Previewing the early race for 2025's No. 1 prospect

On3 released the updated On300 football prospect rankings for the 2025 cycle on Monday. The update follows the initial release, which came in March.

Quarterback Bryce Underwood remains the early No. 1 in the 2025 On300 and is one of six prospects who currently hold a five-star rating from On3. He’s followed by defensive lineman Elijah Griffin (No. 2), Alabama wide receiver commit Ryan Williams (No. 3), cornerback Na’eem Offord (No. 4), defensive lineman Armondo Blount (No. 5) and EDGE Zayden Walker (No. 6).

Let’s take a look at the very early status of the race for the No. 1 prospect in the 2025 recruiting cycle.

Bryce Underwood is the early favorite

Bryce Underwood looks like the top quarterback prospect at this early juncture.

For starters, the 6-foot-3, 210-pounder has what we view as the best sophomore film among the 2025 quarterbacks we’ve evaluated thus far. Underwood is a top arm talent. The ball jumps out of his 10-inch hands with notable velocity. He has a number of eye-popping downfield throws on his sophomore film. He’s also a plus athlete with the ability to pick up chunks of yardage with his legs on designed runs and scrambles.

Underwood is not just a skill set evaluation to this point. He’s also arguably the best high school football player among the quarterback group, to this point. He’s led Belleville to back-to-back state titles and is 27-1 as a starter. Underwood completed 65% of his passes for 2,751 yards and 37 touchdowns as a sophomore, along with the 642 yards and eight scores on the ground. The production was similar as a freshman – he threw for 39 touchdowns, four interceptions and rushed for six scores in 2021.

We also see more developmental upside with Underwood than is typical of most underclassman quarterbacks who are on the national radar this early. Unlike many others, he does not appear to be topped out and has positive indicators of a high upside. In addition to the physical gifts, Underwood is young for the cycle. He should technically be a 2026 prospect. He’s also grown considerably over the past few years.

That sound early resume and physical talent makes Underwood the top quarterback and ultimately the top overall prospect for On3 early on. Our rankings are ultimately judged against the NFL Draft and though it’s extremely early, we don’t view a prospect with a higher draft ceiling at this time.

Big linemen in the mix

Defensive line is traditionally a position where the best prospects tend to emerge a bit earlier. The top prospect in that group is Elijah Griffin (No. 2). The Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian standout ranks as the No. 1 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking and is the only current Five-Star Plus+ prospect in the cycle. The ease and lack of projection needed in evaluating young defensive linemen likely plays into that scenario. And Griffin has all the signs of a safe top prospect at the position. He has phenomenal sophomore and freshman film. Griffin is a loose, explosive mover at 6-foot-3.5, 270 pounds. The athleticism pops off the screen. He’s capable of creating disruption from anywhere on the line and registered 14.5 sacks as a sophomore. Simply, he’s a safe bet as a top five prospect this early in the 2025 cycle.

You could make a similar argument for Armondo Blount (No. 5), the newest five-star in the 2025 On300. Blount is a plus athlete at 6-foot-3.5, 250 pounds. Like Griffin, he’s a disruptive pass rusher with a quick first step and strong hands.

How those two ultimately stack up will in part hinge on how we view their upside as a pass rusher and disruptor. Recent defensive line prospects who were top draft picks like Travon Walker and Quinnen Williams both showed some unique skills and traits in college and the pre-draft process. Walker went high in part due to his measurables projecting as an EDGE player. Williams was a dominant interior pass rusher at the college level. It’s tougher for a defensive lineman to be a No. 1 prospect for us given positional value, so they’d need to show some true unique abilities to take that spot.

EDGE Zayden Walker (No. 5) is another who could factor in, as the current top prospect at a premium position. Walker is an athletic two-way player with upside as a pass rusher. There is more ambiguity around his evaluation than Griffin or Blount at this early stage. Some of that could be cleared up over time as we get a better feel for his measurables and room for physical growth.

