar players such as East Carolina‘s Shavon Revel Jr.?
Our reporters, both those who created this year’s top 100 and those who were not involved in the process, break it all down.
Jump to: Top-10 worthy | Ranked too high
Ranked too low | Sleepers| Newcomers
Who should have been in the top 10?
Jake Trotter: With the move from linebacker to edge rusher, Penn State‘s Abdul Carter could be in for a monster season rushing the quarterback. Carter led the Big Ten last year in defensive pressure percentage (24.45%) among players with at least 70 pass rushing plays. Carter has the speed off the edge to lead the country in sacks.
Max Olson: There’s not a player in this top 10 who doesn’t belong and is easy to bump, but I think there’s a solid case for Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan as a top-10 talent. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound playmaker is coming off an incredible season with 90 catches for 1,402 yards (most among all returning Power 4 wideouts) and 10 touchdowns with six 100-yard performances. He and Noah Fifita took over an Arizona team with preseason expectations of five wins, transformed them into one of the hottest teams in college football and won 10 games. That’s serious star power.
Mark Schlabach: Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers is potentially a top-10 player, and he’s definitely better than No. 23 in the FBS. Last season, Ewers passed for 3,479 yards with 22 touchdowns and six interceptions. He completed 69% of his passes, which was up about 11% from 2022. More than anything, Ewers cut down on the mistakes that plagued him in the past. He threw for 349 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in a 34-24 win at Alabama, which proved the Longhorns were finally back.
Eli Lederman: Dillon Gabriel is one of the most experienced college football players on the planet and the newly minted leader of one of the most talented rosters in the nation in 2024. The former UCF and Oklahoma passer was one of three quarterbacks to finish top 10 in completion percentage, yards and touchdowns last fall; the other two — Jayden Daniels and Bo Nix — were first-round NFL draft picks. Gabriel can chase down several NCAA passing records this fall, and if all goes right in Eugene, he’ll be one of college football’s top 10 players by season’s end.
Chris Low: There’s a reason Clemson coach Dabo Swinney calls linebacker Barrett Carter “one of the best pure football players I’ve had in 20 years.” The 6-1, 230-pound senior is as well-rounded a linebacker as you’re going to find. He can rush the passer, make tackles in space and drop into pass coverage. Carter was one of three FBS players to have 19 or more tackles for loss, 10-plus passes defended, multiple interceptions and multiple forced fumbles over the past two seasons.
Adam Rittenberg: Both Carter and LSU‘s Harold Perkins Jr. could finish in the top 10 by season’s end. I also have very high expectations for Arizona’s McMillan, who put up mammoth numbers last season. McMillan is playing for a new coaching staff and entering a new league, but he remains a matchup headache for any opposing defense. He has averaged more than 15 yards per reception in both of his college seasons and should be a top candidate for the Biletnikoff Award.
Who’s ranked too high?
Schlabach: Ohio State’s TreVeyon Henderson is a great running back with big-play speed and vision. The problem is he hasn’t always been able to stay on the field, and his history of injuries and lack of durability make me wonder if he should be at No. 35. We already know Henderson is going to be sharing carries with Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins. Texas Tech‘s Tahj Brooks, Cal‘s Jaydn Ott, Oregon State‘s Damien Martinez and Georgia‘s Trevor Etienne might end up being more productive than Henderson by season’s end.
Olson: I was a little surprised to see USC quarterback Miller Moss make the top 100, simply because he hasn’t played much. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that Moss cannot develop into a productive quarterback in Lincoln Riley’s offense this season, and I recognize we’re projecting a bit with Nico Iamaleava and Avery Johnson as well. It’s just tough to rank Moss this high based on one DirecTV Holiday Bowl performance and 171 snaps as a reserve over three seasons while leaving off more experienced starters such as Grayson McCall (2,336 career snaps) or Seth Henigan (2,536).
Andrea Adelson: I am going to preface this by saying I love watching Kansas‘ Jalon Daniels play. I saw him against Duke in 2022 and came away impressed with his ability to make plays with both his arm and his legs. His talent and potential are obvious. That first month of the 2022 season there was early Heisman Trophy talk, after all. But because he has only played in 12 total games over the past two seasons thanks to various injuries, it’s hard to justify having him ranked in the top 50. If he stays healthy for an entire season, then, quite frankly, he’s probably a top-10 player. But I just want to see it happen for him.
Rittenberg: I respect Jack Sawyer‘s talent and the patience he has shown to develop in Ohio State‘s defense. He obviously came on strong late in the 2023 season with five sacks and a forced fumble in his final three games. I just would like to see a bit more consistency from both Sawyer and fellow Buckeye defensive end JT Tuimoloau. The potential is there for Sawyer, but I would have gone with more productive pass rushers such as Louisville‘s Ashton Gillotte a bit higher.
