Piecing together a list of the best players in college football before the season begins is no easy task. It requires a mix of information, reporting and assumptions.

While some choices are easy (Jeremiah Smith is good, you heard it here first) and some projections are nearly universally agreed upon (hello, Arch Manning), there are enough wild cards to ensure that, by season’s end, this list will probably look at least a little silly.

Georgia, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Notre Dame and Alabama all start new QBs with little experience, so ranking those players near the top seems presumptuous. Odds are, though, at least a few will be Heisman Trophy contenders by season’s end.

Smith, Leonard Moore and Ryan Williams quickly established themselves as stars during elite freshman campaigns in 2024, but it’s a nearly impossible task to predict which first-year players will break out in 2025.

This time a year ago, few people had pegged Sam Leavitt, LaNorris Sellers or Blake Horvath as household names, but each proved to be among the best in the country by the conclusion of the campaign. Who will be this season’s surprises? If we knew, it wouldn’t be a surprise.

Our top 100 players represent something of a compromise. Five of ESPN’s college football experts (David Hale, Adam Rittenberg, Chris Low, Paolo Uggetti and Bill Connelly) weighed in, each using some variation of hard data and educated guesswork to compile a list. They then debated, refined and adjusted until coming to an agreement — or, perhaps, just giving up — on an official ranking.

It might not be perfect, but that’s the beauty of a new college football season: No matter what we expect in August, we’ll look back later to find we hardly knew anything at all. — David Hale

Jump to a section: 100-76 | 75-51 | 50-26 | 25-1

WR, Auburn, sophomore
2024 stats: 56 rec, 754 yards, 3 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

There’s a reason new Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold said throwing the ball to Singleton was “like throwing routes on air.” Singleton was one of the most coveted wideouts in the transfer portal after hauling in 104 passes for 1,468 yards with nine touchdowns in two seasons at Georgia Tech. The Atlanta native can flat-out fly. If Arnold adjusts to Hugh Freeze’s offense effectively, the Tigers might have one of the top receiver trios in the SEC in Singleton, Wake Forest transfer Horatio Fields and sophomore Cam Coleman. — Mark Schlabach

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WR, Clemson, sophomore
2024 stats: 708 receiving yards, 5 TD, 41 catches
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Wesco earned raves as a true freshman during camp last season, but he didn’t get a real shot at serious playing time until Week 5 against Stanford, when he racked up 104 receiving yards and a touchdown. From there, he blossomed into one of Clemson’s biggest threats on offense, racking up 36 catches for 574 yards from Week 5 on. — Hale

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C, Iowa, senior
2024 stat: 1 sack allowed
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The 6-foot-3, 302-pound Jones is the linchpin of the Hawkeyes’ line who helped running back Kaleb Johnson have a breakout season in 2024. A converted defensive lineman, Jones has settled in well to the role and turned himself into one of the most consistent centers in the country. — Paolo Uggetti

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QB, Vanderbilt, senior
2024 stats: 2,293 yards, 20 TD, 74.6 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: 69

In his first year in the SEC, Pavia led Vandy to its first bowl win in 11 years, its first win over Alabama in 40 years and its first win ever over a No. 1 team. He finished 2024 with 2,293 passing yards, 927 non-sack rushing yards and 28 combined touchdowns, and he enjoyed himself enough in the process that he sued for an extra year of eligibility — and won. So, he’s back! — Bill Connelly

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OT, Clemson, senior
2024 stat: 2.9% allowed pressure percentage
2024 postseason ranking: NR

One of the most consistent blockers in the country, Miller has been a fixture on Clemson’s offensive line since he was a freshman, racking up 41 career starts. He allowed four sacks all season, never more than one in the same game. — Hale

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RB, Texas A&M, senior
2024 stats: 121 carries, 765 yards, 10 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Moss says he is 100 percent recovered from a knee injury that sidelined him for the final four games of the 2024 season, and that’s good news for the Aggies. Before going down, Moss ran for 765 yards with 10 touchdowns in nine games. He ranked second in the SEC with 6.3 yards per carry. With Rueben Owens II returning from a foot injury that sidelined him for most of 2024, the Aggies should have one of the better one-two punches in the FBS. — Schlabach

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DB, SMU, senior
2024 stats: 100 tackles, 3 INT, 3 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The heart and soul of SMU’s defense, Nwokobia allowed just 75 yards, picked off three passes on 19 targets all season, while serving as a stalwart in run defense, racking up 100 tackles. More than just an on-field star, Nwokobia wears No. 23 for the Mustangs, an honor that goes to the player who best represents the leadership and fearlessness of SMU great Jerry Lavias, the first Black player in the old Southwest Conference. — Hale

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WR, LSU, junior
2024 stats: 61 receptions, 884 yards, 5 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The former Alabama transfer emerged as a star receiver for LSU last season, leading the team with 61 catches for 884 yards with five touchdowns. His biggest moment came late in the fourth quarter in the Tigers’ 29-26 victory against Ole Miss on Oct. 12. He caught a 23-yard touchdown pass on fourth-and-5 with 27 seconds remaining to force overtime. Anderson also had eight catches for 100 yards in a 44-31 win against Baylor in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl. — Schlabach

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LB, Texas Tech, senior
2024 stats: 127 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 5 sacks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Much is made of Tech’s transfers this offseason, but the return of Rodriguez for his senior year might be the Red Raiders’ most important defensive player. At 6-1, 235 pounds, Rodriguez is a formidable presence who was a first-team All-Big 12 honoree and was named preseason Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year this year. — Dave Wilson

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RB, Missouri, sophomore
2024 stats: 237 carries, 1,351 yards, 13 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Here’s a list of heavily used running backs (175 carries or more) who forced more missed tackles per touch than Hardy in 2024: [null]. As a freshman at the UL Monroe, Hardy bulled his way to 1,351 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns, dodging tacklers well and running through them when necessary. Now the Oma, Mississippi, native moves to the SEC, where he will immediately become a feature back for a Mizzou team coming off of back-to-back 10-win seasons. — Connelly

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LB, Buffalo, senior
2024 stats: 156 tackles, 2 sacks, 7 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The school that produced Khalil Mack, and most recently Shaun Dolac, has another defender firmly on the national radar. Murdock had one of the more statistically dominant seasons in the country last fall, leading the FBS with seven forced fumbles, finishing second in tackles with 156 and 12th in tackles for loss with 16.5. After helping Buffalo to nine wins in coach Pete Lembo’s first season, he’s back to challenge for national honors. — Adam Rittenberg

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QB, Iowa State, junior
2024 stats: 3,505 yards, 25 TD, 69.4 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Becht guided the Cyclones to a school-record 11 wins in 2024 and capped the season with an MVP performance in a 42-41 win against Miami in the Pop-Tarts Bowl. This season will be his third as Iowa State’s starter, and he will enter the year with 6,690 career passing yards and 48 touchdown passes. He’ll have a revamped receiving corps to work with, but his experience should keep the Cyclones among the favorites in the Big 12. — Kyle Bonagura

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OL, Georgia Tech, senior
2024 stats: 1 sack allowed, 77.8 pass-blocking grade
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The day he committed to Georgia Tech after transferring from Middle Tennessee, Rutledge wrecked his truck and suffered a severe foot injury that nearly resulted in an amputation. Instead, he started every game for the Yellow Jackets, earned first-team All-ACC honors and proved to be one of the most formidable interior linemen in the country. — Hale

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C, Alabama, junior
2024 stats: 63 knockdown blocks, 80.7 run-blocking grade
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Brailsford is the anchor of what could be a very good Alabama offensive line. After transferring from Washington, Brailsford had an 80.7 run-blocking grade, which ranked second among Power 4 centers, according to Pro Football Focus (PFF). He had 63 knockdown blocks and allowed only a half-sack. — Schlabach

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DB, Arizona State, senior
2024 stats: 40 solo tackles, 2 INT, 5 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After stints at Texas and USC, Alford had a breakout season with the Sun Devils in 2024, playing a huge role in the upstart program’s run to the College Football Playoff. According to ASU, he allowed just nine receptions in coverage while playing 522 snaps — an incredible ratio that ranked among the very best defensive backs in the country. — Bonagura

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S, Penn State, senior
2024 stats: 95 tackles, 50 solo, 1 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Anyone who tracked Penn State’s postseason run noticed Wheatley, who played his best during some of the team’s biggest moments last season. He earned VRBO Fiesta Bowl Defensive Player of the Game honors against Boise State in the CFP quarterfinal after recording an interception and a fumble recovery. Wheatley then had an interception, a sack and 16 tackles against Notre Dame in Penn State’s narrow loss in the CFP semifinal at the Capital One Orange Bowl. He earned honorable mention All-Big Ten honors. — Rittenberg

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DE, Rutgers, senior
2024 stats: 52 solo, 13 sacks, 3 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

One of Rutgers’ biggest additions in the offseason, O’Neill comes from James Madison after a standout campaign with the Dukes. The 6-3, 255-pound end was a force to be reckoned with and set the pace for a stingy JMU defense that led the nation in turnover margins last year. — Uggetti

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RB, Washington, senior
2024 stats: 193 carries, 1,053 yards, 10 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Many of the core players from Jedd Fisch’s 10-win Arizona team in 2023 remained in Tucson, but Coleman followed his coach to Washington and maintained his success with a new team and in a new league. An honorable mention All-Pac-12 selection in 2023, he earned third-team All-Big Ten honors last season at Washington, where he rushed for 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns, despite logging more than 19 carries only twice. — Rittenberg

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CB, Indiana, junior
2024 stats: 35 solo tackles, 3 INT, 9 PD
2024 postseason ranking: 51

After an impressive true freshman season at James Madison, Ponds joined coach Curt Cignetti at Indiana and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors as well as All-America recognition. He had two interceptions, including a 67-yard pick-six, against Washington and blocked a punt for a safety against Michigan State. His most productive games came against top competition, as he had three passes defended against Ohio State and an interception against Notre Dame. — Rittenberg

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DE, Michigan, senior
2024 stats: 23 tackles, 4 sacks, 1 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After two straight seasons of consistent production for the Wolverines’ defense, Moore heads into his senior season ready to once again be one of the key cogs in Wink Martindale’s unit. At Big Ten media days, Moore made news by joking that Ohio State’s title was not a “real win” because the Buckeyes didn’t beat Michigan. — Uggetti

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S, Georgia, sophomore
2024 stats: 59 tackles, 1 INT, 1 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After playing in 14 games and starting two as a freshman, Bolden is being counted on to become a leader in Georgia’s secondary. With safeties Malaki Starks and Dan Jackson departing for the NFL, the sophomore is now the Bulldogs’ last line of defense. He was named to the SEC All-Freshman team after finishing fifth on the team with 59 tackles in 2024. — Schlabach

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QB, Kansas State, junior
2024 stats: 2,712 yards, 605 yards rushed, 25 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

In his first season as a full-time starter at K-State, Johnson flashed glimpses of his dual-threat stardom, most notably against Oklahoma State, when he threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more, passing for 259 yards and running for 60 yards. A former national top-100 recruit and a Kansas native, he is driven to return the Wildcats to the top of the Big 12 and beyond. — Wilson

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WR, Indiana, senior
2024 stats: 53 receptions, 957 yards, 8 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Sarratt has produced everywhere he has been, from FCS Saint Francis to James Madison to Indiana, and played a big role in helping coach Cignetti flip the Hoosiers into an instant CFP contender in 2024. He finished sixth in the Big Ten in receiving yards in his debut season and third in yards per catch (18.1) but still chose to run it back for one more season with Cignetti rather than go pro. — Max Olson

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LB, Indiana, senior
2024 stats: 118 tackles, 1.5 sacks, 4 PD
2024 postseason ranking: 73

Heading into his senior season, Fisher has been a tackle machine for the Hoosiers and is set to be a crucial part of their defense yet again. The 6-1, 231-pound linebacker was a first-team All-American last year. — Uggetti

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OL, Notre Dame, sophomore
2024 stats: 15 starts, 818 snaps, 3 sacks allowed
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After expected starter Charles Jagusah went down before the 2024 season, Notre Dame turned to Knapp, a true freshman, to anchor the line. All he did was help pave the way for a Notre Dame offense that ranked seventh nationally in rushing average, protect QB Riley Leonard’s blind side while surrendering just three sacks, and help the Fighting Irish march to a national championship game appearance. — Hale

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TE, Ohio State, junior
2024 stats: 1 reception, 685 yards, 4 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

At 6-4 and 236 pounds, you won’t miss Klare on the field, and for whoever does line up under center for the Buckeyes, Klare will quickly become a favorite target. The junior had a breakout season last year, and there’s a sense that this season could be even bigger for the Purdue product. — Uggetti

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OL, Penn State, junior
2024 stats: 0 sacks allowed in 900+ snaps
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Ioane proved he was ready to play as a redshirt freshman with five starts at left guard in 2023, then took his game to another level last season as a 16-game starter who earned second-team All-Big Ten honors. He surrendered zero sacks over the course of the Nittany Lions’ run to the CFP semifinals, according to ESPN Research, and finished with just eight pressures allowed and three penalties on the year while playing the most snaps (957) of any player in the Big Ten. — Olson

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S, Illinois, senior
2024 stats: 49 tackles, 6 PD, 4 INT
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Scott was targeted more than any other defensive back in the Big Ten in his second year as a starter, according to TruMedia, and he fared well in allowing just 28 catches on 63 targets (44%) and 4.9 yards per target with the second-most interceptions in the conference. The first-team All-Big Ten performer will help lead an Illini squad with big-time expectations for 2025. — Olson

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DT, Penn State, senior
2024 stats: 42 tackles, 11 TFL, 3 sacks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Durant isn’t just going to be a space eater in new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ scheme this fall. The two-year starter is a disruptor up front who has generated 26 pressures at defensive tackle over the past two seasons, most among all returning Big Ten linemen, according to ESPN Research. — Olson

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OG, Missouri, junior
2024 stats: 776 snaps played, 3 allowed pressures
2024 postseason ranking: NR

A former top-60 recruit and Under Armour All-American from Lee’s Summit, Missouri, Green started as a true freshman at Oklahoma, then transferred to his home-state school in 2024. He was an immediate hit in Columbia, allowing just three pressures with five blown run blocks in 13 starts and 776 snaps. With a new quarterback and reasonably new skill corps, Mizzou will be leaning on Green and the interior line to establish efficiency in 2025. — Connelly

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QB, SMU, junior
2024 stats: 28 TD, 3,245 passing yards, 354 rushing yards
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After taking over as SMU’s starter in Week 4, Jennings ignited the Mustangs’ offense, leading them to a playoff berth. From Nov. 1 through the ACC championship game, Jennings proved to be one of the most explosive QBs in the country, accounting for more than 1,500 yards with 14 touchdowns and three interceptions, alongside an 81.4 Total QBR. — Hale

