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Monday, Jul 07, 2025 02:54 PM

Top 10 NFL triplets by college affiliation: Oklahoma edges out Georgia, Alabama for No. 1 ranking

Gennaro Filice

Editor at Large

We’re in the dog days of summer, DEEP in the football offseason. One manifestation of this? Today’s assignment.

Ranking the top 10 active NFL triplets by college affiliation.

It’s a file that can be viewed cynically as a listicle fishing for clicks. But this undertaking can also be seen congenially as a summertime appetizer for the fall football feast. Whichever side you fall on, I aim to provide a brief distraction from the real world with this fanciful marriage of the footballs, college and pro.

Before we dig into the list(icle), a couple housekeeping notes:

  • In assembling triplets, I’m going with the traditional components: quarterback, running back and wide receiver. Sometimes, people tweak the formula to include tight ends, but this rundown obeys the most straightforward version of the concept: QB/RB/WR.
  • All player selections and rankings are made with an eye toward the coming NFL season. Past accomplishments factor in, no doubt, but this is a forward-looking exercise, projecting how players will perform in 2025. Consequently, rookies are eligible.

Enough dilly-dally. To the countdown!

JUST MISSED: Louisville (QB Lamar Jackson, RB Isaac Guerendo, WR Tutu Atwell) and USC (QB Caleb Williams, RB MarShawn Lloyd, WR Amon-Ra St. Brown).

10) MICHIGAN STATE

Had I assembled this list last July, MSU’s Kirk Cousins-led trio would have ranked much higher. At this time one offseason ago, the quarterback had just signed a four-year, $180 million contract, having made the Pro Bowl in three of the previous five seasons. But, oh, what a difference a year makes. Cousins struggled in his debut campaign with the Falcons, displaying seriously limited mobility on his surgically repaired Achilles before ultimately losing the starting job to rookie Michael Penix Jr. Despite spending the final three weeks on the sideline, Cousins still finished the season with a league-high 16 interceptions, having posted a ghastly 1:9 TD-to-INT ratio over his final five games. With Atlanta now committing to Penix as The Guy, Cousins is stuck being the NFL’s highest-paid backup. Could a trade provide passage from this purgatory to the starting lineup of a QB-needy team? Perhaps. But with the 14th-year veteran turning 37 in August, how reasonable is it to expect a return to prime Kirko Chainz? On the other hand, I’m still bullish on the upside of Kenneth Walker III and Jayden Reed, as both exhibit explosive playmaking ability. All in all, this Sparty group is imposing yet imperfect. It’s one part veteran accomplishment and two parts young talent -- a mix that feels right for the No. 10 spot.

9) NORTH CAROLINA

The youngest group in this ranking is dripping with potential. Drake Maye showcased enticing dual-threat ability as a rookie starter, especially considering his offensive line and weaponry probably comprised the worst supporting cast in the league. With New England overhauling its coaching staff (notably bringing back offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels) while upgrading the offense via free agency (WR Stefon Diggs, OT Morgan Moses, C Garrett Bradbury) and the draft (OT Will Campbell, RB TreVeyon Henderson, WR Kyle Williams), Maye is poised to take a significant leap in Year 2. Meanwhile, Omarion Hampton could make a substantial impact in Year 1. The Chargers’ first-round pick will share the backfield with free-agent acquisition Najee Harris, but the rookie should rack up plenty of carries in Jim Harbaugh’s run-first offense. Given Hampton’s imposing frame and violent game, he feels like the kind of back who’ll smoothly transition to the pros. As for Josh Downs, he seems destined to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark in Year 3 -- so long as injuries and/or inconstant quarterback play don’t hold him back. This is TEAM UPSIDE, and frankly, I was tempted to rank it a few spots higher.

8) IOWA STATE

Brock Purdy’s five-year, $265 million extension is one of the most polarizing developments of this offseason. Detractors call the pact’s average per year of $53 million a wild overpay; supporters say it’s just the cost of doing business with a franchise quarterback in 2025; capologists emphasize the fact that the megadeal was added to the one remaining year on Mr. Irrelevant’s rookie contract, dropping the APY to $45 million over the next six seasons. What do I think? Brock Purdy’s a good quarterback. How good? Somewhere in the top half of the league, for sure, with serious potential to lock down a top-10 spot. Despite having 46 college starts and 36 NFL starts under his belt, Purdy’s still just 25 years old. And here’s the biggest key: He appears to have a mind meld with Kyle Shanahan, processing defenses and executing assignments in a manner that routinely draws praise from his exacting play-caller. Not to mention, Purdy’s an underrated off-schedule playmaker. Simply put, he’s a strong frontman for this Iowa State troika. The other two positions presented difficult decisions. At running back, I went back and forth between Breece Hall and David Montgomery, ultimately opting for the younger, more dynamic playmaker. Montgomery’s no-nonsense style has produced 25 rushing touchdowns over the past two seasons, but as I explained in the intro, this is a forward-looking exercise. With that in mind, I’m more comfortable with Hall’s potential ascendence than Montgomery’s potential decline. At receiver, Allen Lazard is the known Cyclone commodity in NFL circles. But where’s the fun in selecting the low-upside veteran? Instead, I wanted to choose between a pair of intriguing Day 2 draftees out of Ames, both of whom landed in Houston this past April. Jayden Higgins has superior size and was drafted a round higher than Jaylin Noel, but the latter is more explosive and separates with ease. Everyone raved about Noel’s competitive edge during the pre-draft process, so I’ll give him the nod in this clash of the ‘Clones.

