Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2025 quarterbacks
With the release of the first full 2025 Rivals250 this week, it's time to look at the position rankings. The offensive position rankings are being released today, and up first are the quarterbacks.
LATEST 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Pro-Style QBs | Dual-Threat QBs | RBs | All-Purpose RBs | WRs | TEs | OG | OT
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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK
Sunday: Who should be No. 1?
Monday: Five-Star Countdown
Tuesday: New 2025 Rivals250 revealed | Gorney's thoughts | Ten players on the rise
Wednesday: New offensive position rankings | QB rankings breakdown | RB rankings breakdown | WR/TE rankings breakdown | OL rankings breakdown | Five teams that should be pleased
Thursday: New defensive position rankings
Friday: New state rankings
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No. 1 at the position: Bryce Underwood
Underwood was the first quarterback in the initial rankings for the 2025 class and he remained the No. 1 quarterback in this first Rivals250. The Michigan native checks all the boxes when it comes to physical attributes and he’s got a lot of experience already.
Underwood makes good decisions with the ball and has the ability to evade defenders in the pocket. He has a good sense of timing with his passes down the field and across the middle. He brings plenty of arm strength to the field but he understands how to put touch on his passes to make sure his receiver is the only one able to catch the ball. Underwood has a great delivery and can get the ball out quickly. He doesn’t need a huge windup to get the ball deep down the field.
As for his recruitment, Underwood is wide open. He’s obviously a top target for many teams around the nation, but he’s been most heavily linked to Michigan, Michigan State, Ohio State and LSU. That list will surely expand as the spring visit season progresses.
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Two teams to watch: Tennessee and Alabama
Even though they just signed five-star Nico Iamaleava in the last recruiting class, the Tennessee Volunteers are set up to sign another big-time arm this year. They’ve already hosted No. 2 overall quarterback Cutter Boley, and No. 4 overall quarterback George MacIntyre is an in-state prospect who is very familiar with the Vols. Each of these two quarterbacks will be the focus of most of Tennessee’s recruiting efforts at the position, but there’s another name to remember: Madden Iamaleava, the younger brother of Nico, is developing into an impressive quarterback in his own right so watch out for Tennessee to go after him as well.
Alabama being involved with top quarterback prospects is nothing new, but there is definitely one name to keep an eye on for the Crimson Tide in this 2025 class. In-state quarterback KJ Lacy is a name Alabama fans better be familiar with because the No. 5 overall quarterback in the Rivals250 is teammates with No. 1 overall receiver and current Alabama commit Ryan Williams. The two are very close, and it’s not out of the realm of possibility to see both of them end up in Tuscaloosa. One more name for Alabama fans to keep an eye on is quarterback Antwann Hill out of Georgia. Alabama offered Hill earlier this month and it appears that relationship is growing quickly.
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Three players in the spotlight: George MacIntyre, Akili Smith Jr., Bear Bachmeier
It’s still very early in the 2025 recruiting process, even for quarterbacks, but there are three quarterbacks in this class who have deep connections to college coaches, former college stars and current college players. All of those factors could come into play further down the recruiting trail.
No. 45 in the Rivals250, MacIntyre has a unique sounding board in his uncle, Mike MacIntyre, the head coach at FIU and former head coach at Colorado. Getting advice from a college coach is nothing new in the MacIntyre family. The grandfather of the 2025 prospect is former Vanderbilt head coach George MacIntyre, who coached in Nashville from 1979 to 1985.
Akili Smith was a star at Oregon in 1998, when he was Pac-10 Co-Offensive Player of the Year. He went on to be the third overall pick in the 1999 NFL Draft. Smith's son, Akili Smith Jr., is a coveted prospect in the 2025 class and already holds offers from Oregon, Michigan, Miami and others. At No. 166 in the Rivals250, it's likely Smith Jr. will add many more offers before his recruitment is closed.
Bachmeier, No. 132 in the Rivals250, is the third Bachmeier brother to come through the recruiting process in recent years. His older brother is Hank Bachmeier, who signed with Boise State in the 2019 class. He played for the Broncos for four years and just transferred to Louisiana Tech but still has two years of eligibility remaining. Tiger Bachmeier was a 2023 prospect who signed with Stanford in the last recruiting class.