Ranking the best pass rushers in college football in 2025

Who will be the best pass rushers in college football in the 2025 season?

There is a wealth of talent among disrupters on the defensive side of the ball, giving quarterbacks and offensive coordinators nightmares. Among the best, according to our survey of ESPN's college football reporters, are some freshmen who made an immediate impact, blue-chip prospects who have lived up to expectations and a notable transfer taking a step up to the Power 4.

Our panel was asked to vote for their top 10 pass rushers for the 2025 season, and we distributed points based on their selections (10 points for a first-place vote, 9 points for second place and so on).

Here are our rankings of the best pass rushers for 2025:

Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

Points: 94 (6 of 10 first-place votes)

2024 stats: 23 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 forced fumbles

Stewart has played only one college season but quickly earned a reputation as one of the most promising defensive players in the country, a genuine five-star talent who could eventually compete with Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith for No. 1 overall pick status in the 2027 NFL draft. The Washington, D.C., native and former No. 14 overall recruit broke out as a unanimous freshman All-American selection in 2024 while teaming with Kyle Kennard to give South Carolina one of the top pass-rushing duos.

Stewart produced 10.5 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, 3 fumbles and finished with the fourth-most pressures (38) in the SEC, according to ESPN Research. He's an explosive 6-foot-5, 245-pound edge rusher who is only going to get stronger, faster and tougher to stop for a Gamecocks squad that has the talent to compete for a College Football Playoff bid in 2025. -- Max Olson

T.J. Parker, Clemson

Points: 69 (3 of 10 first-place votes)

2024 stats: 57 tackles, 19.5 tackles for loss, 11 sacks, 6 forced fumbles

The 2024 season was a disappointing one for the Clemson pass rush, which had become a staple at the top of the sack standings each year. But if it was a down year, you can't blame Parker, who blossomed into one of the most fearsome pass rushers in the country, racking up 11 sacks, 19.5 tackles for loss and 6 forced fumbles.

Despite playing without a solid alternative on the other side of the line for much of the season, Parker showed his skills throughout and delivered his best games as Clemson chased down an ACC title, including 12 TFLs from Nov. 9 through the ACC championship game. -- David Hale

Colin Simmons, Texas

Points: 69

2024 stats: 48 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 9 sacks, 3 forced fumbles

Save for Ohio State phenom Jeremiah Smith, no true freshman had a bigger impact on a national title contender than Simmons last season. The five-star recruit logged 48 total tackles (14 for loss) and led Texas with 9.0 sacks, pacing all first-year defenders in a debut season that firmly established Simmons among college football's top young pass rushers.

Simmons' combination of elite speed and polished technique at 6-foot-3, 245 pounds makes him a handful for opposing blockers. And Simmons has already proved himself as a big-game performer, highlighting his first postseason with sacks against Georgia and Arizona State, and recording his first career interception against Clemson in December. As Texas manages turnover on the interior of its defensive line in 2025, Simmons returns as a star in the making on the edge. -- Eli Lederman

Mikail Kamara, Indiana

Points: 55

2024 stats: 47 tackles, 15 tackles for loss, 10 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

Kamara was one of Indiana's 27 transfers last season, joining Curt Cignetti in Bloomington after leaving James Madison. His 47 total tackles, 15 tackles for loss and 10 sacks had him tabbed as a semifinalist for the Bednarik Award.

He became the first Indiana defensive lineman since Greg Middleton in 2007 to earn All-American status, and earned first-team All-Big Ten honors. He has improved in every season he has played, and the expectation is for that to continue in 2025. -- Harry Lyles Jr.

Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State

Points: 47

2024 stats: 42 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

Abdul Carter wasn't the only player on the Penn State defense keeping offensive coordinators up at night. Dennis-Sutton held his own with 42 total tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 8.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an interception in 2024.

He played some of his best ball during the College Football Playoff, recording 16 tackles and 4.5 sacks in the Nittany Lions' three playoff games, and he forced a fumble and had an interception against Notre Dame in the CFP semifinals. Dennis-Sutton will look to carry that momentum into the upcoming season with high hopes in Happy Valley. -- Lyles

Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon

Points: 30

2024 stats: 38 tackles, 12.5 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles

Uiagalelei has played second fiddle for much of his career. First, to his older brother, DJ, who was a five-star recruit at quarterback, then to Derrick Harmon, a potential first-round NFL draft pick, on Oregon's defensive line last season.

