We are just a few short weeks away from the greatest sport on the planet gracing our screens in the best season of the year. To prime you for this glorious time, I rank the Top 25 Offensive Units going into the 2025 College Football Season.
Using PFSN’s proprietary analytics, this ranking will consist of a quarterback, running back, and either wide receiver or tight end for the third spot. PFSN analyst Mark Stolte decides which team has the best group of three entering the season. The final score for each team is a weighted average of the three players based on positional importance.
25) Louisville Cardinals
Miller Moss, Isaac Brown, Chris Bell
In 25th place is a team carried by someone who had an incredible freshman season. While it wasn’t Adrian Peterson’s level, Isaac Brown’s 1,173 yards and 11 touchdowns put him seventh in our RB+ rankings.
Not only this, but he has also ranked fourth among true freshmen running backs since 2019, behind TreVeyon Henderson, Quinshon Judkins, and Tank Bigsby.
24) Wisconsin Badgers
Billy Edwards Jr., Cade Yacamelli, Vinny Anthony II
Due to Wisconsin’s struggles, Vinny Anthony is a very underrated player for the Badgers. Ranking 10th in our WR+ rankings, Anthony finished with over 650 yards last season.
He was also 48th in yards after catch over expected, often finding ways to make defenders miss. He was also 53rd in catch rate after adjusting for depth of target. If Billy Edwards Jr. can get him the ball, Anthony has a case to make much more noise this season.
23) Notre Dame Fighting Irish
CJ Carr, Jeremiyah Love, Jaden Greathouse
Let’s face it: CJ Carr is the only thing holding back Notre Dame from being top three or even number one on this list. Jeremiyah Love is one of the top Heisman candidates going into 2025 after a monster season in which he produced highlight after highlight in the playoffs. Jaden Greathouse ranks sixth in our rankings and is a stud out of the slot.
Greathouse may have been primarily a slot guy, but he ranked 21st in the nation in contested catch rate, catching an absurd 11 of his 13. Since this is only for trios, we are leaving out transfer wide receiver Malachi Fields for the Fighting Irish. If Carr can deliver, Notre Dame will be a title contender yet again.
22) Cincinnati Bearcats
Brendan Sorsby, Tawee Walker, Joe Royer
Joe Royer is the man to highlight here. Royer was a solid pass catcher for Cincinnati last season, commanding 20.4% of on-field targets, which ranked 13th among tight ends.
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Coming off a 50-catch, 500-plus yard season, expectations are high for Royer as he attempts to live up to another Bearcats legend in Travis Kelce.
21) TCU Horned Frogs
Josh Hoover, Kevorian Barnes, Joseph Manjack IV
Eric Galko says it all in his X post. Josh Hoover broke the single-season TCU passing record despite playing for a team that literally just saw Max Duggan place in the top five in Heisman rankings a few years ago.
After breaking #TCU’s single season passing record, QB Josh Hoover looks to continue his fearless play and emerge as a top-tier QB in the country.
Heading into the 2025 season, Hoover will extend his 19 consecutive starts and continue the momentum of being one of the most… https://t.co/sc3hv5VOOR pic.twitter.com/wPTVs0ONIL
— Eric Galko (@EricGalko) August 11, 2025
Another 3,900-yard season would move Hoover into third all-time for TCU passers behind Trevone Boykin and Andy Dalton.
20) Memphis Tigers
Brendon Lewis, Greg Desrosiers Jr., Cortez Braham Jr.
Memphis is yet again talented on paper, but we shall see if it comes out better on the field this season.
Brendon Lewis is the only player in their trio ranked highly, but Greg Desrosiers Jr. is projected to tee off for the Tigers this season. This is in large part due to the Memphis offensive line ranking 36th in average OL+ rankings.
19) Iowa State Cyclones
Rocco Becht, Carson Hansen, Gabe Burkle
Gabe Burkle’s 10.6% catch rate over expected put him at 47th among tight ends. He is a relatively solid safety target for Rocco Becht, who was also pretty good last season.
Despite their season not ending how they wanted, Becht still finished with his second straight 3,500-plus-yard season and 25 touchdowns.
18) Illinois Fighting Illini
Luke Altmyer, Aidan Laughery, Hudson Clement
Luke Altmyer is the main reason Illinois is ranked this high. His 22 touchdowns and six interceptions were solid, and everyone expects him to get even better in 2025.
17) Alabama Crimson Tide
Ty Simpson, Jam Miller, Ryan Williams
Ty Simpson is to be determined. If he lives up to the hype, Alabama will jump very far in these rankings, in large part due to Ryan Williams. Another true freshman phenom, Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, may have slightly overshadowed Williams, but that isn’t to say his season wasn’t legendary.
