The first-ever 12-team College Football Playoff starts Friday night and goes through Saturday in the step toward a national championship. Rivals national recruiting director Adam Gorney breaks down the top 11 on offense and defense from the teams involved:
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QUARTERBACK: Dillon Gabriel
It’s hard to believe that Gabriel was committed to Army until a month before signing day when UCF got involved and he flipped to the Knights. The former high three-star from Mililani, Hawaii shined at UCF and then transferred to Oklahoma where he was great for two seasons and is now at Oregon where he’s led the Ducks to an undefeated regular season and a Big Ten championship.
Gabriel has thrown for an incredible 18,423 yards and 153 touchdowns in his storied career.
RUNNING BACK: Ashton Jeanty
Based on his performance at Frisco (Texas) Lone Star and at Boise State, a two-star ranking looks foolish but coming out of high school despite posting massive numbers it was still a question whether he would play running back or receiver or come in as an athlete.
No Power Five programs were really involved even though Jeanty rushed for 1,843 yards and 31 touchdowns and caught 42 passes for 803 yards and 10 more scores. Boise State not only saw Jeanty’s potential but utilized him so well to the point that he had a legit argument to win the Heisman Trophy this year.
WIDE RECEIVER: Jeremiah Smith
Smith was the No. 1 prospect in the 2024 Rivals250 even though it’s almost never a wide receiver in the top spot and I wrote that the five-star was the best high school receiver since Julio Jones, if not better. In his first season at Ohio State, Smith has 57 catches for 934 yards and 10 touchdowns which almost mirror Jones’ freshman season at Alabama except Smith already has six more touchdowns with the playoff run ahead.
Smith has been a dominant, elite receiver for years and it wouldn’t be a shock to see NFL teams consider him for the No. 1 overall pick after a couple more seasons. The last No. 1 overall receiver drafted was Keyshawn Johnson in 1996.
WIDE RECEIVER: Tez Johnson
A two-star coming out of Pinson (Ala.) Pinson Valley, Johnson signed with Troy and had two impressive seasons there but really blew up on the national scene when he went to Oregon. In 2023, Johnson caught 86 passes for 1,182 yards and 10 touchdowns. This season he has 78-866-10 as another phenomenal season is in place before Johnson heads off to the NFL.
With speed and playmaking ability as much as any receiver in the playoffs, Johnson is an incredible prospect who has only gotten better and better in each college season from Troy to Oregon.
WIDE RECEIVER: Antonio Williams
Clemson beat Auburn and South Carolina for the Irmo (S.C.) Dutch Fork standout who was really quiet during the recruiting process but posted monster stats in his final two high school seasons especially as a senior when he had 85 catches for 1,600 yards and 15 touchdowns.
Following a very impressive performance at the Under Armour Game, Williams shot up from a fringe Rivals250 member to 75 nationally where he’s Clemson’s top receiver by far heading into the playoff.
TIGHT END: Tyler Warren
An early Virginia Tech commit, Warren backed off that pledge in the spring before his senior season and then the three-star picked Penn State over the summer. He had a great 2023 season but had one of the best seasons ever for a tight end with the Nittany Lions and was arguably the best tight end nationally with Bowling Green’s Harold Fannin in the conversation. Warren was by far quarterback Drew Allar’s favorite target with 88 catches for 1,062 yards and six scores so far this season.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Josh Conerly
The five-star from Seattle (Wash.) Rainier Beach waited a few months after the February signing period to make his choice and even in the final days it wasn’t clear what he would do in early April. USC was considered the front-runner but a late, behind-the-scenes trip to Oregon put the Ducks over the edge in the end. Conerly is widely considered one of the best offensive tackles in the country and has strong potential as a first-round pick.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Donovan Jackson
When Jackson committed to Ohio State over Texas and Georgia he was not a four-star but after seeing him through the summer, the Houston (Texas) Episcopal standout moved up to five-star and stayed there for the rest of his recruitment. Although the Ohio State offensive line has been maligned a little bit through this season, Jackson is a potential first-round NFL Draft selection and has backed up his ranking in Columbus.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Tate Ratledge
A quiet kid throughout his recruitment who kept to himself and didn’t do many interviews, Ratledge ended up picking Georgia over Tennessee. In the 2022 and 2023 seasons, Ratledge started in 27 of 29 games at right guard for the Bulldogs and has established himself as one of the best interior offensive lineman in the country.
He has battled injuries this season but again has started in eight of nine games where he was available. Some mock drafts have a late first-round grade on the former five-star.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Leif Fautanu
There was not much to Fautanu’s recruitment coming out of Honolulu (Hawaii) University Lab as the two-star picked UNLV and didn’t attend many camps or get national exposure.
After four years playing for the Rebels, Fautanu transferred to Arizona State where he was the offensive MVP last year and has now played in more than 3,300 snaps during his long college career.
