• Georgia’s Carson Beck: The redshirt junior enters 2024 as the top returning quarterback in college football.
• Tennessee’s James Pearce Jr.: The rising junior leads this list and would likely be the first edge defender off the board in the 2024 NFL Draft if he was eligible.
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It’s officially time to hit the reset button.
Now that we know who will continue playing on Saturdays this fall, let's take an early look at the top returning players at every position.
QUARTERBACKS
1. CARSON BECK, GEORGIA BULLDOGS
2. DILLON GABRIEL, OREGON DUCKS
3. JALEN MILROE, ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
4. SHEDEUR SANDERS, COLORADO BUFFALOES
5. QUINN EWERS, TEXAS LONGHORNS
It’s rare for a program to lose a two-time national champion quarterback and improve under center, but that’s precisely what Georgia did by going from Stetson Bennett to Carson Beck. While the redshirt junior didn’t win a ring in 2023, he finished as the fourth-most valuable quarterback in the nation according to PFF’s wins above average metric. The three above him were all Heisman finalists who are now heading to the NFL (Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. and Jayden Daniels). Beck’s 91.5 overall PFF grade and 90.8 PFF passing grade were also fourth among FBS signal-callers.
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RUNNING BACKS
1. OLLIE GORDON II, OKLAHOMA STATE COWBOYS
2. QUINSHON JUDKINS, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
3. OMARION HAMPTON, NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
4. JAYDN OTT, CALIFORNIA GOLDEN BEARS
5. TAHJ BROOKS, TEXAS TECH RED RAIDERS
As the reigning Doak Walker Award winner, Gordon was the obvious choice to lead this list. The true sophomore led the nation this past season with 1,732 rushing yards while placing second in rushing touchdowns (21) and yards after contact (1,056). Gordon did all of that while only receiving 19 total carries over the first three games, averaging nearly 150 yards over the final 11 contests. Oklahoma State also finished just 103rd in team PFF run-blocking grade (55.3), making his dominance even more impressive. Gordon was also relied on heavily in the Cowboys’ passing game, as his 330 receiving yards were the third-most by a Power Five running back in 2023.
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WIDE RECEIVERS
1. LUTHER BURDEN III, MISSOURI TIGERS
2. TETAIROA MCMILLAN, ARIZONA WILDCATS
3. EMEKA EGBUKA, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
4. TEZ JOHNSON, OREGON DUCKS
5. XAVIER RESTREPO, MIAMI HURRICANES
If you’re looking for the next Deebo Samuel, look no further. Burden has similar size to the San Francisco 49ers’ star receiver (5-foot-11, 208 pounds compared to Samuel’s 6-foot, 215-pound frame) and the two are at their best with the ball in their hands. The sophomore’s 725 yards after the catch were third among all FBS receivers this past season while his 314 receiving yards after contact were the fourth-most.
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TIGHT ENDS
1. COLSTON LOVELAND, MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
2. MITCHELL EVANS, NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
3. BRANT KUITHE, UTAH UTES
4. BENJAMIN YUROSEK, GEORGIA BULLDOGS
5. BRYSON NESBIT, NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
Loveland went from a promising freshman to one of the nation’s best tight ends as a sophomore. He finished as the fourth-most valuable FBS tight end this past season according to PFF’s wins above average metric and was fifth among them in receiving yards (649).
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OFFENSIVE TACKLES
1. WILL CAMPBELL, LSU TIGERS
2. KELVIN BANKS JR., TEXAS LONGHORNS
3. JONAH MONHEIM, USC TROJANS
4. AJANI CORNELIUS, OREGON DUCKS
5. WYATT MILUM, WEST VIRGINIA MOUNTAINEERS
Campbell started at left tackle for LSU as a true freshman in 2022 and has been nothing but a star during his two years there. His 85.6 pass-blocking grade on true pass sets in 2022 trailed only Peter Skoronski among Power Five tackles. Skoronski was subsequently selected No. 11 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans.
