Top 10 defensive linemen in the final 2025 On300 rankings

The story on the 2025 recruiting class has very nearly come to a close. Ahead of February’s National Signing Day, On3 has updated its player rankings for the final time — a list that features several of the nation’s best defensive linemen.

Georgia defensive lineman Elijah Griffin was one of the top prospects in the On300 from start to finish. He ends his high school career as On3’s No. 1 defensive lineman.

Below are the top 10 defensive linemen in the class:

1. Elijah Griffin — Georgia

School: Pooler (Ga.) Savannah Christian Prep
On300 Ranking: No. 3 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Highly athletic, disruptive defensive lineman who looks like the top prospect along at the position in 4-5 cycles. Arguably the safest prospect, particularly among non-quarterbacks in the 2025 cycle. Measured at 6-foot-4, 300 pounds with 34.5-inch arms and 10-inch hands prior to his senior season. Has continued adding mass and strength. Flies off the snap and darts into the backfield to create disruption with regularity. A very loose and fluid athlete, particularly at his size. Plays with outstanding leverage and body lean. Shows advanced hands at the point of attack and quickly neutralizes offensive linemen. Darts into the backfield to make plays behind the line of scrimmage at a high clip. Consistently wins in a phone booth with his combination of length, strength and first-step quickness. Has the speed in pursuit to track down running backs from the back side. Plays with excellent effort, straining to make plays. Seemingly always shows up on a weekly basis. Posted phenomenal production throughout his high school career, with 182 tackles, 61 tackles for loss and 35.5 sacks as a sophomore and junior. Shows his functional strength and short area explosion in track and field, where he’s posted a 52-2 foot throw in the shot put. Posts eye-popping numbers in the weight room, with a 405 pound bench press, 550+ pound squat and 315 pound clean prior to his junior season. Projects as a top defensive lineman with the ability to line up and disrupt from multiple spots on a defensive front. Should make an instant impact at the college level and has definitive first round upside down the line.”

2. Isaiah Campbell — Tennessee

School: Durham (N.C.) Southern
On300 Ranking: No. 30 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Twitched up interior presence who lives in the backfield on Friday nights. Measured at over 6-foot-3 and around 265 pounds as a junior. Has plus length and a big frame to add plenty of good mass. A top combine athlete who is highly explosive for his size. A dominant high school player who tallied 27 tackles for loss and 16 sacks as a junior. Shows high-level first-step quickness with the ability to time his initial burst with the snap count. Consistently blows up plays behind the line of scrimmage. Shows outstanding closing speed. Runs like an EDGE prospect in the body of a defensive lineman. Excellent effort and play speed in pursuit. Will run down plays 20 to 30 yards downfield. Has a basketball background. Transferred into Southern Durham for his junior season and showed considerable progress on the field. Will need to add at least 30 pounds of mass to his frame in addition to continuing to improve his hand usage and pass rush moves. Primarily wins with athleticism and effort at this stage. Considerable upside as an attacking, high energy and athletic 3-technique.”

3. Justus Terry — Texas

School: Manchester (Ga.)
On300 Ranking: No. 40 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Explosive defensive lineman with a big frame and outstanding first-step quickness. Measured in at over 6-foot-4 and around 280 pounds prior to his senior season. Has good length with arms that are around 33.5 to 34 inches. Weight is evenly proportioned throughout his frame. Dominant while playing the small school level, tallying 78 tackles, 21 tackles for loss and 13 sacks. Lines up all over the defensive front at the high school level. Has the skill set to develop into a dynamic interior pass rusher. Wins with first step and lateral quickness, has rare get off and leverage for a player of his stature. Quality bend and ability to change direction. Uses his length to initiate contact consistently and sheds blockers with ease. Able to anchor and two-gap if needed. Will need to continue adding mass and play strength in addition to honing his technical skills. A high upside prospect given his natural traits who could develop into a true interior disruptor.”

4. Jahkeem Stewart — USC

School: New Orleans Edna Karr
On300 Ranking: No. 47 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Physically-gifted defensive lineman with a high-end combination of twitch and technical ability at an early stage. Has a naturally big frame, measuring in at 6-foot-6, 280 pounds prior to his sophomore season. Has plus length for the position with arms that measure over 34 inches along with 10.75-inch hands. Put his name on the national radar with a number of impressive camp performances as a high school underclassman. Unique scenario and evaluation in that he only played one season of high school football – his true sophomore season in 2023 – due to being ineligible through multiple transfers and then reclassifying to the 2025 cycle. Has an immense amount of ambiguity around his evaluation due to the extreme lack of on-field experience. With that said, looked dominant in his lone year of high school football, totaling 33 tackles for loss and 20 sacks. Looked highly dangerous as an interior pass rusher. Flashes advanced technique despite his lack of experience. Uses quick hands to easily disengage. Has a nasty straight arm that he uses to walk offensive linemen back to the quarterback. Capable of playing as a big edge setter. A straight-line athlete. Displays some stiffness in his lower body and will have to improve his flexibility and lateral agility. One of the biggest unknowns in the cycle due to his unique circumstances. If he is able to get on the field and develop, has a chance to tap into the high ceiling.”

