The Rivals250 for the 2025 class has been updated and now it’s time to break down each position. We begin the defensive positions today by looking at four big storylines moving forward with the defensive line rankings.
NEW POSITION RANKINGS: Athlete | Cornerback | Safety | Outside Linebacker | Inside Linebacker | Strongside Defensive End | Weakside Defensive End | Defensive Tackle | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Running Back | All-Purpose Back | Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB
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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 unveiled | Gorney goes position-by-position | Biggest risers
Wednesday: New offensive position rankings released | QB rankings breakdown | RB rankings breakdown | WR/TE rankings breakdown | OL rankings breakdown
Thursday: New defensive position rankings released | DL rankings breakdown | LB rankings breakdown | DB rankings breakdown | ATH rankings breakdown
Friday: New state rankings released | Who is No. 1 in each state?
Saturday: Roundtable on the new Rivals250 rankings
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JAVION HILSON EARNS HIS FIFTH STAR
Florida State commit Javion Hilson became just the third five-star defensive lineman in the 2025 cycle in this Rivals250 update.
The weakside defensive end has a great combination of size and speed that proved to be too much for offensive linemen to handle last season. Hilson’s productivity is off the charts and he’s constantly disrupting plays in the backfield. He’s stronger than he looks, which can surprise some offensive linemen, and he’s only getting stronger.
Hilson’s speed off the edge is hard for offensive linemen to combat but it will be even more difficult for them to contain him now that he’s improving his hand techniques and adding countermoves to his arsenal.
The physical and technical improvement along with the additional room for growth helped push Hilson over the top and into five-star territory.
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BIG MOVES FOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN IN THE RIVALS250
Defensive linemen were among the biggest risers in the latest Rivals250 update. Ohio State commit Jarquez Carter, TCU commit Chad Woodfork and Georgia commit Isaiah Gibson each moved up more than 90 spots in the Rivals250 while LSU commit Damien Shanklin and Texas commit Josiah Sharma both jumped up more than 65 spots.
Oklahoma commit Trent Wilson got a 46-spot bump in the Rivals250 and is now ranked as the No. 3 defensive tackle in the nation. Current Auburn commit Malik Autry also got a 46-spot bump to No. 111 in the Rivals250. Texas commit Smith Orogbo has the national analyst team’s attention as he heads into a big senior season and just moved up 44 spots in the Rivals250.
Penn State commit Jayden Woods and Ohio State commit London Merritt each moved up more than 35 spots in the Rivals250 as well. Merritt is the eighth-highest ranked defensive lineman in the Rivals250.
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IS IT WHEN, NOT IF FOR TERRY AND GRIFFIN?
Five-stars Justus Terry and Elijah Griffin are nearing the end of their recruitments. Terry has narrowed his choices down to Alabama, Florida State and Georgia while Griffin is looking at Miami, USC and Georgia.
At this point, however, there’s a prevailing feeling that both of these elite Peach State natives will stay in-state and sign with the Bulldogs. Neither has set a firm decision date but they could announce a commitment as early as October or just wait until the Early Signing Period in December.
Regardless, it feels like a “when” not “if” situation for Terry and Griffin.
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WHO IS THE NEXT FIVE-STAR?
With Hilson joining the five-star ranks, there are now just three five-star defensive linemen in the 2025 Rivals250. There are normally at least four defensive linemen taken in the first round of the NFL Draft so there likely will be at least one more five-star defensive lineman in the 2025 class before the rankings are final.
Luckily, there isn’t a shortage of five-star candidates. At defensive end, current Ohio State commit Zahir Mathis is already on the brink of five-star status. The same can be said of Michigan commit Nathaniel Marshall and Notre Dame commit Christopher Burgess Jr.
Isaiah Gibson continues to rise up the rankings and that momentum could carry him to a fifth star depending on how his senior season goes.
More five-star candidates should emerge during the fall but these prospects already have our attention.
