Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2025 O-linemen

With the updated 2025 Rivals250 being unveiled Tuesday, it's time to dive into the position rankings. The offensive position rankings are being released today, and we finish up with the offensive linemen.

NEW 2025 POSITION RANKINGS: Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB | Running Back | All-Purpose Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Sunday: Who should be No. 1 in the 2025 Rivals250?

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars

Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Biggest risers | Gorney's thoughts

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | QB rankings breakdown | RB rankings breakdown | WR/TE rankings breakdown

Thursday: Defensive position rankings released

Friday: State rankings released

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There hasn't been very much of a battle for the top offensive line spot in the class of 2025 because the race has been viewed as Sanders' to lose for quite some time. In fact, the more fluid question has long been about Sanders and his shot to be ranked No. 1 in the Rivals250.

For the December update, he got the nod atop a strong group of five-stars and he has a real chance to hold others off the rest of the way. Sanders is the complete package from a modern offensive tackle projection standpoint – big, athletic, long, physical and improving from a technical perspective.

Plenty of programs are looking to make a move with Sanders as his junior season winds down, from Alabama to Clemson and South Carolina – but all appear to be trailing the Georgia Bulldogs at this point.

Georgia: The Bulldogs are naturally off to a strong start in 2025, already holding the pledge of seven prospects, representing a top-five class early on. One of them is a projected offensive lineman, with Micah DeBose penciled in as a future left tackle candidate. But as mentioned above, the top overall recruit is serious about Georgia as well, so Sanders and DeBose could theoretically seal up the top tackle tandem in the entire cycle. Beyond Sanders, there are several blue-chip offensive linemen in the state of Georgia including Rivals250 duo Mason Short and high-riser Josh Petty. Short is committed to Alabama but continues to look at the Bulldogs while Petty is becoming a classic SEC vs. ACC battle with plenty of programs jockeying for position.

Notre Dame: The Fighting Irish, on the other hand, have the largest 2025 class in the country with 10 verbal commitments. However, none of the current pledges are projected to play along the offensive line. The nation's top class is covered in priority position players, but none up front, something that will need to change if this early lead is to be maintained. The Irish always recruit well up front, so it's far from panic time for the fanbase, but there are some early names to eye from Petty to four-star Avery Gach and three-star Will Black of Connecticut. We suspect Marcus Freeman's staff will hit the trail hard this spring in search of beef.

Utu, who looks like a lab-generated prototype offensive tackle, has become a national recruit and has received more than 20 scholarship offers. Both Michigan and Ohio State got him on campus for unofficial visits in November and Nebraska had him on campus earlier in the campaign. If there is a program in the classic Pac-12 footprint to keep an eye on early in the game, USC may be the program to monitor.

Fasusi, who earned his fifth star in this update, is a Texan who will become a prime SEC target as time rolls on. He visited Texas, Oklahoma and Florida most recently, but even more national suitors will likely join his list of options in the offseason. Fasusi has hinted that he may trim his list soon, so his recruitment is perhaps further down the line than some of his peers at this time.

DeBose is a longtime commitment to Georgia but he has been busy on visits throughout 2023, checking in with family ties at Ohio State to the in-state suitors Alabama and Auburn.

LSU has also been among the programs seemingly in strong shape to continue to contend for the Mobile-area standout despite his early decision. The door seems open with the junior but he always has the right things to say about the Bulldogs when asked of his status.

It won't slow down additional suitors, though, and we see Alabama and Ohio State contending as top threats to Georgia for the time being.

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