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RB, Texas, junior
2024 stats: 226 carries, 1,064 yards, 44 receptions
2024 postseason ranking: NR

As the only returning 1,000-yard rusher in the SEC this season, Wisner is sacrificing his favorite meal — a 10-count McNuggets and McDouble from McDonald’s — to get in better shape. He’s a double threat for defenses after running for 1,064 yards with five touchdowns and catching 44 passes for 311 yards with one score in 2024. He had a career-high 186 yards in the Longhorns’ 17-7 victory against rival Texas A&M. — Schlabach

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QB, Georgia Tech, senior
2024 stats: 25 TD, 2 INT, 2,701 yards
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Is there a tougher QB in the country than King? Georgia Tech fans certainly don’t think so. King played through a painful shoulder injury last season that kept him from throwing more than a few yards downfield at times, and yet he still led the Yellow Jackets to their second straight winning season. He’s the sixth Power QB in the playoff era to account for at least 25 touchdowns, fewer than five picks and complete at least 70% of his passes. The other five were all later selected in the first round of the NFL draft. — Hale

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WR, Ohio State, senior
2024 stats: 733 yards, 4 TD, 52 receptions
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Even though Jeremiah Smith will understandably take up much attention this season, don’t sleep on Tate. The 6-3, 191-pound wideout from Chicago had a strong season inside of Ohio State’s title-winning offense last year, and even though Will Howard is gone, Tate should be able to build on his 2024 campaign. — Uggetti

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OG, Texas A&M, senior
2024 stat: 1 sack allowed
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After playing four seasons at Kansas, Reed-Adams didn’t miss a beat after stepping into a starting role in Texas A&M’s offensive line. Pro Football Focus said Reed-Adams led all Power 4 guards in gap-blocking proficiency and was fourth in zone blocking. In 361 snaps in 2024, Reed-Adams surrendered only one sack and eight pressures, while helping the Aggies run for 195.5 yards per game, which was second best in the SEC. — Schlabach

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TE, Vanderbilt, senior
2024 stats: 49 receptions, 638 yards, 5 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

A former four-star quarterback, Stowers signed with Texas A&M in 2021 but found himself as a tight end and utility man at New Mexico State in 2023, gaining 366 yards receiving, 108 rushing and 99 passing. He followed former head coach Jerry Kill to Vanderbilt in 2024 and became one of the SEC’s best tight ends, and with quarterback Pavia, he returns for one last dance in Nashville in 2025. — Connelly

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S, Texas, senior
2024 stats: 40 solo tackles, 1 FF, 2 INT
2024 postseason ranking: NR

A former walk-on and a reigning second-team All-American, Taaffe has been a central figure in the Longhorns’ secondary over the past two seasons and returns in 2025 as one of most experienced defenders anywhere in the country. Taaffe finished second among Texas defenders with 78 total tackles a year ago, anchoring a dominant defensive back unit alongside NFL draft selections Jahdae Barron and Andrew Mukuba. With both gone this fall, Taaffe is set to lead a new-look secondary unit at Texas this fall. — Eli Lederman

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OT, Boise State, junior
2024 stat: 2 sacks allowed
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The Broncos have a history of producing elite offensive linemen, and Casey should be the next in line after earning All-Mountain West honors in consecutive seasons. A gifted run blocker and pass protector, he led an offensive line that helped Ashton Jeanty rise to national prominence and protected quarterback Maddux Madsen. Boise State finished 12th nationally in fewest sacks allowed. — Rittenberg

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LB, Ohio State, senior
2024 stats: 100 tackles, 10.5 TFL, 6 sacks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The 6-4, 235-pound converted safety proved he’s one of the Big Ten’s best defensive playmakers in 2024, earning second-team all-conference honors as the leading tackler for the national champs, with big performances in some of the Buckeyes’ biggest games, including a career-high nine stops against Oregon, Penn State and Texas. He’s a 28-game starter and an invaluable leader with impressive traits and first-round pick potential. — Olson

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CB, Texas, junior
2024 stats: 36 tackles, 1 TFL, 8 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Muhammad has played in all 30 games since arriving at Texas as a heralded recruit in 2023. In Year 3, he’s working hard to produce more turnovers in the secondary. Texas and BYU led the FBS with 22 interceptions last season, but Muhammad didn’t have one (and has just one in two seasons combined). He helped the Longhorns limit Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith to only one catch in Texas’ 28-14 loss in a CFP semifinal at the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic. Muhammad won’t have to wait long for another shot at the star receiver; the teams open the season against each other at the Horseshoe on Aug. 30. — Schlabach

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LB, Old Dominion, senior
2024 stats: 2 solo tackles, 3 total tackles
2024 postseason ranking: NR

College football’s ultimate tackling machine, Henderson recorded a combined 324 tackles in 24 games in 2022-23. That’s an average of 162 tackles — only one other defender had even 160 in either season. After taking a medical redshirt last fall, the senior from Dingmans Ferry, Pennsylvania, returns to presumably load up on the hits again in 2025. — Connelly

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LB, LSU, junior
2024 stats: 61 solo tackles, 3.5 sacks, 2 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

LSU is bringing Weeks back cautiously during preseason camp after he had surgery to repair a dislocated ankle he suffered against Baylor in the Kinder’s Texas Bowl. Weeks was second in the SEC with 125 tackles to go with 10 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles in 2024. He’ll get to play with his older brother, West, and younger brother, Zach, who are also linebackers at LSU this season. The last time the Tigers had three brothers on a team was in 2008 with the Taylors (Curtis, Brandon, Jhyryn). — Schlabach

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LB, Texas A&M, junior
2024 stats: 35 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, 1 INT
2024 postseason ranking: NR

A former three-star recruit who was ranked the 183rd-best prospect in Texas in the class of 2023 by ESPN Recruiting, York has proved to be much better than advertised in two seasons with the Aggies. Last season, he led the team with 82 tackles to go with 9.5 tackles for loss. According to Pro Football Focus, he leads Power 4 linebackers with 59 run-defense stops since 2023. — Schlabach

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DL, Texas Tech, senior
2024 stats: 22 solo tackles, 7 sacks, 5 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The 6-3, 250-pound outside linebacker was a late addition to Texas Tech’s portal class after Stanford fired coach Troy Taylor. The California native brings a presence off the edge for the Red Raiders’ defense and experience with 16 starts in 33 career games. He will be an NFL draft prospect as a pass rusher. — Wilson

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DL, Georgia, junior
2024 stats: 27 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.5 sacks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After a couple of injury-plagued seasons, Miller finally showed flashes of the player he could be in 2024. He had five tackles, one pass breakup and one quarterback pressure in Georgia’s 23-10 loss to Notre Dame in a CFP quarterfinal at the Allstate Sugar Bowl. At 6-3, 310 pounds, the junior needs to be a difference-maker in the middle of the defensive front. — Schlabach

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RB, Pittsburgh, senior
2024 stats: 966 rushing yards, 1,704 all-purpose yards, 10 TD
2024 postseason ranking: 94

One of the nation’s most versatile players, Reid dominated in his first season after transferring from FCS Western Carolina, igniting Pitt’s offense as a runner and pass catcher while adding a touchdown in the return game. He was one of only two Power 4 players last season to rack up 10 or more total touchdowns while scoring as a runner, receiver and returner. — Hale

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DL, Alabama, senior
2024 stats: 17 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

It took Overton a little while to get started at Alabama after transferring from Texas A&M, and he’s looking to convert quarterback pressures into sacks in 2025. Last season, Overton had 39 quarterback pressures but only two sacks in 13 games. He also had 42 tackles, three tackles for loss and one forced fumble. The Tide hope the former five-star recruit was only scratching the surface as a pass rusher. — Schlabach

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QB, TCU, junior
2024 stats: 3,949 yards, 27 TD, 73.9 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The 6-2, 200-pound junior was lightly recruited out of high school and eventually committed to Indiana before flipping to TCU, where he set a school record for passing yards last season. His 3,949 yards in 2024 ranks second among returners behind LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier. He turned down big NIL offers from Tennessee, among others, to stay in Fort Worth. — Wilson

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QB, Baylor, senior
2024 stats: 3,071 yards, 28 TD, 82.9 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Robertson became the starter in the Bears’ third game last season and had a breakout year, helping Baylor save its season during a six-game win streak to finish the regular season. The 6-4, 220-pound senior will enter the season for the first time as a starter and is expected to be one of the best QBs in a QB-heavy Big 12. — Wilson

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LB, Ole Miss, junior
2024 stats: 32 solo tackles, 10.5 sacks, 1 INT
2024 postseason ranking: NR

After a bright freshman campaign in 2023, Perkins exploded last fall when the former five-star signee finished tied for the team lead in sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (14.5) as part of a record-setting Rebels defensive line. In 2025, Perkins is one of only two returning starters within a heavily renovated Ole Miss defense. Without the likes of Walter Nolen III, JJ Pegues and Chris Paul Jr. alongside him, it’s his turn to spearhead a promising unit of front-seven talent this fall. — Lederman

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QB, Navy, senior
2024 stats: 1,353 yards, 13 TD, 84.5 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: 84

Who’s the top returning college quarterback in terms of Total QBR? It’s not Cade Klubnik, Drew Allar or Carson Beck. It’s Blake Horvath, who finished sixth last season, piloting Navy’s evolving option offense to the tune of 1,353 passing yards, 1,298 non-sack rushing yards and 30 combined touchdowns. With most of his skill corps returning and a reasonably experienced line in front of him, he could produce similar numbers and lead a challenge in the American Conference in 2025. — Connelly

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DL, Cincinnati, senior
2024 stats: 26 tackles, 5 TFL, and 3.5 sacks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

“The Godfather” is one of the best interior linemen in the country, a 6-1, 330-pound three-time all-conference selection who has played 34 games for the Bearcats, all while battling medical issues with blood clots that prevented him from practicing and didn’t allow him to play until Sept. 3 last year, when he had six tackles and a sack against Pitt. Now healthy, he’s primed for one final year. — Wilson

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Edge, Boise State, junior
2024 stats: 10 sacks, 15.5 TFL
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Heisman Trophy runner-up Ashton Jeanty justifiably owned the spotlight for Boise State, but the team’s defensive line also stood out. Virgin-Morgan played opposite NFL sixth-round draft pick Ahmed Hassanein and led the team in both sacks (10) and quarterback hurries (7), while tying Hassanein for the top spot in tackles for loss (15.5). The first-team All-Mountain West selection enters his fourth season as one of the top Group of 5 players and among the nation’s top pass rushers. — Rittenberg

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DL, Florida, senior
2024 stats: 10 solo tackles, 4.5 sacks, 1 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The towering, 6-6, 330-pound interior defensive lineman has been a constant for the Gators since arriving from Louisville in 2023, tallying 21 starts at Florida over the past two seasons. Banks set career highs in tackles (21) and sacks (4.5) a year ago. In 2025, he returns to anchor a veteran defensive line within a promising Gators defense, carrying legit first-round NFL draft size and potential. — Lederman

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WR, Clemson, junior
2024 stats: 75 catches, 904 receiving yards, 11 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Coming off a sophomore season lost to injury, Williams reenergized the Clemson passing attack while becoming one of the most reliable receivers in the country. His 75 catches ranked second in the ACC, and his 11 touchdowns tied for the conference lead. In the process, he became the first Clemson receiver with at least 75 catches, 900 yards and 10 touchdowns since Mike Williams in 2016. — Hale

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RB, Louisville, sophomore
2024 stats: 1,173 yards, 11 TD, 7.1 yards per carry
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Brown emerged as one of the best backs in the country last season as a true freshman, winning ACC Rookie of the Year honors as a result. Not only did he set the school true freshman rushing record, but he also became the first true freshman to rush for over 1,000 yards in a season. Only one other running back last season averaged more yards per carry than Brown’s 7.1. — Andrea Adelson

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S, Oregon, junior
2024 stats: 70 solo tackles, 6 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Purdue was a bad team the past two years but still produced several standout individual players, including Thieneman, who will suit up for a different Power 4 program this fall. He was named Big Ten Freshman of the Year and a third-team AP All-America selection in 2023, when he ranked third nationally with six interceptions and led the team with 106 tackles. Thieneman led Purdue and also all Big Ten defensive backs in tackles with 104 last season, to go along with four tackles for loss and seven pass breakups. — Rittenberg

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LB, LSU, junior
2024 stats (four games played): 15 tackles, 5 solo tackles
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Perkins showed up as a freshman at LSU and blew everybody away with 13 tackles for loss, including 7.5 sacks. He shuffled between different positions in 2023 and then tore his ACL in Week 4 last season. Coach Brian Kelly said the Tigers plan to use the 6-1, 222-pound Perkins in more of a hybrid linebacker/safety role, freeing him up to make plays and go get the quarterback. — Chris Low

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DB, Minnesota, sophomore
2024 stats: 28 solo tackles, 1 FF, 5 INT
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Perich is a bit under the radar at Minnesota but could be one of college football’s most exciting all-around players to watch, especially in the post-Travis Hunter era. He earned first-team All-Big Ten honors at defensive back, recording five interceptions to go along with a forced fumble and 46 tackles. Perich also was a second-team All-Big Ten return specialist with 314 kick return yards and 188 punt return yards. He will have an even bigger role on offense this fall. — Rittenberg

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DB, Notre Dame, junior
2024 stats: 15 starts, 3 INT, 9 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Gray had a breakout season in 2024 in his first full season as a starter, and expectations are high headed into 2025. His interception with 33 seconds left against Penn State in the CFP semifinal set up the game-winning field goal, allowing the Irish to advance to the national title game. Perhaps there is a little bit of extra motivation going into the year, after he was on the coverage of the big passing play to Jeremiah Smith that allowed the Buckeyes to hoist the championship trophy. — Adelson

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LB, Pitt, junior
2024 stats: 101 tackles, 4 INT, 15.5 TFL
2024 postseason ranking: 86

As dynamic a linebacker as there was in the country last season, Louis did a little of everything in leading the Pitt defense. Louis ranked fifth in the ACC in total tackles (100), fourth in tackles for loss (15.5) and third in interceptions (four) — the only Power 4 defender to hit each of those totals. To that, he added 7 sacks, 3 pass breakups, 9 QB hurries and a forced fumble. — Hale

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CB, Clemson, junior
2024 stats: 45 solo tackles, 3 FF, 2 INT
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The stat line for Terrell almost feels as if it is never ending. In 2024, Terrell became the first player under Dabo Swinney to have at least three forced fumbles, multiple interceptions and multiple fumble recoveries in one season. His 13 pass breakups tied the Clemson sophomore record held by two others and were the most by any Clemson player since 2014. He is poised for more this year. — Adelson

