Ranking the top five quarterback classes in 2025
The dust has settled in the college football recruiting class of 2025 and Rivals is putting a bow on the cycle by looking at the top programs by position. It starts at quarterback, as usual, where the future seems to be in great hands considering the star power coming out of both the pro-style and dual-threat prospects at the position.
Most programs shot for the top of the board in landing one signal caller, but others such as UCLA, Cal, Arkansas and Syracuse worked to bring in multiple quarterbacks in the class of 2025. While there is more volume headed to those meeting rooms, the top classes at the position center on the best in show following the 2024 season and all-star circuit.
2025 QB RANKINGS: Pro-style | Dual-threat
1. ALABAMA
Keelon Russell‘s rise was most impressive based on the elite names the Alabama signee vaulted to get to the very top. It’s a strong quarterback cycle and Russell tops the list. His blend of smooth passing mechanics, dynamic movement skills and unmatched success relative to elite competition in leading Duncanville (Texas) High School to state title runs pushed the resume over the top of the others.
Russell, who also won the Elite 11 MVP and took home top honors in the accuracy challenge at Rivals Five-Star last offseason, saved his most impressive work for his senior season and beyond. The Lone Star State’s best put together an absurd 55-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio as a passer in 2024 while completing passes at a near 70-percent clip. There was also a rushing element to highlight as Russell moved for more than 300 yards and three more scores, with his total touchdown mark also standing as the best among the nation’s elite arms in such a deep cycle.
The run we’ve seen from Russell makes it tough to believe he won’t immediately be the most talented passer in the building for Kalen DeBoer this spring. Last we saw the No. 1 overall recruit, he was dominating the Under Armour All-America Game with both his arm and legs despite an injury scare.
2. OHIO STATE
Five-star Tavien St. Clair, who at one point was the No. 1 prospect in the Rivals250, was an early priority win for national champion coach Ryan Day and Ohio State as the 2025 cycle opened up. The Bellefontaine (Ohio) standout is built like the ideal elite quarterback recruit with great size, a massive arm and enough functional mobility to dot up a defense to all three levels.
As a senior, St. Clair threw for 29 touchdowns against just four interceptions despite being the singular focal point of every defense he faced. His nine rushing scores may have surprised some along the way, but the big passer has a well-rounded foundation that includes a baseball background and a lot of winning to his name overall.
3. MICHIGAN
The most polarizing passer among the nation’s best is no doubt the most likely to get handed the keys to a potential playoff team’s offense right out of the gate. Bryce Underwood‘s famous flip from LSU to Michigan not only secured the room for Sherrone Moore and company, but it ignited a recruiting run that is still climbing through the traditional National Signing Day.
Part of the reason is because of the undeniable talent the 6-foot-3, 205-pounder brings to the table as both a passer and a runner. He showcased more of the latter as a senior, only increasing the expectations surrounding Underwood in Ann Arbor as the singular reason the success and style of the offense will evolve for the better.
4. COLORADO
For the early part of the 2025 cycle, it looked like four-star Antwann Hill would be among those competing to succeed Shedeur Sanders at Colorado, but since each side parted ways in late 2023, the attention shifted toward Julian Lewis. The persistence of course paid off with the polished Carrollton (Ga.) High School star, who flipped to the Buffs back in November.
The reclassified five-star, who was the No. 1 recruit overall at one point, put together perhaps his best prep campaign with the most pressure on him as a senior. Lewis totaled 50 scores (48 passing) against very good competition while completing a career-high 75 percent of his attempts. A true ball distributor at the position, the Buffs won’t wait terribly long to make him the face of the program’s next era.
5. AUBURN
Four of Auburn‘s five highest-rated recruits in the 2025 cycle come on the defensive side of the ball, but the most talked about signee remains big, athletic lefty passer Deuce Knight. The five-star prospect was long the top target for Hugh Freeze and company despite a longstanding commitment to Notre Dame.
But well before Knight flipped in October, the conversation surrounding his game was often about just how physically talented he is at 6-foot-4, 190 pounds. A huge arm and game-changing rushing instincts and athleticism will eventually self-fuel the hype once Knight is the man for good on the Plains, though transfer portal additions may allow AU to ease into that era ahead of a critical on-field campaign ahead.
