The Best Defensive Players In College Football 25 (Power Rankings)

There are a lot of defensive positions in football and many strong defensive players in EA Sports College Football 25. EA Sports has an official ranking of the strongest players in the game. According to them, some of the best players in the gameplay defensive positions from various teams and conferences.

There are seven defensive positions in football, broken down into nine roles by College Football 25: cornerback, Defensive Ends (Left and Right), Defensive Tackle, Free Safety, Strong Safety, Middle Linebacker, and Outside Linebackers (Left and Right). All nine roles are vital to a strong defense and require the best players possible.

Related EA Sports College Football 25 Road To Glory Mode Explained EA Sports recently gave an in-depth look into the newest game mode for College Football 25, Road to Glory, which gives players an RPG-like experience.

Best Cornerbacks

Cornerbacks intercept passes and need good speed and acceleration. The cornerbacks in this game boast what EA Sports considers the best player in all of College Football 25: Will Johnson from Michigan. CBS Sports on YouTube enthusiastically covered this news alongside the other player rankings. While the game's official ranking will change with the start of the 24-25 college football season, Johnson will likely stay the top pick for cornerback.

Name Conference Team Top 100 Rank Overall Rating Speed Acceleration Strength Awareness Jumping Will Johnson Big Ten Michigan 1 96 92 95 74 94 92 Benjamin Morrison Independent Notre Dame 12 94 94 94 75 88 93 Tacario Davis Big 12 Arizona 34 92 90 92 73 89 95 Quincy Riley AAC Louisville 40 92 92 96 59 89 95 Denzel Burke Big Ten Ohio State 51 91 91 94 71 93 95

Best Defensive Ends

Left Defensive End & Right Defensive End

Defensive ends in College Football 25 are divided between the left and right. They need to stop the ball from gaining ground on their side of the field and focus much of their attention on the other team's quarterback.

If you're building a custom team in College Football 25's Ultimate Team Mode, you'll want James Pearce Jr. from Tennessee as your right defensive end, leading the pack with strong speed, strength, and awareness. Trailing behind at #29 for left defensive ends is Jack Sawyer from Ohio State, who matches Pearce Jr. for strength.

Name Conference Team Position Top 100 Rank Overall Rating Speed Acceleration Strength Awareness Jumping James Pearce Jr. SEC Tennessee Right Defensive End 4 95 88 85 85 91 85 Deone Walker SEC Kentucky Right Defensive End 21 93 71 97 97 96 79 Jack Sawyer Big Ten Ohio State Left Defensive End 29 92 86 85 85 97 87 Abdul Carter Big Ten Penn State Right Defensive End 47 91 89 87 87 88 89 Kaimon Rucker AAC North Carolina Right Defensive End 56 91 83 91 91 95 81 Landon Jackson SEC Arkansas Left Defensive End 58 91 76 88 88 95 88 Ashton Gillette AAC Louisville Left Defensive End 72 90 84 87 87 91 88 Rueben Bain Jr. AAC Miami Left Defensive End 78 90 81 91 91 90 82

Best Defensive Tackles

Heart Of The Defensive Line

Defensive tackles guard the middle of the field, pushing the offense back and acting as the heart of the defensive line. Strength is incredibly valuable for these players; luckily, the best defensive tackles in College Football 25 all have incredible strength. Mason Graham from Michigan leads as the best defensive tackle at #8 of the top 100. He's joined by fellow Michigan defensive tackle Kenneth Grant as one of the best in his position.

Name Conference Team Top 100 Rank Overall Rating Speed Acceleration Strength Awareness Jumping Mason Graham Big Ten Michigan 8 95 76 85 95 95 79 Walter Nolan SEC Ole Miss 26 93 75 86 94 85 77 Tyleik Williams Big Ten Ohio State 54 91 76 88 93 92 79 Kenneth Grant Big Ten Michigan 55 91 71 78 97 92 73 Dontay Corleone Big Twelve Cincinnati 70 91 69 73 97 90 63

Best Free Safeties

Free Safety Player Ranked #5

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The five best free safeties in College Football 25 can all boast a ranking in the upper half of the Top 100 players. A free safety can adapt as needed, helping cornerbacks and filling the gaps in a team's defense. The best free safety ranks #5 in the top 100 players: Caleb Downs from Ohio State. Just two ranks below him is Malaki Starks from Georgia, meaning you have two very strong free safeties to pick.

Name Conference Team Top 100 Rank Overall Rating Speed Acceleration Strength Awareness Jumping Caleb Downs Big Ten Ohio State 5 95 91 95 72 87 91 Malaki Starks SEC Georgia 7 95 93 95 72 93 96 Xavier Watts Independent Notre Dame 28 92 86 92 72 97 90 Malachi Moore SEC Alabama 35 92 91 94 70 97 92 Sebastian Castro Big Ten Iowa 38 92 92 91 75 91 85

Best Strong Safeties

Five In The Top 100

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The main goal of strong safety is to stop the run. Their pass coverage and tight end focus make them somewhat like a fusion of the free safety and the linebacker. Only five strong safeties made it into the Top 100, spread across the latter two-thirds of the ranking. The top-ranked strong safety, Jonas Sanker from Virginia, sits at #39.

Name Conference Team Top 100 Rank Overall Rating Speed Acceleration Strength Awareness Jumping Jonas Sanker ACC Virginia 39 92 90 91 77 92 88 Kevin Winston Jr. Big Ten Penn State 57 91 88 91 75 87 87 Hunter Wohler Big Ten Wisconsin 84 90 90 92 76 87 91 Billy Bowman Jr. SEC Oklahoma 94 90 94 97 65 88 93 Xavier Nwankpa Big Ten Iowa 97 90 90 93 73 85 92

Best Linebackers

Middle Linebacker & Outside Linebackers (Left and Right)

EA Sports splits linebackers in College Football 25 into three positions, splitting outside linebackers between the left and right. Middle linebackers are like defensive quarterbacks, guiding the team and adjusting to the offense quickly. Meanwhile, outside linebackers have a stronger focus on blitzing.

Barrett Carter from Clemson leads the right outside linebackers at #15, with Jay Higgins from Iowa right behind for middle linebackers and Mykel Williams from Georgia as the top left outside linebacker. This excellent lineup gives you many defensive options in EA Sports College Football 25.

Name Conference Team Position Top 100 Rank Overall Rating Speed Acceleration Strength Awareness Jumping Barrett Carter ACC Clemson Right Outside Linebacker 15 94 89 94 79 97 88 Jay Higgins Big Ten Iowa Middle Linebacker 16 94 82 85 81 95 80 Mykel Williams SEC Georgia Left Outside Linebacker 20 93 88 92 88 88 87 Harold Perkins Jr. Sun Belt Old Dominion Left Outside Linebacker 31 92 92 97 77 88 94 Jason Henderson SEC LSU Right Outside Linebacker 50 91 79 88 73 99 82 Danny Stutsman SEC Oklahoma Middle Linebacker 52 91 81 91 78 97 88

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