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Our top 100 college football players for the 2023 season list is live and as expected, Caleb Williams came in at No. 1, a position the Heisman Trophy winner held at the end of last season.

But as with any ranking, not everyone is in exact agreement with how the results of our voting turned out. So, which players are ranked too high? Who should have been in the top 10? Who was snubbed altogether? Our reporters point out what they would have done differently.

Jump to: Players who missed top 10 | Ranked too high
Ranked too low | Unranked players | Newcomers to watch

Who should have been in the top 10?

Chris Low: A case could be made that Ole MissQuinshon Judkins is the best running back in the country and yet he’s ranked fourth on our list, albeit behind three really good players. Either way, Judkins warrants top-10 status overall. All he did last season was rush for more yards as a freshman (1,567) than anybody in SEC history not named Herschel Walker. Judkins had eight 100-yard games and will again be the centerpiece of an Ole Miss offense that has averaged more than 200 rushing yards in each of Lane Kiffin’s three seasons. One of the things that separates Judkins is he’s a breakaway threat but can also get the tough yards between the tackles.

Adam Rittenberg: Notre Dame tackle Joe Alt (No. 11) and Penn State tackle Olu Fashanu (No. 16) both are likely to hear their names called in the top 10 picks of the 2024 NFL draft. Alt has continued Notre Dame’s incredible run of offensive linemen, becoming a starter early in his true freshman season and earning first-team All-America honors last fall. If transfer quarterback Sam Hartman makes the impact the Irish hope he will, Alt’s blindside protection will be a big reason. Fashanu had a breakout season in 2022 for a resurgent Penn State line. He became a sack-stopper on the edge and easily could have entered the NFL before opting to return. Our top 10 is a bit quarterback-heavy. Don’t forget the men protecting them.

Mark Schlabach: I’m not sure Georgia safety Malaki Starks should be in the top 10 to start the season, but I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s among the 10 best players in the country by the season’s end. Last year, Starks played 847 snaps — the most of any Georgia defender — and was third on the team with 69 tackles. He did all of that as a true freshman. At 6-1, 205 pounds, Starks is physical on the field. He was an option quarterback in high school. He led the Bulldogs with seven passes defended and had two interceptions. The Bulldogs lost another truckload of defensive players to the NFL draft, but with Starks, Mykel Williams, Jamon Dumas-Johnson and Smael Mondon Jr. coming back, they’re going to be just fine in 2023.

Paolo Uggetti: There’s a world in which we look back on this season and wonder how we didn’t have Michigan running back Donovan Edwards inside the top 10. Sure, Blake Corum is already there and his decision to return to Ann Arbor will make Edwards’ role this season a truncated one. And yet, given the flashes we saw from Edwards toward the end of last season when Corum went down with an injury (five 100-yard games, one 200-yard game in the last seven games) are enough to make me think the sophomore has a real shot at becoming not just a focal point of the UM offense, but a genuine star in the span of a few months.


Who’s ranked too high?

Hale: If running backs in the NFL can’t get a fair shake, at least the college guys are getting their due in our ranking. It’s no knock on the best backs in the country — Corum had a real shot at the Heisman last year before his injury — but there’s a glut of runners in the top 25 that all feel a bit over-ranked. What guys like Jordan Travis, Kool-Aid McKinstry or Cameron Rising offer to their teams far outweighs the impact of Corum, despite his obvious talent. In all, we have eight tailbacks in our top 33 players — including two from Michigan — which is just one less than the nine QBs we have ranked. Any team would love to have Judkins (No. 22), Will Shipley (26) or Braelon Allen (31), but it’s hard to rationalize having all of them ranked so high.

Rittenberg: Hale is right on the backs, although I disagree on Corum’s impact. Ask anyone around Michigan what he meant to last year’s team and what they missed without him. Edwards certainly could be a bit lower, as could Shipley, Allen and Nicholas Singleton (No. 29). I also don’t know if Jayden Daniels is a top-15 player just yet, even though he recaptured his 2019 efficiency during his first season at LSU. He can take another step as a passer before being branded truly elite. Michigan’s Zak Zinter is a heck of a player, but not sure many guards belong in a national top 20.