Hale: Quarterback is the most important position on the field, but this is a strange year for QBs, and frankly, I think most are ranked too high. Is Carson Beck really the seventh-best player in the country just because he’s the top returning quarterback? He has the luxury of being QB1 on the most talent-laden team in the country, and when his top receivers were at less than 100% in last year’s SEC title game, we saw him struggle. The same can be said of Jalen Milroe (who was benched at one point last September), Quinn Ewers (18th in Total QBR last year) and Shedeur Sanders (a passer rating just a fraction of a point ahead of Rocco Becht). They’re all good — but none feel like overwhelmingly obvious top-25 players. Perhaps they blossom this year, and our faith in them is proven correct. But I also wouldn’t be surprised if a few of the quarterbacks at the bottom of our list or ones left off entirely end up being the better options by season’s end.
Who’s underrated?
Trotter: After spending the past three years primarily as a backup, Michigan running back Donovan Edwards is primed to be the featured piece of a revamped Wolverines offense. What Edwards did in the national championship game against Washington, with 41- and 46-yard touchdown runs in the first quarter, was just a glimpse of what he could do this season.
Schlabach: There’s a reason a few early 2025 NFL mock drafts have projected Georgia defensive end Mykel Williams as a potential No. 1 pick. At 6-5 and 265 pounds, Williams has a sudden first step and exceptionally long arms. He looks like an NFL pass rusher. But Williams only scratched the surface in his first two seasons with the Bulldogs, totaling nine sacks and 13 tackles for loss. The 20-year-old moves around a lot in Georgia’s defense, and he’s playing more at outside linebacker in preseason camp. If Williams reaches his full potential, he’ll be much higher on this list than No. 30 at the end of the season.
Kyle Bonagura: Sometimes there’s a tendency to rank players based on how good they might be in the NFL instead of how good they are — or have been — in college. I’m going to assume that’s why Cam Rising didn’t crack the top 50, because here’s a guy who was first-team All-Pac-12 and has guided Utah to two Pac-12 titles. Perhaps, that’s because he missed last season with injury, but it’s strange he would be penalized for that more than the guy who led his team to a last-place finish in the same conference.
Lederman: Oklahoma safety Billy Bowman Jr. was probably unlucky to miss out on being a Jim Thorpe Award finalist (best defensive back) last fall. After mulling the NFL draft in the offseason, the 5-10, 200-pound defender returns in 2024 as one of the SEC’s most athletic defensive backs and a key force in what should be Brent Venables’ best defense yet across his three seasons back in Norman. Bowman’s six interceptions last fall ranked third nationally, and he led the country with three interception returns for touchdowns. As Venables and the Sooners introduce themselves to the SEC, Bowman remains Oklahoma’s chief playmaker on defense, and he should be challenging for national honors come late fall.
Olson: Arizona cornerback Tacario Davis at No. 95 and Purdue safety Dillon Thieneman at No. 96 are two very talented DBs who I think people will be a lot higher on by the end of the season. New coach Brent Brennan convincing Davis, a 6-4 cover man who had 15 PBUs last season, to withdraw from the portal and stick with the Wildcats was a huge win. Thieneman is building on a fantastic Freshman All-America season with 106 tackles and six INTs.
Adelson: If Riley Leonard‘s season had not been cut short by an ankle injury, I have zero doubt he would be much higher on this list. He has everything you want in a quarterback — size (6-4, 216 pounds), arm talent and he can run, too. Before he got hurt, there was talk about potentially being an early-round draft pick. I think he can restate that case with the Irish.
Low: Trevor Etienne will be a 1,000-yard rusher behind an offensive line that might be the best since Kirby Smart has been at Georgia, and Etienne also has the versatility to be a back who catches 25-30 passes. The 5-9, 205-pound junior has power and speed. He split the running back duties last season at Florida with 531 of his 756 yards coming after contact.
Rittenberg: Miami landed the biggest prize in the quarterback transfer market in Cam Ward, who had nearly 7,000 passing yards in two seasons at Washington State and will be surrounded by a more talented group with the Hurricanes. Ward, who briefly declared for the NFL draft this winter, is a natural fit for coordinator Shannon Dawson’s offense. Miami has teased us before and coach Mario Cristobal has an uneven record with quarterbacks, but Ward could be the real deal and challenge for national honors.
What unranked players should have made the list?
Trotter: Oklahoma State receiver Brennan Presley gets overshadowed by offensive teammate Ollie Gordon II. But Presley had 667 receiving yards after the catch last season. Of returning Power 4 receivers, only Oregon’s Tez Johnson and Missouri‘s Luther Burden III (both top-20 players in the ranking) had more. Presley also led the country last season with 35 forced missed tackles after the reception. He will be a top-100 player this season for a loaded Cowboys offense.
Rittenberg: Kansas‘ Devin Neal was a difficult cut, and we had him in several earlier versions of the top 100. Neal is a homegrown player, instrumental in Kansas’ rise under coach Lance Leipold. He comes off of consecutive 1,000-yard rushing seasons — he had 1,280 yards and 16 touchdowns last fall — and has 46 receptions the past two years. Daniels’ return could allow Kansas to lean on Neal a bit less, but the senior is certainly capable.
