Rivals Rankings Week: Who should be No. 1 in the 2025 Rivals250?

The 2025 rankings will be updated this week and there are plenty of prospects who have entered the national discussion since the last update in early December.

David Sanders Jr. overtook Elijah Griffin at No. 1 in the Rivals250 in the previous rankings refresh but there are a handful of players who could supplant him. The national recruiting analysts – John Garcia Jr., Adam Friedman, Adam Gorney and Greg Smith – give their takes on who they think is the most likely challenger to Sanders’s seat atop the Rivals250.

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RIVALS RANKINGS WEEK

Sunday: Who should be No. 1 in the 2025 Rivals250?

Monday: Five-Star Countdown | Meet the new five-stars

Tuesday: Rivals250 released | Biggest movers | Gorney’s thoughts

Wednesday: Offensive position rankings released | QB | RB | WR/TE | OL

Thursday: Defensive position rankings released | DL | LB | DB | ATH

Friday: State rankings released

Saturday: Rivals250 Roundtable

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CLASS OF 2024 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2025 RANKINGS: Rivals250 | Team | Position | State

CLASS OF 2026 RANKINGS: Rivals100

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The 2025 rankings are becoming quite the conversation with so many candidates worth making the case for at No. 1, but Lewis reclassifying into the group and backing up all the hype is a great sign for his future. The physical tools for the QB1 debate are all obvious at this point, so the difference relative to the No. 1 overall conversation is the consistency and maturity he brings to the table along the way. Lewis has that it factor that every successful program needs at the most important position in sports. Just like with taking on the extra academic rigors that reclassifying demands, Lewis has met every challenge in his young career with that same level of poise and execution. It feels like a no-brainer in how it can translate to the next level, so he is where the Rivasl250 conversation should begin.

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Lewis is my pick to be No. 1 but I wrestled with this choice because I think David Sanders Jr. is the safest bet in the class. The issue is position value. The value of high-end offensive linemen, specifically of a truly elite left tackle, has not kept pace with the rising value of quarterbacks in the NFL. Lewis, who reclassified up from the 2026 class, has all the tools you look for in a top quarterback prospect. He throws a catchable, accurate ball, consistently makes the correct reads, possesses the necessary athleticism and can throw passes to every part of the field. There are at least six prospects involved in the race for No. 1 in the Rivals250 so this should be fun to track throughout the rankings cycle.

Let’s not overthink this: When you see a superstar quarterback with every quality of a first-round NFL Draft pick and very potentially the No. 1 overall pick, you make him No. 1 in that recruiting class. That description fits Julian Lewis perfectly as he has the precision passing, the arm strength, the mental makeup, the leadership abilities and a great history of working with other elite Georgia quarterbacks for years to be special down the road. That is not a knock on David Sanders Jr., Justus Terry, Bryce Underwood, Elijah Griffin, Dakorien Moore or anyone else but quarterback is such a critical position and we feel he is the best of this bunch so Lewis – even though he reclassified from 2026 – should be No. 1 in the class.

This is a very close call but I’m going to lean toward North Carolina offensive tackle David Sanders Jr. as the top player in the country. Athletic, agile tackle prospects like him don’t come around that often. Sanders has a bit of a lean frame but has enough strength to make up for it right now. He’ll get bigger in college and can easily carry more weight. Sanders is an elite prospect who isn’t close to being maxed out. He’s currently the top prospect in his class.