Schlabach: I don’t have a problem with Caleb Williams, Drake Maye and Michael Penix Jr. being ranked ahead of Notre Dame’s Hartman, but I’m not sure I’d want Bo Nix, Daniels or Rising instead of him. Hartman is about to begin his sixth season in college football and first with the Fighting Irish. If it’s as good as the past two, he’s going to be among the Heisman Trophy contenders. In his last two seasons at Wake Forest, he threw for 7,929 yards with 77 touchdowns. He completed 63.1% of his pass attempts in 2022. He threw for 12,967 yards at Wake Forest, which ranks second in ACC history to Philip Rivers’ 13,484 at NC State, and set the conference record with 110 touchdowns.


Who’s underrated?

Low: Johnny Hodges is a cool story, but he’s also one heck of a football player with the skills, instincts and toughness to be one of the most productive linebackers in the country this season for TCU. He started his career at Navy (initially to play lacrosse), almost quit football and was then a late transfer to TCU prior to the 2022 season. He led the team with 87 tackles, including 9.5 for loss. The 6-2, 240-pound junior was the Big 12 Defensive Newcomer of the Year in his first season with the Horned Frogs in helping to lead them to the national championship game. His stock will only rise in 2023.

Rittenberg: Brant Kuithe‘s season-ending injury in late September must have made a lot of voters forget just how good he has been for Utah. On a team lacking elite wide receivers, Kuithe has been the top target for quarterbacks Tyler Huntley and Rising. Kuithe led Utah in receptions in 2019 and 2020 and was the team’s receiving yards leader in 2021. He easily could be in the NFL if not for the injury, and enters his final season with 148 career receptions. Kuithe isn’t Brock Bowers, but 78 spots shouldn’t separate the two tight ends in these rankings.

Wilson: There was a solid case for Jaylan Ford to be last year’s Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year, after finishing with 119 tackles (the most by a Texas player since 2014), a team-leading four interceptions, 10 tackles for loss, two sacks, three forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, two quarterback hurries and two pass breakups. He was a third-team AP All-American, first-team All-Big 12 and is the preseason pick for conference DPOY. Yet he’s 16th among linebackers — fourth among Big 12 LBs alone — in this list.

Schlabach: I’m not sure Alabama offensive tackle JC Latham shouldn’t be among the top 25 players in the country heading into the season. There’s no way he’s the 54th-best player in the FBS. The Crimson Tide’s offensive line was below its lofty standards last season, allowing 22 sacks and failing to dominate most opponents up front. It wasn’t Latham’s fault. According to Pro Football Focus, Latham earned an 84.5 pass-blocking grade on true pass sets, which was fourth among tackles. On 486 pass-blocking snaps, according to PFF, he allowed just one hit and didn’t give up a sack. Duke offensive tackle Graham Barton is also criminally low on the list at No. 90.

Uggetti: Hear me out here: Spencer Rattler. I know there are plenty of reasons why Rattler has gone from a preseason Heisman contender to an afterthought in the college football landscape, but I refuse to believe the hype was completely baseless. And I refuse to believe he’s the 93rd best player in the sport. Rattler’s decision to transfer to South Carolina last year gave him a fresh start and he took advantage, throwing for over 3,000 yards and 18 touchdowns. A second year on Shane Beamer’s team should give Rattler an even better opportunity to try and fulfill at least some of that potential he was thought to have before that fateful year at Oklahoma.


Which unranked players should be on the list?

Low: This is an easy one. There’s no way there are 100 better players in college football than Texas offensive tackle Kelvin Banks Jr. He started all 13 games last season as a true freshman at left tackle and returns as one of the best true sophomores in the country at any position. He played against four first-round pass-rushers as a freshman and held his own against all four, giving up just one sack in 456 pass-blocking snaps. Go turn on the tape of his performance against Alabama’s Will Anderson Jr., who went No. 3 overall in the 2023 NFL draft. Banks didn’t give up a sack or quarterback hit against Anderson.