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LB, Georgia, junior
2024 stats: 76 tackles, 3 TFL, 1 INT
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Overshadowed by inside linebackers Jalon Walker and Smael Mondon Jr. the past two seasons, it’s time for Allen to take charge of Georgia’s defense. In 12 starts in 2024, he was second on the team with 76 tackles. He showed up big in the Bulldogs’ most important games with eight tackles and one interception in a 34-20 victory against Florida and seven tackles and two interceptions in a 22-19 win against Texas in the SEC championship game. — Schlabach

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C, Florida, senior
2024 stats: 0 sacks allowed, 0.5% pressure percentage
2024 postseason ranking: 92

One of the most experienced members along a seasoned Florida offensive line (21 career starts), Slaughter sits at the heart of a pivotal unit for the Gators in 2025. The 6-5, 303-pound blocker earned first-team AP All-America honors a year ago in his first season as a full-time starter. In 2025, Slaughter is back as one of four returning starters on a Florida offensive line tasked with protecting second-year quarterback DJ Lagway and paving the way for reigning Freshman All-SEC running back Jadan Baugh. — Lederman

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Edge, San Diego State, sophomore
2024 stats: 21.5 TFL, 12.5 sacks, 9 run stops
2024 postseason ranking: NR

White became a hometown star in 2024. After becoming the first underclassman in nearly 20 years to be voted team captain, he erupted for 21.5 tackles for loss with nine run stops and 12.5 sacks from 37 pressures. He didn’t have a lot of help around him, so opponents were able to run away from him late in the season. If a more experienced set of defensive teammates can help him out more, just imagine what he could produce. — Connelly

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DE, Indiana, senior
2024 stats: 19 solo tackles, 10 sacks, 2 FF
2024 postseason ranking: 55

Kamara was part of the James Madison contingent that followed coach Curt Cignetti to Indiana and made an immediate impact during the team’s historic 2024 season. A second-team All-Sun Belt selection in 2023, he was a first-team All-Big Ten selection last fall and a third-team AP All-American after leading the FBS in total pressures (73) and finishing with 10 sacks and 15 tackles for loss for the nation’s No. 2 defense. — Rittenberg

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RB, Penn State, senior
2024 stats: 220 carries, 1,108 yards, 8 TD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Allen forms half of arguably the best running back tandem in Penn State history, as he and Nicholas Singleton both have eclipsed 2,800 career yards. The 217-pound Allen had a career-high 1,108 rushing yards in 2024 to finish fifth in the Big Ten, logging four 100-yard games and remaining a factor in the passing attack with 18 receptions. He repeatedly gashed Oregon in the Big Ten championship game and averaged 7.9 yards per carry against Boise State in a CFP quarterfinal win at the Fiesta Bowl. — Rittenberg

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DL, Miami, junior
2024 stats: 23 tackles, 5.5 TFL, 3.5 sacks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Bain was limited last year with a leg injury he sustained in the season opener, and he worked tirelessly in the offseason to get back to full strength. Now, he’s hoping that pays off with a dominant performance up front with new defensive coordinator Corey Hetherman leading the way. Bain has the potential to be one of the most dominant defensive ends in the country this season. — Adelson

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DB, Duke, senior
2024 stats: 54 tackles, 3 INT, 8 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Going into his third full season as the starter, Rivers is a preseason All-American after putting together an All-America season in 2024. One of the best cover cornerbacks in the country, Rivers plays well in coverage and can create pressure in different ways — compiling 7.5 tackles for loss, 3 pressures and 2 forced fumbles. In all, Rivers allowed 13 total completions last year — three that went for 20 yards or more. — Adelson

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DB, Tennessee, junior
2024 stats: 26 tackles, 4 INT, 7 PD
2024 postseason ranking: 45

After transferring from Oregon State, McCoy established himself as one of the premier cornerbacks in the country last season. He served as the eraser on the back end of a Tennessee defense that held 10 of its 13 opponents under 20 points. The Vols aren’t sure when they will get McCoy back this season after he tore his ACL in January while training. — Low

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RB, Oregon, junior
2024 stats: 1,401 yards, 15 TD, 0 fumbles lost
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Hughes takes over for Jordan James in the Oregon backfield after transferring from Tulane. Hughes rushed for 2,779 yards combined the past two seasons, more than any other returning back in college football. Hughes should bring a level of physicality to the Oregon offense; he broke 38 tackles last season, tied with North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton for fifth most in the nation. — Jake Trotter

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QB, Miami, senior
2024 stats: 3,485 yards, 28 TD, 80.9 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Beck was rated one of the top quarterbacks in college football headed into last season, but he opted to transfer from Georgia to Miami for one final year after some inconsistency on the field then a season-ending elbow injury. He says he is 100 percent following surgery, but now it is time to show he is completely healthy — and that the roller coaster that was 2024 is in the past. — Adelson

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WR, Arizona State, junior
2024 stats: 75 catches, 10 TD, 1,571 yards
2024 postseason ranking: 89

Tyson’s 2024 breakout season cemented him as one of the nation’s premier receivers. He earned Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year honors, hauled in 75 passes for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, and posted five 100-yard games. All of that took place during the regular season, as Tyson missed the Big 12 championship game and the CFP quarterfinal game because of injury. — Bonagura

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LB, Alabama, senior
2024 stats: 36 solo tackles, 2 sacks, 1 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Had he not torn an ACL in the second to last game against Oklahoma in 2024, Lawson likely would have turned pro. But after undergoing surgery and rehab, Lawson is back for his redshirt senior season, and he gives the Crimson Tide the kind of enforcer at middle linebacker who could take them to another level defensively. Lawson is one of the surest tacklers in college football. — Low

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DE, Penn State, senior
2024 stats: 24 solo tackles, 8.5 sacks, 2 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The impending departure of Abdul Carter to the NFL seemingly became easier for Penn State during its College Football Playoff run as Dennis-Sutton played his best football under the biggest spotlight. Penn State’s other defensive end had 4.5 sacks in the CFP and added an interception and a forced fumble in a semifinal loss to Notre Dame at the Orange Bowl. Dennis-Sutton recorded 6.5 of his 8.5 sacks in Penn State’s final seven games, and he should shine in new defensive coordinator Jim Knowles’ aggressive scheme. — Rittenberg

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QB, Florida, sophomore
2024 stats: 1,915 yards, 12 TD, 57.9 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The only question with Lagway is how healthy he will be. He was limited by an injury to his throwing shoulder in the spring then by a calf strain this preseason. When he is 100 percent, Lagway’s ceiling is as high as any quarterback in the country. He posted a 6-1 record in seven starts last season as a true freshman, and he has terrific awareness as both a passer and a runner. — Low

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OL, Miami, junior
2024 stats: 0.6% blown block percentage, 0 sacks allowed
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Mauigoa has been a force on Miami’s offensive line since the moment he arrived as a true freshman, but this could be his defining season. Miami is poised to have one of the best O-lines in the country with Mauigoa at the forefront, as the Hurricanes hope their ground game can help lead the way for Beck and the offense. — Adelson

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QB, Texas, sophomore
2024 stats: 939 yards, 9 TD, 87.5 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The wait is over. In his third year at Texas, Manning gets the keys to the Longhorns’ offense as the full-time starter. He played situationally last season and filled in when Quinn Ewers was injured. The Horns plan to use Manning’s strength in both passing and running. The 6-4, 219-pound Manning has thrown 95 passes across his first two seasons, with 90 of those coming in 2024. — Low

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OLB, Illinois, senior
2024 stats: 74 tackles, 3 FF, 12.1% defensive pressure rate
2024 postseason ranking: NR

A third-team All-Big Ten selection last season, Jacas is entering his fourth campaign as a starter for the Fighting Illini. Jacas led Illinois in 2024 with 13 tackles for loss, 8 sacks and 10 quarterback hurries. He also forced fumbles in wins over Michigan, Nebraska and Central Michigan, as the Illini won 10 games for the first time since 2001. — Trotter

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QB, Arizona State, sophomore
2024 stats: 2,885 yards, 24 TD, 80.0 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: 58

During his first year in Tempe, Leavitt had arguably the best freshman season in school history, setting the freshman record for total offense (3,328) while guiding the Sun Devils to the College Football Playoff. He was effective as a passer (2,885 yards). But his additional ability to make plays on the run (443 yards) is what sets him up to be one of the best quarterbacks in college football in 2025. — Bonagura

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DE, Oregon, junior
2024 stats: 38 tackles, 10.5 sacks, 2 FF
2024 postseason ranking: 81

Uiagalelei was an All-Big Ten selection as a sophomore, his first season as a starter for the Ducks, as he led the league during the regular season with 10.5 sacks. The Ducks lost several key players off last season’s defense, including tackle Derrick Harmon, a first-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Uiagalelei is a big reason the Ducks could be just as disruptive up front after ranking third in the Big Ten with 40 sacks in 2024. — Trotter

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QB, South Carolina, sophomore
2024 stats: 2,534 yards, 18 TD, 69.8 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: 65

Sellers was one of the breakout stars in college football in 2024 as a redshirt freshman, and his impressive close to the campaign mirrored that of the Gamecocks, who won six in a row to conclude the regular season. The 6-3, 240-pound Sellers is a Cam Newton clone and impossible to get on the ground when he starts scrambling. Look for Sellers to be a more polished passer in 2025. — Low

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DE, Auburn, junior
2024 stats: 30 solo tackles, 7 sacks, 1 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

As one of the most talented defensive linemen in the SEC, the 6-6, 285-pound Faulk returns for his junior season after tying for the Tigers’ lead with seven sacks in 2024. Faulk is a lot more than a pass rusher. His size, power and explosiveness make him equally strong against the run. — Low

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QB, Penn State, senior
2024 stats: 3,327 yards, 24 TD, 77.5 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: 63

Allar went 23-6 as a starter over the past two seasons, including two victories in last year’s playoff. Penn State’s postseason run ended after he threw a late pick, allowing Notre Dame to kick a game-winning field goal and advance to the national title game instead. Despite that sour finish, Allar’s numbers improved across the board in 2024, and he enters this season with the fifth-shortest odds to win the Heisman Trophy, according to ESPN BET. — Trotter

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QB, Oklahoma, junior
2024 stats: 3,139 yards, 29 TD, 70.9 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: 38

Mateer was one of the top quarterback targets in the transfer portal this offseason after making a name for himself at Washington State, and Oklahoma was giddy to get him after ranking 94th nationally in scoring offense last season at 24 points per game. Mateer is a playmaker both as a passer and a runner, and his former offensive coordinator at WSU, Ben Arbuckle, made the move with him to OU. — Low

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RB, Penn State, senior
2024 stats: 1,099 rushing yards, 6.4 yards per carry, 17 TD
2024 postseason ranking: 80

Singleton teams up with Kaytron Allen to give Penn State perhaps the best running back duo in the country. Last season, Singleton and Allen were one of just two Power 4 tandems to each run for 1,000 yards, joining Ohio State’s Quinshon Judkins and TreVeyon Henderson. Singleton also is an effective pass catcher out of the backfield, snagging 41 passes last season for 375 yards and five touchdowns. — Trotter

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OT, Alabama, junior
2024 stats: 639 snaps, 54 knockdown blocks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Alabama’s offensive line is poised to be one of the strengths of the team, and Proctor’s return at left tackle is a big reason. Speaking of big, Proctor is 6-7 and 366 pounds. He has steadily improved since his true freshman season in 2023 and enters his junior season as one of the most physically imposing tackles in college football. — Low

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CB, Notre Dame, sophomore
2024 stats: 34 solo tackles, 2 INT, 11 PD
2024 postseason ranking: NR

As a true freshman in 2024, Moore opened the season as a question mark at the back end of Notre Dame’s defense. He ended it as perhaps the most dominant corner in the country. Moore allowed just 39% completions on 51 targets, picking off two balls and breaking up 11 more. In the playoff alone, he allowed just 58 total yards while breaking up four passes. — Hale

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WR, Alabama, sophomore
2024 stats: 48 receptions, 865 yards, 8 TD
2024 postseason ranking: 71

Williams cooled off a bit toward the end of last season after a torrid start to his true freshman year at Alabama, but he still proved to be one of the most explosive players in the nation. He had five touchdown receptions in the first four games, including the game winner against Georgia. Williams is as dangerous on deep passes as he is in making things happen after the catch. — Low

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DE, Texas, sophomore
2024 stats: 31 solo tackles, 9 sacks, 3 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Simmons had a sensational true freshman campaign and led the Longhorns with nine sacks. A dynamic edge rusher, the 6-3, 240-pound Simmons has the speed and strength to blow past opposing offensive tackles. Texas coaches expect him to take an even bigger leap during his sophomore year after winning the Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award in his debut season on the Forty Acres. — Low

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DE, South Carolina, sophomore
2024 stats: 17 solo tackles, 6.5 sacks, 3 FF
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Stewart burst onto the scene last season as one of the best true freshmen in college football and immediately asserted himself as one of the most feared pass rushers in the SEC. The 6-5, 245-pound Stewart earned Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) Freshman All-America honors, and he has all the skills to be a first-team All-American in 2025 as an even more complete defender. — Low

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DL, Clemson, junior
2024 stats: 32 tackles, 8.5 TFL, 3 sacks
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Woods alternated between defensive tackle and defensive end last season, and what is so intriguing about his potential headed into his junior year is what new coordinator Tom Allen will ask him to do. Clemson plans to be more aggressive with its entire D-line, a prospect that Woods has embraced. — Adelson

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QB, LSU, junior
2024 stats: 4,052 yards, 29 TD, 80.0 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: NR

The SEC’s leading returning passer after throwing for 4,052 yards, 29 touchdowns and 12 interceptions in 2024, Nussmeier enters his second season as LSU’s starter after waiting his turn during his first three years on campus. Nussmeier will have a deep corps of receivers to throw to, including newcomers Nic Anderson and Barion Brown, although the Tigers are replacing both tackles. — Low

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OL, Utah, junior
2024 stats: one sack allowed, 1.6% blown block percentage
2024 postseason ranking: NR

Fano anchored Utah’s offensive line in 2024, starting all 12 games at right tackle and earning All-America honors from PFF (first team), AP (second team) and Walter Camp (second team). A finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award, Fano combines elite pass protection with physical run blocking. — Bonagura

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DL, Clemson, junior
2024 stats: 64 tackles, 19.5 TFL, 11 sacks, 6 FF
2024 postseason ranking: 46

Parker showed his potential as a freshman All-American and followed that up with a dominant sophomore season. His six forced fumbles set a school record, and his 19.5 tackles for loss and 11 sacks were the most at Clemson since Clelin Ferrell had 19.5 and 11.5 in 2018. — Adelson

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RB, Notre Dame, junior
2024 stats: 1,125 yards, 19 TD, 6.9 yards per carry
2024 postseason ranking: 27

Love shouldered the rushing load last season, scoring a touchdown on the ground in 13 straight games and setting a CFP record with a 98-yard touchdown run in a first-round game against Indiana. He played through injuries for most of the playoff run, so a healthy Love in 2025 could set up the Irish for more postseason success. — Adelson

