We are in the thick of it on the college football calendar. Spring football is finished for some teams and will wrap up in the next couple of weeks for others. The transfer portal opens April 16. The NFL Draft, our final goodbye to the college football stars of the last few seasons, looms.
There’s a sense of change in the air (and angst, for a lot of coaches and NIL collectives). It was in that spirit that we decided it was time to do some spring cleaning of the final 2023 rankings of the top 101 players in college football. A majority of those players, including nine of the top 10, are off to the NFL.
It’s time for a new era. Here’s our spring version of the top 100 college football players for the 2024 season. For the preseason lists, I keep things to a tidy top 100. Somebody will earn that 101st spot by midseason.
Top 100 college football players entering 2024 season
1. Colorado CB Travis Hunter
Former No. 1 overall recruit Travis Hunter leads my list as the top overall player in the country entering the 2024 season. He is a generational player and, if he took fewer snaps offensively at wide receiver, would be even more effective for Colorado’s defense. Hunter missed a handful of games after taking a cheap shot in the Colorado State game and still notched 1,044 snaps. He had seven games with more than 100 snaps, doing so as a two-way player. That is more than two seasons worth of reps for the typical defender.
A silky-smooth corner, Hunter is excellent in press coverage. In a Cover 2 scheme, he has the ability to undercut routes and make plays on the ball. Hunter has excellent hands and will sacrifice his body to make plays. He has fluid hips that allow him to trail his primary receiver, adjust to a ball thrown in his area and get involved for a PBU. Hunter shows an excellent ability to understand and match offensive patterns, as well as the make-up speed to catch up and make plays on a ball where he is slightly beaten. How will his two-way timeshare look this fall? And could it possibly continue in the NFL?
2. Tennessee EDGE James Pearce Jr.
Pearce led the SEC in sacks with 10 for his second season at Tennessee, adding 53 pressures. There are makings of a dominant pass-rusher here and Pearce has the ability to be a top-10 pick. His film is a blast. Pearce routinely abuses offensive tackles with a mixture of speed, power and…
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