Hale: What if I told you there was a cornerback who had a better defensive QBR than McKinstry (No. 11), gave up fewer touchdowns and 20-yard completions than Kalen King (No. 45), allowed a lower completion percentage than Cooper DeJean (No. 46) and fewer yards-per-target than Fentrell Cypress II (No. 65)? That player would be NC State’s Aydan White, who has a strong case as one of the best lockdown corners in the country, yet he didn’t crack our top 100. Chalk it up to the voters under-appreciating an elite Wolfpack defense, but odds are, White’s talent won’t go unnoticed by opposing QBs in 2023.

Rittenberg: Great players on bad teams get overlooked sometimes, and Cal linebacker Jackson Sirmon might fit into that category. The Washington transfer earned first-team All-Pac-12 honors with 104 tackles, three pass breakups, a forced fumble and a fumble return for a touchdown. Oklahoma State‘s defense took a step back in 2022 but Kendal Daniels and Mason Cobb (now at USC) both stood out to me. Daniels, ESPN’s No. 172 overall recruit in 2021, had 71 tackles and three interceptions in only five starts to earn Big 12 Defensive Freshman of the Year honors. The top-100 is wide receiver heavy, but it’s surprising not to see Western Kentucky‘s Malachi Corley, who has 174 receptions over the past two seasons for the nation’s top passing offense.

Schlabach: Notre Dame cornerback Benjamin Morrison should be on the list. He was a freshman All-American after picking off six passes, which tied for seventh in the FBS. His six interceptions were the most by a Notre Dame defender since Manti Te’o had seven in 2012. He also had 33 tackles and four pass breakups.

Uggetti: USC added a slew of defensive transfers this offseason, but none might be more impactful than linebacker Mason Cobb, who arrived in Southern California by way of Oklahoma State where he had 58 solo tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and an interception last season. Cobb has already garnered plenty of praise from his teammates throughout camp, and Lincoln Riley actually selected him to represent USC at Pac-12 media days alongside Williams. The Utah product looks to be primed to start and be one of the centerpieces of a unit that the Trojans badly need to improve this year.


Newcomer who will make the list by the end of year?

Hale: Clemson defensive tackle Peter Woods has already established himself as something of a Paul Bunyan-esque character for the Tigers. He’s 6-2, 315 pounds and does things tackles coach Nick Eason said he’s never seen anyone that size do on a football field. In other words, Woods is basically a legend before he’s played his first snap. And sure, Clemson has a couple of talented interior D-linemen atop the depth chart already, but it’s hard to see a scenario in which Woods doesn’t get ample snaps this season, and the Tigers have a long history — from Christian Wilkins to Dexter Lawrence to Tyler Davis to Bryan Bresee — of freshmen DTs making a huge impact right off the bat.

Low: Alabama has produced a long list of talented defensive backs under Nick Saban, and freshman safety Caleb Downs is next in line. He quickly established himself as one of the best defensive backs on the roster in the spring, and Saban loves his maturity and ability to make big plays against both the pass and run. The 6-foot, 203-pound Downs was a five-star prospect out of Hoschton, Georgia, and has everything it takes to blossom into one of the top safeties in college football this season.

Wilson: TCU quarterback Chandler Morris is a perfect fit for the Frogs’ up-tempo, quick-game offense with Kendal Briles at the helm and he’s surrounded by skill talent. In his first start in 2021 against a Baylor team that won the Big 12, he looked like Johnny Manziel (on the field, that is), completing 29 of 40 passes for 461 yards and two touchdowns and ran 11 times for 70 yards and another score. He beat out Heisman Trophy finalist Max Duggan last season for the starting job before suffering an MCL injury in the first game and giving way to Duggan, who held onto the job the rest of the year. But TCU coaches were still extremely high on Morris last fall in practice, and are eager to see him with another year under his belt.

Uggetti: The wide-open quarterback competition at UCLA could go the way of one of the two veterans, but if Chip Kelly decides to name Dante Moore the starter, the true freshman appears primed to breakout as one of the sport’s next great quarterbacks. Teammates are already singing his praises from fall camp and it’s increasingly feeling like it’s a matter of when, not if, for Moore’s time under center for the Bruins.

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Ranking every prospect dealt before the 2025 MLB trade deadline

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Ranking every prospect dealt before the 2025 MLB trade deadline

MLB trade season has officially kicked into high gear with contenders looking to add to their rosters for the stretch run ahead and rebuilding teams aiming to stockpile young players with an eye to the future before Thursday’s 6 p.m. ET deadline arrives.

