Post-spring ranking updates are coming soon. A wealth of new information emerged during spring camp, and the rankings will be updated soon to reflect the latest projections from the national analytics team for the 2025 and 2026 classes.
This week, the national analytics team is looking at the biggest questions for the upcoming rankings conference. Next up is the Western Region.
This series: Four major ranking issues in Central and South China | East China Region | Southeast Region | Central and Western Regions
More goni: Ten of the most interesting places to visit this weekend | Top 10 Retirees in the Class of 2025
*****
Class of 2024 Rankings: Opponent 250 | Team | Position | Status
Class of 2025 Rankings: Rivals 250 | Team | Position | Status
Class of 2026 Rankings: Opponents 250 | Positions | Status
Transfer portal: Latest News | Transfer Search | Transfer Tracker/Player Rankings (Football) | Transfer Team Rankings (Soccer) | Transfer Tracker/Player Rankings (Basketball) | Transfer Team Rankings (Basketball) | rival portal twitter
*****
1. Is Jordon Davison the best running back in 2025?
The 2025 class features two five-star running backs in Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei’s Jordon Davison and Metairie (La.) St. Martin’s Episcopal’s Harlem Harlem Berry, then an elite group of four-star running backs led by Penn State commit Alvin Henderson, who had a wildly successful high school career in Elba, Alabama.
The three of them are expected to Opponent five stars The rankings may come naturally later this summer at the Jaguars’ facility in Jacksonville. But it could happen even earlier.
Davison has excelled in pads at Santa Ana (Calif.) Mater Dei the past two seasons, sharing the offense with Georgia signee Nate Frazier, but this year he should be a staple in the backfield. The five-star prospect weighs in at over 220 pounds, so he’s definitely a different back than Berry and Henderson, who are bigger but more dynamic with the ball and used more in the passing game .
This may ultimately be a matter of taste. Davidson can handle an NFL workload, while Berry and Henderson are more like exciting, you-miss-it players. But this summer could go a long way in determining the final standings.
related: 2025 running back rankings
*****
2. What should the Cal quarterback order be in 2025?
Texas A&M commit Hussan Longstreet has a cannon. Oregon State commit Akili Smith Jr. has amazing size and pedigree. Stanford commit Bear Bachmeier has accuracy and comes from a family of Division I athletes. Four-star Madden Iamaleava, who studies under the tutelage of his five-star brother Nico, has already made huge numbers and has a lot of room for improvement.
Those are some considerations when it comes to Cal’s 2025 quarterback re-ranking and whether any changes need to be made.
As for offseason work, Iamaleava has arguably had his best few months. Every time we see him — such as the Downey (Calif.) Warren showcase — the four-star prospect, who visits UCLA this weekend, seems more confident, takes good shots and sees himself as One of the best quarterbacks in this class.
related: California State Rankings 2025
*****
3. Is there another five-star hotel in California?
The last time Cal had just one five-star player in the rankings was in 2021, when defensive end Korey Foreman earned that ranking (although he has yet to reach the five-star level in his college career) . This was also the recruiting cycle for Brock Bowers, who ended up being a four-star prospect out of Napa, Calif., a ranking we’ll regret for years to come.
Although the state’s talent depth has declined slightly over the past few recruiting cycles, Cal typically still has a handful of five-star prospects. But this could be another case of not having a five-star player in the recruiting class.
Davidson is the only five-star prospect currently available, and he’s a running back, definitely not a position with first-round value in the NFL draft. There were a few players in the last recruiting cycle who had strong senior seasons and All-Star games, but that could be the case again in 2025.
*****
4. Should forwards lead Nevada rankings?
The vast majority of the top players from Nevada play for the Las Vegas (Nev.) Bishop Gorman team, which may have the top team in the country this season and arguably its three best of players are all offensive linemen.
Five-star Douglas Utu leads the way and whether he stays at offensive tackle or interior offensive guard almost doesn’t matter in terms of rankings as he’s been dominant for so long and almost never loses represent. But teammates SJ Alofaituli and Alai Kalaniuvalu also performed well this offseason and impressed again in the recent Gorman Showcase. Some say Kalaniuvaru was the best player that night.
The question here is where to put four-star receiver Derrick Meadows. The 6-foot-6, 195-pound Gorman receiver was a go-to player at Notre Dame and other teams. He performed well in Miami earlier in the offseason, but was sidelined for the remainder of the season with a hamstring injury.
related: Nevada Rankings 2025
