Rivals Rankings Week: Five-star countdown for 2025 class

Today we kicked off another Rivals Rankings Week, as the 2025 class receives a refresh following a busy spring camp season. As always, we began with a countdown of the 2025 five-stars, with recruiting director Adam Gorney's thoughts on each.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

MONDAY: Who should be No. 1?

TUESDAY: Five-Star Countdown

WEDNESDAY: New Rivals250 unveiled | Gorney goes position-by-position | Biggest risers

THURSDAY: New offensive position rankings released | QB rankings breakdown | RB rankings breakdown | WR/TE rankings breakdown | OL rankings breakdown

FRIDAY: New defensive position rankings released | DL rankings breakdown | LB rankings breakdown | DB rankings breakdown | ATH rankings breakdown

SATURDAY: New state rankings released | Who is No. 1 in each state?

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Gorney's Take: Lewis remains the No. 1 player in the 2025 class, but after other spring evaluations there will be a major battle for the top spot moving forward. The five-star quarterback, who reclassified from 2026 to 2025, is committed to USC but Colorado and Auburn are pushing the hardest to flip him and he will also visit Indiana.

Lewis has it all, from leadership abilities to elite decision-making and arm ability.

Carrollton coach Joey King also coached Trevor Lawrence in high school and he’s said Lewis is in the same category. We believe him.

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Gorney's Take: Sanders always had elite athleticism at offensive tackle and over the last couple years the five-star has added more toughness, physicality and a mindset that he’s going to dominate every time he steps on the field.

The Charlotte (N.C.) Providence Day standout has been limited with a shoulder issue this offseason but he’s back to lifting, getting bigger and keeping his light feet for his senior season.

Clemson and Ohio State are at the top, but Georgia, Tennessee and others are involved.

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Gorney's Take: Arguably no one has made a bigger statement to push to No. 1 overall this offseason than Underwood, who doesn’t do a lot of events but when he shows up there is a ton to like.

The LSU five-star quarterback commit has elite physical traits, dynamic arm ability and while his delivery could be cleaned up a bit his accuracy is phenomenal as well. The more we see Underwood, the more we like him.

He’s making a compelling case to move even higher in the rankings.

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Gorney's Take: When it comes to the elite of the elite receivers in this class, it might be Moore and then everyone else. The Duncanville, Texas, standout recently backed off his pledge to LSU and now has Texas as the frontrunner with Ohio State, Oregon and others involved.

He makes impossible catches look easy and is a phenomenal playmaker with electric speed and route-running ability to get open against anybody. Even if he’s covered up, Moore has excellent hands to make every catch. It will be tough to move him off the top line at receiver in the 2025 class.

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Gorney's Take: The trend in April’s NFL Draft was to take shorter cornerbacks but many of the top players at that position in the pros are 6-foot-1 or taller and we think Sanchez fits into that group. Even at 6-foot-3, Sanchez moves so well, he has incredible length and closing ability, and he’s great at the line of scrimmage or later in the route.

The Houston (Texas) North Shore standout committed in January and is “all Buckeye” according to his father.

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Gorney's Take: Terry is not one of those massive defensive tackles who just take up space and swallow up running backs at the line of scrimmage. He is a gap shooter, fast off the snap, super powerful with the speed and athleticism to track players down when the play gets stretched to the sideline. Terry is a modern-day defensive tackle that NFL teams love.

The Manchester, Ga., standout flipped his commitment from Georgia to USC in late March and is again being pursued by the Bulldogs.

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Gorney's Take: Whether it was playing off the edge earlier in his career or at defensive tackle, the Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian School five-star standout has been super productive along the defensive line. Griffin has size at 6-foot-6 and 290 pounds, and with that comes great length and his ability to leverage players to his will.

We do wish Griffin would do more national events to compete against elite offensive tackles but he hasn’t been around much this offseason.

Georgia is considered the main frontrunner but other Southeast programs are trying.

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Gorney's Take: Utu is nearly 6-foot-6 and 292 pounds so he’s not maxed out physically yet, plus he has been an absolute force for years at Rivals Camp events and elsewhere. His 80-inch wingspan is good for offensive guards in the NFL Draft but not for the elite offensive tackles so that will be something to watch. But he is unquestionably an elite player who almost never, ever loses a rep.

Oregon, Ohio State, Michigan, Alabama, Tennessee and others are involved.

