College football is around the corner and there’s plenty of elite talents playing for local schools.
A recent ESPN ranking of the top 100 college football players for the 2025 season shows just where they rank.
The Texas Longhorns, ranked No. 1 in the preseason AP poll, landed six players in the top 100, including three in the top 25. Linebacker Anthony Hill Jr. was the top-ranked defensive player on the list, ranking second behind Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. Longhorns QB Arch Manning landed at No. 23 despite little experience as a college starter. The other ranked Longhorns were DE Colin Simmons (No. 11), CB Malik Muhammad (No. 61), S Michael Taaffe (No. 64) and RB Quintrevion Wisner (No. 69).
A series of quarterbacks with local connections feature in the rankings with LSU and former Flower Mound Marcus quarterback Garrett Nussmeier at No. 8 and Oklahoma signal caller John Mateer at No. 16. Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson comes in at No. 52, just ahead of TCU’s Josh Hoover at No. 53 while SMU’s Kevin Jennings is at No. 70.
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Texas A&M also landed three players in the top 100 with preseason AP All-Americans LB Taurean York at No. 58 and OG Ar’maj Reed-Adams at No. 66. Running back Le’Veon Moss also snuck in at No. 95 on the list.
See all the local talents featured in ESPN’s top 100:
2. Anthony Hill Jr. LB, Texas, junior
8. Garrett Nussmeier QB, LSU, junior (Flower Mound Marcus grad)
11. Colin Simmons DE, Texas, sophomore
16. John Mateer QB, Oklahoma, junior
23. Arch Manning QB, Texas, sophomore
52. Sawyer Robertson QB, Baylor, senior
53. Josh Hoover QB, TCU, junior
58. Taurean York LB, Texas A&M, junior
61. Malik Muhammad CB, Texas, junior
64. Michael Taaffe S, Texas, senior
66. Ar’maj Reed-Adams OG, Texas A&M, senior
69. Quintrevion Wisner RB, Texas, junior
70. Kevin Jennings QB, SMU, junior
92. Jacob Rodriguez LB, Texas Tech, senior
94. Isaiah Nwokobia DB, SMU, senior
95. Le’Veon Moss RB, Texas A&M, senior
99. Bryant Wesco Jr. WR, Clemson, sophomore (Midlothian product)
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