Rivals Rankings Week: Five-Star Countdown for 2025

Today marks the start of another Rivals Rankings Week, as we will be unveiling the new 2025 rankings all week. We began with the Five-Star Countdown, as we revealed all of our 2025 five-stars throughout the day, starting at No. 13 and ending with the No. 1 player in the class, David Sanders Jr.

Rivals recruiting director Adam Gorney offered his thoughts on each.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Sunday: Who should be No. 1?

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

Tuesday: New Rivals250 revealed | Gorney's thoughts | Biggest movers

Wednesday: New offensive position rankings revealed

Thursday: New defensive position rankings revealed

Friday: New state rankings revealed

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CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100

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Gorney's Take: David Sanders moved to No. 1 for a simple reason – he’s the best player in the 2025 class – but for so many other reasons as well. While it’s rare but not unheard of to have an offensive tackle as the top player in the class, Sanders is the exception.

The Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day standout has the size and the rare athleticism. What he’s added over the last year is that tough, competitive streak that elite offensive tackles possess. Sanders has it all and we’re more than comfortable having him as the No. 1 player in the class.

Sanders has Georgia, Clemson, Alabama and others high on his list.

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Gorney's Take: Bryce Underwood will be in the conversation for No. 1 overall until the end of the 2025 class because he has such special qualities that it will be difficult to keep him off that top line. The Belleville, Mich., standout, who has LSU and Michigan at the top, has such rare arm talent. The ball pops off his hand and he has also shown great accuracy for years in high school.

Underwood is also an elite athlete who would rather sit in the pocket and torch defenses but he can throw on the run and pick up chunk yardage with his feet. His throwing technique is a little long but that’s a minor criticism and means he probably has even more potential.

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Gorney's Take: Elijah Griffin moved down two spots to No. 3 overall but it’s certainly no indictment on what we think of the Savannah (Ga.) Country Day defensive end as a prospect. At 6-foot-6 and 285 pounds, Griffin can overpower offensive tackles off the edge and use his length to be a disruptive force in the backfield. He can also line up inside to utilize his explosiveness to not only stuff up the middle but to shoot gaps and make plays.

Georgia has the lead in his recruitment but Clemson, Alabama and others are involved.

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Gorney's Take: He’s fun to watch. He’s dynamic in the open field. He’s fast and elusive, runs great routes, takes the short pass and makes something happen or takes the top off the defense by running by his opponents to get in the end zone.

The LSU commit that Texas and others are trying to flip caught 55 passes for 1,151 yards – that’s more than 20 yards per catch – and 14 touchdowns this season and that’s coming after a phenomenal offseason as well. Moore has solidified five-star status in this class and he will continue to push for the top ranking at receiver as well.

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Gorney's Take: To put into perspective just how big and how much length Devin Sanchez has playing cornerback, and especially because Ohio State is one of the frontrunners in his recruitment, he’s one inch shorter than the best receiver in college football – Marvin Harrison Jr., a physical specimen who has the size to dominate cornerbacks.

Sanchez also plays really well, turns so smoothly, has great footwork and clearly great length. He is a super competitive player who doesn’t back down to any receiver.

Alabama and Texas A&M are the other top teams.

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Gorney's Take: Douglas Utu dominated once again on arguably the nation’s top team this season. The Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman offensive tackle simply does not get beaten. He has such a strong power base, excellent hands and extension of his arms, and then great footwork to keep opponents at bay and his quarterback upright.

He's incredible to watch. Surrounded by elite offensive linemen, Utu has proven to be the best and most consistent of the bunch as he can play inside or outside with similar results. He just doesn’t lose.

USC, Oklahoma, Ohio State, Nebraska and many others are involved.

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Gorney's Take: DJ Pickett is an enigma because he has one of the rarest frames in the 2025 class at 6-foot-4 and 170 pounds, built like a receiver but expected to play more safety at the college level. Still, Pickett could be under consideration solely as a five-star receiver, too, because he has incredible length and speed down the field. He finished this season with 52 catches for 1,033 yards and 15 touchdowns.

That length and playmaking ability comes in handy on the back end, too, as Florida, Tennessee, Michigan, Oregon and others are very involved.

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Gorney's Take: Whether he stays at safety over the long haul or moves down to linebacker, Jonah Williams has all the tools to be special on defense. At safety, the Galveston (Texas) Ball five-star has great vision, he can cover the field, he can turn and run with deep receivers and then he has the physical tools to make a play on the ball. At linebacker, he’d be fast and physical and can easily play in space.

Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Texas, Ohio State and others are involved.

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Gorney's Take: A big, physical cornerback who makes plays and is always aggressive with receivers, Na'eem Offord has moved up to five-star status and it probably should have been done sooner. The Birmingham (Ala.) Parker standout is all of 6-foot-2, but he’s also incredibly fluid, physical, and he knows where the ball is going and makes a play on it. On offense, he also rushed for eight touchdowns this season.

Offord has Alabama, Auburn, Georgia, Ohio State and others involved.

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Gorney's Take: Justus Terry, a Georgia commit, can do it all across the defensive line. The 6-foot-5, 265-pound defensive lineman can go inside and use his speed and great technique to get into the backfield. Sometimes, he lines up off the edge to beat offensive tackles or use power inside. Wherever Terry goes, he’s making an impact and he’s always in the backfield.

It’s not just brute force with Terry, either. He does a great job of getting skinny and tough to block and he’s always using his hands to gain an advantage against offensive linemen.

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Gorney's Take: Michael Fasusi has emerged over the last year as one of the best offensive tackles in the country and his junior season only solidified that he’s worthy of a five-star ranking. The Lewisville, Texas, standout has all the traits of an elite offensive tackle – athletic, physical, flexible and super agile on his feet for someone his size.

Oklahoma, Texas and others are battling it out for him and as he matures on the field, Fasusi should only get better.

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Gorney's Take: The NFL Draft trends are not favorable to first-round running back selections but Jordon Davison has been too good, and too steady, on arguably the nation’s best high school football team to ignore.

The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei standout is phenomenal between the tackles, is tough to tackle in a phone booth, always churns for extra yards and has surprising speed to get to the edge and break it outside.

Texas, Ohio State and many others are pursuing him.

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Gorney's Take: Winston Watkins was close to 2,000 all-purpose yards this season at Naples (Fla.) First Baptist Academy as he was used in the running game and on special teams but he was clearly the most lethal at receiver as he finished with 61 catches for 1,170 yards and 13 touchdowns.

There’s no question that Watkins has dynamic speed and elite play-making ability. But he’s also been to a few schools now and gone through two de-commitments so far. We just want him to focus on being great and he could move even higher on this list.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK: CLASS OF 2024

Sunday: Who should be No. 1 in the 2024 Rivals250?

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | There's a new No. 1 in 2024 | Meet the new five-stars

Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Gorney's thoughts | Ten biggest risers

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | Breaking down the QBs | Breaking down the RBs | Breaking down the WRs/TEs | Breaking down the OL

Thursday: Defensive position rankings released | Breaking down the DL | Breaking down the LBs | Breaking down the DBs | Breaking down the ATHs

Friday: State rankings released | States with the most in the R250

Saturday: Rankings Roundtable

NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Athlete | Cornerback | Safety | Inside linebacker | Outside linebacker | Strongside DE | Weakside DE | Defensive tackle | Offensive tackle | Offensive guard | Center | Tight end | Wide receiver | Running back | All-purpose RB | Pro-style QB | Dual-threat QB

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