Early 2025 Prospect Stock Watch

Self explanatory, looking ahead to some of the big names of the 2025 class and where they stand after two weeks of the college season.

Stock Up

Ashton Jeanty, RB - Boise St.

This is the biggest layup after we are through two weeks of the college season. Racking up 459 yards and nine(!) touchdowns on the ground, while forcing 22 missed tackles. Leading the country in all three of said categories. He is on pace for a ridiculous 2,754 rushing yards which would easily nab him the Heisman en route to breaking a Barry Sanders record.

These are impressive numbers against any level of competition, but more impressive that he was able to scorch Oregon as much as he was able to scorch Georgia Southern.

Ideally we'd like to see him do more in the passing game after the 22% target share he had last season. He is still getting targeted, but just hasn't really done a ton with those targets. Regardless that is absolutely picking nits.

He is almost guaranteed to slow down on the historic rushing pace, but even then he is the crown jewel of this class for fantasy purposes.

Quinn Ewers, QB - Texas

In what is looking to be a weak QB class, Ewers has managed to rise while the most of the crop falls. Consider this cautionary optimism at this point.

Evaluating QB play often needs context behind the counting stats, so while he isn't blowing the doors off right now they really haven't needed him to past the first half.

While coming off of Saturday it would be delusional to act like Michigan is the same team they were last year, that being said the defense is still loaded with top end talent at a number of spots. Ewers quickly and confidently answered anything and everything Wink Martindale and the Wolverines threw at him. Posting a solid 74th percentile EPA per dropback against an, at worst, top 25 secondary in the nation. The big improvement is avoiding sacks. He posted an almost 30% pressure to sack rate last year. He has been sacked once through two games so far. His decisiveness on creating on a play or bailing on a play has been night and day from last year.

Overall displaying improvement on mechanics, pre-snap reads, and decision making. The question still falls on consistency. The flashes have always been there with Ewers, but far too many balls were sailing over the heads of his now NFL receivers last year on top of the sacks. For now, the improvement looks real. It will be interesting to see what this team, and Ewers specifically, look like once they get punched for the first time this season. If he responds well he undoubtedly claims QB1 status in my opinion.

Dylan Sampson, RB - Tennessee

The SEC clubhouse leader in rushing yards so far just edging out Arkansas starter Ja'Quinden Jackson. At least one of the Tennessee mayo related connections saw success this weekend, as Sampson is coming off a game where he contributed 37% of the offense alone.

He has track speed, good vision, and has now been given the keys as the lead back. He has been efficient so far, averaging 8 yards per carry and 128 yards per game while showing chops as a receiver with 66 receiving yards.

Not to discredit what he has done, but him being a riser is more of a product of being a relatively unknown quantity as a full time player. In a running back class that is pretty loaded, this is the type of season a guy like Sampson needs to distinguish himself in the crowded room of Jeanty, Henderson, Judkins, and many more. So far he has made it known he is one of the names to add to that list in the spring.

Cam Ward, QB - Miami

I am of the mindset that the race for QB1 is between Ward and Ewers only. If Texas falters because of Ewers, Ward should be the guy to take the mantle as the top QB of this class. We'll see if the NFL fully buys in after this year or not.

After declaring last year, and then deciding to come back to college and transfer his name was a hot topic of the offseason. Outside of that his main issue is that this is one of those players who just didn't have enough exposure on the field to the general public before the year. He had almost 7,000 yards and 50 TDs through two years at Washington State. He would have been drafted, not as a first rounder but still impressive, by the NFL if he had stayed in the draft.

He is unsurprisingly pacing for a career year so far after a 689 yard and 7 TD start through the air. Being top 5 in total EPA on the season. He has a great arm, good size, and the ability to extend plays.

Like I mentioned at the top, we'll see how much the NFL ends up liking him after this season, but for now after embarrassing Florida his name is floating around more than ever. He finally has the amount of eyes on him his game deserves, and very well may reap the benefits of that.

Colston Loveland, TE - Michigan

There are plenty of worthy TE mentions here, and this is a total homer pick but whatever. If you want to slot Bowling Green State's Harold Fannin Jr. in here for all the same reasons after the game he had at Happy Valley instead be my guest, that is totally fair.

