It's the final Rivals Rankings Week for the 2025 class and today we unveil all 32 players from the class that will forever be able to claim being a five-star prospect in high school.
Rivals recruiting director Adam Gorney gives his thoughts on each of the 32 prospects as we reveal them throughout the day. The full Rivals250 for 2025 will be released on Wednesday.
RIVALS RANKING WEEK
Monday: Who should be the No. 1 QB in the 2025 Rivals250?
Tuesday: Final Five-Star Countdown for the 2025 class | Meet the new five-stars
Wednesday: Final Rivals250 released | 2025 team champion announced | Gorney's thoughts
Thursday: Final offensive position rankings revealed
Friday: Final defensive position rankings revealed
Saturday: Final state rankings revealed
Sunday: Rankings Roundtable
Gorney's Take: Keelon Russell might be a carbon copy of Jayden Daniels and his performance at the Under Armour All-America Game week was outstanding, as was his senior season. So in the end, it was nearly impossible to keep Russell off the No. 1 line.
The Duncanville, Texas, quarterback has the entire makeup of a future No. 1 pick with a dynamic arm, great decision-making, impeccable touch on all levels of passes and an attitude where he’s going to go to Alabama to learn and work hard.
Coach Kalen DeBoer groomed Michael Penix Jr. into a first-round pick and the Crimson Tide should surround Russell with elite receivers. Everything has come into place for him to be dominant in Tuscaloosa.
Gorney's Take: It was incredibly difficult to move Tavien St. Clair off the top line of the rankings because he has done nothing wrong, nothing to question our ranking of him through this cycle as the No. 1 player in the class.
The Ohio State signee is mature beyond his years, a great teammate, a great leader. He fits the Buckeyes’ culture perfectly, he has a jumpstart by already being with the team through this playoff experience and he has all the physical tools to be a superstar in Columbus. Bumping down one spot was no reflection on any negative feelings we have about his future.
Gorney's Take: Bryce Underwood could easily make the case for being No. 1 in the class. The Michigan signee is probably the most dynamic and elite athlete of the five-star quarterbacks. He is a great pocket passer but also can escape and keep defenses honest with his feet.
It would be a shocker if he’s not the starter from Day 1 in Ann Arbor and while that’s not necessarily a major factor in the rankings (since starting before you’re ready could also backfire for some quarterbacks), it’s clear he’s going to lead the Wolverines for years to come.
Underwood’s mechanics are a little quirky but if you’re talking about a highlight-reel player who can take the top off the defense or patiently dissect them, then Underwood is your guy. He might immediately solve all of Michigan’s QB problems from this past season.
Gorney's Take: If this quarterback class wasn’t so loaded at the top then Elijah Griffin would have been in even more serious consideration for No. 1 overall. The last No. 1 defensive tackle was Clemson’s Bryan Bresee in the 2020 rankings so it does happen occasionally. We just weren’t ready to pull the trigger on Griffin this time. We might regret it.
In a loaded Under Armour All-America Game, Griffin put together one of the best weekly performances in recent memory. He just dominated the entire week, every time he took the field.
The Georgia signee is massive, strong, fast, tough, athletic – all the adjectives of an elite defensive lineman who could be used all over the place.
Gorney's Take: If Dakorien Moore was in the 2024 recruiting class, there would be a valid argument to rank him second at receiver behind only Jeremiah Smith. That would have been ahead of Alabama’s Ryan Williams and Auburn’s Cam Coleman. That’s saying something about how much we think of the Oregon signee.
Moore had nearly 1,500 yards and 19 touchdowns in his senior season at Duncanville, Texas, when everyone knew the ball was coming his way. He has elite speed, elite playmaking ability and elite hands to make impossible catches look easy.
The talent level is through the roof whether the QB dumps it off and let’s Moore run (he ran fastest man at the Polynesian Bowl) or he can take the top off defenses.