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QB, Clemson, senior
2024 stats: 3,639 yards, 36 TD, 78.7 QBR
2024 postseason ranking: 53

Headed into his third year as a starter, Klubnik is poised to have his best campaign yet after posting career numbers in 2024. His return is one of the biggest reasons many believe the Tigers are poised to make a championship run. Klubnik also knows it is now or never for him to cement his Clemson legacy — and add this offense to the record books. — Adelson

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S, Ohio State, junior
2024 stats: 81 tackles, 2 INT, 6 PD
2024 postseason ranking: 18

Downs was a major reason the Buckeyes featured the top defense in the country in 2024. Playing shallow safety, he locked up the middle of the field for Ohio State, which didn’t allow more than 23 points the rest of the way after giving up 32 in an Oct. 12 loss at Oregon. Downs, also an electric returner, took a punt 79 yards for a touchdown in a key late-season win over Indiana. There isn’t a more accomplished defensive player in college football entering this campaign. — Trotter

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LB, Texas, junior
2024 stats: 59 solo tackles, 16.5 TFL, 8 sacks, 4 FF
2024 postseason ranking: 30

The 6-3, 238-pound Hill has been a starter since his true freshman season. Now a junior, he has developed into one of the most well-rounded defenders in college football. He led the Longhorns last season with 113 total tackles and was fourth among FBS linebackers with 16.5 tackles for loss. Hill was a first-team ESPN All-America selection last season, and he returns to spearhead Texas’ defense. — Low

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WR, Ohio State, sophomore
2024 stats: 76 receptions, 1,315 yards, 16 TD
2024 postseason ranking: 5

Arguably the best player in college football, Smith broke the Big Ten freshman record with 1,315 receiving yards during Ohio State’s 2024 national championship campaign. He also totaled five touchdowns in the Buckeyes’ four playoff outings. With a season of experience behind him, Smith said he expects to play even faster this year. That’s a scary proposition for the rest of the Big Ten. — Trotter

The 2025 college football season kicks off Saturday with a ranked Iowa State-Kansas State matchup. The following Saturday — officially Week 1 — brings big-time showdowns of Texas-Ohio State, LSU-Clemson and Notre Dame-Miami. And then the NFL season begins just a few days after that. Buckle up … football is here!

That means we can really start looking ahead to the 2026 NFL draft. And it means we can celebrate with my first mock draft for what should be an exciting class of players.

I’ll say this right off the top: A lot can — and will — change over the next eight months. There are a lot of snaps to be played, and plenty of events will alter top prospects’ outlooks before Round 1 on April 23. Consider that I had Carson Beck going No. 1 in my preseason mock draft at this time last year, and he ultimately stayed in school and transferred from Georgia to Miami. There are just a lot of unknowns in August.

One of those unknowns is the draft order. For this exercise, I used ESPN’s Football Power Index — which uses thousands of simulations to predict the entire NFL season — to project where every team will make its pick. Remember that only 30 franchises currently have a first-round selection, though. The Jaguars and Falcons both dealt away their 2026 Day 1 picks during the 2025 draft. I also crafted two more moves at the top of the order that would make sense if things played out like this. In all, I have six quarterbacks coming off the board — two of them after projected trades.

Let’s begin with the Browns, who have the top pick in the FPI simulations and could be looking for another quarterback come April. Here are my early preseason predictions for all 32 picks in next year’s Round 1.

Arch Manning, QB, Texas

Yes, Archie Manning recently stated that his grandson will stay at Texas for at least two seasons, a belief many in the scouting community share. But ultimately, Arch is eligible to declare in 2026, and if he performs up to his potential, he might just have to consider the NFL leap in this coming draft class. So I’m including him … for now.

Manning has a very good build, throws with accuracy to all levels of the field and shows solid movement traits. He’s a different QB than his uncles Peyton and Eli were in that he is a threat with his legs. He is inexperienced and needs to add more weight to his 6-foot-4 frame, but it’s easy to see his immense ceiling. I know the Browns just drafted two passers this year, but if they are picking first overall next year, then yes, they’ll be taking a quarterback.

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Projected trade: East Rutherford swap

With Jaxson Dart in waiting, the Giants aren’t likely to be drafting a first-round QB next April. But the Jets could absolutely be in that mix, so I could see these MetLife Stadium roommates making a deal in this scenario, with the Jets moving up from No. 4 to No. 2. The Giants, meanwhile, could pick up extra premium picks and still be in position to land either the best or second-best non-QB in the class.

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LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

A bottom-five record this season — which would be the case if the order plays out like this — would mean Justin Fields isn’t a lock to start in 2026. This would be an opportunity to get a franchise QB. Sellers is a huge and powerful thrower who made massive strides in his game in 2024. His escapability from pressure in the pocket is a true X factor; some plays on his tape show shades of Josh Allen. His best moments are jaw-dropping, and his overall mobility is superb. Sellers threw the football much better in the second half of last season, too, finishing with 18 TD passes and seven INTs. Continued improvement on his ball placement will put him in top pick consideration.

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Projected trade: Saints join QB run

Derek Carr retired, and none of Spencer Rattler, Tyler Shough nor Jake Haener is a sure thing. New Orleans could be watching two QBs come off the board to start Round 1 and want to jump into the party. Trading up from No. 5 to No. 3 with Tennessee — which has its QB in Cam Ward but needs a lot around him — would make sense as New Orleans seeks a long-term option under center.

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Cade Klubnik, QB, Clemson

Klubnik would become the first quarterback taken in the first round by the Saints since Archie Manning in 1971. New Orleans bypassed the position at No. 9 in April, but it’d be hard to do it again in the top five next year. Klubnik is a mechanically sound and accurate passer who accounted for 43 total touchdowns during his breakout 2024 season (36 passing, seven rushing). He lacks elite size at 6-foot-2 and 210 pounds, but he’d offer the Saints some stability at QB as they reset their roster.

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Peter Woods, DT, Clemson

Entering the season, two non-quarterback prospects rise above the rest for me: Ohio State’s Caleb Downs and Woods. The Giants are well-positioned at safety after signing Jevon Holland, so I’m going with Woods and adding to an already outstanding defensive line. Woods is a chaos causer. He had just three sacks in 2024 after none as a freshman in 2023, but his game goes far beyond the box score; every opponent O-line had a plan for him on each snap last season. He also has the positional versatility to line up and rush from multiple spots, which would help alongside Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, Dexter Lawrence II and Kayvon Thibodeaux.

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Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State

It’s not often a safety generates top-five consideration, which is a testament to Downs’ skill set. He is a no-weakness prospect who brings a physical and imposing demeanor when playing in the box and defending the run. But Downs also boasts excellent range, ball skills (two INTs and seven pass breakups in 2024) and vision as a middle-of-the-field pass defender. He has the ability to entirely reshape a secondary from the moment he steps on the field. Tennessee is looking for cornerstone players, and its defense ranked 30th in points allowed per game last season (27.1). Downs would instantly alter the outlook.

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Keldric Faulk, Edge, Auburn

I’m optimistic about Carolina quarterback Bryce Young after what we saw in the second half of 2024, but picking this high would likely spark a debate about whether to pivot from him. Regardless, with three QBs off the board, I’m sticking with Young for now and looking for a difference-maker elsewhere on the roster.

Faulk has the length and torque to rush off the edge, but his 6-foot-6, 288-pound frame really allows him to be disruptive and attack from a variety of alignments. He had seven sacks last season. The Panthers made a pair of Day 2 investments on the edge this year (Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen) but should keep working on this pass rush group. The team’s 5.4% sack rate tied for fourth worst in the NFL last season.

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Spencer Fano, OT, Utah

Fano has played both left and right tackle at the collegiate level, and I think he can do it in the NFL, too. He has terrific length and impressive footwork, as he effortlessly matches and mirrors edge rushers as a pass protector. But Fano is not just a movement/finesse player; he has an edge and mean streak to his game that shows up when finishing blocks. The Raiders recently reinvested in veteran left tackle Kolton Miller, but throwing more resources at the line will always be a focus for GM John Spytek.

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T.J. Parker, Edge, Clemson

Parker brings a blend of versatility and pass-rushing nuance. He is at his best as an edge rusher, but he has also shown the capacity to kick down to a 4i alignment (inside shoulder of the offensive tackle) and even drop into coverage. His production speaks for itself — he forced a Clemson-record six fumbles and had 11 sacks in 2024, and his 12.5 tackles for loss in 2023 were a school record for a true freshman. The Patriots, meanwhile, were last in the NFL in sacks in 2024 (28) and must keep addressing their pass rush. New coach Mike Vrabel will want to be tough on both sides of the line.

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Sam Leavitt, QB, Arizona State

The Rams can capitalize on a bonus first-round pick after Atlanta traded up for James Pearce Jr. in the 2025 draft. It’s not clear whether Matthew Stafford will be playing in 2026, but the Rams can add his heir apparent at the draft either way. Leavitt is an innovator, showing exceptional poise, moxie and creativity under duress. The redshirt sophomore is a talented thrower and very strong runner. He had at least three passing touchdowns and zero interceptions in five of his final seven matchups last season, and he finished with 443 rushing yards on the year. L.A. can start thinking about the future under center with this top-10 pick via Atlanta.

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Anthony Hill Jr., LB, Texas

One thing we know about Seahawks coach Mike Macdonald is that he likes versatile defensive players. Hill fits that mold. He brings an immense skill set as a standup inside linebacker, but he also has an eye-opening 13 sacks in two seasons at Texas, including eight in 2024. He shows sideline-to-sideline range that led to 113 tackles and four forced fumbles in 2024, too.

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Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

The Colts recently named Daniel Jones as their starter for the 2025 season, which underscores the team’s big need for a true QB of the future. The ship seems to have already sailed on Anthony Richardson Sr. Allar has ideal 6-foot-5, 235-pound size, good mobility and a rocket arm. I also see moments of creativity on the tape. The tools and upside have evaluators intrigued, but they also want to see more consistency and urgency in the pocket in 2025. If he puts it all together, Allar would be a great get for the Colts in this range.

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Austin Barber, OT, Florida

We got a new QB for the Browns at No. 1 in this mock draft. Now, they have to improve the protection with their other pick, courtesy of the Jaguars via the Travis Hunter trade. Insert Barber, who has excellent length and extensive experience as both a right and left tackle. Barber can really bend and pass protect, something he’ll do at a high-stakes level this season in manning the blind side for 2027 QB prospect DJ Lagway. He allowed three sacks last season over 13 starts. The Browns need to get younger along the offensive line; they allowed 66 sacks last season, second most in the league.

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Caleb Banks, DT, Florida

The Cowboys enter the 2025 season looking to right some of the wrongs from their forgettable 2024. One big area of concern is the interior defensive line. Their porous run D (4.8 yards allowed per carry, tied for third worst) cannot continue if they want to keep contending in the NFC. Banks could help fix it. He has outstanding size at 6-foot-6 and 330 pounds, but he also displays the quickness and power to be a disruptive interior rusher. He began his career at Louisville, but his best college season came in 2024, when he had 4.5 sacks for the Gators — including 2.5 in his dominant game against Ole Miss.

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Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami

Throughout the predraft process this year, I often linked offensive tackles to the Cardinals. That need will likely only grow next year, given that veteran right tackle Jonah Williams is going to be a free agent in March. Mauigoa has played right tackle in each of his first two college seasons, boasting great 6-foot-6 size, nimble feet and immense power that all project well to the NFL level. He made life easier on Cam Ward in 2024, not allowing a single sack over 13 games. Could he have a similar impact on Kyler Murray?

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Avieon Terrell, CB, Clemson

The Dolphins enter the 2025 season razor thin at cornerback. Jalen Ramsey is gone, and Artie Burns and Kader Kohou both suffered season-ending injuries this spring. So it’s easy to match Miami to the CB class. Terrell — the younger brother of Falcons standout A.J. Terrell Jr. — has fantastic ball skills and a contagious confidence (it seems to run in the family). During his breakout 2024 season, the younger Terrell intercepted a pair of passes, broke up 12 more and forced three fumbles. When opposing quarterbacks targeted Terrell in 2024, he allowed just 26 of 60 attempts to be completed and surrendered only two completions for at least 20 yards.

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Garrett Nussmeier, QB, LSU

This would be the second time in three years we saw six quarterbacks in the top half of Round 1. But hey, there are a lot of QB-needy teams picking early, and there are a lot of really good QB prospects potentially available. And Aaron Rodgers recently said this could be his last NFL season, probably making QB a primary need in Pittsburgh next offseason.

Nussmeier — the son of Saints offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier — is like a point guard on the field, playing with elite processing skills and very good accuracy. He lacks dynamic athleticism and has just solid arm strength, but he is still able to deliver the ball on time and to spots where his receivers can create after the catch. Nussmeier — who is dealing with patellar tendinitis — threw for 4,052 yards and 29 touchdowns last season at LSU.

One more QB prospect who could be in the mix: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza. He has an impressive ability to process and play under duress, and I saw some “wow” throws on tape.

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Jermod McCoy, CB, Tennessee

If not for an ACL tear suffered in January, McCoy would be much higher. He has returned to the practice field in some capacity, but it’s unclear when he will be cleared to play in games. He is a terrific perimeter cover corner, though, with ideal speed, length and ball disruption skills for the NFL. McCoy had an incredible debut season at Tennessee in 2024 after spending one year at Oregon State, picking off four passes and breaking up eight more. The Bears need more perimeter corners opposite Jaylon Johnson, so this makes sense.

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Anto Saka, Edge, Northwestern

Saka is one of those players who immediately widens your eyes when you watch his tape. His incredible explosiveness puts pass protectors on their heels. Saka’s numbers are just OK through two seasons (nine sacks over 22 games), but he draws a lot of attention from opponents and is still a bit raw as a prospect. The starter kit of desirable traits is there.

Is edge rush a gigantic need for the Vikings? No. Is there such a thing as too much depth at that position? Also no. Saka could fit in nicely with Jonathan Greenard, Andrew Van Ginkel and Dallas Turner.

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Matayo Uiagalelei, Edge, Oregon

Uiagalelei is hard to miss on tape, thanks to a massive 6-foot-5, 272-pound frame. He aligns from a variety of spots along the defensive front and causes havoc from all of them, with 10.5 sacks in 2024. He wins with power and relentlessness. The Packers have poured resources into their pass rush and finished last season with 45 sacks (tied for eighth), but they did not have an impactful enough group in critical moments and could use more help.