His 865 yards and eight touchdowns came up against stiff competition in a season with Jalen Milroe throwing him the ball.
While Milroe was quite the athlete, I can only imagine what Williams’ freshman season could have been with the Alabama quarterbacks of the past, like Bryce Young, Tua Tagovailoa, Mac Jones, etc.
16) Miami Hurricanes
Carson Beck, Mark Fletcher, CJ Daniels
Carson Beck wasn’t as good as expected last season in an injury-riddled year with the Georgia Bulldogs. Now, he has to replace the number one overall pick from last year and will be doing so with a weak wide receiver room. CJ Daniels ranked 122nd in our WR+ grades last season, so it will be up to Beck and running back Mark Fletcher to carry the load.
Fletcher looks poised to do exactly that as he finished last season with 5.5 yards per attempt and eight touchdowns on 100 rushing attempts. He also ranked eighth in the nation in rushing EPA (expected points added), a ranking that should remain consistent as his workload increases.
15) Arkansas Razorbacks
Taylen Green, Braylen Russell, O’Mega Blake
With a name like O’Mega Blake, you are going to have sky-high expectations coming into the season. Blake’s season at Charlotte was relatively solid in 2024, finishing with 795 yards and nine touchdowns. The most impressive part was his ridiculous 24.8 yards per reception, which ranked third in FBS last season.
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Now, he gets to catch passes from an up-and-coming quarterback in Taylen Green. Green is best when he is slinging it down the field, as evidenced by his 18 big-time throws and just six turnover-worthy plays on throws 20-plus yards downfield.
14) Indiana Hoosiers
Fernando Mendoza, Lee Beebe Jr., Elijah Sarratt
The Indiana Hoosiers are once again being underrated, but this time in a different tier. Media outlets are ranking them in the mid-teens, right around where this trio ranks. But this is solely based on the 2024 numbers, as I’d have them closer to the top five if we were going off of potential.
Fernando Mendoza was a great quarterback for the California Golden Bears. He has the size, arm, accuracy, and processing to make a name for himself in the coming season for the Hoosiers. If he can improve his pocket awareness and learn when to be aggressive and when not to, he could really move up these rankings.
Elijah Sarratt is another player who I believe is currently rated lower than what he will be at the end of the season. Ranked 12th at the moment, Sarratt finished last season with 2.91 yards per route run and the 12th-most 20+ yard touchdowns among wide receivers in the FBS.
13) Ohio State Buckeyes
Julian Sayin, CJ Donaldson, Jeremiah Smith
Ohio State’s 13th-place ranking could change drastically once we finally get to see Julian Sayin and CJ Donaldson in action.
Donaldson was a unit for West Virginia last year, totaling 656 yards and nine touchdowns. What really keeps them high in this ranking is the best wide receiver in college.
Jeremiah Smith’s highlights are just as good as his statistics. Play in and play out, Smith finds a way to make even the best defenders look average at best. Smith’s number one ranking by PFSN should not be a surprise to anyone.
12) SMU Mustangs
Kevin Jennings, TJ Harden, Matthew Hibner
SMU is another team hampered by a weak running back. Despite that, Kevin Jennings and Matthew Hibner can keep them relevant, finishing 12th in the rankings.
Hibner’s 19 catches for 299 yards and three scores were unimpressive, but his overall rates were good. Jennings, on the other hand, showed a lot of promise but needs to show improvement under pressure, where he threw five interceptions on just 91 attempts.
11) Texas Tech Red Raiders
Behren Morton, Quinten Joyner, Terrance Carter Jr.
Texas Tech’s ranking comes as a result of Terrance Carter Jr. being an absolute dawg and one of my favorite tight end prospects this season. With Louisiana-Lafayette in 2024, he ranked 11th among FBS tight ends in yards per reception and converted an impressive 70.8% of his catches into first downs or touchdowns, which was 12th best.
Not only does he do the receiving portion well, but Carter also spent 68.8% of his snaps as an inline tight end, the sixth-most among qualifying players. The other portion of this trio that raises this team’s ranking is actually the offensive line.
Part of how I estimated smaller sample players like Quinten Joyner is through the circumstances in which they are playing this season. Using PFSN’s OL+ rankings and pairing it with historical running back rankings, I could estimate Joyner’s grade at 80.2.
Pair this up with Behren Morton’s perfectly average grade of 79.3, and you get the 11th-best trio in college football.
