Thankfully, the college football season is right around the corner. As the season approaches, many players across America are expected to have big seasons and take their teams to new heights. This week, I am going to be covering my top-five most valuable draft-eligible prospects in college football in 2025.
The criteria I’m basing this on is if said player were to disappoint or be lost due to injury, that side of the ball, and possibly the entire team, would be on the downturn. Of course, they must be draft eligible, and there will also be no repeat positions. Now, let’s get started!
Rankings
1. Lanorris Sellers - QB, South Carolina
South Carolina Gamecocks’ signal caller Lanorris Sellers, to me, is the most valuable draft-eligible player in college football in 2025. If Sellers hits, South Carolina is an SEC contender, and subsequently, a College Football Playoff contender.
Sellers did a lot of heavy lifting for the Gamecocks’ offense in 2024, accounting for 3,208 of their 5,301 offensive yards (60.5%) and 25 of their 47 offensive touchdowns (53.2%), even though South Carolina ran the ball nearly 62% of the time. Sellers factored majorly into the run game, being their second leading rusher with 674 yards.
Even though Sellers is quite raw as a quarterback, South Carolina needs his big-play upside. The Clemson tape is littered with instances where he avoids sacks for 10 seconds and then creates an explosive play that breaks the back of the Tigers’ defense, but really, his entire 2024 season tape is littered with plays like that. He also seemingly makes a big throw down the field in nearly every game.
South Carolina had a really good 2024 season and may have been an arguably fraudulent loss to LSU away from appearing in the College Football Playoff. If Sellers stays healthy, South Carolina should be in prime position to make a run at the Playoff. If not, I think the Gamecocks would be in danger of missing a bowl game after having to turn to either graduate senior Luke Doty, who has flipped between receiver and quarterback in his time in Columbia, or redshirt freshman transfer Air Noland under center.
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2. Keldric Faulk - EDGE, Auburn
Auburn Tigers’ EDGE Keldric Faulk is the second most valuable draft-eligible player in college football this season. Faulk had a breakout 2024 campaign, and he’ll have to anchor a defense that is hoping to vault the Tigers to SEC contenders in 2025.
Last season, Faulk was second on the team in sacks with seven, one behind current Jacksonville Jaguars linebacker Jalen McLeod. No other Tiger had more than three in 2024. If you look at Auburn’s predicted depth chart, they did acquire some transfers, but none are projected to start, so they will largely be relying on returners.
I’m not as high on most on Faulk as a prospect because I think he has a way to go from a pass rush plan perspective, but he’s still comfortably in my top 40. He’s a menace against the run and plays with great length, and you’ll still see dominant flashes as a pass rusher in every game.
If Auburn wants to get where it wants to go in 2025, it needs Faulk to play every game. Of the elite EDGEs in the country, most of them are on defenses that have a good bit of talent around them. I don’t think Auburn’s defense stacks up to those, so they’ll need Faulk to carry them.
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3. Dontay Corleone - DT, Cincinnati
Cincinnati Bearcats' defensive tackle Dontay Corleone is the third most valuable draft-eligible player in college football this fall. Corleone chose to return to Cincinnati for his redshirt senior season as the Bearcats look to bounce back from a really disappointing 5-7 campaign in their first season in the Big 12.
Corleone, as a 6’1” and 335-pound nose tackle, tied for second on the team in sacks. He is very nimble at his size and is a true three-down nose tackle that can really play the one, two-i, three, and four-i techniques. He flashes high-end reps as a pass rusher and is a brick house against the run.
Cincinnati has a few defensive prospects that are probably going to be draftable in 2026: linebacker Jake Golday, cornerback Matthew McDoom, and safety Antwan Peek Jr. However, Corleone is the clear anchor of the Bearcats' defense, and Cincinnati desperately needs him healthy if they want to bounce back in 2025.
4. Makai Lemon - WR, USC
USC Trojans wide receiver Makai Lemon is the fourth most valuable draft-eligible player in college football in 2025. Lemon is one of two returning impact receivers for the Trojans' offense, along with Ja’Kobi Lane, but I think Lemon is the best player on that offense by quite a large margin.
Lemon led the Trojans' crowded receiving room in catches and receiving yards in 2024. He played almost exclusively in the slot, but I think he can easily be a Z at the next level.
He’s an electric athlete who runs routes with precision and explosiveness, moving like he’s in a video game. He’s explosive and tough after the catch and has phenomenal hands.
Lemon has moved up to my WR1, so obviously, if USC loses him for any time in 2025, someone like Ja’Kobi Lane would really have to step up. In a Trojan offense that isn’t necessarily loaded, and with Lincoln Riley potentially on the hot seat, USC needs a big season from Lemon if they want to make a statement in the Big 10.
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5. Caleb Tiernan - OT, Northwestern
Northwestern Wildcats offensive tackle Caleb Tiernan is the fifth most valuable draft-eligible player in college football this season. Tiernan is the only player on this list whose team probably won’t be making a bowl game.
Tiernan is the next Northwestern offensive line darling for the draft community, following current Los Angeles Charger Rashawn Slater and current Tennessee Titan Peter Skoronski. While I don’t think Tiernan is quite as good as those two, I still really like Tiernan, and he should come off the board well inside the top 50 picks in the 2026 NFL Draft.
He’s very consistent as a pass protector and is a people mover in the run game. I do think he loses the outside corner more than you’d like, but he’s an all-around solid prospect at a premium position.
Northwestern’s offense is lacking talent across the board, so if they have any hope of making a bowl game, Tiernan has to play the entire regular season. If he misses any time, the Wildcats have 2-10 potential with the tough list of pass rushers on their schedule.
Final Thoughts
This list isn’t scientific by any means, but these five are extremely valuable to their team’s 2025 season. If any of these teams have any hope of attaining their goals in 2025, these five players must have productive and healthy seasons. I hope you enjoyed my top-five most valuable draft-eligible prospects in college football in 2025.