We’re a little past the midway point of the college football season, so that means we’re due for a big board update. You can view my initial top 50 from before the season to see how some players have moved around. Spoiler: only five players from my initial top 10 are still in the top 10.

If last weekend was any indication, this college football season has been filled with madness. So it makes sense that my board has shifted so much this season. I’ll list the 100 players below, and under, I’ll share takeaways on certain groupings throughout the board.

1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

2. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame

3. Dylan Stewart, Edge, South Carolina

4. Colin Simmons, Edge, Texas

5. Jordan Seaton, OT, LSU

6. Greg Johnson, OG, Minnesota

7. Ellis Robinson IV, CB, Georgia

8. Chris Cole, LB, Georgia

9. Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana

10. Will Echoles, DL, Ole Miss

11. A’Mauri Washington, DL, Oregon

12. Ashton Hampton, CB, Clemson

13. Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida

14. Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State

15. Zereoue Williams, OT, Utah

16. KJ Bolden, S, Georgia

17. Cam Coleman, WR, Texas

18. Devan Thompkins, DL, Alabama

19. Boubacar Traore, Edge, Notre Dame

20. Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas

21. Austin Simmons, QB, Missouri

22. Jamari Johnson, TE, Oregon

23. Tae Johnson, S, Notre Dame

24. Will Heldt, Edge, Clemson

25. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, LB, Notre Dame

26. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss

27. Nick Marsh, WR, Indiana

28. Kewan Lacy, RB, Ole Miss

29. Yhonzae Pierre, Edge, Alabama

30. Deuce Alexander, WR, Ole Miss

31. Jaylen McClain, S, Ohio State

32. Kelley Jones, CB, Mississippi State

33. Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU

34. Kade Pieper, OG/C, Iowa

35. Austin Siereveld, OG, Ohio State

36. Ahmad Moten Sr., DT, Miami

37. Reed Harris, WR, Arizona State

38. Anthonie Knapp, OG, Notre Dame

39. Trevor Lauck, OT/OG, Iowa

40. David Stone, DT, Oklahoma

41. CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame

42. Lance Heard, OT, Kentucky

43. Kingston Lopa, S, California

44. Evan Johnson, CB, BYU

45. Clev Lubin, Edge, Louisville

46. Samson Okunlola, OT, Miami

47. Ty Benefield, S, LSU

48. Bryant Wesco Jr., WR, Clemson

49. Xavier Gilliam, DL, Tennessee

50. Jelani McDonald, S, Texas

51. Vicari Swain, CB, South Carolina

52. Junior Sherrill, WR, Vanderbilt

53. Carter Smith, OT/OG, Indiana

54. Kenyatta Jackson, Edge, Ohio State

55. Tavion Gadson, DL, Kentucky

56. Quincy Rhodes Jr., DL, Arkansas

57. Jalen Mayo, CB, Houston

58. KJ Duff, WR, Rutgers

59. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami

60. Hollywood Smothers, RB, Texas

61. Justin Scott, DL, Miami

62. Emmanuel Oyebadejo, DL, Florida

63. Luke Reynolds, TE, Virginia Tech

64. Jordan Faison, WR, Notre Dame

65. Zabien Brown, CB, Alabama

66. Damon Wilson, Edge, Miami

67. Zach Lutmer, DB, Iowa

68. Cayden Green, OT/OG, Missouri

69. Tony Rojas, LB, Penn State

70. Dante Moore, QB, Oregon

71. Bear Alexander, DL, Oregon

72. Evan Tengesdahl, OG, Cincinnati

73. Audavion Collins, CB, Penn State

74. Sammy Brown, LB, Clemson

75. Adon Shuler, S, Notre Dame

76. JaCarrius Peak, OT, South Carolina

77. Kameryn Crawford, Edge, USC

78. Chris Marshall, WR, Arkansas

79. Jordan Ross, Edge, LSU

80. P.J. Williams, OT, SMU

81. Amare Thomas, WR, Houston

82. D.J. McKinney, CB, Notre Dame

83. Francis Brewu, DL, Notre Dame

84. Bray Hubbard, S, Alabama

85. LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

86. Cade Uluave, LB, BYU

87. Khalil Barnes, S, Georgia

88. Matayo Uiagalelei, Edge, Oregon

89. Omarion Miller, WR, Arizona State

90. Brice Pollock, CB, Texas Tech

91. Peyton Bowen, S, Oklahoma

92. Anthony Smith, Edge, Minnesota

93. Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri

94. A.J. Holmes Jr., DL, Texas Tech

95. Owen Chambliss, LB, Nebraska

96. Rasheem Biles, LB, Texas

97. Mike Matthews, WR, Tennessee

