Breaking down the 2025 On3 Top 100 Watch List

Monday marks On3’s first rankings release for football prospects the 2025 cycle with the Top 100 watch list. This ranking is comprised of prospects who are entering their sophomore seasons. It will expand to the On300 next spring and be updated on a regular schedule throughout the remainder of the cycle.

The 100 prospects that compose the watch list have an early four-star rating. The majority have a grade of 90 (the lowest four-star grade) with seven holding a grade of 91 and two having a grade of 92.

INITIAL 2025 On3 Top 100 Watch List

Why a watch list?

We view a watch list as a more honest portrayal of the early stage of the cycle as opposed to an effort to thin-slice rising sophomore prospects and rank them numerically 1 to 100. Simply put, we don’t see anyone involved benefitting from a 1 to 100 order this early in the process.

With that said, this ranking is very much a projection and will certainly change drastically over the next year. Prospects emerge and develop at different rates.

It’s safe to assume many of the prospects who will end up as the best in the cycle have yet to pop up on the national radar. This is particularly the case with positions that involve physical and skill development, like offensive line and quarterback, among others. We also sought to emphasize contributions on the varsity level, with the understanding that some physically-gifted prospects may play at top high school programs where it’s harder to get on the field as a freshman.

Let’s get into some storylines surrounding this initial release.

Two 2025 headliners from Georgia

The two 2025 prospects to earn early 92 ratings from On3 are both Georgia natives – Savannah (Ga.) Savannah Christian Prep defensive lineman Elijah Griffin and Ellaville (Ga.) Schley County EDGE Zayden Walker.

Griffin immediately jumped out among the defensive line group with his size and on-field athleticism. The 6-foot-3.5, 270-pounder is an explosive athlete with violent finishing ability. We saw him line up as a big defensive end for Savannah Christian as a freshman and make high-level plays on a consistent basis. The athleticism checks out in the combine setting as well, where Grififn posted an electronically-timed 5.14 second 40-yard dash and vertical leap over 34 inches at the All-American Bowl Underclassman Combine in January.

Walker is already dominant two-way player at the high school level. The 6-foot-2, 220-pounder totaled 1,271 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns as a running back along with 16 tackles for loss on defense. He’s a strong, explosive athlete and makes some eye-popping plays as a pursuit defender. Walker also has a very impressive 47-foot shot put throw to his name. The bloodlines are strong as well- he is the younger brother of Auburn defensive lineman Zykevious Walker and 2024 On300 prospect Jalewis Solomon.

Top 2025 skill players to keep an eye on

A handful of offensive skill 2025 prospects stood out, earning initial ratings of 91 from On3.

We came away thinking no quarterback prospect had a stronger combination of on-field resume and physical ability than what Bryce Underwood has shown to this point. Underwood led his Belleville (Mich.) High team to a state title as a freshman, while completing 62 percent of his passes for 2,888 yards and 39 touchdowns against just four interceptions. The 6-foot-3, 190-pounder showed some innate instincts and feel for the passing game as a freshman, in addition to some encouraging mobility and overall athleticism. To make things even more impressive, Underwood should technically be a 2026 prospect. He turns 15 years-old this week.

Harlem Berry is the early name to know at running back in the 2025 cycle. The Metairie (La.) St. Martin’s Episcopal School had a big freshman season on the field and on the track. Berry rushed for over 2,000 yards and 30 touchdowns and won state titles in the 100 and 200 meters. He backed up his personal best of 10.76 seconds in the 100 meters by running a sub 4.4 second 40-yard dash at LSU’s camp this summer. Berry’s track speed translates to the football field, where he’s a dynamic big-play threat.

Caleb Cunningham has had a relatively quiet recruitment to date, but we expect that to change in the coming months. The Ackerman (Miss.) Choctaw County product is a natural at receiver with bouncy athleticism and natural ball skills. Cunningham was a big-play threat in his first season of high school football, scoring 10 touchdowns on just 31 receptions. He doubles as a standout on the basketball court, where he is an above-the-rim athlete, averaging 16.1 points and 9.3 rebounds per game as a freshman.

Ryan Williams is one of several touted 2025 prospects from the state of Alabama. The 6-foot, 155-pounder is already one of the faster players in the state, showing game-breaking ability as a deep threat. Williams got behind cornerbacks with regularity as a freshman and has shown some encouraging ball tracking skills. The speed checks out on the track as well, where he posted some outstanding marks as a freshman, highlighted by a 10.72 second time in the 100 meters along with a 21.87 personal best in the 200 meters.

2025 defenders and athletes of note

A few more defensive prospects and athletes caught our eye as 2025 standouts, along with Elijah Griffin and Zayden Walker.

Defensive lineman Ari Watford was dominant in a limited sample as a freshman at Virginia Beach (Va.) Salem, totaling five sacks and eight tackles for loss in just two games. Watford has carried over that disruptive ability early on in his sophomore year. He lines up as a big EDGE for Salem and has a big frame, checking in at over 6-foot-5, 220-pounds this off-season. Watford’s ability to disrupt as a pass rusher stood out among the group.

Few 2025 prospects we watched have a better frame than Jared Smith. The Hoover (Ala.) Spain Park EDGE prospect measured in at 6-foot-5.5, 225 pounds with 35.5-inch arms on the summer camp circuit. He pairs that big frame and elite length with plus athleticism for a prospect who just turned 15 years old. Smith made some flash plays against strong competition at Spain Park as a freshman and also shows off his athleticism on the basketball court.

Noah Mikhail of La Verne (Calif.) Bonita is a standout among the linebackers. The 6-foot-3, 205-pounder is a two-way playmaker, lining up at both wide receiver and linebacker. On defense, he shows a well-rounded skill set with range both as a pursuit defender and in coverage along with physical tackling ability. The ball skills and and overall athleticism show up on offense. Mikhail totaled 75 tackles and two interceptions along with four receiving touchdowns as a freshman.

Athlete Dierre Hill is a three-phase playmaker at Vashon High in St. Louis. The 5-foot-10.5, 180-pounder put together some strong freshman video by making big plays at running back, safety and in the return game. Hill is an instinctive runner with vision and cutback ability. He also plays fast at safety and makes some impressive plays on the ball.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a 2025 prospect who stuffed the stat sheet more than athlete Derick Smith. The Selma (Ala.) Southside standout caught 57 passes for 1,197 yards and six touchdowns and picked off an amazing 13 passes as a safety. Smith already shows advanced ball skills with the ability to come down with acrobatic catches in traffic on both sides of the ball. He supplements those ball-hawk tendencies with a physical edge as a defender and the ability to take it to the house after the catch. Simply put, Smith looked like a grown man playing among children as a freshman.

Position and State Breakdown

• Quarterback: 8
• Running Back: 10
• Wide Receiver: 13
• Tight End: 4
• Offensive Tackle: 5
• Interior Offensive Line: 4
• Athlete: 11
• Defensive Line: 7
• EDGE: 8
• Linebacker: 11
• Cornerback: 10
• Safety: 9

22 different states are represented in the watch list. The big four of Texas (16), California (14), Florida (14) and Georgia (13) lead the way. The state of Alabama has another strong cycle on its hands with eight watch list members – good for fifth-most.

Only four prospects are committed to colleges at the moment: wide receiver Winston Watkins Jr. (Texas A&M), athlete LaMason Waller (Washington), cornerback Jontae Gilbert (Ohio State) and cornerback Jett White (USC).