College football’s 20 best defensive ends of 2025

Quarterbacks have to keep their heads on a swivel when these defenders put three fingers in the dirt. These playmakers are monsters off the edge, and make life hard for opposing offensive tackles. They have to be located on every play before the snap because of their relentless pursuit.

These defensive ends have it all, including great bursts, non-stop motors, flexibility and brute strength. Bottom line, they know how to be disruptive at the line of scrimmage, and will soon be coming to a backfield near you.

20. Anthony Smith, Minnesota: The former four-star prospect led the Golden Gophers in tackles for loss, and tied for first on the team in sacks last season. Smith was disruptive off the edge, and stayed consistent. He tallied two solo tackles, and a sack in the opener against North Carolina. Smith made four stops, including three solo and a sack in the victory at UCLA. The Pennsylvania native posted a season-high, five tackles, and put the quarterback to the turf at Rutgers. Not to mention he made the quarterback eat grass in Big Ten battles against Illinois and Penn State. Smith left a lasting impression after he generated two solo stops, and a sack in the bowl win over Virginia Tech.

19. Isaiah Smith, SMU: The Washington D.C. native has posted 58 tackles over the past two seasons with the Mustangs. 2024 was Smith’s best campaign yet, and for many reasons. After all, he started out on fire, with two solo tackles, and a sack in the opener at Nevada. The following week against Houston Christin, Smith posted two additional solo stops, and a sack. The former three-star prospect also put the quarterback to the turf in the victory over Pittsburgh. Smith tallied five tackles, and two sacks at Virginia, which were both season-highs. The six-foot-four, 244-pounder had four stops, including three solo and a sack in the win at Stanford. Smith also generated four tackles against BYU.

18. Kameron Olds, Kentucky: The Virginia native is more of a hybrid edge rusher, who can also play outside linebacker. Olds is coming off a breakout campaign, and led a winless Kent State team in sacks last year. He got off to a hot start, with four tackles, including three solo and a sack in the opener at Pittsburgh. The following week Olds recorded six stops, including three solo, and two sacks against Saint Francis. The six-foot-four, 252-pounder tallied four solo tackles at Tennessee. His seven tackles against Eastern Michigan were a season-high. Olds dominated against Bowling Green, with five solo stops and two sacks. The former three-star prospect had a sack at Western Michigan too.

17. Gabe Kirschke, Wake Forest: Although he had no stars behind his name out of high school, Kirschke led Colorado State in tackles for loss, and sacks in 2o24. The Colorado native received made such an impact that he earned Honorable Mention All-Mountain West honors. Kirschke tallied two solo tackles, and made the the quarterback eat grass in the opener at Texas. He posted five stops against Colorado. Kirschke picked off a pass at Oregon State, and had a sack in wins over UTEP and Nevada. The six-foot-five, 249-pounder racked up six tackles, including three solo and a sack at Air Force. Kirschke generated a season-high, eight stops and a sack in bowl game against Miami (Ohio).

16. Dylan Stewart, South Carolina: The former five-star prospect made 11 starts as a true freshman last season, and finished second on the Gamecocks in tackles for loss and sacks. Stewart delivered on the hype, and played at an elite level off the edge. He got off to a hot start with four tackles, including three solo and a sack in the opener against Old Dominion. Stewart tallied a season-high, four solo tackles, and put the quarterback to the turf against Ole Miss. The 19-year old was a menace in SEC play, and made the quarterback eat grass in victories over Kentucky, Oklahoma, and Texas A&M. Stewart also recorded a sack in the win over Wofford, and had five stops in bowl game against Illinois.

15. Dean Miller, Kansas: The Los Angeles native stared all 12 games last year, and led the Jayhawks in sacks, and tied for first on the team in tackles for loss. The former juco also earned second-team, All-Big 12 honors for his heroics in the trenches. Miller started out on fire with four tackles, including three solo and a sack in the opener against Lindenwood. He recorded four solo tackles, and a season-high, two sacks in the victory over Houston. Miller tallied two solo tackles, and put the quarterback to the turf in the upset win at BYU. The six-foot-five, 240-pounder also made the quarterback eat grass against Iowa State. Miller generated three solo stops apiece against TCU and Arizona State.