10) Vanderbilt Commodores
Diego Pavia, Sedrick Alexander, Eli Stowers
Finishing just inside the top 10 in any good football players/teams ranking would have most Vanderbilt fans shocked if this were pre-2024.
Last season was the first time since 2013 that they had a winning record. While Diego Pavia has quickly become one of my least favorite players with his conceit and arrogance, there is no denying the talent.
Pavia finished with over 800 yards rushing and seven rushing touchdowns on top of his 2,100 yards passing, 17 touchdowns, and just four interceptions — his coming back this year is a blessing for the Commodores. His favorite target is PFSN’s No. 1-ranked tight end, Eli Stowers.
Stowers went from quarterback to tight end, but let’s be clear. The man is actually a bigger slot receiver. While he doesn’t block very often, he is certainly a force in the passing game, racking up over 600 yards and five touchdowns last season.
9) Arizona State Sun Devils
Sam Leavitt, Kanye Udoh, Jordyn Tyson
Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson are one of the nation’s top duos. They rank sixth and second, respectively, in our rankings. Leavitt threw for 2,441 yards, 21 touchdowns, and five interceptions last season en route to a Sun Devils playoff berth.
Tyson ranked 16th in the FBS in yards per route run in 2024 and looks to be one of the nation’s premier outside wide receivers. His 66.7% contested target rate and 117.3 passer rating when targeted on deep balls make him a prominent top player.
Kanye Udoh’s 116th RB+ ranking significantly impacts the overall trio ranking. I really don’t think he’s as bad as that ranking says, but his two fumbles and lack of explosiveness really do him in.
8) Boise State Broncos
Maddux Madsen, Sire Gaines, Matt Lauter
Replacing Ashton Jeanty is one of the toughest tasks you can ask of a player. While you can’t make any assumptions based on just 20 rushing attempts, Sire Gaines averaged 7.6 yards per carry and forced six missed tackles. Joining him for the number seven-ranked trio are Maddux Madsen and Matt Lauter.
Madsen averaged 0.53 EPA when targeting Lauter. This ranks similarly to some of the top duos in the nation, like Leavitt and Tyson or Milroe and Williams. Madsen completed 72.3% of his passes for 9.4 yards per attempt, seven touchdowns, and just one interception when targeting Lauter. Also, there were really solid 27 first downs on 65 attempts.
7) Clemson Tigers
Cade Klubnik, Gideon Davidson, Antonio Williams
In an alternate universe where the trio can consist of whichever skill players you’d like, the Clemson Tigers would probably rank first. Choosing between Antonio Williams, TJ Moore, and Bryant Wesco Jr. is insanely difficult, but something the real Tigers don’t have to worry about.
Regardless, Williams’ ranking of 20th by PFSN and his 94 targets last season take the third spot for this trio. His 12 catches for 371 yards and six touchdowns on passes of 20 or more yards were a huge help for Cade Klubnik.
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Speaking of Klubnik, his seventh-place ranking for quarterbacks doesn’t do him justice.
He ranked 43rd last season in PFF’s adjusted completion percentage. He was a very solid runner with big-play ability and showed vast improvement from the prior season. If Klubnik can take the next step in his development, I think he will be a first-round quarterback.
Gideon Davidson is a true freshman who is already creating a legacy for himself with the Tigers. Many beat reporters believe he will start immediately. I have him projected at an 82.5 RB+ grade, which would result in a similar season to Isaac Brown of Louisville last year.
6) Baylor Bears
Sawyer Robertson, Bryson Washington, Josh Cameron
Another sneaky good team this year is ranked fifth in the trio comparisons. Led by quarterback Sawyer Robertson, the Baylor Bears are underestimated by the market, with their win total set at just 7.5 games. Despite that, Robertson is among the nation’s best quarterbacks, ranking fifth at PFSN because of his dual-threat capabilities and efficiency.
Bryson Washington returns for another season with Baylor after turning in a 1,000-yard, 12-touchdown performance. His 4.13 yards per rush after contact was good for 39th in the FBS last fall.
Josh Cameron was one of Baylor’s leading target getters, catching 44 of the 66 that came his way. His skill set works best in that 10 to 19 yard range, where he finished with 296 yards and three touchdowns on 33 targets.
5) Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
Haynes King, Jamal Haynes, Malik Rutherford
While this might surprise some, the Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets are a legitimate football team this year with some impressive players. Their unit ranks 25th this year in offensive production, primarily due to “Haynes squared” — the duo of QB Haynes Kings and RB Jamal Haynes.