98. Jay’Vion Cole, CB, Arizona

99. Wendell Gregory, Edge, Kansas State

100. Anthony Evans III, WR, Mississippi State

Takeaways

Regarding the top 10, the first five players have wowed me this entire season. Jordan Seaton has had some concerning reps anchoring against bull rushes, but his athleticism still keeps him in the top 10. The two biggest risers coming into the top 10 are no doubt Chris Cole and Charlie Becker. Cole’s athletic range is special to watch, and it seems like Becker is making a highlight play every single week. What I’ve loved about Becker this season is the slight expansion of his route tree, and Indiana is trusting him with more inside-breaking routes rather than just a back-shoulder threat (which it felt like last year). Can’t wait to see all three of these players test at the combine; should be fun workouts.

The player who has come out of nowhere is Utah tackle, Zereoue Williams. His balance in pass pro to stay on his feet is fun to watch, and he moves people in the run game. He’s asserted himself as the second-best tackle in this class, in my opinion, and should be considered a top-10 talent. The reason he likely won’t is simply the competition he faces this season. The Big 12 doesn’t have any “elite” pass rushers this season, which could hurt how people view him.

Lack of quarterbacks

Only four quarterbacks are in the top 50, with seven total for the entire 100. I’m a little harsher on quarterbacks throughout the season, since I’d like to see a full season before ranking them on the big board. One signal caller who is completely off my board is Texas quarterback Arch Manning. With Pete Thamel reporting that redshirt freshman KJ Lacey Jr. will get more first-team reps in practice, I just don’t see a world where Manning declares from the draft. It’ll take a wildly impressive back half of the season for Manning to get back into the top-five pick conversation, let alone the top 10. I expect him to go back to school and enter the draft in 2028.

Even with the inconsistencies as a passer, the raw tools of Drew Mestemaker put him at No. 1 in this class. Right now, Trinidad Chambliss is the most ready prospect to go to the NFL, but projecting careers, Mestemaker has greater upside, which is why you’ll see him ranked above Chambliss most of the time.

Safeties everywhere

There are 10 safeties in the top 100 and 11 if you want to count Zach Lutmer. Lutmer played corner last season for Iowa, but this season he’s played a lot more as a free safety. This group is absolutely talented, and while we won’t see 11 safeties taken in the top 100 players of the draft, all these guys can make an impact at the next level.

Realistically, I don’t know if we’ll see players like Tae Johnson and Kingston Lopa in this year’s class. Johnson is dealing with a foot injury he suffered in the season-opening game against Wisconsin, and Lopa is a redshirt sophomore, so he could easily return to school (Johnson could as well).

Looking at the rest of the group, Jaylen McClain has been lights out for this Ohio State secondary. He may not fill up the stat sheet, but he’s in the right places and understands route concepts to an elite level. Ty Benefield is another favorite of mine; he does struggle in coverage, but man, can he fill the run and come downhill. LSU’s defense has a lot of athletes, and Benefield consistently stands out.

Defensive tackles

The defensive tackles group should still be a strong group come April of next year. While some players haven’t met expectations, this season has brought some surprises. Justin Scott and David Stone have been inconsistent most of the year, which is why they dropped the most on my preseason top 50 board.

In terms of risers, Xavier Gilliam and Tavion Gadson both made the top 60, with neither being on my initial board coming into the season. Gilliam has been a complete surprise, and his pass-rush skills will get him a lot of NFL excitement. Still, I think he struggles to anchor down in the run game and be a force there. But he’s a redshirt sophomore, so he has time to develop those skills if he chooses to go back to school.