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Jordyn Tyson, WR, Arizona State

Tyson had 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns last season prior to getting hurt, and that kind of production could be perfect for Bo Nix and the Broncos. The Broncos are well-stocked at most spots on the roster, but putting another difference-making playmaker alongside Courtland Sutton, Marvin Mims Jr. and Evan Engram could lift the whole offense. At 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, Tyson is extremely comfortable with the ball in his hands and has very good instincts after the catch. He had five games with over 100 receiving yards in 2024 and joins Leavitt to form one of the best QB-WR duos in college football this season.

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Jeremiyah Love, RB, Notre Dame

With Joe Mixon signed only through 2026, the Texans could use some reinforcements at running back. Next year’s class at the position isn’t particularly strong, especially in comparison to 2025, but Love is the exception. He has dynamic movement skills — including unique speed, acceleration and burst — to go along with real pass-catching ability. He rushed for 6.9 yards per carry last season en route to 1,115 yards and scored a total of 19 touchdowns (17 rushing, two receiving).

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Dani Dennis-Sutton, Edge, Penn State

One of the NFL’s best recent pass-rush pipelines has been through Penn State. Dennis-Sutton has a chance to be the third straight first-round Nittany Lions pass rusher (Chop Robinson in 2024, Abdul Carter in 2025). He stepped up in 2024 with 8.5 sacks and showed stout run defense to complement his pass-rush production. This season, he’ll face a new challenge, with teams not paying prominent attention to the now-departed Carter opposite him.

The Bucs’ pass rush will be a group in focus for this upcoming season, considering they didn’t have any full-time edge rushers with more than five sacks last season.

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Jude Bowry, OT, Boston College

Bowry played left tackle in 2024 and will be there again this season, but he has played both tackle spots, and some scouts have even projected him as an NFL guard. With San Francisco, Bowry could play anywhere on the O-line and be groomed as Trent Williams‘ heir apparent at LT. The 49ers need offensive linemen with above-average foot speed to play in their zone scheme, and Bowry’s footwork really pops on tape. He shows an impressive ability to get lateral and handle rushers who try to cross his face to work inside.

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Kadyn Proctor, OT, Alabama

Although the Bengals have Orlando Brown Jr. under contract through 2026, any investment that protects Joe Burrow is worthwhile. After all, Cincinnati had the league’s worst pass block win rate (50.1%) last season. Proctor is massive at 6-foot-7 and 366 pounds, and he spent the past two seasons holding down the left side of the Alabama offensive line. Proctor’s power, length and physicality are all impossible to miss on tape, but his overall athletic ability could determine how high he goes in the draft. Can he consistently handle explosive edge rushers? Does he have the reactive skills to mirror players who are trying to bend the edge around him? If he can show that at a high level this season, Proctor will be a first-round lock — and perhaps go much higher than this.

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Germie Bernard, WR, Alabama

The Terry McLaurin contract situation heightens the Commanders’ big need at wide receiver. Deebo Samuel should provide a boost this season, but he’s scheduled to be a free agent in March. Jayden Daniels needs playmakers around him. Bernard led Alabama in catches (50) last season, but it still feels like a bigger breakout year is due; this could be a productive season for the 6-foot-1 speedster. He had a reception of at least 20 yards in 10 separate games last season en route to 794 receiving yards.

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Chandler Rivers, CB, Duke

One of my favorite players to study in the early part of the 2026 draft process is Rivers, a versatile corner with excellent ball skills. At 5-foot-10 and 185 pounds, he has aligned both on the perimeter and in the slot, showcasing sticky coverage skills, good instincts and even some blitzing ability. He earned second-team All-ACC honors in 2024 by picking off three passes and allowing just 13 catches all season. Tarheeb Still and Cam Hart both had strong rookie seasons in Los Angeles in 2024, but corner is still a longer-range need for the stout Chargers defense. Rivers could thrive there.

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Daylen Everette, CB, Georgia

I went into the 2025 draft thinking cornerback was a key area of need for the Rams, but they didn’t take anyone at the position across six picks. I still think some reinforcements there would be helpful; both expected starters on the outside (Darious Williams and Ahkello Witherspoon) are in their 30s. Everette’s excellent length and instincts around the football would boost the unit. He enters his third season as a starter for Georgia with four career picks. And although Everette does not have elite short-area quickness, his 6-foot-1 size and great defensive IQ make him a high-end coverage player.

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A.J. Harris, CB, Penn State

Jaire Alexander and Chidobe Awuzie are both free agents in March, and Marlon Humphrey is signed through 2026. Corner is likely a 2026 offseason focus in Baltimore. Harris is entering his second season with Penn State after beginning his career at Georgia, and he plays with an infectious energy, opportunistic ball skills and a willingness to enter the fray as a run defender. Opposing quarterbacks did not test him much in 2024, but he still came away with a pick and five pass breakups.

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Sonny Styles, LB, Ohio State

Detroit could probably go a few different directions here, but addressing the defense makes a lot of sense. The Lions took a linebacker in the first round in 2023 (Jack Campbell), and they could go back to that well in 2026. Alex Anzalone will be a free agent in March, potentially opening up a spot at the position.

Versatility, communicator and athleticism — those are some words that initially come to mind when scouting Styles, who began his OSU career at safety before moving to linebacker full time in 2024. It almost looks like he’s gliding on the field because he moves so gracefully, which helped him pile up 98 tackles and six sacks in 2024.

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Isaiah World, OT, Oregon

World joins Oregon this season after spending the past four years at Nevada, playing both right and left tackle. He brings premier length at 6-foot-8 and moves very well — especially as a pass protector. World allowed zero sacks last season, but this year will be an elevated test. And although the Chiefs addressed offensive tackle this offseason, nothing is a sure thing there. They have reasonable contract outs on both Jawaan Taylor and Jaylon Moore after the 2025 season, and World could help protect Patrick Mahomes for the long haul.

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Blake Miller, OT, Clemson

Miller is an experienced right tackle (41 starts) with very good movement skills and the lateral agility to stick with edge rushers. Yes, the Eagles don’t have many pressing needs at the moment. But they have always been ahead of the curve on offensive line investments, and this would give them a promising player in the pipeline to develop behind 35-year-old Lane Johnson.

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Ja’Kobi Lane, WR, USC

The fact that ESPN’s FPI has the Bills picking No. 32 underscores what we know: This roster is loaded. One question mark is at WR, though. The Bills lack a clear alpha wideout despite a capable group overall. (Keon Coleman has flashed upside.)

Lane caught 12 touchdowns last season after just seven total catches in 2023. He is a fluid mover and displays very good route running and comfort catching the football inside and outside his frame. Lane also showed some contested catch ability and toughness in the middle of the field on the tape. Josh Allen would approve.

THEY WERE BOTH SO YOUNG.

One would be entering his old age now, with most of a long life behind him. The other would just be entering his senior year in high school, working to fulfill a life of great promise.

A vast gulf of time separates them.

But nobody knows them now except by memory, so time is also what ties them together.

And it is time that tells their story.

They were both so young, are both so young still.

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ONE IS JAY KUTNER. He is a quarterback. He plays for Holy Trinity Diocesan High School in Hicksville, New York. He is a senior, 17 years old. He wears No. 5. One afternoon, his team, the Titans, is playing a preseason scrimmage against Amityville Memorial, a public school. It is the second week of September, and the day is hot and dry and dusty, and Jay is walking off the field for a drink of water. He is done, like most of the starters. His backup is already stepping behind center. But he hears the whistle blow. The coach is dissatisfied — execution or effort, it hardly matters now. He tells Jay to go back in for one last play. It has been a rough scrimmage, but Jay is wearing a red outer jersey for his protection. He is not supposed to be hit. He barks the signals, the ball is snapped. The play later will be described as “nondescript” or “routine.” But mistakes are never routine. There is a problem with the snap. The ball comes loose. The ball is on the ground, and Jay dives for it. So does everyone else. The play is not particularly violent, just crowded. There is a pile, and at the bottom of it, a small voice — “my neck.” The whistle blows, and the players peel themselves off of or are pulled from the scrum. They stand up, then they look down. The player at the bottom remains on the ground. The player at the bottom is Jay Kutner, and he does not get up.

The other is Caden Tellier. He is a quarterback. He plays for Morgan Academy, in Selma, Alabama. He is a junior, 16 years old. It is a hot Friday night in August, and he is playing under the lights, first game of the season. Morgan versus Southern. He wears No. 17, in emulation of his hero, Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills. Most of the people who watched him grow up — the people who know and love him most — have come to the small stadium in the back of the school to watch him play football. His father is here. His mother is here. His sister is here, his girlfriend, his pastor, his coaches, his teachers, his friends. Caden is at home on his home field, with his old Ford truck in the parking lot. He sat out a few games as a sophomore after a shoulder injury. He is healthy now, a rangy kid who is as proud of his legs as he is of his arm. He likes to run. On Morgan’s first drive of the second half, he rolls right, toward his own sideline — toward his team, toward his family, toward the home crowd. He sees an opening along the white stripe and is turning upfield when a diving tackler grabs him low and trips him up. It’s a clean tackle everybody will say. But Caden stretches and sprawls forward, still gathering momentum as he falls. He lands hard, his helmet hitting the turf with a snap. He gets right up, he heads right back to the huddle. But then he takes himself out. He goes to the sideline and takes a knee. He says, “I don’t feel good,” and slumps over.

It’s the last thing Caden Tellier ever says.

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YOU CAN’T MISS HIM. He’s good at everything he does — hell, Jay’s good at smiling. On the pitcher’s mound, he throws so hard he wears out the hands of his catchers. On the football field, he stands tall in the pocket and throws a ball his receivers have to either catch or duck. He’s 6-foot-2, 185 pounds and still growing, and though his school, Holy Trinity, sits in the middle of Long Island, he has drawn attention from major college scouts as far away as North Carolina, as well as comparisons to Roman Gabriel, the marble statue who quarterbacks the Philadelphia Eagles.

But it’s in the halls of Holy Trinity where you see his promise most clearly — where young Jay, with his blue eyes and easygoing and yet purposeful gait, looks like a particularly self-possessed politician, somehow already a handshake away from higher office. It’s not just that everyone wants to talk to him; it’s that he can talk to everyone, even the grinds in his Latin class. Yes, when the bell rings, he seems to float above the fray, surveying the scurrying underclassmen as if from a great height. But he also sees things — particularly the kids having a hard time. When the yearbook photographer comes to school to shoot senior portraits, Jay pokes his head in the classroom and sees that his friend Tommy Young doesn’t have a sport jacket. He gives him his own, an unmistakably loud plaid, along with an assurance that when the yearbooks come out at the end of senior year, there they will be for all of posterity, secret twins stuck in the same jacket. And when he sees one of the biggest and most imposing of his jock buddies roughing up the editor of the school paper after a rowdy basketball game — Brian Clancy has written an editorial condemning the cherished Holy Trinity ritual of under-the-bleachers basketball-game boozing — Jay strides over and taps him on the shoulder. “I don’t think this is a good idea,” he says. “I know Brian, and Brian’s a good guy.” His teammate nods, and leaves Brian alone.

Heroism comes naturally to him, but not easily. He’s from an enormous Catholic family, one of 11 children, and his father is the unquestioned hero in the house — the war hero. It is a time in American history when many middle-aged men in many suburban neighborhoods fought in World War II. But Harry Kutner flew a B-29 on bombing missions over the Pacific. He is a lawyer who’s just about to be appointed judge at the Nassau County Family Court, and to his children he’s a judge already, with an inflexible standard of right and wrong and a prickly distaste for the “gray area.” Some fight him, some live in fear of him, but Jay — well, one day a kid from the neighborhood shows up at the front door to object to something Jay has done. They all live near a big public park and the kid, Jim Savage, was playing baseball with his friends when Jay came along with his friends and kicked them off the field. Harry Kutner answers the door, with his tall middle son appearing behind him. When Savage finishes his story, the judge turns to Jay and asks, “Did you do this?”

“Yes, Dad,” Jay answers.

Without hesitation, Harry slaps his son across the face, hard. Jim Savage is horrified, but what he will remember most vividly, what he will remember forever, is Jay’s response. The boy doesn’t cry. He doesn’t even flinch. He just … takes it, as if endurance has already become his calling and his fate.

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THE FATHER AND SON, Jamie and Caden Tellier, are also coach and player. They are with each other all the time because Caden wants to be coached all the time — he’s that kid. A pitcher, he keeps a baseball in his hand no matter where he goes, working on different grips for different pitches even when he’s hanging out and watching television. A dual-threat quarterback, he takes pride in studying for games as rigorously as he studies for school, where he can’t abide anything less than an A. He likes baseball better than he likes football, but if baseball is his sport, he knows football is his chance — his chance to keep playing in college. His chance to leave his mark. Caden has always been a boy with dreams, and Jamie has always been a man dedicated to their realization. He played quarterback himself once; he taught Caden how to play the game in their backyard in Selma, and when Caden became a 15-year-old sophomore starter at the Morgan Academy, Jamie joined the coaching staff as a volunteer. He doesn’t have to push Caden because Caden pushes himself. But Caden’s dreams keep growing bigger and bigger, and now he has one that he shares not just with his father but also with his closest friends: He wants to see his jersey retired. In the gym at the Morgan Academy, the jersey of Gunnar Henderson, Class of 2019 and now a shortstop for the Baltimore Orioles, hangs from the wall. Caden wants his garnet-and-gold No. 17 to hang right next to it.

But it is not his only goal. He has worked so hard to prepare for Morgan’s first game of the 2024 season that he wonders if his worldly ambition is getting in the way of his spiritual one. He has been a professing Christian since he was 4 years old, but he has been spending so much time practicing and studying for football that he has been missing the Wednesday night youth group. His youth pastor, Roxanne Jones, is also his godmother, and he has been telling her that his heart is with her but his head is with football, so she’s surprised when he calls one Wednesday night and says he’s coming — “Should I bring a pizza?” He arrives late, pizza in hand, and explains to the group that he doesn’t know why, but he had to come. Then he becomes impassioned. He’s a determinedly soft-spoken kid, but he speaks with such conviction that he causes his pastor to abandon her planned lesson. He might want to see his jersey retired, but what he really wants to see is a spiritual revival of his team. Then he stops himself. “No,” he says, “I want to see a revival at school …”

Two nights later, he leads his team onto the field for a game against Greensboro, Alabama’s Southern Academy, with his father up in the booth calling plays.

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THERE SHOULD BE NO PROBLEM with the snap. The quarterback and the center, Jay Kutner and Richie Callahan, are best of friends, one of them tall and the other so squat he’s called “Stumpy.” They’ve practiced the exchange all summer, in preparation for their senior season. Jay has taken hundreds of snaps, until receiving the ball from Stumpy has become second nature to him, just like their friendship. But when preseason begins and the team goes to camp at a nearby seminary, there is a complication. Holy Trinity’s head coach, Fred Bruno, has hired a new offensive assistant, an odd, persnickety man with a crewcut and a deep ideological commitment to the University of Delaware’s wing-T offense. Crewcut sweats the smallest details, even the snap from center. His center and his quarterback exchange the ball as they have since they started playing football, Richie turning the ball on the upswing so Jay can grab it across the laces. Crewcut tells them they’re doing it wrong. He insists on Jay grabbing the ball by the point, a doctrinal choice that’s supposed to help the running game but succeeds only in turning what has been routine into a roll of the dice. The quarterback and the center start fumbling. At first, they are just making mistakes; then they do it on purpose, two friends engaged in a secret rebellion. Finally, the coach surrenders and allows them to go back to what was automatic. They don’t have to think about the snap again until the day of the scrimmage with the Tide of Amityville High School.