7) OREGON

Bo Nix’s rousing rookie campaign forced me to briefly consider him for the QB spot here, but ultimately, Justin Herbert retained top-Duck status. The lack of postseason success is indeed a taint, with a horrendous taste still lingering from January’s blowout loss in Houston. Herbert threw more picks in the Wild Card Round (four) than in 17 regular-season games (three). That said, he grew in Year 1 under Jim Harbaugh, particularly as a leader. Long derided by critics as something of a wallflower, Herbert outwardly exhibited more moxie in 2024. And the arm talent just continued to scintillate, with Herbert hurling a handful of the prettiest passes in the league seemingly every Sunday. Speaking of weekly entertainment from last season, Bucky Irving’s elusiveness was a sight to behold. According to Next Gen Stats, the rookie forced a missed tackle on 35.8 percent of his touches, the highest rate in the NFL (min. 100 touches). In addition to eclipsing 1,100 yards rushing at a robust clip of 5.4 per carry, Irving led all rookie backs in receptions (47) and receiving yards (392). So, what’s holding this flock of Ducks back from the top half of these rankings? The third wheel, Troy Franklin. It was slim pickings among Oregon wideouts, forcing me to go with the 2024 fourth-rounder who totaled 263 receiving yards in Year 1.

6) CLEMSON

This trio fueled Clemson’s offense in the 15-0 national championship campaign of 2018, and all three have produced at the NFL level, but they’re in very different places heading into the 2025 campaign. Tee Higgins is ascending, as he scored 10 receiving touchdowns in 12 games last season and signed a four-year, $115 million extension with the Bengals in March. Travis Etienne Jr. is declining, as he averaged a career-low 3.7 yards per carry last season and will be playing out his rookie contract in what could be his swan song with the Jaguars this fall. And Trevor Lawrence is … Well, what is Trevor Lawrence? After his rookie campaign was undermined by the Urban Meyer debacle, the former No. 1 overall pick appeared to arrive in Year 2, making the Pro Bowl and doing some damage in the playoffs. But the past two seasons have been marred by inconsistency and injury. Jacksonville still handed him a five-year, $275 million extension last offseason, but this feels like the year when he needs to prove he’s worth it. This offseason, the Jaguars brought in a hyped offensive play-caller to serve as their new head coach in Liam Coen. They made a bold draft-day move for Travis Hunter, who joins Brian Thomas Jr. to comprise one of the most alluring receiving duos in the league. Now it’s time for Lawrence to fully showcase the immense talent we’ve heard so much about since he was the No. 1 recruit in all the land.

5) LSU

If we were to remove RB from this exercise and instead rank the top 10 QB-WR tandems by college affiliation, LSU wouldn’t just rocket to No. 1 -- the Tigers could claim the top two spots, with Joe Burrow-Ja’Marr Chase AND Jayden Daniels-Justin Jefferson. But alas, that’s not the task at hand, so LSU’s lack of current NFL firepower at running back drags this group down. Man, though, what a wealth of riches I had to choose from at quarterback and wide receiver. How’d I wind up with Burrow and Chase? The quarterback choice actually wasn’t difficult. While Daniels just displayed the kind of staggering ability that could gain him entry into the truly elite tier of NFL quarterbacks in short order, Burrow’s already there. The league leader in passing yards (4,918) and passing touchdowns (43), Joe Shiesty finished fourth in MVP voting despite his team missing the playoffs. The decision at receiver, on the other hand, was utterly impossible. Brian Thomas Jr. and Malik Nabers didn’t even merit consideration, for god’s sake! It came down to what very well could be the top two wideouts in the game today. Why did Chase get the nod over Jefferson? Honestly, I could’ve gone either way, but Chase did just win the receiving triple crown. And while both wideouts made sweet music with Burrow during LSU’s national title campaign of 2019, Chase continues to do so in the pros, so maintaining that combo here just feels right.