For a guy who was seen as the top tight end in the class to begin with, we are seeing the reasons why. As he is more than doubling the next closest player in targets on Michigan's roster. Even in a situation that resembles an Iowa Hawkeyes offense so far, Loveland has managed to average just under 80 yards per game. Being a part of a team loaded to the brim last year makes it easy to find production amongst the open space and ideal game scripts. When you are asked to be the main target, and end up as the true lone option but still manage production in a bad situation? That impresses me.

Tetairoa McMillan, WR - Arizona

This is a marginal riser. He was one of the best prospects in the class coming into the year, and arguably already the top wide receiver depending on your personal preference between him and Luther Burden III.

He is coming off a boring game, but I am of the mindset he has firmly taken the top spot at wide receiver until further notice after his 300 yard explosion week 1. Defining or claiming that top spot until further notice is what slots him in at the end of this list.

Stock Down

Shedeur Sanders, QB - Colorado

Let's set all the controversy aside for a second. Purely speaking on the field.

The conversation around him as a player starts with the sacks. How much of that is on him? His offensive line is bad, but I don't think it absolves him of the fact he creates a lot of sacks on his own. Sitting behind only Ewers and Milroe last year in pressure to sack rate, but unlike Ewers we haven't seen a massive improvement.

He took 5 sacks against Nebraska last week for a 23% pressure to sack rate. The conundrum continues when you delve into the fact that Nebraska generated pressure on 19 of the 22 pressures by rushing 3 or 4. A lot of this is in the eye of the beholder, and depends who you blame. For me the buck still stops with Sanders, even if the line is bad. He had a good showing against NDSU, but other than that his big time throw rate (throws fit within a 2-3 yard window of a receiver) sits at only 5%.

Speaking from a complete eye test standpoint, I just don't see a path to success at the next level right now. He holds the ball for an extremely long amount of time, he doesn't have a canon arm, he doesn't handle pressure well. He can read a defense out pretty well, and takes care of the ball somewhat well but I'd still argue he doesn't do either at an extremely elite level.

That isn't even factoring in the off the field baggage and attention that comes with him. This just isn't a recipe for success right now, and he is subject to lose the most hype and stock this season barring a quick turn around.

Donovan Edwards, RB - Michigan

Coming into the year with lofty expectations from those who hadn't watched Michigan all year after he exploded in the National Championship game. Unrealistic or not, Donovan Edwards stood to gain a lot from coming back this year. Taking over as the lead back and showing that he can handle a full workload.

Instead we are getting more of the same. His athleticism and explosiveness in the open field define him, while his vision is what holds him back. He chooses to bounce runs more often than take the yards given to him. Which is why he wasn't a full time player before.

This year hasn't quite been a failure, even with a truly disappointing outing in week 1 against Fresno State. He showed progress versus Texas by running between the tackles with limited opportunity before the game got away from Michigan. He just hasn't shown he can take over as a full time player yet.

There is plenty of time for him to figure it out this year, and luckily for running backs sometimes it does just click in an instant. For now, he looks to be the same player he was last year which is a step back and would make him a non-factor in the NFL.

Ollie Gordon, RB - Oklahoma State

Call me insane for throwing him in this bucket, but this is the opposite of the Donovan Edwards problem. This guy has all the talent in the world and proved he could be the guy for a team last year at a really young age. You could make the case for him being the best running back in college football last season as he almost broke 2,000 combined yards.

So expectations were, rightfully, sky high for Gordon. So far this is an objective disappointment in comparison to what we saw, he has taken a step back to start the year. He has been an inefficient volume based grinder. With a longest run of 12 on the season after 44 attempts.

This could just be a slow start, similarly to what I said about Donovan Edwards above it can click in an instant and I truly do expect it to for him. I'm not hitting the panic button, or saying he is bad all of the sudden now, he has just lost some ground to guys like Jeanty and Judkins at the tip-top of this class.

Riley Leonard, QB - Notre Dame

There was chatter about Leonard being an underrated prospect coming into this year. Maybe never as a true 1st round type of guy, but a top 100 pick. He has been completely lost in the Notre Dame system so far, and has struggled to throw the ball past the sticks. He has lost whatever chatter was behind him already, and likely can't salvage that without a playoff run.

DJ Uiagaleilei, QB - Florida State

Preseason rankings are dumb. That does not excuse the fact that FSU looks as bad as they do, and there is definitely a person you can point the finger at. No notes, there is no salvaging this. The smallest sliver of hope for being draftable like a Rattler or Joe Milton type of dart throw is long gone.