OFFENSIVE LINE: Kelvin Banks
This one will haunt me for a long time. Rivals had Banks ranked as a five-star offensive tackle especially after he looked awesome at the Rivals Camp Series in Dallas heading into his senior season and it looked like there was no way he’d move off that ranking.
But Banks struggled mightily – like lost almost every rep – during the week at the Under Armour Game and we overreacted by moving him down to No. 65 overall. But Banks is clearly a first-round talent and unless there’s a major surprise, he could be one of the first players off the board. This one stings.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Abdul Carter
Even after offering Carter, Penn State’s staff had some questions about his ability and brought him back for a summer camp (to basically see if he was a take in the class) and he blew everyone away. Later in June, the Philadelphia (Pa.) LaSalle four-star returned for an official visit and committed over South Carolina and Ole Miss.
Coach James Franklin and his assistants must be thrilled they landed Carter, who has now become a superstar for the Nittany Lions and has posted 10 sacks and 19.5 tackles for loss this season alone.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Derrick Harmon
Less than a month after getting his Michigan State offer, the three-star defensive tackle from Detroit (Mich.) Loyola committed to the Spartans because he wanted to play for then-coach Mel Tucker.
Following three seasons in East Lansing, Harmon transferred to Oregon and made a massive impact on the Ducks’ defensive line with 42 tackles, five sacks, nine quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries.
DEFENSIVE LINE: Mikail Kamara
Kamara was unranked coming out of high school and played for four seasons at James Madison, not doing a whole lot until his final season when he had 52 tackles and 6.5 sacks.
But Kamara blossomed even more after he followed first-year coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana where he has been one of the best defensive ends in the country posting 44 tackles, 10 sacks, three fumble recoveries and two forced fumbles.
DEFENSIVE LINE: T.J. Parker
An early Penn State commit, Parker backed off that pledge and then late in his senior season the Phenix City (Ala.) Central high four-star defensive end picked Clemson over the Nittany Lions, Tennessee and Texas A&M. Parker totaled 5.5 sacks last season but really exploded on the scene as one of the nation’s elite pass rushers as Clemson won the ACC championship.
Ranked No. 37 nationally just outside of five-star status, Parker has 60 tackles (19 for loss) with 11 sacks and 13 quarterback pressures this season as the high four-star has been nearly unstoppable.
LINEBACKER: Anthony Hill
Hill committed to Texas A&M in the summer before his senior season but the Aggies’ lack of success in the 2022 season led to his de-commitment and eventual flip to Texas.
He has been an absolute star in the Longhorns’ defense since Day 1 as he leads Texas with 90 tackles and four forced fumbles and he’s second with 7.5 sacks. So productive from the start, Hill was second on the team in tackles and sacks as a freshman for a team that also went to the College Football Playoff.
LINEBACKER: Jalon Walker
Walker, whose father coached college football, picked Georgia over Clemson and North Carolina and he’s been phenomenal for the Bulldogs.
The former four-star linebacker from Salisbury, N.C., who could have been even higher in the rankings has 57 tackles this season and leads the Dawgs with 10.5 tackles for loss and 6.5 sacks.
Walker should also impress at the combine and a late first-round draft selection is possible.
LINEBACKER: Aiden Fisher
Unranked in the 2022 class with offers from only Army and Navy, Fisher ended up at James Madison where he had more than 100 tackles in two seasons.
When coach Curt Cignetti left for Indiana, Fisher followed and now leads the Hoosiers with 108 tackles and he’s also added four pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.
DEFENSIVE BACK: Jahdae Barron
An early TCU commit, Barron backed off that pledge and then signed with Baylor in its 2020 class. However, a few months later, the three-star defensive back asked out of that NLI and ended up signing with Texas in April.
Barron has had a solid career with the Longhorns but really emerged as one of the nation’s best this season with five interceptions, nine pass breakups and 47 tackles so far this season.
DEFENSIVE BACK: Jermod McCoy
A two-star coming out of Whitehouse, Texas, McCoy was originally committed to Tulane but flipped to Oregon State late in his senior season.
McCoy spent one season in Corvallis where he had seven pass breakups and two interceptions and then transferred to Tennessee where he’s become one of the best cornerbacks in the country. Leading the Vols’ defense that’s not even giving up 14 points per game, McCoy has four INTs and nine pass breakups, both team highs.
DEFENSIVE BACK: Xavier Watts
Iowa State, Michigan, Nebraska, Tennessee and Wisconsin were the other front-runners for Watts but the three-star safety from Omaha (Neb.) Burke chose Notre Dame in the summer before his senior season and stuck with the Irish.
He’s been a huge addition to the Irish secondary as he led the nation interceptions and now has 49 tackles and five picks so far this year.
DEFENSIVE BACK: Caleb Downs
Editor’s Note: This article first appeared on Rivals.com, the leader in college football and basketball recruiting coverage. Be the first to know and follow your teams by signing up here.