It’s Tuesday, the 11th day of September, and it’s getting late in the day, a little past 5 o’clock. The scrimmage has been sloppy and short-tempered, the two teams eager for the season to start and the games to count. Coach Bruno blows the whistle, and Richie Callahan heads to the sideline for water. He’s done. Most of the starters are done, tired and thirsty and taking off their helmets. Richie figures Jay is done too, but when he turns around he sees Jay still on the field. The coaches are yelling and Jay has gone back under center. Richie wants to put his helmet back on and return to the fray — to his quarterback and his friend. It is a strong feeling, one he remembers. But the Titans need a backup center, and the coaches are auditioning a guard named Mark Pospisil. He snaps the ball exactly as the dogmatic coach has instructed, point up instead of the laces. Tommy Young is playing tight end, and he will remember waiting for Jay to throw him the ball. Kevin Kavanaugh is playing running back and he will remember waiting for Jay to hand it off. Richie Callahan is watching from the sideline, and he will remember exactly that — watching as Jay begins to pivot without the ball in his hands, and wishing he could somehow still go in.

The scrimmage is being played on the grass field where the Holy Trinity Titans play their games on Saturdays. It is a few hundred yards from their locker room, but now it seems a mile. There is nobody in the stands. There is no doctor on hand, and no emergency personnel. There are no cellphones. There is something called 911, but it has just been instituted in Nassau County, and people are still much more accustomed to calling the operator or the fire department in an emergency. They — all of them, the coaches and the players — are suddenly all alone, with no help available and Jay Kutner flat on the field and unable to move. They hear his voice, the fear in it. They have no idea what to do, and they make mistakes. Kavanaugh remains where he stood in the backfield, and he sees Coach Bruno grabbing his quarterback by the belt, as if the wind has been knocked out of him and he’s trying to force air back into his lungs. The Amityville players wonder why Jay’s helmet is off when he’s not moving and he’s complaining about his neck. The coaches clear the field, and the teams move away from the fallen player like two armies too exhausted to keep fighting. The Amityville Tide climb back into their yellow school buses and head home. The Holy Trinity Titans, both varsity and JV, gather on the threadbare grass in front of the locker room and stare into the distance at the small knot of desperate men bent over their friend on the playing field. It turns into kind of a vigil if only because they have to wait. Time passes, the sun sinks in the hazy sky. The ambulance finally arrives and drives onto the field, its red light quietly whirling. The father of one of Trinity players is a New York City cop; he watched the scrimmage from the sideline and now he joins Jay in the back of the ambulance. He sees Jay struggling to breathe and he doesn’t want him to ride alone, this teenaged boy with a broken neck

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WHAT HAPPENS TO CADEN on Aug. 23 happens right in front of them all. They are so close, in the intimacy of the small stadium they call home; they are so far away, in their inability to change what they see and hear. Caden’s father, Jamie, is sitting in the little booth perched at the top of the stands, sending in plays; Caden’s mother, Arsella, is a few rows down, sitting where she always sits, next to Pastor Roxanne Jones. When Caden takes himself out of the game, she’s immediately worried. “ACL,” Roxanne says to her. But when her only son slumps over on the green grass, she turns around and motions her husband to go down to the field. Her gesture — her uncharacteristically urgent gesture — is what lets him know that Caden is in trouble. He rushes down the narrow rickety steps from the booth and then jumps onto the track and then to the sideline. But Arsella reaches Caden first. So does a doctor who was watching from the stands. The game between the Morgan Academy and the Southern Academy somehow continues, somehow persists, until the play-by-play announcer for Morgan sounds an alarm over the booming stadium loudspeakers: “Refs, stop the game — we have a medical emergency!”

The stadium falls into rapt silence interwoven with murmured prayers, and everybody who loves Caden watches as the doctor removes his shoes and prods the soles of his feet with scissors. When an ambulance takes him to the hospital in Selma, the game resumes with a sophomore named Patrick Johnson at quarterback. He doesn’t throw the ball very much but Morgan Academy plays inspiring football, the game won on the ground by a team that doesn’t know yet that Caden has been flown to Birmingham in a helicopter. His family follows in their car; his teammates return to their homes, and most of them are asleep when, in the early-morning hours, phones begin ringing and their parents begin taking the calls. Amanda Denmark gets a call. Her son, Caine McLaughlin, is a lineman at Morgan and one of Caden’s closest friends. She walks into his room and finds him fast asleep, as only a high school boy can be. She wonders if she should wake him but decides not to. Sleep is what he needs and what he’s going to need. He’s going to have the rest of his life to take in the news that his quarterback is brain-dead.

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HIS NAME IS TIM TIMLIN. He’s a quarterback. He’s a junior and he has talent. He was the one waiting to step in during the scrimmage when the coach called Jay back for one more play. He figures that now he’ll need to replace Jay as the starter. But there’s another scrimmage, this one on the Saturday after Jay broke his neck. It’s between the Titans, and it’s being played to determine who will lead the team. Timlin has the worst game of his life. He throws three interceptions and the coaches turn to a senior who’s one of Jay’s closest friends. His name is Bobby DeLorenzo. He’s not a quarterback, at least in the way Jay was, and he didn’t expect to play quarterback when Jay was starting. He’s so nearsighted he has to wear his owlish eyeglasses even when he’s on the field. He doesn’t have the big arm and, at a shade under 5-10, he doesn’t have the stature. He’s just a utility player who can do a little of everything and fill in wherever he’s needed — “a Swiss Army knife kind of guy,” Timlin calls him. But he’s perfect for the wing-T, and something happens when he steps in. His teammates respond to him. They would do anything for him. He replaces Jay even as he knows that Jay can’t be replaced. And they win.

They win because they find purpose and they find purpose because they win, and after each game they visit Jay in Nassau Hospital. It is not easy for them. It is not easy for him. He broke the two vertebrae, the C-3 and the C-4, high up in his neck. His spine was not severed but his spinal cord swelled, and the swelling did irreversible damage. A tracheotomy saved him when the ambulance brought him in, a ventilator keeps him breathing now. He can barely speak and sometimes he answers questions by blinking his eyes. But those eyes, they’re still blue, and that smile, it’s still full of mischief. Back when he had a summer job as a crossing guard, his friends used to come by to see him in his uniform, and he would do silly dances for them out in the middle of the crosswalk. Now he tries to crack jokes with his tracheotomy. He does it for them, for his boys, and they in turn do something for him when they play Chaminade 25 days after his injury.

Holy Trinity has been in existence for less than 10 years, and it has never beaten Chaminade, the prestigious all-boys school located in the same Long Island town where Jay is hospitalized. They’re behind at halftime, and a priest who has just visited Jay in the hospital comes to the locker room with a message from him: “Win.” One of the captains on the team, Gregg Garner, stands up and says, “You hear that? Jay isn’t going through all that he’s going through just so we can lose to Chaminade!” He begins banging the steel lockers with his helmet and then everybody else does the same and they emerge from the racket and the uproar to defeat their despised rival in the second half. Later that night, they present Jay with the game ball in his hospital room, telling him that they couldn’t have done it without him and watching the tears shining in his blue blinking eyes.

Then they leave. For all anyone knows, the victory over Chaminade might hurt Jay as much as it helps him. He might not want a football, given what football has done to him, and when his teammates go home and he’s alone again in the hospital, his tears of sparkling joy might turn to tears of hopelessness and sorrow. But maybe he understands that he has done more for them than they can ever do for him, and that’s where he finds his comfort. Maybe he told them to win not for himself but for them, because he knew they needed to hear it. They are young, 16 and 17 years old, and their lives are in front of them. Most of his life is already behind him, but he changes them, in ways they won’t fully grasp for years. A football game sounds like such a paltry thing in comparison to the suffering he has to endure. But what else did they have to offer? He asked them for it, and they gave it to him, and nothing else is ever the same for them, especially Bobby DeLorenzo.

He is the quarterback of his high school football team, glasses and all. He is the first Holy Trinity quarterback to beat Chaminade, and he leads the Titans to a second-place finish in the Catholic high school league. He winds up dating the girl he will never cease calling the prettiest in the school and then winds up marrying her. He tells himself, always, that he did the impossible after his friend Jay was paralyzed, and so there’s no challenge he shies from. It is not until much later that he sees clearly that he had the life Jay should have had. He sees that Jay gave him his life, just the sheer opportunity of it. And with both pride and a sadness that still sneaks up on him, he realizes that if you want to know how Jay Kutner might have lived, you might want to look at how Bobby DeLorenzo is still living.

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WHEN CADEN WAS 4 YEARS OLD, Jamie Tellier’s father died of cancer. Caden was very close with his grandfather, and his parents worried about how he would respond to the loss. They woke him in the morning after “Pops” died overnight, and when they told him the news they were shocked that he didn’t cry, that he appeared unfazed. “Pops has gone to heaven,” Jamie said. “Oh, I know,” Caden said. “He stopped on his way and told me.”

Now 12 years have passed, and it is Caden who is gone. His brain has died, and the body that has been left behind is being sustained by machines in his Birmingham hospital room. His mother and father know what they must do next, because he has told them. He just turned 16 in May, and so he also just got his driver’s license. He talked to his parents about his decision when he was checking the required boxes. He was very clear about what he wanted and what God was asking of him. In the event of his death, he wanted to be an organ donor, based on his conviction that somewhere out in the world was a person he was meant to help. Jamie and Arsella were struck by his confidence, by his certainty about an eventuality they could barely bring themselves to contemplate. Now they remember what he had told them as a little boy. He had always behaved as if he were just passing through, with one foot already in heaven. It was what gave him his confidence at 16. It was also what gave him his unearthly confidence at age 4, and it is what gives his parents confidence that Caden is already with Pops in heaven, with just his body in the hospital room.

His mother calls it his “earth suit.” And on Sunday, Aug. 25, she and her husband and daughter have to find the strength to let go of it. They have to abide by the wishes printed on Caden’s license. They have to allow the doctors to prepare his body for organ removal rather than survival. And they have to say goodbye to their beautiful boy. They are not alone in this. People begin arriving from Selma early in the morning and keep arriving all day. It is a pilgrimage, and as much as they might believe he is already gone, they want to see him, they want to touch him, they want to pray over him, they want to tell him they love him. But the room is closed to all but Jamie and Arsella, the family and Caden’s girlfriend and closest friends. So when the doctors come, the nurses come, and when at last Caden is being rolled on a gurney out the door of his room, there are hundreds of people waiting for him. They line one hallway of the hospital, two hallways, three hallways, and Caden rolls past all of them. They are silent, they are softly applauding, they are praying, they are sobbing, they are waving goodbye, until at last another set of doors opens and closes, and he is gone — gone to do good, for good.

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BACK IN THE SUMMER , before the onset of football practice, Jay went with some of his friends to visit a classmate in the hospital. She was, in many ways, his counterpart — an accomplished gymnast, a captain of the cheerleaders, a leader of her class. She had suffered a spinal injury during a gymnastics camp. Jay visited her at the Rusk Institute of Rehabilitation in New York City, where she was already demonstrating the resolve that sustains her to this very day. But Jay was shaken. On the drive home, he said to the friends jammed into an old Mercury Comet something they will not forget: “I don’t know if I could do it. I don’t know if I could live like that. I think I’d rather be dead.”

He has a friend, Tom Casey, at Trinity. Tom’s mother, Janet, is a nurse. She’s the supervising nurse at Nassau Hospital. She likes to stay late at the hospital and visit her son’s friend Jay Kutner. She likes talking to him, because they have something in common. They both have a secret. Jay’s is that he’s terrified of what’s to come. Janet’s is that she’s a Catholic woman who’s planning to leave her husband. Jay can’t go home. Janet doesn’t want to, so she stays with him. Maybe she tells him it’s OK to be afraid.

One day, she meets one of her student volunteers, Nancy Fischer. Nancy is a sophomore at Holy Trinity. Janet tells her to visit Jay. Nancy is 15, tall, and a little awkward. She knows who Jay Kutner is, of course — everybody does. But she doesn’t know him. She’s not friends with him. In truth, she’s embarrassed, because she doesn’t think she’s worthy of him — what can she do for Jay Kutner? And she’s also scared by the sight of him in his bed, helpless among the machines. But Janet is her boss, and she’s not giving Nancy a choice. She starts visiting him every week, sitting by his bedside. She talks about school, mostly — the things that happen throughout the day. He doesn’t say much. He can’t. So he just listens. She wishes she could say something profound instead of hearing herself prattle on about this and that. But he smiles when he sees her walk into the room, and one day, when he smiles, she realizes he’s withering away.

Jay doesn’t stay at Nassau Hospital, in Mineola. He is a chronic case, so he moves to Goldwater Memorial Hospital, on Roosevelt Island in New York City, in the middle of the East River. There was once a penitentiary on that island. The smallpox hospital and the almshouse and the asylum used to be on that island. And it is on that island, and in that hospital, that fear really takes hold. He still has visitors; his mother, Virginia, even with all the children at home, visits every day, and Bobby D and the boys drive 45 minutes to the city whenever they can. But whoever visits Jay at Goldwater Memorial Hospital will talk about Goldwater Memorial Hospital and have bad dreams about Goldwater Memorial Hospital for a long time — the men in the iron lungs, the brusque nurses, the coughing, the groaning, the hopelessness, the isolation, the sodality of lost causes. There are people who visit once and never again, and there is Sister Amelia who taught Jay at Trinity and now teaches in Manhattan. She tries to visit him every week, and once, when she is sitting next to him, she hears him struggling to speak. It is hard for him, but she can hear him well enough, and she’ll never forget what he says: “What should I think about God?”

“If you’re angry at him, you should tell him,” Sister Amelia says. “Have that conversation. Because if you speak to him honestly, that will be your prayer.”

It is hard to be a helpless hero. The people who have invested their hopes in Jay have little choice but to keep doing so. They want Jay to be brave, and he is brave. They want Jay to hold fast to his will to live, and he holds on for as long as he possibly can. But he is dying. He is susceptible to infections and fevers. He burns, there in his bed at Goldwater, and at the end of April, around seven months after he fell on the field at Holy Trinity, he is transferred to another hospital, this time Bellevue, on the East Side of Manhattan. Not long after, his friend Georgie Wich hears from his father, a New York City cop. Do you want to go see him, he asks. Dad, it’s late, George says. Do you want to go see him, his father asks again.

