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<\/p>\nThe members of the Class of 2024 have been on campus for two seasons. Some will take more time to develop, but many have already emerged as stars.<\/p>\n
Let\u2019s look back at that class to see how the top players have performed and which ones have emerged as the best at each position.<\/p>\n
Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite, and all QB pressure stats are from Pro Football Focus.<\/p>\n
Quarterback<\/p>\n
No. 1<\/p>\n
Julian Sayin, Ohio State via Alabama (five-star, No. 6 overall)<\/p>\n
Top six candidates<\/p>\n
Sayin, Ohio State via Alabama
\nDylan Raiola, Oregon via Nebraska (five-star, No. 21)
\nCJ Carr, Notre Dame (four-star, No. 68)
\nDemond Williams, Washington (four-star, No. 205)
\nCJ Bailey, NC State (four-star, No. 434)
\nDrew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State via North Texas (unranked)<\/p>\n
Sayin has lived up to the hype, going 12-2 as a starter with a 75.9 percent career completion rate, 3,694 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Nobody, however, has won more games as a starter in this class than Raiola, who left Nebraska for Oregon this winter with a 13-9 record. He\u2019s expected to serve as the backup to Dante Moore as he recovers from a knee injury.<\/p>\n
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Williams, however, owns the best passing efficiency rating (164.6), according to TruMedia, completing 71.5 percent of his attempts for 4,009 yards, 33 touchdowns and only nine interceptions. He\u2019s also rushed for the third-most yards (893) among QBs in his class. Bailey (5,518 yards, 42 TDs, 19 INTs) and Mestemaker (4,841 yards, 36 TDs, 11 INTs at North Texas) rank first and second in the class, respectively, in career passing yards and touchdowns. Carr (2,741 yards, 24 TDs, six INTs) is the 2026 preseason Heisman favorite, according to BetMGM.<\/p>\n
The re-ranked No. 1: Carr. It\u2019s a tough decision, but I went with Carr over Sayin due to his upside and star potential after his first season.<\/p>\n
Running back<\/p>\n
No. 1<\/p>\n
Taylor Tatum, Oklahoma (four-star, No. 38 overall)<\/p>\n
Top six candidates<\/p>\n
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss via Missouri (four-star, No. 178)
\nJadan Baugh, Florida (four-star, No. 381)
\nIsaac Brown, Louisville (three-star, No. 526)
\nAntwan Raymond, Rutgers (three-star, No. 801)
\nWayshawn Parker, Utah via Washington State (three-star, No. 1,739)
\nAhmad Hardy, Missouri via Louisiana-Monroe (three-star, No. 1,919)<\/p>\n
Tatum has hardly seen the field at Oklahoma. Hardy\u2019s 493 carries, 3,000 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns are the most for any running back in the class. Brown\u2019s 2,057 rushing yards rank second to Hardy, and his 7.7 yards per rush are the best in the class. Baugh, Parker, Ryamond and Lacy each have rushed for 1,600-plus yards over the last two seasons. As far as receiving, Brown\u2019s 43 catches for 200 yards are tops in the group.<\/p>\n
The re-ranked No. 1:\u00a0Hardy. He ran for 1,169 yards and nine touchdowns last season in 10 games against Power 4 opponents and did so mostly with a quarterback who ranked 71st overall and 11th in the SEC in passing efficiency.<\/p>\n
Receiver<\/p>\n
No. 1<\/p>\n
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (five-star, No. 1 overall)<\/p>\n
Top six candidates<\/p>\n
Smith, Ohio State
\nCam Coleman, Texas via Auburn (five-star, No. 3)
\nRyan Williams, Alabama (five-star, No. 4)
\nT.J. Moore, Clemson (five-star, No. 23)
\nNick Marsh, Indiana via Michigan State (four-star, No. 176)
\nJacory Barney Jr., Nebraska (four-star, No. 459)<\/p>\n
Smith\u2019s numbers (163 catches, 2,558 yards, 27 touchdowns) are far superior to any other receiver in the class. Marsh and Barney are next on the list in terms of receptions, with 100 each. Wyatt Young, who recently transferred from North Texas to Oklahoma State, is second in receiving yards with 1,559. Williams has shown flashes of dominance at Alabama but has been far too inconsistent. Coleman is extremely talented and should thrive playing in Texas\u2019 offense after two years at Auburn.<\/p>\n
The re-ranked No. 1: Smith. It\u2019s not even close.<\/p>\n
Tight end<\/p>\n
No. 1<\/p>\n
Trey\u2019Dez Green, LSU (four-star, No. 40 overall)<\/p>\n
Top six candidates<\/p>\n
Green, LSU
\nLuke Reynolds, Virginia Tech via Penn State (four-star, No. 71)
\nElija Lofton, Miami (four-star, No. 274)
\nDecker DeGraaf, Washington (three-star, No. 824)
\nWillie Rodriguez, Kentucky (three-star, No. 841)
\nDJ Vonnahme, Iowa (two-star, No. 2,983)<\/p>\n
