• Carson Beck of Georgia: The redshirt junior enters 2024 as the top returning quarterback in college football.
• James Pierce Jr. of Tennessee: The hot young player is at the top of this list and will likely be the first edge defender taken in the 2024 NFL Draft if he is eligible.
• Draft and trade yourself: try PFF Mock Draft Simulator — Swap picks and players to imitate your favorite NFL team.
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It's officially time to hit the reset button.
Now that we know who will continue to play on Saturdays this fall, let's take an early look at the top returning players at each position.
quarterback
1. Carson Beck, Georgia Bulldogs
2. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon Ducks
3. Jalen Milroe, Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Shedule Sanders (Colorado Buffaloes)
5. Quinn Wards, Texas Longhorns
It's rare for a program to grow under center after losing a two-time national champion quarterback, but that's exactly what Georgia did when it went from Stetson Bennett to Carson Beck. The redshirt junior didn't win a ring in 2023, but finished as the nation's fourth-most valuable quarterback according to PFF's wins above average. All three above him were Heisman finalists (Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr., Jaden Daniels) who are now heading to the NFL. Beck's overall PFF grade of 91.5 and his PFF passing grade of 90.8 also ranked him fourth among FBS signal callers.
Click here to see the complete list…
running backs
1. Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State Cowboys
2. Quinshon Jenkins, Ohio State Buckeyes
3. North Carolina Omarion Hampton Tar Heels
4. Jadon Ott, California Golden Bears
5. Taj Brooks, Texas Tech Red Raiders
As the current Doak Walker Award recipient, Gordon was an obvious choice to lead this list. A true sophomore, he led the nation last season with 1,732 rushing yards and was second in rushing touchdowns (21) and yards after contact (1,056). Gordon accomplished all of that despite only receiving a total of 19 carries in his first three games, averaging nearly 150 yards in his final 11 games. Oklahoma State also finished just 103rd in team PFF run blocking grade (55.3), making his dominance even more impressive. Gordon has also been relied upon heavily in the Cowboys' passing game, with his 330 receiving yards in 2023 being the third-most among Power Five running backs.
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wide receiver
1. Luther Baden III, Missouri Tigers
2. Arizona State Tetairoa-McMillan 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. Baden is similar in size to the San Francisco 49ers' star receiver (5-foot-11,208 pounds 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 ranked third among all FBS receivers last season, and his 314 yards after contact ranked fourth.
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tight end
1. Colston Loveland, Michigan Wolverines
2. Mitchell Evans, Notre Dame vs. Irish
3. Brant Kais, Utah
4. Benjamin Yurosek, Georgia Bulldogs
5. Bryson Nesbitt, North Carolina Tar Heels
Loveland went from a promising freshman to one of the nation's best tight ends as a sophomore. He finished last season as the fourth-most valuable FBS tight end and fifth in receiving yards (649), according to PFF's above-average wins metric.
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offensive tackle
1. Will Campbell, LSU Tigers
2. Kelvin Banks Jr., Texas Longhorns
3. Jonah Monheim, USC Trojans
4. Ajani Cornelius, Oregon Ducks
5. Wyatt Milm, West Virginia Mountaineers
Campbell started at LSU as a left tackle as a true freshman in 2022 and was nothing short of a star in his two years there. His 85.6 pass blocking grade on actual pass sets in 2022 trailed only Peter Skoronski among Power Five tackles. Skoronski was subsequently selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 11th overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft.
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interior offensive lineman
1. Parker Brailford, Alabama Crimson Tide
2. Tate Rutledge, Georgia Bulldogs
3. Tyler Booker, Alabama Crimson Tide
4. Donovan Jackson, Ohio State Buckeyes
5. Clay Webb, Jacksonville State Gamecocks
For the first time, the top returning players in these position rankings will play at their new schools in 2024. After a stellar redshirt freshman season, Brailsford followed head coach Karen DeBoer from Washington to Alabama.
He finished 2023 as the nation's second-most valuable center, according to PFF's wins above average. Brailsford's 80.7 run blocking grade ranks second among Power Five centers, behind only a projected first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft (Oregon's Jackson Powers vs. Johnson). became. He is at his best when he can utilize his elite athleticism in space, scoring 90.7 points on zone runs in 2023, leading all FBS centers.
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edge defender
1. James Pierce Jr., Tennessee Volunteers
2. Nick Skorton, Texas A&M Aggies
3. Jack Sawyer, Ohio State Buckies
4. Kymon Rucker, North Carolina Tar Heels
5. Ashton Gillott, Louisville Cardinals
Pierce became one of the most feared pass rushers in college football last season. His 21.3% pressure rate as a sophomore ranked third among edge defenders in the country, and his pass rush grade was 92.4. Pierce finished the season as the fourth-highest rated edge defender in the Power Five, according to PFF's wins above average.
He stands 6-foot-5, weighs 242 pounds and has incredible explosiveness, converting speed to power at an elite level. The 2025 NFL Draft will likely be a weakened quarterback class, but there's a good chance Pierce will be selected No. 1 overall.
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internal affairs security personnel
1. Mason Graham, Michigan Wolverines
2. Dione Walker, Kentucky Wildcats
3. Howard Cross III, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
4. Peter Woods, Clemson Tigers
5. Tyreek Williams, Ohio State Buckeyes
Graham excelled in his first year in Ann Arbor, leading all FBS true freshman interior defensive linemen with a PFF grade of 80.3. He took his game to a whole new level as a sophomore. According to PFF's wins above average, he was his fourth most valuable defensive tackle in the nation, and his pass rush win percentage of 15.9% was his sixth among the same group. Graham was one of only two Interior All defensive linemen in the country to finish in the top 10 as both a pass rusher and run defender. The other one is T'Vondre Sweat from Texas.
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linebacker
1. Harold Perkins, LSU
2. Barrett Carter, Clemson
3. Jay Higgins, Iowa
4. Danny Stutzman, Oklahoma State
5. Jayshawn Barham, Michigan
Perkins entered Baton Rouge as a top-10 recruit and proved why in his true freshman season. In 2022, he was second among all Power Five linebackers with a pass rushing grade of 91.0 PFF and second among all FBS linebackers with 18 quarterback knockdowns (sacks/hits). .
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cornerback
1. Will Johnson, Michigan Wolverines
2. Benjamin Morrison, Irishman fighting at Notre Dame Cathedral
3. Sebastian Castro, Iowa Hawkeyes
4. Tacario Davis, Arizona State Wildcats
5. Travis Hunter, Colorado Buffaloes
Johnson quickly became a five-star prospect, leading all Power Five cornerbacks with a 91.1 grade in man coverage as a true freshman in 2022.
He then posted a passer rating of 29.1 as a sophomore, ranking fifth among all cornerbacks in college football. Last season, Johnson had six targets against Marvin Harrison Jr. and Roma Odunze, but allowed just three catches and one interception.
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safety
1. Cave Downs, Ohio
2. Malachi Starks, Georgia
3. Dillon Thieneman, Purdue
4. Xavier Watts, Notre Dame
5. Kevin Winston Jr., Pennsylvania
Downs is the first rising sophomore to top PFF's position rankings since Brock Bowers topped the tight end list heading into the 2022 season. Unlike Bowers, Downs transferred from Alabama to Ohio State in January and will look to build on his stellar freshman year at his new school.
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