As the moves go down, you can probably form your own opinion of the MLB veterans headed to new teams, but it’s much more difficult to figure out what to make of the minor leaguers who have moved.

Don’t worry, we’ve got you covered. Here’s our running ranking of every notable prospect who was dealt during July sorted by tiers using my Future Value grades so you can see where they slot in an MLB top 100 list or your team’s farm system ranking.

This story will be updated with top prospects headed to new teams added to the list with every new deal, so come back every time a move goes down to see which stars of tomorrow are on the move this month.


40+ FV tier

Acquired from Seattle Mariners in Josh Naylor deal

A 2023 11th-rounder out of Texas A&M, Garcia was a sleeper in the Seattle system who broke through as a starter in 2024. This season, he was moved into a full-time relief role, leading to his big league debut earlier this month.

He has an upper-body-reliant delivery with very short extension and a near-sidearm slot that nonetheless creates a lot of velocity, with his fastball peaking at 100.4 mph this season and living at 95-98 mph with his plus sinker. He also mixes in an 88-90 mph cutter and 84-86 mph sweeper that are both plus pitches. Garcia’s fastball command improving and the cutter continuing to be a useful weapon against righties are keys to him becoming a late-inning reliever.


40 FV tier

Acquired from New York Yankees in Ryan McMahon deal

Herring signed for $800,000 after being selected in the sixth round of the 2024 draft. He made only one start over two seasons at LSU but showed starter traits. Through 16 appearances as a starter this year, pitching across both Single-A levels, that theory has mostly held up.

His 88-92 mph heater touches 94 and looks as if it’ll be a fringe-to-average pitch, while his slider is above average and his changeup (which should be used more often) also flashes above average. He’ll move up to the 40+ FV tier with a little more bulk of performance and/or a strong finish/promotion in Double-A.


Acquired from New York Mets in Gregory Soto deal

Aracena was a low-profile international signee, getting a $70,000 bonus in 2022 out of the Dominican Republic. He sat 90-94 mph for his first two pro seasons, then his velo exploded in 2024 to 95-98, hitting 100 mph. This year he’s been even a bit higher, sitting 96-99 and hitting 101 mph at 20 years old as a starter in Single-A.

The reason he isn’t ranked higher is his command is below average to the point that his likely career outcome is as a reliever. His fastball also plays below its velocity right now due to his command issues and higher arm slot, which creates a nonideal plane and a cutting action to the pitch. His 89-95 mph slider (possibly a cutter and slider that run together) is nasty, a clear plus pitch, while his changeup is rarely used and rudimentary.

The raw ability here is impressive and Aracena is young and athletic enough to get another year or two to prove he can start, but he also has late-inning potential as a reliever if that doesn’t work out. Aracena will move into the 40+ FV tier with either a tick more of command, developing a legitimate changeup or just keeping his head above water performance-wise as a starter in High-A.


Acquired from the Detroit Tigers in Chris Paddack deal

Jimenez is a 19-year-old, switch-hitting catcher playing in Rookie ball who has a solid chance to stick behind the plate long term, but, as you’d guess, he still has some defensive work to do. He’s a slightly above-average framer (particularly to his glove side) and has above-average arm strength (catching 34% of baserunners this year), but is a below-average blocker of pitches in the dirt.

He’d benefit from getting more agile behind the plate but the athleticism is there to do so: Jimenez is a solid-average runner right now despite a stout 5-foot-9 frame. His raw power projects as fringe-to-average given his lack of physical projection, though he has solid ball flight (think 15ish homers at peak), with a grade more power as a left-handed hitter. Jimenez’s contact and on-base skills grade about average, so the sales pitch here is an overall average offensive threat, which is enough to warrant playing him at other positions to get his bat in the lineup as a platoon option, but hoping he can progress in all phases enough to become a primary catcher.


5. Ashton Izzi, RHP, Arizona Diamondbacks

Acquired from Seattle Mariners in Josh Naylor deal

Izzi was a classic projection righty who signed for $1.1 million after being selected in the fourth round of the 2022 draft out of an Illinois high school.

