Skip to main content
texas logo

Seven Longhorns make Pro Football Focus' top 101 college football players list

Joe Cookby:Joe Cook•about 9 hours•

josephcook89

Jahdae Barron
Jahdae Barron (Will Gallagher/Inside Texas)

Pro Football Focus released its list of the top 101 players in college football on Friday, and seven members of the 2024 Texas Longhorns were included.

[BOOKMARK: Check Inside Texas daily for FREE Texas Longhorns content]

Jahdae Barron, Kelvin Banks, Andrew Mukuba, Alfred Collins, Michael Taaffe, Colin Simmons, and Vernon Broughton made the list.

Barron, a consensus All-American and the Thorpe Award winner, was the No. 7 player according to PFF. He had Texas’ best defensive grade at 90.8, a number that was also the best among power conference cornerbacks. Barron had 67 tackles with 2.5 for loss plus 1.0 sack. He tied for the team lead in interceptions with five, had 11 pass breakups, and recovered one fumble.

Banks was the No. 14 player and the top offensive tackle. He was the Longhorns’ second highest graded offensive player behind Arch Manning, and posted a sterling pass blocking grade of 89.8 along with a run blocking mark of 81.0. Banks was a unanimous All-American and won the Outland Trophy and the Lombardi Award.

Mukuba was the No. 23 player in PFF’s rankings. A Clemson transfer, Mukuba posted the second highest PFF defensive grade behind Barron with a 90.0. His coverage grade was 89.7, and his run defense grade was 75.8. He tallied 69 tackles with 4.0 for loss and tied for the team lead in interceptions with five. His most important play came in the College Football Playoff semifinals, when he intercepted Sam Leavitt‘s pass in overtime to clinch the quarterfinal victory over Arizona State.

Collins was first-team All-SEC and an AP second-team All-American. He checked in at No. 33 in PFF’s rankings. Collins was given a defensive PFF grade of 87.2, a run defense grade of 85.0, a tackling grade of 79.1, a pass-rush grade of 69.8 and a coverage grade of 72.8. As one of Texas’ main defensive tackles, Collins was a critical part of one of the best defenses in the nation. He had 55 tackles with 5.5 for loss plus one sack. He also had one forced fumble and blocked a kick.

Taaffe, a second-team All-American according to the AP, enjoyed one of the best seasons by a Texas safety. He earned a defensive PFF grade of 87.9 and posted a strong 89.8 coverage grade. Taaffe was second on the team in tackles with 78. He had 5.5 tackles for loss, 2.0 sacks, two interceptions, a fumble recovery, and a forced fumble along with 10 PBUs.

Simmons, the Shaun Alexander True Freshman of the Year, checked in at No. 60. One of Texas’ two stalwarts at the Buck position, Simmons recorded a defensive grade of 82.5 on PFF. His pass rush grade of 90.0 was the highest on the team. A Freshman All-American, Simmons logged 48 tackles with 14.0 for loss and a team-leading 9.0 sacks. He also notched one interception and three forced fumbles.

Broughton was No. 82 in the rankings. PFF listed him as the eighth highest-graded defensive tackle in the nation. He posted a season-long defensive grade of 86.1, bolstered by a pass rush grade of 86.2 and a run defense grade of 79.1. Broughton logged 39 tackles with 4.5 for loss plus 4.0 sacks. He also had two forced fumbles and three fumble recoveries.

[Join Inside Texas TODAY and get 7 days for just ONE DOLLAR!]

Pro Football Focus’ top 15 players

  1. Travis Hunter, Colorado
  2. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
  3. Cam Ward, Miami
  4. Cam Skattebo, Arizona State
  5. Tyler Warren, Penn State
  6. Abdul Carter, Penn State
  7. Jahdae Barron, Texas
  8. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
  9. Mason Graham, Michigan
  10. Caleb Downs, Ohio State
  11. Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green
  12. Jack Sawyer, Ohio State
  13. Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
  14. Kelvin Banks, Texas
  15. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon

You may also like