Gorney's Take: David Sanders Jr. remains the No. 1 offensive tackle in the 2025 class although Michael Fasusi’s outstanding performance at the Under Armour All-America Game gave us pause for at least a few minutes. But when we look at the full resume, the projection, the build, the athleticism, the fact that Sanders is also not totally maxed out physically, we kept the Tennessee signee highest.
Early in his career, Sanders had all the tools to be special but he was a little shy while learning the position and going up against players much older. As the years went by, the five-star offensive tackle gained confidence and toughness, and kept all that high-level athleticism. He can handle speed to the edge or power inside. He’s the complete package.
Gorney's Take: Sometimes we fall in love with tall cornerbacks too much. It’s hard not to since they have such incredible length and size and can cover at the high school level. But as the game speeds up into college and especially the NFL, they struggle, move to safety and sometimes don’t live up to the five-star hype.
We’re very confident Devin Sanchez will not hit those roadblocks and will be one of those bigger five-star cornerbacks who will thrive at Ohio State and become highly desired by NFL teams. First, Sanchez is no-nonsense. He didn’t play games through his recruitment and stayed super focused on the Buckeyes. He has the speed, length, toughness and confidence to be phenomenal in Columbus.
Gorney's Take: After performing great all week at the Under Armour Game, where he dominated with physicality, toughness and the ability to move his feet, Fasusi was moved up to eighth in the country. It might not be high enough for the future Oklahoma Sooner.
What we love about Fasusi – even going back to the Rivals Dallas Camp – is that he plays with a mean streak through the whistle and doesn’t back down to anybody. That kind of laser focus is needed to be a superstar and Fasusi is also not done developing physically, so there’s a good chance he could get even more dominant in time.
Gorney's Take: If rankings were based only on measurables, Isaiah Gibson would be even higher and could be in the conversation for No. 1 overall. His wingspan is off the charts and that’s going to play a major factor for NFL teams at the combine if and when he has an outstanding career at Georgia.
We fully expect him to be great in Athens because he was a dominant force off the edge at Warner Robins, Ga., where he had great bend off the edge, used his length to frustrate quarterbacks or make tackles and could close quickly to get players on the ground.
We wish he would have competed at more national events. He dodged some of those but Gibson is still an elite edge rusher.
Gorney's Take: Who’s taking over for Shedeur Sanders at quarterback for Colorado next season? Well, Julian Lewis is the most talented QB on the roster and he could be the guy from Day 1. He got there early to learn from Sanders and to learn the playbook from coach Deion Sanders and offensive coordinator Pat Shurmur.
What we’ve loved about Lewis over the years is he never dodged competition. He came to the Rivals Five-Star this summer after a trip to California for the Elite 11 and a trip to Colorado and just a few hours back in Atlanta before flying to Jacksonville. He went to the Clarkson QB event, numerous camps, played a ton of 7on7 and was elite at Carrollton, Ga. He seems more prepared for this moment than anybody and he has the talent to take it.
Gorney's Take: The Manchester, Ga., defensive lineman had one of the wildest recruitments in the 2025 class and in the end it benefitted Texas. Terry originally committed to Georgia, then flipped to USC and then on signing day he chose the Longhorns over re-pledging to the Bulldogs, which was heavily expected in the final days.
On the field, things have been more sure. Terry is physically ready for the SEC. He’s fast and tough, he’s physical and aggressive, and he has all the tools to be special in Austin and beyond.
We do wish he went to more national events over the years to compete against elite competition but it would have probably only reinforced what we already think – that he’s an elite player with an incredible future.
Gorney's Take: For months, if not years, Dijon Lee would politely – but firmly – ask about being a five-star and ask when his five-star ranking was coming. He loved talking about it. In the end, he was right and I was late to move him to five-star status. But it happened after his senior season and then the Mission Viejo, Calif., standout moved even higher after a great showing at the Under Armour Game.