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INTERIOR OFFENSIVE LINEMEN
1. PARKER BRAILSFORD, ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
2. TATE RATLEDGE, GEORGIA BULLDOGS
3. TYLER BOOKER, ALABAMA CRIMSON TIDE
4. DONOVAN JACKSON, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
5. CLAY WEBB, JACKSONVILLE STATE GAMECOCKS
For the first time in these position rankings, the top returning player will be playing for a new school in 2024. Brailsford followed head coach Kalen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama after a fantastic redshirt freshman season.
He finished 2023 as the second-most valuable center in the nation, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Brailsford’s 80.7 run-blocking grade ranked second among Power Five centers, trailing only a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (Oregon’s Jackson Powers-Johnson). He’s at his best when he can utilize his elite athleticism out in space, leading all FBS centers in 2023 with a 90.7 grade on zone runs.
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EDGE DEFENDERS
1. JAMES PEARCE JR., TENNESSEE VOLUNTEERS
2. NIC SCOURTON, TEXAS A&M AGGIES
3. JACK SAWYER, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
4. KAIMON RUCKER, NORTH CAROLINA TAR HEELS
5. ASHTON GILLOTTE, LOUISVILLE CARDINALS
Pearce became one of the most fearsome pass rushers in college football this past season. The sophomore’s 21.3% pressure rate ranked third among all edge defenders in the country, as did his 92.4 pass-rush grade. Pearce ended the season as the fourth-most-valuable Power Five edge defender, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
He has freakish explosiveness at 6-foot-5 and 242 pounds, and he converts speed to power at an elite level. With the 2025 NFL Draft looking like it’ll feature a weaker quarterback class, there’s a real chance that Pearce could be the No. 1 overall pick.
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INTERIOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN
1. MASON GRAHAM, MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
2. DEONE WALKER, KENTUCKY WILDCATS
3. HOWARD CROSS III, NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
4. PETER WOODS, CLEMSON TIGERS
5. TYLEIK WILLIAMS, OHIO STATE BUCKEYES
Graham was excellent in his first year at Ann Arbor, leading all FBS true freshmen interior defensive linemen with an 80.3 PFF grade. He took his game to a whole new level as a sophomore. According to PFF's wins above average metric, he was the fourth-most valuable defensive tackle in the nation and was sixth in that same group with a 15.9% pass-rush win rate. Graham was one of only two interior defensive linemen in the country to finish with top-10 grades as both a pass rusher and run defender. The other was Texas’ T’Vondre Sweat.
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LINEBACKERS
1. HAROLD PERKINS, LSU
2. BARRETT CARTER, CLEMSON
3. JAY HIGGINS, IOWA
4. DANNY STUTSMAN, OKLAHOMA
5. JAISHAWN BARHAM, MICHIGAN
Perkins entered Baton Rouge as a top-10 recruit and proved why in his true freshman season. In 2022, he paced all Power Five linebackers with a 91.0 PFF pass-rushing grade and placed second among all FBS linebackers with 18 quarterback knockdowns (sack/hits).
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CORNERBACKS
1. WILL JOHNSON, MICHIGAN WOLVERINES
2. BENJAMIN MORRISON, NOTRE DAME FIGHTING IRISH
3. SEBASTIAN CASTRO, IOWA HAWKEYES
4. TACARIO DAVIS, ARIZONA WILDCATS
5. TRAVIS HUNTER, COLORADO BUFFALOES
Johnson immediately lived up to his five-star billing, posting a 91.1 grade in man coverage as a true freshman in 2022 to lead all Power Five cornerbacks.
He followed that up by allowing just a 29.1 passer rating into his coverage as a sophomore, which placed fifth among all cornerbacks in college football. On six targets against Marvin Harrison Jr. and Rome Odunze this past season, Johnson allowed just three catches while also coming down with an interception.
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SAFETIES
1. CALEB DOWNS, OHIO STATE
2. MALAKI STARKS, GEORGIA
3. DILLON THIENEMAN, PURDUE
4. XAVIER WATTS, NOTRE DAME
5. KEVIN WINSTON JR., PENN STATE
Downs is the first rising sophomore to lead one of PFF’s position rankings since Brock Bowers topped the tight ends list heading into the 2022 season. Unlike Bowers, Downs will try to build off his stellar true freshman campaign at a new school, transferring to Ohio State from Alabama in January.
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