Offensive tackle David Sanders (No. 7) ranks as the No. 3 prospect in the On3 Industry Ranking and is the highest four-star prospect for On3. Sanders is a twitchy, explosive two-way lineman with some dominant moments as a drive blocker. With that said, we have held off on tabbing him as an early five-star for a few reasons. For one, offensive tackle is a developmental position. The No. 1 offensive tackle at this stage rarely ends up as top prospect at the position by the end of the cycle. Sanders also has a narrower frame (with a 9.5-inch hand) and will need to fill out. He weighed in at under 250 pounds this off-season. He’s also older for the class, and does not appear to have plus length for the position with a 6-foot-9 wing-span. We feel good about his projection as a top 3-5 tackle by the end of the cycle. With that said, we view the gap between Sanders and No. 2 tackle Josh Petty as closer than the Industry Ranking suggests. In addition to strong film and a good athletic profile, Petty is 15 pounds heavier and has a bigger frame despite being 18 months younger. There are invariably other tackles who have yet to fully emerge who could push Sanders and Petty at the position.

As is the case with most positions that aren’t a quarterback or pass rusher, it would take a lot for a wide receiver or cornerback to finish as the No. 1 overall prospect in the On300. We’re very high on Alabama wide receiver commit Ryan Williams (No.3) and cornerback Na’eem Offord (No. 4). Williams’ on-field and track resume is the best of any prospect to this point in 2025. He totaled over 2,300 yards from scrimmage and 39 touchdowns as a sophomore. At around 6-feet, 155 pounds, Williams will need to continue adding mass and strength. Conversely, Offord has a big frame, athleticism and length to go with smooth movement skills and playmaking ability. He’s still settling in as a defensive back, but has the look of a top prospect at the position.

Top quarterbacks who could challenge

Much of the conversation may ultimately hinge around if other quarterbacks can mount a challenge to Bryce Underwood.

George MacIntyre (No. 16) currently checks in as the No. 2 quarterback. He’s a tall, pocket passer with a strong multi-sport background and has shown some flashes of playmaking ability. How MacIntyre stacks up from an arm talent perspective should become more clear with added exposure in neutral settings along with viewing his progression as a junior.

Carter Smith (No. 19) is a twitched up athlete who doubles as one of the top baseball prospects in Florida. He had a big sophomore season, passing for 3,104 yards and 29 touchdowns and rushing for 692 yards and 19 more scores. The athletic ability is there, but it remains to be seen how Smith will develop from a technical standpoint as a passer.

Deuce Knight (No. 28) has one of the higher upsides among 2025 quarterbacks. The Lucedale (Miss.) George County product is an elite athlete for the position, recently ripping off a 4.53 second 40-yard dash, 4.39 second short shuttle and absolutely phenomenal 41.9-inch vertical at the Elite 11’s Oxford regional. Knight is a taller lefty at 6-foot-4.5, 180 pounds. While he had a solid sophomore season, he’ll need to take a jump as a player on Friday nights to get into the mix. If his physical tools are indication, it could be a matter of time.

Ty Hawkins (No. 57) and Blake Hebert (No. 66) are two more rising quarterbacks of note. Hawkins is an athletic playmaker who had one of the better sophomore seasons among the group. Hebert is a physically developed, big-armed toolsy quarterback with plus athleticism.

Important context needed with early rankings

We’re a little less than two years out from the final rankings and a bunch could and likely will change in that time. Football is a developmental sport and we’re in the very early stages of these prospects’ maturation as players. While early rankings set the table, it’s important to understand that these are a very loose and fluid projection.

It’s important to understand how early rankings can tie in to some of the biggest inefficiencies in evaluating high school prospects. Development often does not dovetail with the accelerated recruiting calendar. College programs feel incentivized to form their boards early and most prospects commit before their senior season – the one that is the most indicative of the type of player they’ll be in college. We’re also subject to exposure bias that comes along with honing in on the same prospects who are big names early on and play for power high school football programs. In reality, most top NFL Draft picks don’t come from the same few high school programs colleges and recruiting media tend to repeatedly focus on. Additionally, former five-stars who bottom out and go undrafted in college are often prospects who plateaued prior to their senior season of high school football.

Considering that context is essential in understanding the role of early rankings in our evaluation process. We’re simply setting the table for the next two years. We’re very bullish on Bryce Underwood‘s upside and he remains the favorite for the top spot. He could get pushed, or be a wire-to-wire No. 1 – which is increasingly rare. Time will tell, and we’ll be monitoring the race along the way.