Lee is a long, rangy and athletic cornerback who is confident against any receiver in the country. The Alabama signee can play on an island and be physical when necessary. What stands out most about Lee is that he’s just a naturally smooth athlete who also played offense in high school and put up great times in track. All that should be used wisely in Tuscaloosa.
Gorney's Take: DJ Pickett is one of the most unique physical specimens we’ve seen in a long time and he could legitimately play on either side of the ball as he’s a super smooth athlete who is comfortable all over the place, whether at defensive back or wide receiver. LSU coach Brian Kelly has been specific about using Pickett at cornerback.
Pickett was being worked on by Florida, Miami and others down the stretch but stuck with the Tigers. At 6-foot-4 and 180 pounds, we’ll see how it plays out but he’s on the lean side and super fluid so it’s definitely possible.
Early on, Oregon and others talked about using him on offense and it wasn’t just recruiting hype ... he’s that good of an athlete.
Gorney's Take: The lone five-star running back in the 2025 class, Harlem Berry should be used more as an all-purpose back who will only be limited by the creativity of the LSU offensive staff – and offensive coordinator Joe Sloan will undoubtedly find ways to get Berry the ball.
He can run between the tackles and take a pounding. He loves getting to the edge. He can be used on jet sweeps. He can line up in the slot or come out of the backfield and catch passes.
Berry is so versatile and so electric (he won the fastest man competition at the Rivals Five-Star) that he can break away for a touchdown at any time. The word was USC compared Berry to Reggie Bush and while he’s not as physically impressive he does have that game-breaking ability.
Gorney's Take: Michael Carroll was always blessed with elite size and then over the last year-plus the Alabama signee has developed the toughness and grit to be one of the best offensive linemen in the class with position versatility.
The Bradenton (Fla.) IMG Academy standout has the athleticism and length to stay outside at right tackle and if he moves inside he would be great there because Carroll now loves to throw people around and impose his physicality against anybody. Just watch his film – he’s a head hunter on the offensive line and in the SEC, Carroll should fit in perfectly.
Gorney's Take: The conversations that we’ve had through this recruiting cycle all the way up until the end is whether we should rank Jonah Williams as a safety, move him to linebacker because of his size and projection over the coming years, or just move him to athlete. The only safety in the NFL at the five-star level with his size is Kyle Hamilton so that’s a tough comp, but we think Williams is going to be special wherever he plays in Texas’ defense.
The Galveston (Texas) Ball standout reminds me of Ohio State star linebacker Sonny Styles at the same stage. We had the same discussions about Styles coming out of high school and whether the five-star could stay at safety or move down to linebacker. Really, Williams’ ranking isn’t positively or negatively affected by position and he has ranginess and speed to be special for the Longhorns.
Gorney's Take: Javion Hilson might own the craziest recruitment among the five-stars in the 2025 class and in the end, Missouri won out for the five-star defensive end. The Cocoa, Fla., standout first committed to Alabama and then was pledged to Florida State before reopening his recruitment again. That’s when things went off as Hilson was looking at UCF, Pitt, Syracuse, Florida State, Texas and Texas A&M. But a late visit to Missouri swayed his decision and he picked the Tigers.
Hilson has all the tools on the field to be special. The five-star defensive end has incredible length and burst off the line of scrimmage, almost where he gets by the offensive tackle before he can get out of their stance. He has an aggressive mentality and a relentless pursuit to the ball and that kind of motor will be needed in the SEC.
Gorney's Take: I’ll never forget when Riley Pettijohn walked into media day at the Rivals Five-Star. He was a four-star linebacker at that time but I thought that if he performed well on the field that it would be an easy call to make him a five-star. The Ohio State signee was big, filled out, long and had the look of a really special player.
His tape is some of the best you’ll see as he can come down and hit like a truck, run sideline to sideline and cover in space. Everything you’re looking for in a star linebacker is in Pettijohn’s repertoire, as he’s also mature and ready to get on the biggest stage to make plays in Columbus.
