Rivals Rankings Week: Breaking down the 2025 ATHs

NEW 2025 POSITION RANKINGS: Pro-Style QB | Dual-Threat QB | Running Back | All-Purpose Back | Wide Receiver | Tight End | Offensive Tackle | Offensive Guard | Center | Defensive Tackle | Weakside Defensive End | Strongside Defensive End | Inside Linebacker | Outside Linebacker | Cornerback | Safety | Athlete

The updated 2025 Rivals250 has been released and now it’s time to break down each position. We conclude the look into our latest position rankings with the athletes and four big storylines moving forward.

There is plenty of chatter about Pickett’s recruitment as the cycle comes to a close. On the field, there is still quite the dilemma with evaluators at Rivals and college programs alike. Some see him as a jumbo corner with his great linear speed and ball skills, while his size pushes others to the safety spot as he makes the move to college football.

Some programs, such as Oregon, are still pushing for his commitment as a wide receiver with the great frame and game so this athlete distinction is about as conventional as it gets.

Off the field, the LSU commitment has made some interesting moves this fall. He has visited several programs, most recently Georgia, as the intrigue around his potential signature has not slowed down since his commitment to the Tigers in the offseason. Miami is pushing for one last trip, there is cautious optimism with Kirby Smart’s program and the Ducks have always put in the work to stay in the game with the Floridian.

As much as there is a fascination with Pickett’s game during his final postseason run, there will be even more eyes on the final call come Dec. 4.

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The only other athlete projection in the top 100 of the Rivals250 is Lone Star State star Michael Terry. Like Pickett, the senior is a towering presence at 6-foot-3, with such a versatile skill set that the scholarship offers can be sorted into one of at least three different positions depending on the program.

The plan is likely for Terry to work at multiple positions at the next level regardless of what may be listed next to his name on National Signing Day in less than two weeks, but he has tenders as a tight end, H-back, jumbo slot and even split end, according to some.

Terry is a playmaker both before and after the catch and combined with his great frame, currently listed at 215 pounds, he has a handful of national powers still fighting to get him into their class. The Texas Longhorns are in the thick of the race, as is Oregon and Nebraska, among others. This decision may not be made public until January with respect for the Navy All-American Bowl.

Pickett, Terry and two-way Yellowhammer State native and Auburn commitment Derick Smith make up the totality of the projected athletes in the current Rivals250. Should it hold, that number will be the fewest at the athlete spot in the last half decade, when the class of 2020 also featured just three. This group has a bit more star power, particularly with Pickett standing as a five-star, but the bigger picture may be how specialized and developed recruits are at the end of their prep career.

Projecting a position is more obvious than not in tracking these recruits, especially early on. As more development is met, though, the projection can change in almost a natural progression at times. A big safety is more likely to carry a linebacker projection in this day and age just like a jumbo wideout may be projected conservatively as a tight end in the pass-first nature of the sport.

Still, the athlete distinction won’t soon die out because of the rare prospects who truly have similar opportunities on one side of the ball versus the other.

Former No. 1 overall and athlete projection Travis Hunter will likely carry it into the NFL Draft next spring, potentially pushing more versatile players to have the desire for the label in the end.

The Rivals250 is due for one more update before the class of 2025 is locked in and Dalen Penson‘s name is one we may regret not getting on the list should it shake out that way come January. He is one of the most electric recruits in the class, verified by a laser 4.48 40-yard dash last offseason, with the type of skill set that could potentially work on offense or defense at the next level despite considerable experience at quarterback on Friday nights.

A Georgia Tech commitment being pushed by USC, Michigan and others, Penson has even talked about playing in all three phases should he stick it out with Brent Key‘s program. USC will get the final visit, however, set to take place the final weekend of the cycle in November.

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