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Gorney's Take: Pickett is a physical anomaly. The five-star athlete is all of 6-foot-4 but still only about 175 pounds with incredibly long arms, a unique build that isn’t seen very often. He’s also a tremendous athlete and playmaker whether at safety or receiver and one wonders which position he will play over the long term.

It almost doesn’t matter because he’s equally talented on offense and defense but probably projects as a rangy safety unless he gains a tremendous amount of weight and then could even play an outside linebacker role.

Miami has the edge in his recruitment but Florida, Oregon and others are all involved.

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Gorney's Take: Perhaps the most athletic offensive tackle in the class, Fasusi has almost no bad weight at 6-foot-5 and around 290 pounds. He also has a great mix of power and speed to dominate defensive linemen. The Lewisville, Texas, standout has great feet, a devastating punch, he’s patient, doesn’t guess, can handle speed to the outside and power inside. Fasusi is definitely not afraid to mix it up and play through the whistle.

Texas, Oklahoma, Missouri, Texas A&M and LSU should get official visits with Georgia and Oregon involved. This could be a three-way battle among the Longhorns, Aggies and Sooners, as Fasusi’s visits will be important.

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Gorney's Take: St. Clair hit the national scene this offseason and he’s earned a five-star ranking. The Ohio State quarterback commit has great size, a really live arm, he carries himself like a pro and his projection could be off the charts.

In a discussion as to whether JuJu Lewis or Bryce Underwood is the best quarterback in this class, St. Clair now is in that talk after seeing him at numerous events over the last few months.

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Gorney's Take: The LSU commit has moved to the No. 1 running back in the class and there were discussions about moving him to all-purpose back because he’s such a phenomenal pass-catcher coming out of the backfield. In all ways, the Metairie (La.) St. Martin’s Episcopal standout is a playmaker whether it’s running between the tackles, breaking it to the outside or catching a pass and using his speed to make something happen.

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Gorney's Take: Big, tough, mean and also athletic enough to move his feet to deal with fast defensive linemen, Thomas has proven during the season that he’s an elite interior offensive lineman. He has all the measurables and in-season impact to be a five-star prospect.

We wish he’d do more national events to go up against the best of the best but there is no doubt Thomas is special and has the demeanor to enforce his will.

The Jacksonville (Fla.) Raines standout remains committed to Florida State but Florida is trying hard to flip him.

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Gorney's Take: The five-star offensive tackle from Toledo (Ohio) Whitmer was a top priority for Ohio State throughout his recruitment and he picked the Buckeyes in late January. A great mix of run-blocking ability and pass-blocking skills, Lowe has all the tools to be developed into one of the best offensive linemen in the country at Columbus.

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Gorney's Take: The Ohio State commit is tough at the line of scrimmage, driving receivers to the sideline and being a physical presence. The Birmingham (Ala.) Parker standout can also play off coverage and then he has the speed to break on the ball, pick it off or be right there to make an immediate tackle.

Offord had a quiet offseason and we wish he’d more regularly go up against elite receivers but the five-star has proven to be one of the best in the country.

Alabama, Auburn, Florida and Oregon are looking to flip him but there have been no serious signs it is happening yet.

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Gorney's Take: Position versatility is such an important part of getting on the field in today’s game and whether Williams stays at safety or likely moves to outside linebacker over time, that only reinforces him as one of the best players in the country.

The Galveston (Texas) Ball standout has the speed and playmaking ability to be an impactful safety and then the size and physical nature to make a great linebacker.

Texas A&M has the edge now with LSU, Oklahoma, Oregon and others involved, too.

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Gorney's Take: Watkins is going to make things happen when he has the ball in his hands. Whether it’s in the short game, going deep, breaking across the middle or beating cornerbacks down the sideline, the Naples (Fla.) First Baptist Academy standout is a touchdown waiting to happen.

After early commitments to Texas A&M and Colorado, Watkins is taking his time with a decision as he’ll see South Carolina, Ole Miss and Ohio State in June.

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Gorney's Take: The Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei running back is patient, smart and has phenomenal vision to find the hole and explode through it. A comparison has been made to Ezekiel Elliott (one of his running back idols) and they’re very similar. Davison is not just a speed guy but excellent between the tackles and someone who can also get outside to make things happen.

Ohio State has an edge in his recruitment but Michigan, Oregon and Alabama are also high on the list.

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