Gorney's Take: Kaliq Lockett was a highly ranked and highly respected receiver in the 2025 class but he was not a five-star heading into the all-star events. After his performance all week in San Antonio at the Navy All-American Bowl, he made it a rather easy decision to move the Texas signee up to five-star status.
Lockett is smooth, glides through his routes, gets open against any cornerback and then has excellent hands to bring in every pass. If there was one receiver at the Navy game that was consistent and nearly impossible to cover all week, it was Lockett.
As we looked for more five-star receivers to reflect NFL Draft trends, he was the one we found that fit the mold.
Gorney's Take: If there is a picture of what a five-star offensive lineman should look like, it would be the Notre Dame signee.
Will Black was not as physically dominant at the Navy All-American Bowl as maybe we expected but that’s also not unusual for top prospects who don’t play elite high school competition. The Wallingford (Conn.) Choate Rosemary Hall product will have an adjustment period to college but it should be a quick one.
Black has phenomenal size, basically no bad weight, and still has room to fill out even more. He’ll be coached up to be an elite force for the Irish.
Gorney's Take: Throughout the recruiting cycle, Jared Smith basically came full circle. He started as one of the highest-ranked prospects early in the 2025 class rankings cycle but then started a slow decline through the four-star rankings to No. 119, only to have an exceptional senior season and elite performances at the all-star events to move back up again.
The Alabaster (Ala.) Thompson standout has outstanding bend off the edge, he’s athletic and cat-quick. He has surprising power when he needs it to beat offensive linemen.
The Auburn signee has relentless pursuit of the football and he’s one of the more athletic defensive ends in this class. He should be able to contribute in multiple ways for the Tigers’ defense.
Gorney's Take: There was a very heated debate about where Jahkeem Stewart should be placed in the rankings and both sides have some valid points.
The five-star contingent felt Stewart is one of the most talented and special defensive linemen to come around in a long time. He could be Chris Jones 2.0 and that he’s going to be coached up by a defensive line coach at USC who also worked with Aaron Donald and many others with the Los Angeles Rams.
The other side – also valid – pointed to the fact that other than the Rivals Five-Star, Stewart has seen limited action on an actual football field, only played in a very small number of games in his high school career and is lacking an actual resume with pads on. Stewart moved down but his tremendous upside and performance at the Rivals Five-Star kept him in the five-star club.
Gorney's Take: The Georgia signee from Kingsland (Ga.) Camden County did not do many national events through his high school career but there’s no arguing that he’s a physical specimen at 6-foot-8 and 230 pounds. What makes him extra special is that Williams is very comfortable in his size and is not a big, lumbering tight end.
Williams caught 54 passes for 789 yards and 11 touchdowns in his senior season, another dominant performance, and following NFL Draft trends of around one tight end going in the first round, we felt having at least one five-star at the position was important.
Gorney's Take: The Florida signee is not going to blow anyone away with his physical size but his speed, playmaking ability and production is off the charts. A bump to five-star status was not only necessary but probably came too late for one of the best players in this class.
The Orlando (Fla.) Jones standout caught nearly 100 passes this season for more than 1,500 yards and 11 touchdowns. That’s even more impressive when another receiver on his team – 2026 four-star Larry Miles – also had more than 1,000 receiving yards.
Brown is fun to watch, elusive, cat-quick, tough to wrangle and he can go deep so Florida QB DJ Lagway should have an elite target to stretch the field.
Gorney's Take: Simply put, Douglas Utu does not get beaten. Not in camps, not in one-on-one settings and, most importantly, not in games. For years, the Las Vegas Bishop Gorman offensive lineman has been excellent handling speed to the outside and power on inside moves. He has excellent feet, he strikes with his hands and anchors down with great strength.
Oregon has reportedly told Utu that he can start at right tackle but he’s also excellent as an offensive guard as he uses elite technique and power to win all the time. Whether it’s Dante Moore or another quarterback playing for the Ducks, Utu will keep him clean and upright.