Hale: There were a handful of players we haggled over, and usually it was inconsistency that kept them outside our top 100. Ohio State’s Tuimoloau and Will Howard, Ole Miss’ Walter Nolen and Oregon’s Evan Stewart all have top-50 talent, but only seem to show it in fits and starts. Others such as Cincinnati‘s Dontay Corleone and Utah’s Brant Kuithe are surefire top-100 players if healthy, but we have concerns about their ability to hold up over the long haul this season. And then there are a whole host of quarterbacks — Drew Allar, Kyle McCord, DJ Uiagalelei, Cade Klubnik, Jackson Arnold, Garrett Nussmeier — who could be stars this year, but it’s just not any fun to have a top 100 list that’s half quarterbacks.
Olson: Rittenberg already touched on this, but you cannot convince me Neal isn’t a top-100 player. Ten running backs make this list but not Neal, who accounted for a career-high 1,497 total yards and 17 touchdowns in 2023 and has been a leader for one of the great program turnarounds in recent college football history. His 3,534 career yards from scrimmage are most among all returning Power 4 backs.
Adelson: Of course it’s fun to have a top 100 list that’s half quarterbacks. I mentioned two already, and now I am going to add Georgia Tech QB Haynes King to the list Hale mentioned. Fun fact — King led the ACC in passing touchdowns in 2023 and was one of only two P5 players with at least 2,800 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes, 700 rushing yards and 10 touchdown runs in 2023. The other was Jayden Daniels of LSU. Georgia Tech returns its top two receivers, top running back and four starters on the offensive line. He is in line to be even better this year.
Low: If you don’t already know the name of Shavon Revel Jr., you will by season’s end. The East Carolina senior cornerback came out of nowhere last year in his first season as a starter. He began his career at the junior college level, and at 6-3 and 193 pounds, has everything the NFL scouts are looking for in a corner with his blend of speed, size and length. Revel passed up lucrative opportunities to leave ECU this offseason as a transfer. He could be this year’s version of Quinyon Mitchell, who starred at Toledo last season and was taken in the first round of the NFL draft.
What newcomer will be on the list by year’s end?
Trotter: The Buckeyes have so many other offensive weapons. But Ohio State freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith will find a way to make it onto this list. He’s too talented and already too polished not to.
Schlabach: You can’t talk about freshman receivers without mentioning Alabama‘s Ryan Williams. He was the first back-to-back Mr. Football winner in the state after totaling more than 5,000 all-purpose yards in his career at Saraland High School (Alabama). He was the No. 1 receiver prospect, according to ESPN Recruiting after reclassifying from the 2025 class to 2024. There’s a reason one of new Alabama coach Kalen DeBoer’s first tasks was re-affirming Williams’ commitment. The Tide need pass catchers, and Williams is too explosive and dynamic to keep off the field.
Olson: Oregon wide receiver Evan Stewart has a ton of talent and an opportunity to become a superstar for the Ducks if he can stay healthy and be consistent. After two frustrating seasons at Texas A&M, the touted transfer picked an ideal situation for a fresh start in teaming up with Gabriel and a loaded team with national title ambitions. Now it’s time for his production to match his potential.
Lederman: At 6-6, 264 pounds, Florida defensive end LJ McCray is physically ahead of schedule and looks likely to factor into the Gators’ pass-rushing depth this fall. McCray logged 80 total tackles with 13 sacks as a senior in 2023, leading Mainland High School (Florida) to the school’s first state title since 2003. The No. 10 prospect and No. 1 defensive end in the 2024 class, per ESPN, McCray may take time to settle in, but he’s too talented not to crack the regular rotation by the back half of the season, operating on a thin Florida defensive line already reshuffling following Jamari Lyons‘ season-ending ankle injury.
Bonagura: What if I told you the quarterback who has thrown for the second-most yards in SEC history is not considered one of the best 100 players in college football? Because that’s what we did here in the case of Will Rogers, who transferred to Washington from Mississippi State. And while we can acknowledge there is an Air Raid inflation factor with Rogers’ stats, it’s also important to point out that quarterback success is heavily determined by coaching. Rogers isn’t immune from criticism for his decline last year, but the coaching change just didn’t work for him. Under Jedd Fisch at Washington this year, I expect Rogers to bounce back.
Low: Hugh Freeze loves his new crop of receivers at Auburn. The Tigers were severely limited in the passing game a year ago because they didn’t have anybody who could consistently get open. Enter Cam Coleman, a true freshman who dazzled in the spring and again this preseason. He’s especially adept at going up and making plays on the deep ball and will be quarterback Payton Thorne‘s best friend this fall.
Rittenberg: David Stone is the type of centerpiece Oklahoma coach Brent Venables has been waiting for to elevate a languishing Sooners defense. At 6-3 and 294 pounds, Stone is ESPN’s top defensive tackle prospect and No. 6 recruit in the 2024 class. He should find a role right away in a Sooners defensive front that needs more production in pressuring quarterbacks and making plays in the offensive backfield.
Hale: It’s impossible to have spent any time at Clemson this offseason without hearing someone gush over freshman wide receiver Bryant Wesco Jr. QB Cade Klubnik said he’s likely to be the biggest difference-maker on offense, and Swinney has raved over how game-ready the newcomer has looked. For Clemson, it has been a long wait to find its next great young wide receiver after a run of NFL talent in the 2010s, but Wesco and fellow blue-chip freshman TJ Moore certainly look the part.