He has delivered on that projection, with his average fastball velo having crept up from 93.1 to 94.0 to 94.5 in his three pro seasons. His four-seamer is a solid-average pitch, while his slider can get to average with slightly better locations and his sweeper is an above-average pitch, maybe plus.

The issue is Izzi’s sinker; although it has a fine velocity/movement combination, it is too center-cut in the zone and has been hammered by hitters while being used almost as much as his four-seamer. He also doesn’t use his changeup much — but probably should, especially as he dials back his sinker. With some progress in his mix and locations, this is a No. 4 starter package, but Izzi is more of a long reliever as currently constituted.


Acquired from Kansas City Royals in Randal Grichuk deal

Hoffmann was a 12th-round pick out of Illinois in the 2021 draft who was traded to the Royals in 2022 and finished the season in Double-A, beating predraft expectations. He was seen as a potential back-end starter at that point, but moved to full-time short relief this season en route to making his big league debut.

His mid-90s fastball is a solid-average pitch that plays up due to his funk and deception, and his main weapon is a plus changeup that tunnels well to the bottom of the zone. His slider is a clear third pitch and is fringy, which is why he was moved to relief to focus on using his two best pitches. With better fastball locations, Hoffmann could move from middle relief into the later innings.


35+ FV tier

Acquired from New York Yankees in Amed Rosario deal

Beeter was a second-round pick in the 2020 draft and has slowly moved down the starter-to-reliever spectrum to becoming a full-time reliever for the first time in 2025. He’s 26 years old with five career big league appearances under his belt, but Beeter is still in Triple-A for now because of his walk rate: 7.2 per 9 innings — including issuing seven walks in his last 8⅓ innings pitched.

Beeter is still a solid prospect because of his 65-grade slider and above-average fastball that peaks at 99 mph. His fastball command is the variable that, with more progress, could turn him into a late-inning reliever, but Beeter is a higher-variance middle reliever who needs to avoid walks in Triple-A to get his next big league shot.


8. Browm Martinez, CF, Washington Nationals

Acquired from New York Yankees in Amed Rosario deal

Martinez signed for a $130,000 bonus last January and was solid last summer in the Dominican Summer League before having a huge repeat season in the league this year — posting an OPS of 1.139 driven by higher contact rates.

There is still a wide range of potential outcomes for Martinez as an 18-year-old playing in the lowest level of the minors, but the key here is he has above-average bat control and pitch selection at the plate, arguably the two most important things to demonstrate at lower levels.

He’s also a solid-average runner who has 34 career stolen bases, and that speed could allow him to stay in center field. There’s some physical projection left given his age, but his power projects to continue to be below average, so sticking in center would be key to his long-term value.


9. Josh Grosz, RHP, Colorado Rockies

Acquired from New York Yankees in Ryan McMahon deal

Grosz is a potential No. 5 starter/swingman type with some feel and deception from his abruptly quick delivery. He throws a 92-95 mph dead-zone fastball with heavy tail that plays around average, an above-average changeup and a fringy slider.

He has a tougher road to being a solid big leaguer if he can’t stick as a starter because most teams prefer a middle reliever to have an above-average breaking ball to get right-handed hitters out.


10. Cameron Foster, RHP, Baltimore Orioles

Acquired from New York Mets in Gregory Soto deal

Foster is a 26-year-old long reliever who sits 93-96 and hits 99 mph from a high slot (it’s on the whole an average big league pitch). He also mixes in an 86-88 mph cutter (a solid-average pitch), an 81-84 mph slurve (an above-average pitch), and a big loopy 75-78 mph curveball (effective as a fourth offering that’s used in certain situations). He’s a solid back-end-of-the-roster-type utility arm who can be used in multiple roles and should debut this year or next. He needs to be added to the 40-man roster after the season to protect from the Rule 5 draft.

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Deion announces he battled, beat bladder cancer

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Deion announces he battled, beat bladder cancer

BOULDER, Colo. — University of Colorado football coach Deion Sanders announced Monday that he had undergone surgery to remove his bladder after doctors discovered a tumor there. Sanders said, since the surgery, there are no traces of cancer, and he will continue to coach this season.