George and his father go to Bellevue in the middle of the night. He spends time with his friend, and on the next day, May 23, the Feast of the Ascension, Jay dies of a bladder infection. A few weeks later, the yearbook that honors his graduating class is published. There, among the black and white senior portraits, are Jay Kutner and Thomas Young, wearing the same loud plaid blazer. It belonged to Jay; he shared it with Tom when Tom didn’t have one. Now Jay is gone, and Tom is the only one who knows, who remembers, what Jay did for him.

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THERE IS A WORSHIP SERVICE on Wednesday, three days after well-wishers crowded the hallways at the hospital. It’s at The Cathedral of Christ the King, the church downtown where the Telliers worship. Seven hundred people come, so many that the crowd overflows the chapel. Most are from Selma, but not all. The story of Caden Tellier’s short life and precipitous death has made the national news over the weekend, to the extent that Jamie Tellier, on Monday morning, opens his phone only to read the news once again that Caden is gone. People have traveled from all over Alabama to be part of the service, including a family from around Greensboro. The player from Southern Academy who made the fatal tackle just five nights ago has come to pray, along with his parents. The Telliers embrace them in the absolute conviction that Caden wants them to — not that he would want them to; that he wants them to, now, from his place in heaven.

Two nights before his injury, Caden told his youth group that he wanted to see a revival — a spiritual gathering of sorts — on his football team and at Morgan Academy. This night, at Christ the King, is the beginning of it. But what is a revival at a school that was chartered in 1965 in response to the Civil Rights Act, that was named after a senator who doubled as a grand wizard in the KKK, and that admitted its first Black student in 2008? What is a revival on a team that plays a sport predicated on pointed, intentional and occasionally lethal violence? There are problems in our schools and in our sports that sometimes feel nearly as old as original sin and nearly as resistant to change. The convulsions of grief that shake Selma in the wake of Caden’s death do not transform Selma; they allow people to pray for the power of pardon, to forgive and to be forgiven.

Grief might sometimes tell stories, grief might speak through the imagination, grief might find its way into our dreams as well as our prayers. But stories do something real if they help us survive. Imagination speaks the truth if it helps us stay alive. And dreams are gifts of mercy if they give us the strength to offer ourselves to others when we have lost everything. The Telliers have lost Caden. Morgan Academy has lost Caden. The people of Selma have lost Caden. They all tell stories about him — triumphant stories. He died for a reason, they say, he died for a cause, he died as part of a plan, he died for us. Some people believe those stories; some people don’t. But it’s because of those stories that the Telliers have the astonishing strength to accompany Caden’s body as he is rolled out of the hospital room. It’s because of those stories that Caden’s teammates call the boy from Greensboro who tackled Caden along the sideline and is still grieving himself. They take him out for dinner, and then take him out hunting, so that he knows they don’t blame him, they’re not mad at him, it was an accident, it was not intentional, it was a good clean hit, he was only doing his job, it was not his fault, it’s nobody’s fault, these things happen, and God is always good.

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THERE ARE STORIES TOLD by grief and time about Jay, too. Fred Bruno is the coach who called Jay back for one more play, one more snap. It turns out to be his last season at Trinity. He resigns and begins coaching at a public high school in Suffolk County. His coaching colleagues say he made the move for better pay. But he never wins a championship, and the death of Jay Kutner always follows him around. When he quits coaching, he becomes a pastor at a Christian church in East Meadow, just a few miles from Holy Trinity.

Kevin Kavanaugh holds Coach Bruno accountable for Jay — the way he picked him up by the belt. He was right there, the running back waiting for Jay to hand him the ball. Jay never got there, and Kevin, a few years later, feels as if he’s still waiting. He’s 24 years old and his life has yet to begin. Then his life almost ends. He eats something he shouldn’t eat. He has no idea he’s allergic to it, but he finds out his susceptibility by going into anaphylaxis. His throat closes. He can’t breathe. He’s dying, and then suddenly he’s dead — his heart has stopped. A doctor is working on him, telling him, “Don’t go, don’t go, don’t go,” but he’s leaving, all the voices coming to him now from a great distance. And then he sees two faces. One belongs to an aunt who died when he was a little boy. The other belongs to Jay Kutner. They say, “Go back, you’re not ready yet,” and that’s when Kevin takes a breath and speaks to the doctor. “I’m not going anywhere,” he says.

Tommy Joyce is another of the Titans’ running backs. He blames himself for failing Jay. He visits Jay, but he can’t shake the fear he sees in Jay’s eyes when he sits with him in those hopeless hospital rooms. He wants to say something to take the fear away but doesn’t know what it could be. He spends his life searching for those words and he finds them when he gives his life to God. Tommy becomes the man he always wanted to be, a graduate of Annapolis, a decorated fighter pilot, a husband, a father, and a captain with an office in the Pentagon, where he sits on the morning of Sept. 11, 2001. He is 45 years old. He’s thinking of Jay, because it has been 28 years to the day since Tommy saw Jay break his neck diving for a fumble. Then an explosion knocks him to the ground, and when he looks out his window, he sees an enormous billowing fireball. A plane has hit the Pentagon, and he begins moving immediately to get people out. That fear he saw in Jay’s face so long ago — he sees it again. This time he knows what to do, and he becomes one of the many heroes of 9/11, taking people out of the burning building, saving lives.

Jay Kutner died more than 51 years ago, on May 23, 1974. He was 18 years old. According to National Center for Catastrophic Sport Injury Research (NCCSIR) statistics, in 1974, a total of 10 middle school and high school football players died of the traumatic injuries they incurred from playing. In 1975, 13. In 1976, 12. In 1977, seven. In 1978, nine. In 1979, three. In 1980, nine. In 1981, five. In 1982, seven. In 1983, four. In 1984, four. In 1985, four. In 1986, 11. In 1987, four. In 1988, seven. In 1989, four. In 1990, zero. In 1991, three. In 1992, two. In 1993, three. In 1994, zero. In 1995, four. In 1996, five. In 1997, six. In 1998, six. In 1999, four. In 2000, three. In 2001, eight. In 2002, three. In 2003, two. In 2004, four. In 2005, two. In 2006, one. In 2007, three. In 2008, seven. In 2009, two. In 2010, two. in 2011, three. In 2012, one. In 2013, eight. In 2014, five. In 2015, seven. In 2016, two. In 2017, two. In 2018, two. In 2019, four. In 2020, the pandemic year, zero. In 2021, four. In 2022, three. In 2023, two. In 2024, three, including Caden Tellier, who, before he died at age 16, chose to donate his organs.

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I WAS JUST A BOY. And I was there.

I was there on Sept. 22, 1972, when Jay Kutner threw a 73-yard-touchdown pass against Syosset. I was a freshman at Holy Trinity, 14 years old. It was the first high school football game I ever attended. The Holy Trinity Titans wore the green-and-white of my favorite team, the New York Jets. They were losing when junior quarterback Jay Kutner stepped in. He wore No. 5. He was tall. He faded back in the pocket and threw the ball 50 yards downfield. The ball landed in the outstretched hands of a receiver named Barry Pannell who never broke stride. It was beyond beautiful — it was everything I ever wanted, in a spiral, in the arc of communication between quarterback and receiver. And it changed everything for me. I was a slow split end on a freshman team I barely made. But suddenly I wanted to do that. I wanted to be a quarterback. I wanted to be like Jay Kutner.

I was there a year later, on Tuesday, Sept. 11. I was a JV quarterback. Jay in his kindness, told me during training camp that I threw “a nice ball.” We scrimmaged against Amityville alongside the varsity, on the same field. Then the coaches ushered us off and herded us back to the locker room. Coaches and players were running around, with a terrible harried look in their eyes, as if dogs had set upon them. We gathered in the bristly grass out in front of the locker room and waited in the dust, stared out in the distance, and tried to understand what it meant, what we were hearing, that Jay Kutner was badly hurt. It was a long time ago. But I remember the futility and the panic and the wait. I remember the ambulance and fire truck drove right onto the field, so late that they seemed to bring darkness with them.

I was there on the day set aside to mourn his death. It was late spring, the school year almost over. There was a memorial Mass in the big chapel across from the entrance to the locker room. Jay’s teammates assisted, as altar boys. Kids trying to look brave, kids trying to look solemn, little knots of kids everywhere, sobbing, the way rainstorms break out, simultaneously across a hodgepodge of clouds. I wandered around and came upon two girls from my class, crying so hard they were shaking, they were embracing each other, they were one broken person. I had never seen anything like it, and I wondered: What must it have been like to be loved like that? What must it have been like to be Jay Kutner? And what might Jay Kutner have become?

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JAMIE TELLIER HAS A DECISION TO MAKE. He has already made the decision to speak at Caden’s funeral, because he wanted to testify to Caden’s love of the Lord. That was his decision as a father. But now he has another kind of decision to make: a decision of a father who is also a coach. He has to decide whether to return to football.

It is entirely up to him. Certainly no one would blame him if he simply said, I can’t. The Morgan Academy Senators have a new head coach this year, Jacob Webb, and he has already been told by the school’s headmaster that this season is not about wins and losses but rather about making sure his players take care of each other. Coach Webb has told Jamie he should do what he feels is right for him and his family. Everybody has told Jamie he should do what is right for him and his family. But what is right for him and his family? And he asks himself, what is right for Caden?

He saw it, from the booth — he saw the tackle, and he saw Caden take himself out and then slump down. And, of course, he still sees it, every second; he can’t stop seeing it, eyes open or closed. He agrees that it was a good tackle, a clean play; he calls his son’s injury “the accident.” The question he has to answer is whether he can see it again, any of it, another tackle, another hit, another boy slow to get up, more football. He has time; the game scheduled the week after Caden’s death has been canceled and the following week is a bye. He wouldn’t be able even to consider walking on the field otherwise. But can he consider it now? The game on Sept. 13 is against Monroe Academy. Three weeks have passed since the tackle, the accident, the loss, the walk down through the hospital halls. But Jamie Tellier doesn’t make his decision until two hours before game time.

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THEY ARE ALL SURVIVORS. There were 11 of them, to start with. But Jay played football. Rosemary Kutner was born with Down syndrome and died in an institution at age 4. Matthew was born with a congenital heart condition and into a childhood of multiple surgeries; he dreamed of playing hockey, and when he was 19 his doctor approved him to do so. His heart gave out and he collapsed in his brother Kenny’s arms playing in a street hockey league; he was pronounced dead at the hospital. Stephen lived to a saintly adulthood, but when he died of cancer in 2018, he was the fourth child Virginia Kutner buried before her own death two years later. There are seven of them now. And yet as they all meet with me around a conference table in a law office in Garden City, New York, they project neither fragility nor diminished numbers — anything but.

There are three brothers, Harry and Chris and Kenny, all of them lawyers; there are two sisters, Bernie and Marybeth; there are a brother and a sister, Raymond and Ann Marie, attending on Zoom, along with Harry’s son, John Joseph Kutner II; and there is Harry’s wife, Barbara, who keeps her husband in line and hence everyone else. They are in their 50s and 60s and 70s. Their hair is mostly gray and white, but the men all wear sharp suits, the women have all dressed for the occasion, and, en masse, the Kutners are blessed with the electricity of big sprawling families, the eternal youth of their eternal jostling. With their quips and their complaints and comebacks, they pride themselves on being a tough crowd, and even with all of their losses, they do not seem like a tragic family but, rather, a family that has endured tragedy. And yet there is something that they’ve never done, never had the time to do nor the inclination: They’ve never sat in one place, all together, and talked about Jay.

They’re doing it now, and so they’re crying, one at a time, two at a time, sometimes as they’re speaking and sometimes after they’ve spoken, reflected on some moment, told some story. The bad news of Jay’s injury; the horrible news of how very bad it was; the hope that dwindled away; the individual isolation of the big booming household; the loneliness caused by Virginia’s faithful vigil at her son’s bedside; the pitiless education they received from the sight and sound of the iron lungs on Roosevelt Island; their unspoken prayers, at Bellevue, for the mercy of an ending. They talk for hours, and what they come to at last is not simply a reckoning with grief, but also with the man who bore up under it. “Tell me about your father,” I say, remembering what one of Jay’s friends told me about Judge Harry Kutner and the slap. “Aw Jesus, now you’ve done it,” his namesake Harry Jr. says, drumming his fingers and rolling his eyes. They each have different versions of the old man. But they agree that he softened at the end of his life, learning how to lend an ear, becoming a father the kids could bring their troubles to because he had troubles of his own. The war hero, the B-29 pilot, the NYC cop who learned the law at night school, the man of unyielding rectitude who turned out to be born for the bench — he couldn’t forgive himself about Jay. He couldn’t forgive himself for not visiting Jay in the hospital more often. He had gone, sure, but not enough, never enough. He died at 94, still regretting. The kids would tell him don’t be silly, he had 10 mouths to feed and a wife who visited her son every single day, no matter what. But the Judge would wave them off. A hero must follow his own example.

“Did your father have any heroes of his own?” I ask.

“Jay was my father’s hero,” Harry says, and for once all of them, all those squabbling, surviving Kutners, don’t have to add anything. They just nod in solemn agreement. Yes.

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HIS NAME IS PATRICK JOHNSON. He is a fledgling quarterback because he’s a fledgling football player. He’s “double-sided” about football, he acknowledges — playing the game mainly because his friends play. He’s a sophomore at Morgan, and he’s satisfied to be Caden Tellier’s backup. He goes to practice, but he’s happy to be on the sideline during the games, and he pushes neither Caden nor himself. It is, in fact, Caden who pushes him, Caden who makes sure that Patrick gets his reps, Caden who tells Patrick of his potential, Caden who instructs Patrick to go out there and don’t try to be anyone but himself. On Aug. 23, 2024, Patrick is on the sideline when Caden appears to break loose on a running play before he’s tripped up and spills forward. He watches Caden take himself out; he hears Caden complain that he doesn’t feel well. He wonders if Caden has a concussion and can’t help but wonder how many games he might sit out, how many games Patrick will have to …

Three days later, Patrick goes on Facebook and writes a long tribute to the late Caden Tellier. He writes about all of it — his uncertainty about his role, the game that resumed after Caden went to the hospital, the tough victory Morgan Academy dedicated to its quarterback, the celebration afterward, the news that Caden had a brain bleed, the tears that his parents shed telling him that next morning that Caden was brain-dead, Patrick’s decision to do what he feared most and stand in the hallway of the hospital and watch Caden being wheeled away. It’s a beautiful post because of its honesty, and also because, implicit in those words is the story Patrick is telling not just about Caden but about himself. He’s 15 years old, and he’s the quarterback now. He wants to honor Caden’s legacy, but the only way he can do that is to do what Caden will never have the chance to — grow up, be himself, live a life, be a leader, become a man. “Why him, why not me, why did he deserve it of anyone in the world,” he asks. Then, in the end, he addresses his friend: “God sent us an angel for 16 years that we didn’t deserve. Satan tried to get this to tear our school apart but all it has done is make us stronger. No matter what, I will always consider myself QB2 because you will always be my Quarterback. I love you #17 and I will never forget the impact you had on my life.”