King’s performance against Georgia last season put him in the national spotlight, but he was balling the entire year with 11 touchdowns on the ground. He also tallied 11 passing touchdowns and just one interception on 1,900 yards passing. King will have the Yellow Jackets rolling this season.
The latter half of the Haynes domination is Jamal Haynes. The Georgia Tech running back has posted back-to-back seasons with over 800 yards rushing, seven-plus touchdowns, and over five yards per carry. If it weren’t for King’s rushing ability, Haynes would rack up even more, but for now, he ranks 15th for PFSN.
Perhaps the most low-key stud of this trio is wide receiver Malik Rutherford. His 469 yards after the catch ranked 19th in the nation, and his eight catches against Duke were integral in their early-season upset.
4) Oklahoma Sooners
John Mateer, Jaydn Ott, Deion Burks
Jaydn Ott played through injury last season, and as such, I am ranking Oklahoma based on his 2023 season, in which he was an absolute monster for California. He was so good in Berkley that some fans made a great song about him, which you can check out here.
As mentioned in the song, Ott has a skill set similar to that of another Cal legend, DeSean Jackson. Ott’s 2023 season was nothing short of spectacular, rushing for over 1,200 yards and 10-plus touchdowns on 5.5 yards per carry and 3.4 yards per rush after contact.
Oklahoma also landed transfer John Mateer, who ranks as PFSN’s number one returning quarterback this season. Mateer had absolutely absurd numbers. He passed for 3,136 yards, 29 touchdowns, and just seven interceptions. Mateer also rushed for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Since 2019, only Jalen Hurts, Jayden Daniels, Sam Howell, and Byrum Brown have joined Mateer in rushing for over 800 yards and passing for over 3,000.
3) LSU Tigers
Garrett Nussmeier, Caden Durham, Aaron Anderson
Garrett Nussmeier headlines our third-best team, the LSU Tigers. He handles pressure well, ranking 16th last season in pressure-to-sack rate at just 10.6%. Among all quarterbacks since 2019, Nussmeier’s 0.43 EPA per drop-back on third and fourth down ranks ninth.
Aaron Anderson ranks fourth in our wide-receiver rankings, largely because of his 7.5 yards per reception after the catch and an impressive 52.4% of total yardage after the catch.
While Durham admittedly ranks low in our rankings, this is essentially a result of age and opportunity. In Durham’s 128 rushes, he averaged 5.4 yards per carry, totaling six touchdowns. He also ranked in the top half of the nation in elusive rating at 35.7%.
2) Penn State Nittany Lions
Drew Allar, Nicholas Singleton, Devonte Ross
Penn State is another team that could probably rank high with a number of replacements due to a talented and deep roster.
Drew Allar ranks third in our returning quarterbacks rankings, showcasing poise in the pocket with his 22nd-best EPA per drop-back in play-action. While he doesn’t have superstar Tyler Warren, the Nittany Lions did pick up Devonte Ross, who racked up over 1,000 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns last season for Troy.
Pair this with the number one-ranked running back in PFSN’s rankings, and you have quite the nasty trio. While I personally disagree with Singleton ranking above Jeremiyah Love, there is no denying that he is a top-three back in college football.
His explosiveness and contact balance are nothing short of great, averaging 3.54 yards per carry after contact and an eighth-best boom or bust rate of 7.6%.
1) Texas Longhorns
Arch Manning, Quintrevion Wisner, Jack Endries
The Texas Longhorns could have taken the top spot even if they substituted a couple of players. Quintrevion Wisner is one-half of an elite pairing with Cedric Baxter in the backfield.
According to Tru Media, Wisner ranked 24th in the nation in PFSN’s elusive rating. This measures the percentage of carries with four or more yards before contact or five or more yards after contact.
Meanwhile, tight end Jack Endries ranks second in our returning tight end grades and will be hugely helpful in getting Arch Manning up to speed quickly.
Speaking of Manning, his limited sample size has given Texas fans lots of hope going forward. Analyst Nate Tice breaks down five plays from 2024 that do exactly this.
5 plays by Arch Manning in the 2nd half against Mississippi State encapsulate his positives as a prospect.
Clips of stepping up in the pocket, layering climb balls, some adlibbing (to find the checkdown), and the athleticism to create as a runner and throw on the move. pic.twitter.com/F39i7ELoYT
— Nate Tice (@Nate\_Tice) May 5, 2025
Using our historical data, which dates back to 2019, I was able to estimate each quarterback’s QB+ grade based on a limited sample size. Manning’s 85.0 estimate would put him tied with Matt Corrall’s 2021 Ole Miss season for the 50th-best quarterback grade since 2019.