In a packed Touchdown Club in the Dal Ward Athletic Center, Sanders appeared with Dr. Janet Kukreja, director of urological oncology at University of Colorado Cancer Center, and answered some of the questions that have swirled around him throughout the offseason.

The 57-year-old Sanders has largely been out of the public eye in recent months, save for an appearance at Big 12 media days earlier this month when he acknowledged Big 12 commissioner Brett Yormark for repeatedly checking in on him and praised Colorado athletic director Rick George.

Sanders deflected questions about his health at Big 12 media days and previously had not publicly offered any specifics. In July his son, Deion Jr., posted a video on social media in which Deion Sanders is heard saying he was dealing with a health issue and that “I ain’t all the way recovered.”

In the video he was seen stepping into an ice bath as well as shooting a basketball and a walk with his daughter. Sanders said in May he had lost about 14 pounds as he had limited contact around the program during the team’s spring and summer workouts.

Sanders has previously dealt with serious health issues. He has had bouts with blood clots in his legs, had two toes amputated in 2022 and emergency surgery in June 2023 to treat the persistent clots, including one in his thigh in one leg and several just below his knee in his other leg.

On the field, Sanders is set to begin his third season at the school. With his son, Shedeur, at quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, college football’s most accomplished two-way player in the modern era, the Buffaloes finished 9-4 last season with an Alamo Bowl appearance. Sanders’ son Shilo, a safety for the Buffaloes for the past two seasons, has also moved on to the NFL, along with several high-profile players on offense.

The top storyline on the field for the Buffaloes is the battle to replace Shedeur behind center. In two seasons, Sanders completed 71.8% of his passes for 7,364 yards with 64 touchdowns.

It will be the first season Deion Sanders doesn’t coach a high school or college team with Shedeur at quarterback.

Seventeen-year-old true freshman Julian Lewis, a five-star recruit and No. 2 player in the 2025 ESPN 300, and Kaidon Salter, who started 24 games in four seasons at Liberty, will compete for the job.

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Guardians’ Clase on leave over gambling probe

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Guardians' Clase on leave over gambling probe

Cleveland Guardians closer Emmanuel Clase on Monday was placed on non-disciplinary paid leave through Aug. 31 as part of Major League Baseball’s investigation into sports gambling, the second Guardians pitcher to be caught up in the inquiry.

Guardians right-hander Luis Ortiz remains on non-disciplinary paid leave after originally being placed there July 3 after unusual gambling activity on two pitches he threw for balls, sources told ESPN. Ortiz’s leave was later extended to Aug. 31.

In a statement, the Guardians said “no additional players or club personnel are expected to be impacted” by the investigation. The investigation, a source confirmed, has not turned up information tying other players with the team to sports gambling.

Clase, 27, is a three-time All-Star and two-time winner of the Mariano Rivera Award as the best relief pitcher in the American League. He finished third in AL Cy Young voting last year when he posted a 0.61 ERA over 74.1 innings. In 47.1 innings this season, Clase has a 3.23 ERA and has already allowed more hits this year (46) than last (39) while striking out 47 and walking 12.

His ties to the investigation that started following a June 27 alert from IC360, a firm that monitors betting markets for abnormalities, are unclear. Sportsbooks and gambling operators were alerted after a spike in action on Ortiz’s first pitch in the bottom of the second inning against the Seattle Mariners on June 15 and in the top of the third inning against the St. Louis Cardinals on June 27, according to sources. In both cases, unusual amounts of money were wagered on the pitches being a ball or hit-batsman from betting accounts in New York, New Jersey and Ohio, according to a copy of the IC360 alert obtained by ESPN. Both pitches wound up well outside the strike zone.

At the All-Star Game in mid-July, MLB commissioner Rob Manfred said while he still supports legal gambling because of the transparency regulation offers, he was concerned about so-called microbets, such as ones that offer action on individual pitches.

“There are certain types of bets that strike me as unnecessary and particularly vulnerable,” Manfred said. “I know there was a lot of sports betting, tons of it that went on illegally and we had no idea, no idea what threats there were to the integrity of the play because it was all not transparent,” he added. “I firmly believe that the transparency and monitoring that we have in place now, as a result of the legalization and the partnerships that we’ve made, puts us in a better position to protect baseball than we were in before.”

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