It’s a post that, despite the youth of its author, raises powerful questions about character and God and fate. What it never does — what none of the many tributes to Caden ever do — is raise questions about football.

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WE HAVE MADE a kind of uneasy peace with the pain. It is, of course, a defining and inescapable feature of the game. We cannot watch our favorite teams play without also watching some of our favorite players being carried off the field. We cannot avoid becoming witnesses to injury and sometimes agony. Why do we keep watching? Because to us, the game is worth it. Because pain makes football feel authentic. If players put themselves at physical risk to play it, we will put ourselves at moral risk to watch it. And that is the pact that has made football America’s national sport.

But we have not made peace with another aspect of football that has been part of the game since its inception. In the first decade of the 20th century, when it was a fledgling sport of rising popularity, it was also a sport in which people died. It had a fan in President Theodore Roosevelt in those days. He thought its brutality could preserve American manliness and help his country win wars. “I believe in rough games and in rough, manly sports,” he said in a 1903 speech. “I do not feel any particular sympathy for the person who gets battered about a good deal so long as it is not fatal.” But eight young men were killed playing football in 1904 and 18 the year after that. In 1909, 26 players perished.

Newspaper editorials and university presidents called for the game’s abolition. Roosevelt helped institute the modern system of down and distance and pushed for the legalization of the forward pass so that fewer players would be stampeded. Fatality became the line that football approached but hoped not to cross, the line that a sport of breathtaking “roughness” came to live by.

Players have died playing lacrosse. Players have died playing hockey. Boxers not only die, they are literally beaten to death. But no other team sport has the record of on-field mortality that football does. According to statistics compiled by the NCCSIR, nearly 2,000 football players have died while playing since 1931, the causes of death divided evenly between “traumatic injury” and “exertional” events such as heat stroke and cardiac arrest. The incidence of fatal injuries peaked in the years when football displaced baseball as America’s national sport and the numbers of people playing it surged: between 1966 and 1986, 306 football players died of “traumatic injury.” And there is further heartbreak implicit in the mute testimony of the statistics. Since 1966, 370 players in high school and middle school have died of “traumatic injury” playing football. One of the three players who died in 2024 was a 13-year-old who suffered a brain injury making a tackle during practice. There are a number of theories that attempt to explain why immaturity and mortality are linked. The brain keeps developing through adolescence, making it more vulnerable than a mature brain to the kind of trauma football inflicts. But even without explanation the numbers are terribly clear: Most of the players who die playing football are young men and boys.

Jay Kutner and Caden Tellier were in many ways the same kind of boy — what used to be called “All-American.” They were popular, handsome, talented, kind-hearted, leaders less by virtue of the position they each played than by the character they each developed. They played in different decades, in different parts of the country. But how they lived is intertwined with how they’re remembered, and how they’re remembered is intertwined with the game they played. People admired them. People followed them. People loved them, and football was and still is central to that. There was something beautiful about how they lived, because football can be beautiful; there was something unbearable about how their lives ended, because football can be unbearable. Teddy Roosevelt was right: Football can make men out of boys. But Jay and Caden were boys who never had the chance to become men.

HE CRIES. He’s just a boy, and he thinks he shouldn’t. But his aunts and uncles are crying, so he figures he can cry without shame. He is standing with them on a field being dedicated to the memory of their brother, an uncle he never met. They talk about him sometimes — Uncle Jay. It’s 1994; he died 20 years ago from a broken neck he suffered in this very place, on this very football field. But there’s his name, spelled out on a big sign on the back of the bleachers, visible from the main road. You can’t drive past Holy Trinity High School without seeing it: John Kutner Memorial Field. People called him Jay. People call the boy John or JJ, but his name is the same. He is named after his uncle. He is John Joseph Kutner II.

He does not go to Holy Trinity when he’s old enough for high school. He goes to Garden City High. But the name follows him around, because people see it whenever they drive on Newbridge Road in Hicksville. “Is that you?” they ask, oblivious to its meaning. He shakes his head. “No, that’s my uncle. He died.” But in a way, he’s a walking memorial — he plays baseball and basketball and lacrosse, and he excels in all of them. Once he finds out the number his uncle wore, he wears No. 5.

There is, however, one sport JJ Kutner wishes he could play, but can’t. He can’t play football. His lacrosse coach wants him to play football, wants to toughen him up. JJ wants to play football, wants to prove he’s tough enough. But he’s not allowed to. His father, Harry, won’t let him. Harry has inherited some of Judge Kutner’s vehemence, and so he doesn’t have to say it more than once — “You’re not playing football. There’s no discussion.” The coaches might want JJ to play football, but they know better than to try appealing Harry’s edict. So does JJ. He’s a Kutner, part of a big and endlessly competitive family. He has 31 cousins. Only one of them braves the family prohibition against playing football.

JJ plays college lacrosse, enduring a series of knee injuries to become more of a star in his sport than even his Uncle Jay was in his. His name, over time, becomes less of a burden to him, and more of a point not only of pride but of meaning. He might not have known the first John Joseph Kutner, but he knew his Uncle Matthew, and one of his earliest memories is attending Uncle Matthew’s funeral after he suffered a heart attack playing street hockey. He was 19, Uncle Matthew. JJ is in his 40s now, a man with a wife and child, and therefore a decision he has to make. I meet him in the fall, at a hotel where children are running around on the grass and his family is enjoying the soft waning sunlight. He knows why his dad forbade him to play the sport he wanted to play most of all — it’s … dangerous. People call what happened to his uncle an accident because it was unintentional. But people get into accidents by driving too fast. They get into accidents driving drunk. Jay Kutner didn’t do any of that. He was innocent. He was just playing a game. And yet the game …

JJ still feels that he missed out. He missed out on meeting Uncle Jay. He missed out growing up with Uncle Matthew. But he missed out on football too, and so neither he nor his wife is definitive on the subject. Their little boy is running around on the green grass, with long blond hair, beautiful and wild. Football or no football? JJ can’t imagine making the choice for him the way his father did. He suspects he’ll let his son make a choice for himself. The little boy drifts back to the table, and this time John Joseph Kutner II grabs him and makes the introduction.

“Say hello,” his father tells him.

“Hello,” the boy says.

“Hello,” I say to John Joseph Kutner III.

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I CRASH THE REUNION. Holy Trinity High School, Hicksville, New York, Class of 1974. They’re easy enough to spot at a big chain sports bar on Route 110, the white hair, the pink faces, the vestigial beer-drinking postures of Catholic school magically preserved. And they’re all there, Bobby DeLorenzo, Kevin Kavanaugh, Brian Clancy, Georgie Wich, some of the Tommys. They’re all welcoming to the interloper in their midst because they have a story to tell about two people who are not there and whose absence has always fused this particular graduating class together. It still sounds unbelievable in the telling — two of their classmates suffered spinal injuries within a few weeks of the onset of their senior year. One, the gymnast, managed to thrive; she has a husband, two children, a career, and a talent for art. The other, the quarterback, wasn’t even supposed to be in there; it was the end of the scrimmage, they were done, it was the last play, the last snap, the coach called him in for one more exchange with the center and it proved fatal.

I spot the center right away. The football team grieved for Jay Kutner, but it also celebrated itself for what it accomplished that year — the seven games it won against all odds, including the landmark victory against Chaminade — and it is still celebrating itself at the reunion. The players had all been through something and come out the other side, and the chemistry between them endures 50 years after the fact. But one of them operates on the periphery, and wears a tentative, sometimes pained expression. Jay’s youngest sister, Marybeth Kutner Marchand, has also come to the reunion to find out more about what happened to her brother on Sept. 11, and when she introduces herself to him, he shakes her hand and responds immediately: “I’m Mark Pospisil. I snapped the ball.”

For years, people thought it was Richie Callahan. Even most of his teammates thought that he was playing center when Jay Kutner fumbled; they didn’t ask him about it because they thought he wouldn’t want to talk about it. And Richie did feel bad about it, he did feel guilty about it, just not for the reasons they thought. He didn’t snap the ball. He wasn’t playing center when the ball came loose. He had taken himself out, believing the scrimmage was over. He went for water. He watched. There was a fumble. He has never stopped thinking he should have gone back in when he saw Jay go back in; he has never stopped thinking that he let his friend down.

Mark Pospisil wasn’t even a center. He was a guard. The coaches put him in to try him out. He was just doing what he was supposed to be doing, the counterintuitive snap one of the coaches favored. He was blocking when Jay fumbled. He was playing line, enveloped in the scrum, the tussle. The fumble happened behind him. He didn’t see. He heard about it later, when his teammates started talking about it — and then he got scared. He heard about it in school and then, a few weeks later, the coaches called him into their office. The office was a scary place, a big plate-glass window between the office and the locker room, which allowed the coaches to see out and the players to see in. They asked him questions. They were concerned about liability. What did he remember, did Jay Kutner have his helmet on or off when Mark left the field and headed to the locker room? Harry Kutner Sr. was suing the school, suing the Catholic diocese for not having a doctor on hand and leaving his son to the ministrations of the coaching staff, a suit later settled out of court. But the questions stuck with Mark. He thought of them as the decades went by, asking himself about his level of responsibility. He didn’t play center again at Holy Trinity. But he played center for life.

Richie and Mark. They’re in their late 60s now. Jay Kutner fumbled the snap and didn’t make it past 18. They both spent 50 years wondering if it was their fault, the death of their quarterback.

But there’s something they need to know.

It’s something people say, when players die of injuries they sustain playing football.

It’s a violent sport, and so, by definition, they die violently. Someone hits them, someone delivers the fatal blow. The terrible consequence is not intended, but the violence is, an intrinsic part of the game.

And yet what can the death be called but an accident? It sometimes even comes by accident, as the result of a mistake, a freak happenstance — a loose ball, a player laying himself out for a first down.

And so, what Richie and Mark need to know is what the Telliers said and what the players from Morgan Academy said to give comfort to the boy who took Caden down by a shoestring.

It wasn’t their fault, it’s not their fault, it was nobody’s fault.

It was football.

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JAMIE TELLIER FINALLY makes his decision on game day, three weeks after Caden’s fatal injury. He will not go back to the booth perched on top of the stands. He will not return to the place where he watched his son’s last run, both too close and too far away. He instead goes down to the field and does his coaching from the sideline. He will be as close to his players as possible. If one of them gets hurt, Jamie is going to be present, right there, in the fray.

Now two months have passed, and it’s the last game of the regular season, first day of November 2024. Jamie is on the sideline, with a headset framing his hair and his beard touched silver, and Caden … well, Caden is everywhere. His No. 17 is on Jamie’s shirt. The No. 17 adorns the T-shirts the entire Morgan team wears for warmups and all of their helmets. It’s on a circle on the 17-yard line of the field and on the game clock — 17 seconds left — until kickoff. Students are wearing buttons emblazoned with photos of his face, and they can be heard, in the stands, espousing their determination to “Live like Caden.” Listen closely: Live like Caden. He was just a boy. But he wanted — asked for — two things before he died: to have his jersey retired and to start a culture of religious revival at Morgan Academy. He has accomplished — though not lived to see — both.

It has become part of his story, the belief that Caden died young but did not die until he did exactly what God put him on Earth to do. The story that his life was short but remarkably and even enviably complete. And yet there is another story being told when Morgan takes the field against Lowndes Academy, and it also has the power to last. Lowndes is bigger, stronger and faster than Morgan, and Patrick Johnson, the sophomore starting quarterback, struggles along with the rest of his team. On the sideline, he seeks the counsel of his quarterbacks coach, Jamie Tellier, who puts his arm around his shoulder and talks to him with a solicitude that is unmistakable even from the stands. He has lost his son, but he is sure that his son would have wanted him to keep coaching Patrick and to keep coaching at Morgan until Patrick is no longer there. And so that’s what he’ll do. He’ll take care of him. They’ll take care of each other. They talk for a while, the coach and his quarterback, and it is such a human moment, such a loving and protective moment, that it almost comes as a surprise when the whistle blows and Jamie sends Patrick back onto the field.

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I SAW THE SIGNS FOR YEARS, every time I drove by my old school and passed John Kutner Memorial Field. I thought of Jay, with his New Frontier smile, and wondered who else remembered him. I decided to ask. I sought them out, his teammates and classmates. I asked them to go back in time, back 50 years, and in response they made me wish that I could go with them — wish that I had known Jay better.

I never saw him again after he broke his neck. I never visited him in the hospital. I was a scrub and didn’t think I had the rank to pay him a visit. What I remembered most, after the panic and desperation of his injury, was what I witnessed a few days after he died. The memorial. Those two girls in my class embracing each other, shaking and sobbing. Jay Kutner was gone; he had suffered, died and was buried. I still wanted to be him.

I decide to call one of those girls, Joanne Cappuccio Lopilato. I haven’t talked to her in decades; we might as well be strangers. But when I ask her if she remembers the day of the memorial Mass, she answers instantly.

“I remember,” she says. “And I remember the day he was hurt. I was waiting for him, back at the school. I was waiting for him to get out of practice. Oh, I had such a crush on him. Everybody did. He was the Big Man on Campus. But we used to talk. He was so kind. And do you know what? He still is. He’ll never age. He’ll always be that happy, smiling face. He’ll never change … to us.”

It’s when I begin talking about Jay — about the permanence of Jay — that I hear the news about Caden Tellier, down in Alabama.

I hear that he’s in heaven, I hear that he’s in God’s hands. I picture them on the same field. I see them linked. I even imagine that some people who read this story will believe that Jay Kutner and Caden Tellier are friends now, protected by a spiral of angels. And I know people for whom that will be enough, will be everything.

I don’t know any of that. I can’t say I know. But there is something I can say. I went back into the past for a glimpse of the future. I talked to people about something that happened 50 years ago to be certain about what could happen 50 years from now.

Jay Kutner died in 1974. Caden Tellier died in 2024. A year later, just before football season began, some 200 players in Dallas County, Alabama — from every school with a football team — gathered for a dinner hosted by the Caden Tellier Foundation. They broke bread together and listened to pastors pray for their protection. Jamie saw the night as another fulfillment of Caden’s dream.

Amen.

Nobody knows what’s going to happen in the 2025 football season. No one can say if our prayers for protection will be answered. But Jay Kutner’s family and friends can tell the Telliers what happens 50 years from now.

They can offer this assurance, this comfort: that Caden, like Jay, will be remembered.

That even 100 years apart, the boys who suffered the same fate will share the same fate.

The fate of the unforgotten.