5. Amare Adams — Clemson

School: Lake City (S.C.) South Florence
On300 Ranking: No. 53 NATL.

Analyst’s Take: “After hitting the radar early in his high school career, it’s been easy to turn on the tape and watch Adams’ development in the last couple years. He lines up inside and outside for Lake City and is a disruptive force anywhere along the defensive front. The reality is that he is simply too big and physical for most any high school offensive lineman, which allows him to wreak havoc in the backfield. Adams has traits, though, that translate well to the college level. He’s a long lineman who is already physically impressive but has plenty of room to add weight and play inside at the Power 5 level.” — GamecockCentral’s Wes Mitchell

6. Christopher Burgess Jr. — Notre Dame

School: Chicago Simeon
On300 Ranking: No. 66

Scout’s Take: “Burgess rises following a great week at the Navy All-American Bowl, earning Top Performer honors from On3. The 6-foot-3.5, 265-pounder is a physical, athletic presence capable of lining up at multiple spots on the defensive line. We also came away impressed with his motor and effort level after watching him practice In San Antonio. Burgess was very productive as a senior totaling over 100 tackles, while lining up as an off-ball linebacker and defensive end. He gives the Irish a versatile, physical player along the defensive front.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

7. Myron Charles — Texas

School: Port Charlotte (Fla.)
On300 Ranking: No. 77 NATL.

Scouting Summary: “Explosive defensive lineman with the size, burst and physicality to be a disruptive presence along the interior. Measured at around 6-foot-4, 300 pounds prior to his senior season. Has plus length for the position. Lines up at multiple spots along the defensive line for his high school. Fires off the snap with burst and physicality. Was a bull in a china shop as a junior, finishing with 24 tackles for loss. Has natural explosive power. Bowls over offensive linemen and blows up ball carriers on contact. Converts speed to power as a bull rusher. Shows very good burst off the ball. Twitchy and shows explosive on-field movement skills. Getting by off of pure talent. Will benefit greatly from college coaching and time in a strength program. Has violent hands, but will benefit from refined technique. Slightly older for the cycle, turning 18 years-old in the spring of his junior year. Has the upside to develop into an interior pass rusher with improvement to his technique.”

8. Kevin Wynn — Florida State

School: Greensboro (Ga.) Greene County
On300 Ranking: No. 91 NATL.

Navy All-American Bowl Day 1 MVP: “Florida State defensive line signee Kevin Wynn lived in the backfield all day at Navy All-American Bowl practice. At times, it felt like Wynn made it tough for the East team to get much done during inside drills. Checking in at around 6-foot-2 and at least 325 pounds, Wynn is a fire hydrant on the interior. He was unblockable for long stretches of Tuesday’s practice, during 1-on-1’s, inside drills, and the 11-on-11 team period. Wynn used his low center of gravity, brute strength, and startling first-step quickness to create constant disruption. He had a pair of the most emphatic wins during 1-on-1’s, walking Iowa State signee Kuol Kuol back to the quarterback with ease. The dominance continued, as Wynn made multiple tackles for loss during the live periods during the afternoon. Wynn looks to have a unique skill set along the interior with the girth to occupy double teams, but the quickness to make plays in the backfield at a high clip.” — Charles Power

9. Malcolm Simpson — Nebraska

School: Galveston (Texas) Hitchcock
On300 Ranking: No. 98 NATL.

Scout’s Take: “We’ve always viewed Malcolm Simpson as a top physical talent. Simpson showed flashes of his high-end potential as a senior, after transferring to Hitchcock (Texas) High. The Nebraska signee is a twitched-up, explosive athlete at around 6-foot-3, 260 pounds. He put together strong senior films showing the ability rush the passer and run sideline-to-sideline. He’s been a two-sport star throughout his high school career, so there’s room for continued development once he fully focuses on football in Lincoln.” — Charles Power, On3 Director of Scouting and Rankings

10. Iose Epenesa — Iowa

School: Edwardsville (Ill.)
On300 Ranking: No. 99 NATL.

On3 Future Freak: “Iose Epenesa is a powerful, strong athlete who is a standout in the throwing events in track and field along with providing an enforcing presence on the hardwood.” He stands 5-foot-3, 265 pounds and touts 33.25-inch arms, 10.38-inch hand. He took second place in state finals last year with a 189-10.75 foot discus and also owns a 55-4.5 foot shot put.