Power Ranking The Top 10 Players in College Football - 2023 CFB Preview

August 29, 2023

Jackson's college football power rankings for the best NCAA CFB players. He dives into the top 10 NCAA player rankings for the 2023 college football season.

The 2023-24 college football season began with Week 0 action last weekend, but Week 1 begins with a couple of interesting matchups on Thursday, August 31 before a full slate of games on Saturday extending into Monday. Before the majority of programs kick off the 2023 campaign, it's time to dive into more preseason power rankings.

This time, we'll discuss the top 10 players for the 2023 college football season. To be clear, this isn't a Heisman Trophy article or NFL prospects rankings. Instead, the pecking order of the most impactful or dominant players at all positions will be analyzed. Positional scarcity and value will be somewhat considered, but the list isn't going to consist of quarterbacks only.

Especially in the college game, big-time players come out of nowhere and will be viewed as top 10 players in the nation after the season. However, these preseason rankings will rely on last year's data and production combined with projections for this season. That said, no freshmen or players who didn't play significant roles last year will be featured. Let's dive in.

Honorable Mentions

• Sam Hartman - QB, Notre Dame
• Jordan Travis - QB, Florida State
• Bo Nix - QB, Oregon
• Quinshon Judkins - RB, Ole Miss
• Emeka Egbuka - WR, Ohio State

10. Harold Perkins Jr. - LB, LSU

Harold Perkins won a starting job on the LSU defense as a freshman last season, and he didn't waste time making an impact. The Louisiana native can play inside linebacker and generate pressure (72 tackles, 7.5 sacks, one interception) and has likely only scratched the surface of what he can become.

He posted seven QB pressures in the win over Alabama and broke the single-game program record for sacks (4) against Arkansas. It's not as if he inflated his production against the weak part of the schedule. Instead, he saved his best performances for the biggest games.

If Perkins significantly builds off his freshman campaign over the next two seasons, he'll be viewed as a generational prospect in his draft class.

9. Kool-Aid McKinstry - CB, Alabama

Not only does Kool-Aid McKinstry have the best nickname in college football, but he's arguably the best defensive back in the nation. The preseason first-team All-American posted 15 passes defended last season and had juice in the punt return game (14.4 yards per return).

Is he the next Crimson Tide defensive back to enter superstar territory like Trevon Diggs, Patrick Surtain II, and Marlon Humphrey did? It feels that way.

8. Joe Alt - OT, Notre Dame

The average football fan might not think twice about offensive line play, but Joe Alt was dominant in 2022 and could be the most coveted franchise left tackle in next year's draft. Alt earned first-team All-American honors last season as an elite run and pass blocker and continued to flash in Notre Dame's Week 0 victory over the Navy Midshipmen.

Again, offensive linemen won't sell tickets or get most fans excited, but the nation's most outstanding hog molly deserves a spot in these rankings.

7. Blake Corum - RB, Michigan

Unfortunately, Blake Corum suffered a late-season knee injury that held him out of the College Football Playoffs, but his 2022 campaign was nothing short of spectacular. The talented ball carrier tallied 1,463 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns on 247 carries (5.9 YPC), leading Michigan to an undefeated regular season.

In somewhat of a surprise, he decided to come back for his senior campaign in Ann Arbor and could actually see a role reduction with the emergence of Donovan Edwards (7.1 YPC in 2022). Either way, his dominant junior campaign lands him among the top 10 players nationally.

6. Jared Verse - Edge, Florida State

Among Power-Five conference players last season, Jared Verse finished tied for third in tackles for loss (17.0). And who did he tie with? Alabama's Will Anderson, who was selected No. 3 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Verse is one of the nation's top disruptors off the edge and is a consensus top-five prospect in next year's draft. He'll have plenty of action in the national spotlight with games against LSU and Clemson to flash his excellence. With Florida State's offense expected to ascend, he should have plenty of pass rushing opportunities.

5. Michael Penix Jr. - QB, Washington

Michael Penix Jr. had his fair share of ups and downs in four seasons at Indiana University, but a change of scenery and relocation to Washington unlocked his upside. In his first season in the Pac-12, Penix threw for 4,641 yards, 31 touchdowns, and eight interceptions and took only five sacks. Washington won 11 games for the first time since 2016 and looked like a true contender in the conference.

The Huskies are ranked No. 10 in the preseason AP Poll, meaning they are expected to make real noise and compete with USC and Utah for a Pac-12 crown. The sixth-year senior could become a campus legend with another huge campaign in 2023.

4. Drake Maye - QB, North Carolina

Drake Maye's Tar Heels didn't have enough team success for him to be considered a real Heisman Trophy contender, but his individual season was spectacular in 2022. The redshirt freshman posted over 5,000 yards of total offense and 45 touchdowns while throwing just seven interceptions.

His play catapulted him into a top-five consideration in next year's NFL Draft, but he'll have to prove last season's campaign was a preview of things to come rather than an outlier performance. North Carolina lost its two top receivers from last season (Josh Downs and Antoine Green) but if Maye truly is special, it won't matter.

3. Brock Bowers - TE, Georgia

Brock Bowers doesn't turn 21 years old until December of 2023 -- and he already has 119 receptions for 1,824 yards, and 20 receiving scores. He has an additional four touchdowns on the ground. These are impressive raw statistics for any player over a two-year span, but it's unheard of from a tight end in their freshman and sophomore seasons.

And it's not as if he's posting these numbers in a weak conference. Nope -- he's dominated the SEC from the time he stepped on campus.

Bowers could be a Kyle Pitts-level prospect in the 2024 NFL Draft, but he has one more full season to etch his name among the greatest college tight ends in the history of the game.

2. Marvin Harrison Jr. - WR, Ohio State

The son of the Hall-of-Fame Indianapolis Colts' receiver looks the part of the next great Ohio State Buckeyes pass-catcher. After a quiet freshman season sharing the field with Chris Olave, Garrett Wilson, and Jaxon Smith-Njigba -- Marvin Harrison Jr. boomed in 2022. He caught 77 passes for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns as a true sophomore.

In the College Football Semifinal matchup with Georgia, he posted five receptions for 106 yards and two scores before being knocked out of the contest late in the third quarter. That dispelled any notion that he was racking up production against only inferior competition.

In 2023, he should be viewed as a heavy favorite to win the Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the nation's most outstanding receiver. Video game numbers should be the expectation in what will likely be his final year in Columbus.

1. Caleb Williams - QB, USC

Last year's Heisman Trophy winner posted 4,537 passing yards, 382 rushing yards, five interceptions, and 52 total touchdowns in his first year at Southern Cal. Caleb Williams is the consensus top player in the nation and looked sharp in the Week 0 victory over San Jose State (278 passing yards, four passing touchdowns).

Williams is going to be viewed as a generational prospect at the next level, but he still has a lot to give the college game as he tries to lead USC to a national title. He could become just the second player in NCAA history to win the Heisman Trophy twice (Archie Griffin 1974, 1975) if he surpasses his 2022 production.

If that happens, he'll have to be considered one of the greatest collegiate players of all time.

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