14. Clev Lubin, Louisville: The New York native had previous stops at Army, Iowa Western and Coastal Carolina. Lubin led the Chanticleers in tackles for loss, and sacks last season. He also earned first-team, All-Sun Belt honors for his work in the trenches. Lubin had four tackles apiece against James Madison and Troy. Not to mention he tallied six tackles, including four solo, and two sacks against Louisiana. His nine stops, including five solo and three sacks in the win over Appalachian State were all season-highs. Lubin posted five stops, including four solo and a sack against Georgia Southern. The six-foot-three, 250-pounder posted two sacks at Georgia State, and another against Virginia.

13. Wesley Williams, Duke: The former three-star prospect has racked up 87 tackles over the past two seasons with the Blue Devils. Last year Williams made 12 starts, and led Duke in sacks. Williams got off to a fast start, and posted five tackles in the opener against Elon. He generated three solo tackles, including two sacks at Middle Tennessee State. Williams posted five stops, including three solo, and a sack in the win over Florida State. The Virginia native also had five tackles and a sack at NC State. Williams even put the quarterback to the turf, and recorded a season-high, eight stops in the victory over Florida State. Not to mention he made the quarterback eat grass at Wake Forest.

12. Beau Atkinson, Transfer Portal: The former four-star prospect has made 11 sacks over the past two seasons at North Carolina. Atkinson led the Tar Heels in tackles for loss, and sacks in 2024. He recorded five tackles in week two against North Carolina Central. The following game against James Madison, Atkinson posted three solo stops, and put the quarterback to the turf. Atkinson tallied four tackles, including three solo and two sacks in the victory at Virginia. The North Carolina native generated five tackles, including four solo, and a jaw-dropping, three sacks in the win at Florida State. Atkinson had a season-high, six tackles, including five solo, and a sack in bowl game against Connecticut.

11. Tyreak Sapp, Florida: The former four-star prospect has racked up 91 tackles over the past three seasons with the Gators. Sapp even takes care of business in the classroom, and is a two-time, Academic All-SEC performer. He started nine games, and led Florida in tackles for loss, and sacks in 2024. Sapp got off to a hot start with three tackles, and a sack in the opener against Miami (Ohio). The Florida native tallied five stops, and a sack against Samford. Sapp also had five stops, and put the quarterback to the turf in the win at Florida State. His eight tackles, including four solo and two sacks in the victory over LSU were all season-highs. Sapp posted a sack against Ole Miss and Tennessee too.

10. R Mason Thomas, Oklahoma: The 20-year old made 11 starts last season, and led the Sooners in tackles for loss, and sacks. Thomas was relentless in his pursuit, and capped the year off with second-team, All-SEC honors. He generated three solo tackles, and a jaw-dropping, three sacks in the win over Tulane. Thomas posted four stops, including three solo, and two sacks at Auburn. The Florida native tallied three tackles, including two solo and a sack in the victory over Alabama. Thomas also made the quarterback eat grass at Missouri. The former four-star prospect left a lasting impression in the SEC finale at LSU, when he posted two tackles, and put the quarterback to the turf.

9. Keldric Faulk, Auburn: The former five-star prospect has started 20 games over the past two seasons with the Tigers. Faulk has racked up a jaw-dropping, 80 tackles during that span. Last year he finished second on Auburn in tackles for loss and sacks. Faulk put the quarterback to the turf in the opener against Alabama A&M. He tallied a season-high, eight tackles, including seven solo and two sacks against California. Faulk recorded seven stops, and two sacks at Georgia. The Alabama native also made the quarterback eat grass twice in the victory at Kentucky, and generated five tackles against Oklahoma. Faulk left a lasting impression, with six stops in the Iron Bowl at Alabama.

8. Jayden Virgin-Morgan, Boise State: The San Diego native is coming off a monster campaign, and was a key contributor to the Broncos’ Playoff run. Not only did Virgin-Morgan start every contest last season, but he also finished 19th in the FBS in sacks per game, and earned first-team, All-Mountain West honors. He posted five tackles, and put the quarterback to the turf at Georgia Southern. Virgin-Morgan also generated five stops, and a sack in the Mountain West Championship Game. His six tackles, and 2.5 sacks at Hawaii were both season-highs. Virgin-Morgan even made the quarterback eat grass against San Diego State, Nevada and in the regular season victory over UNLV.