Gorney's Take: What’s so special about Trey McNutt is that he has a knack for diagnosing a play and then having the athletic ability, speed and length to go make a play on the ball. The Oregon signee makes a ton of tackles but he also knocks down a good amount of passes, sees what the offense wants to do and then goes after the ball and doesn’t let it happen.
McNutt was actually pretty quiet during the week at the Navy All-American Bowl – as were most of the safeties – but his resume of work over the years makes us confident that he should have stayed among the five-star group and could excel in Oregon’s system.
Gorney's Take: What’s important in today’s football is covering ground and getting the ball carrier on the ground, and that’s what Nathaniel Marshall is so good at doing whether he’s coming off the edge, pressuring the quarterback, bringing down a running back or playing in space where he’s running and tackling.
The Michigan signee, who the Wolverines flipped from Auburn, is not as long as 6-foot-5 and 270 pounds might indicate but he has a great motor. He’s someone that could go all over the field to make plays.
Gorney's Take: When we saw Hylton Stubbs’ performance at the Rivals Five-Star over the summer, the Florida signee – who had been committed to USC – looked like a long, rangy cornerback out there and while some of the elite receivers did catch passes against him, it was never easy and always contested.
Stubbs has a laser focus on being great and while he was quiet like all the other safeties at the Navy All-American Bowl, the Jacksonville (Fla.) Mandarin standout has ranginess and burst that’s rare in this class. He has no problem coming up and hitting, but plays the back end like a hawk as nothing gets by him.
Gorney's Take: There are no better-looking prospects in the 2025 class than Jackson, who at 6-foot-6 and 260 pounds looks like he fits right in on Texas’ roster now and has the ability to make an immediate impact akin to what former five-star Colin Simmons did this season.
The Texarkana (Texas) Pleasant Grove standout dodged a lot of national events and we would have loved to see him against elite competition. That didn’t happen, but with his presence off the edge, his length and his ability to push the pocket back into the quarterback, Jackson has special ability and a five-star ranking was warranted.
Gorney's Take: When Deuce Knight has it going well, there might not be a smoother quarterback in this class as the Auburn signee throws a beautiful ball, looks great doing it and hits his receiver in rhythm. Over the last year to 18 months, the Lucedale (Miss.) George County standout has put together more and more impressive performances including at the Rivals Five-Star last summer.
Ole Miss battled Auburn to the end and it was because coach Lane Kiffin saw the same things in Knight as we did – someone who has tremendous arm strength, fluidity and has improved his accuracy a ton since the beginning of his high school career.
If Michael Penix is the comp and Penix was a first-round NFL Draft pick, then we think Knight deserves a five-star ranking as well.
Gorney's Take: When you look at Amare Adams in person at 6-foot-4 and 300 pounds, the Clemson signee looks like an unstoppable force up the middle with little bad weight and a projection to be one of the next best interior guys for the Tigers. He certainly has that potential as Clemson has developed many of these players over the years and pumped them into the NFL. Ten former Clemson defensive linemen are currently on NFL rosters and Adams could be next.
He was not dominant at all times during the Navy All-American Bowl week, but when Adams was good, he was great and could not be stopped by interior offensive linemen during practice. Adams has the power, speed, strength and no doubt size to be one of the best defensive tackles in college football for years to come.
Gorney's Take: Na'eem Offord nearly slid out of five-star status and it’s mainly because we’re not absolutely certain where he’s going to play at the next level and how that’s going to translate to the NFL. Still, the Oregon signee and former Ohio State commit is too talented, and perhaps too versatile, to keep off the five-star list.
Offord might grow out of playing strictly cornerback and could be a nickel. Or maybe he moves to safety and similar to DJ Pickett and others, he’s a good-enough athlete to even move to offense and possibly play some receiver.
He had some good and some bad moments during the Under Armour All-America Game week but overall, he’s still a really special prospect in this class.
CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State
CLASS OF 2027 RANKINGS: Top 100
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