There\u2019s no clear-cut favorite at this position. DeGraaf leads all tight ends in the class with 47 career catches and 593 receiving yards. Green, however, ranks right behind him in both those categories with 46 catches for 534 yards, and he leads all tight ends with 11 TD receptions. Vonnahme, Reynolds and Lofton all have similar numbers through two seasons.<\/p>\n
The re-ranked No. 1: Green, slightly over DeGraaf.<\/p>\n
TREY\u2019DEZ GREEN! MONSTER! pic.twitter.com\/1CK75NPu4Q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Unnecessary Roughness (@UnnecRoughness) December 28, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n Offensive tackle<\/p>\n No. 1<\/p>\n Jordan Seaton, LSU via Colorado (five-star, No. 17)<\/p>\n Top six candidates<\/p>\n Seaton, LSU via Colorado Seaton started 22 games at left tackle for Colorado before leaving for LSU and a big NIL contract this winter. He allowed five sacks and 37 pressures in two seasons. Knapp, the leader among tackles in career starts with 27, allowed only one sack and nine pressures last season in 12 games. Roy became a full-time starter for the Gophers at left tackle in 2025 and allowed only three sacks and 12 pressures in 440 pass-blocking snaps. Ponton started all 14 games at right tackle for Texas Tech. Baker started 13 games as a sophomore and didn\u2019t allow a sack. Nelson, who started 24 games at North Texas, transferred to Oklahoma State.<\/p>\n The re-ranked No. 1: Knapp. He\u2019s allowed a few more sacks and pressures than Seaton, but he\u2019s played five more games and faced better competition.<\/p>\n Interior offensive lineman<\/p>\n No. 1<\/p>\n Cooper Cousins, Penn State (four-star, No. 57 overall)<\/p>\n Top six candidates<\/p>\n Jake Guarnera, Michigan (three-star, No. 508) Cousins has made two starts and played 349 snaps to this point in Happy Valley \u2014 not nearly as impactful as the other candidates on this list. Guarnera started the final 11 games for the Wolverines at right guard and graded out well as a run blocker, according to PFF. Altuner started all 12 games for the Hokies at center in 2025. Branham started 11 games at right guard for Arkansas. Moore started nine games at Georgia Tech in 2025 and then followed his offensive coordinator, Buster Faulkner, to Florida. Oratokhai started 13 games last season at left guard and has allowed only one sack and 13 pressures in his career. Hershey started all 12 games as a sophomore and didn\u2019t allow a sack.<\/p>\n The re-ranked No. 1:\u00a0Oratokhai. He made The Athletic\u2019s Freshman All-American team<\/a> and has a slight edge over Guarnera.<\/p>\n Defensive tackle<\/p>\n No. 1<\/p>\n Williams Nwaneri, Nebraska via Missouri (five-star, No. 8 overall)<\/p>\n Top six candidates<\/p>\n David Stone, Oklahoma (five-star, No. 9) Nwaneri is one of several projected interior defensive linemen who have seen more action on the edge than inside. Stone has only made two starts in his career, but was highly impactful for the Sooners in 2025 (eight tackles for loss and 26 pressures). Scott started nine games for the Hurricanes. Echoles was an All-SEC performer with 68 tackles, 39 pressures and five sacks over the course of 15 starts as a sophomore. Abasiri started nine games for the Trojans in 2025 and had 3.5 sacks. Brewu started 13 games last season at Pitt and had 20 pressures. Landino started the last 11 games of the season for the national champions and had five sacks and two fumble recoveries.<\/p>\n The re-ranked No. 1: Echoles. He was highly productive and a full-time starter for a national semifinalist. His 43 pressures over the last two seasons are the most for an interior defensive lineman in the class.<\/p>\n Ole Miss DT Will Echoles man-handling the RG at the point of attack \ud83d\udc40 pic.twitter.com\/4aBjvPbxhg<\/a><\/p>\n
\nBrandon Baker, Texas (five-star, No. 32)
\nNathan Roy, Minnesota (four-star, No. 183)
\nAnthonie Knapp, Notre Dame (four-star, No. 332)
\nJacob Ponton, Texas Tech (four-star, No. 385)
\nBraydon Nelson, Oklahoma State via North Texas (three-star, No. 2,783)<\/p>\n
\nKyle Altuner, Virginia Tech (three-star, No. 547)
\nKobe Branham, Arkansas (three-star, No. 1,064)
\nHarrison Moore, Florida via Georgia Tech (three-star, No. 1,297)
\nEzomo Oratokhai, Northwestern (three-star, No. 1,298)
\nMichael Hershey, Maryland (three-star, No. 1,421)<\/p>\n
\nJustin Scott, Miami (five-star, No. 10)
\nWill Echoles, Ole Miss (four-star, No. 135)
\nJide Abasiri, USC (four-star, No. 351)
\nFrancis Brewu, Notre Dame via Pittsburgh (three-star, No. 481)
\nMario Landino, Indiana (three-star, No. 2,660)<\/p>\n