7. Eric O’Neill, Rutgers: The former two-star prospect was an FCS All-American at LIU in 2023. O’Neill started all 13 games, racked up 52 tackles, and earned first-team, All-Sun Belt honors at James Madison last season. He finished fifth nationally in sacks per game, and sixth in tackles for loss. O’Neill made four solo stops, and put the quarterback to the turf twice in the win at North Carolina. He even made two sacks, and picked off a pass against Ball State. O’Neill also tallied two sacks apiece against Georgia State and Marshall. The New York native posted nine tackles apiece at Old Dominion and Appalachian State. Not to mention O’Neill had a sack against Southern Miss and Western Kentucky.

6. Mikel Kamara, Indiana: Although he had no stars behind his name as a high school prospect, the Virginia native earned first-team, All-Big Ten honors in 2024. Kamara even finished third in the conference, and 14th in the FBS in sacks per game. He posted two sacks against Western Illinois. His seven tackles, including four solo, and 2.5 sacks in the win at Michigan State, were all season-highs. Kamara also tallied seven stops, and made the quarterback eat grass against Maryland. The six-foot-one, 265-pounder had five tackles, and a sack against Washington. Kamara also made five stops in the victory over Michigan, and put the quarterback to the turf against Nebraska and Northwestern.

5. Dani Dennis-Sutton, Penn State: The former five-star prospect was a team captain, and made 14 starts for the Nittany Lions last season. Dennis-Sutton earned Honorable Mention All-Big Ten honors, and took care of business in the classroom, with Academic All-Big Ten honors too. He finished second behind Abdul Carter in tackles for loss and sacks for Penn State. Dennis-Sutton posted six tackles at USC. The 21-year old made six stops, and a sack in the Playoff win over Boise State. Dennis-Sutton also generated six tackles, plus two sacks and an interception against Notre Dame in the Playoff Semifinals. The Delaware native even recorded a sack in victories over SMU, Purdue and Maryland.

4. Trey White, San Diego State: The 20-year old was a team captain, and racked up a jaw-dropping, 60 tackles, including 40 solo for the Aztecs last season. White even finished fourth nationally in tackles for loss, and sacks per game. Not to mention he capped off his monster campaign with first-team, All-Mountain West honors. The hometown kid posted six tackles, including five solo, and 2.5 sacks at California. White had eight stops, including five solo and three sacks at Central Michigan. The former three-star prospect also put the quarterback to the turf three times in the win over Hawaii. White had two sacks in victory over Wyoming. His nine stops against Air Force were a season-high.

3. Matayo Uiagalelei, Oregon: The former five-star prospect is a hybrid edge rusher, who also excels at outside linebacker because of his athletic ability. Uiagalelei started 11 games for the Ducks last season, and tied for 15th nationally in sacks per game. He made three solo tackles, and put the quarterback to the turf twice against Idaho. Uiagalelei also posted two sacks, to go along with six stops against Washington. The 19-year old tallied five stops, including three solo in the win over Ohio State. Uiagalelei also had five stops, a sack and an interception in the victory at Wisconsin. The Californian recorded a sack against Michigan, Purdue and earned first-team, All-Big Ten honors.

2. Colin Simmons, Texas: The former five-star prospect appeared in all 15 games last season, led the Longhorns in sacks, and finished second on the team in tackles for loss as a true freshman. Simmons posted six tackles, including four solo and a sack against UTSA. His seven stops, including six solo and two sacks against Mississippi State, were all season-highs. Simmons also put the quarterback to the turf twice at Arkansas. The Dallas native tallied five tackles apiece in wins over Oklahoma and Texas A&M. Simmons picked off a pass in the Playoff victory over Clemson, and made the quarterback eat grass against Kentucky, Georgia in the SEC Championship Game, and Arizona State.

1. T.J. Parker, Clemson: The 20-year old posted a jaw-dropping, 57 tackles, including 20 for loss with the Tigers last season. Parker ranked ninth nationally in tackles for loss per game, and 11th in sacks. He was a menace off the edge, and even forced six fumbles. Parker posted five tackles, and two sacks against NC State. The Alabama native dominated in the victory over Pittsburgh, with seven stops, including five solo and four sacks. Parker generated eight tackles apiece, and a sack against South Carolina, and SMU in the ACC Championship Game. The former four-star prospect also put the quarterback to the turf in conference victories over Florida State, Stanford and Virginia.

Honorable Mention

Kobe Stewart, Buffalo: The redshirt senior tied for 17th nationally in sacks per game last season.  Stewart was an enforcer up front for the Bulls, and earned second-team, All-MAC honors for his hard work in the trenches.