3 Wolverines, 3 ex-Spartans make ESPN list of top 100 college football players from '24-25

3 Wolverines, 3 ex-Spartans make ESPN list of top 100 college football players from ’24-25

Posted by author January 23, 2025 Football

Spread the love

Mason Graham and Kenneth Grant were a dynamic duo on the Michigan football team’s defensive line, proving to be two of the better players in the country who will take their talents next season to the NFL.

Graham and Grant were two of three Wolverines ranked among ESPN’s top 100 college football season for the 2024-25 season, joining tight end Colston Loveland.

Graham led the way at No. 11, followed by Loveland at No. 56, and Grant at No. 88.

No Michigan State players cracked ESPN’s top 100, but three players who started their collegiate careers with the Spartans made the list: Defensive tackle Derrick Harmon (Oregon) at No. 31, quarterback Sam Leavitt (Arizona State) at 58, and receiver Ricky White III (UNLV) at 59.

Graham tallied 3.5 sacks among seven tackles for loss as a junior and, according to ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg, “cemented his legacy as one of the best and most beloved interior linemen in team history. … The 320-pound Graham headlined one of the nation’s stingiest run defenses and created nightmares for centers and guards trying to block him.”

Graham, ranked No. 2 on ESPN’s preseason list, earned unanimous All-American honors as a junior, declaring for the NFL Draft.

He teamed with Grant to form “the top defensive tackle combination in college football,” ESPN’s Jake Trotter writes. Grant and three sacks, 6.5 tackles for loss and five pass breakups en route to second-team All-Big Ten and third-team Associated Press All-America honors, also declaring early for the draft.

Loveland also declared for the NFL Draft after his junior season in which he led the Wolverines in receptions (56), receiving yards (582) and receiving touchdowns (five).

Loveland was ranked No. 26 by ESPN in the preseason, and Grant No. 75.

Harmon is a Detroit Loyola product who spent three seasons — including a redshirt season — at Michigan State before transferring to Oregon following a 2023 season in which he had 40 tackles from his defensive tackle position, 3½ for lost yardage for the Spartans.

He had five sacks and a pair of forced fumbles for the Ducks this season.

“All season long, Harmon’s presence on the defensive side of the ball was something opposing teams had to worry about,” ESPN’s Paolo Uggetti wrote. “Even if his numbers don’t necessarily pop like others, Harmon’s ability to disrupt at and through the line of scrimmage was an invaluable part of Oregon’s defensive strength.”

Leavitt played in just four games to redshirt in 2023 at Michigan State, then thrived at Arizona State to help the Sun Devils win a Big 12 title and earn a berth in the College Football Playoff. He accounted for 29 total touchdowns.

White was a hero for Michigan State in the 2020 season, turning in a monster eight-catch, 196-yard game in a 27-24 victory at No. 13 Michigan. He registered his second straight 1,000-yard season with the Runnin’ Rebels this season, collecting 11 touchdown catches.