But Uiagalelei was an elite recruit in his own right, and while Harmon racked up attention last year for the Ducks, Uiagalelei often stole the show, tallying 10.5 sacks, 12.5 TFLs, 6 QB hurries and an interception. He was often at his best in Oregon's biggest games, racking up five TFLs against Ohio State, Illinois and rival Washington. -- Hale

Suntarine Perkins, Ole Miss

Points: 26

2024 stats: 60 tackles, 14 tackles for loss, 10.5 sacks

One of the most highly touted Ole Miss signees of the Lane Kiffin era is living up to the hype. The five-star junior from Raleigh, Mississippi, enjoyed a breakout 2024, recording 10.5 sacks, which was 10th nationally and second most in Ole Miss history. He made 22 of his tackles at or behind the line of scrimmage. At 6-1, 210 pounds, Perkins is not the pass-rushing prototype, and he also has proved decent at dropping into coverage -- he picked off a pass and broke up another in 2024.

He gives defensive coordinator Pete Golding a high-talent option. With stars Princely Umanmielen and Walter Nolen gone, Perkins will be asked to take on a leadership role and raise his game even higher in 2025. What might he still be capable of in Oxford? -- Bill Connelly

Trey White, San Diego State

Points: 23

2024 stats: 60 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 12.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble

White almost certainly could have parlayed his breakout 2024 season into a high-profile Power 4 move this offseason. Instead, he chose to run it back at San Diego State, returning to the Aztecs as one of the Group of 5's top talents after emerging with 60 total tackles and 12.5 sacks, which tied for fifth nationally.

There aren't many returning pass rushers in college football who get into the opposing backfield more consistently than White. The 6-2, 245-pound edge rusher not only averaged 1.04 sacks per game, but also totaled 37 pressures (3.08 per contest, 23rd nationally). White was a bright spot for an otherwise hard-to-watch, 3-9 San Diego State team in 2024. This fall, the Aztecs will be worth watching for his talent off the line of scrimmage alone. -- Lederman

Eric O'Neill, Rutgers

Points: 21 (1 of 10 first-place votes)

2024 stats (with James Madison): 52 tackles, 18.5 tackles for loss, 13 sacks

O'Neill is a success story for the 2020s, having worked his way up from his hometown of Staten Island to the Big Ten. He'll get a chance to prove himself as one of college football's best pass rushers in 2025. The 6-3, 255-pounder began his career at Long Island University, producing 44.5 tackles for loss and 15.5 sacks in two seasons with the Sharks before transferring to James Madison and becoming an immediate star in the Sun Belt Conference.

At JMU, he ranked fourth nationally with 13 sacks among 18.5 tackles for loss, and he produced an elite pressure rate of 15.1%. He could finish his career with more than 75 TFLs, an incredibly rare feat. Between O'Neill and Ohio's Bradley Weaver, Rutgers landed two of the Group of 5's best defensive ends this offseason and should be rewarded with one of the Big Ten's more fearsome pass rushes. -- Connelly

Anthony Hill Jr., Texas

Points: 20

2024 stats: 113 tackles, 16.5 tackles for loss, 8 sacks, 4 forced fumbles, 1 interception

Hill, a former five-star recruit, earned playing times right away for the Longhorns and has impressed throughout, earning freshman All-American honors in 2023 and second-team All-America recognition in 2024. The 6-3, 237-pound linebacker led the SEC with 16.5 tackles for loss last season and produced the fifth-most stops in the conference as a sophomore for the No. 3 scoring defense in FBS.

Hill provides exceptional playmaking ability and leadership, and is well on his way to becoming one of the all-time great Texas linebackers. -- Olson

Also receiving votes: Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati, 19 points; LT Overton, Alabama, 16; Peter Woods, Clemson, 10; Derrick Moore, Michigan, 9; Gabe Jacas, Illinois, 9; Kyle Louis, Pittsburgh, 8; Whit Weeks, LSU, 7, R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma, 5; Jimmori Robinson, West Virginia, 4; Trey Moore, Texas, 4; Clev Lubin, Louisville, 2; Jack Kelly, BYU, 2; Patrick Payton, LSU, 1