4) OHIO STATE

The only school that even comes close to matching LSU’s receiver production of late is Ohio State. Over the past four drafts, the Buckeyes have churned out five first-round wideouts: Emeka Egbuka, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson and Chris Olave. And yet, the WR selection here actually entered the league as a third-round pick. Everyone loved Terry McLaurin in the 2019 draft cycle as a speedy depth piece at receiver who could immediately contribute as a core special teamer. Six years and five 1,000-yard seasons later, he’s a certified WR1 who just scored a career-high 13 touchdowns and earned second-team All-Pro honors. At quarterback, C.J. Stroud was an easy choice. No offense to Justin Fields, who could experience a post-hype breakout this fall on Aaron Glenn’s Jets, but Stroud has already established himself as one of the league’s most captivating young passers. Last season wasn’t as transcendent as his rookie campaign, to be sure, but Stroud had to overcome a rash of injuries at receiver and a scourge of ineptitude on the offensive line. Yet, he still led Houston to a second straight division title before logging a second playoff win in as many years. If the O-line overhaul takes and the Texans get better health luck at wideout, Stroud has the surgical savvy to emerge as an MVP candidate. As for running back, I could have gone with J.K. Dobbins, who prospers whenever his body doesn’t fail him. However, I’m very intrigued by the two Buckeye backs drafted early in the second round this past April. TreVeyon Henderson’s the home run hitter, but I think Quinshon Judkins will provide more consistent production in 2025 as a workhorse back in Cleveland.

3) ALABAMA

For most of this millennium, Alabama has been college football’s preeminent NFL factory. So it stands to reason that all three positions took some thought here. Tua Tagovailoa got the QB nod over Bryce Young due to a longer NFL track record of positive play. Tua’s health obviously remains a pressing concern, but I need to see more than half a season of above-average quarterbacking from Young before I fully buy in. The receiver debate here is a lively one, with Jaylen Waddle, Jameson Williams, Jerry Jeudy and Calvin Ridley all presenting viable cases, but I ultimately settled on DeVonta Smith. Complementing A.J. Brown with aplomb, Slim Reaper’s as good a WR2 as you’ll find. Injuries kept him from logging a third straight 1,000-yard season in 2024, but the 2020 Heisman Trophy winner still played a critical role in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl triumph. The hardest decision came at running back, and my choice could be the most controversial one in this file. Derrick Henry is already a Hall of Famer to me, and he just ran for 1,921 yards and 16 touchdowns. So, how does he not get the RB job here? Well, as I’ve touched on numerous times this offseason, Jahmyr Gibbs was one of the most electric players in football last season, particularly during the final four game stretch when he averaged 165.5 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns per outing. And I believe he could emerge as the best running back in the league in 2025, so I’m shooting my shot here. That said, King Henry has every right to smite me.

2) GEORGIA

With studs at every position, Georgia very nearly earned the No. 1 spot on this list. Matthew Stafford remains your favorite quarterback’s favorite quarterback, and James Cook just earned his second straight Pro Bowl bid, but I want to spend the remainder of this blurb on Ladd McConkey, who earned the WR slot over George Pickens. McConkey was the ninth receiver taken in a 2024 draft that was loaded at the position, but he provided first-rate returns as a rookie. The 6-foot, 185-pounder might not look the part of an NFL star, but he sure played like one in his debut campaign, catching 82 balls for 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns during the regular season before cooking Houston’s secondary for 197 yards and a touchdown on Wild Card Weekend. McConkey has an innate ability to separate, making him a nightmare to defend in the slot. He already has the respect of his professional peers, earning the final slot in NFL Network’s player-voted "Top 100 Players of 2025." Meanwhile, receiver guru Matt Harmon -- a man who spends his life charting routes for his inspired website, Reception Perception -- is absolutely smitten with McConkey:

1) OKLAHOMA

Oklahoma boasts the only trio in which all three positions are filled by a Pro Bowler from last season. CeeDee Lamb was a no-brainer choice at wide receiver, given that he’s earned All-Pro honors (one first and two seconds) in each of the past three seasons. And with all due respect to Rhamondre Stevenson and Samaje Perine, Joe Mixon didn’t have any real competition at running back. But quarterback was brutally hard to decide -- and my selection undoubtedly will get me some hate mail from the City of Brotherly Love. Kyler Murray received consideration, but this QB derby was really a two-man competition between Jalen Hurts and Baker Mayfield. Hurts continues to prove doubters wrong, having just hoisted the Lombardi Trophy. He skillfully pilots Philadelphia’s offense, using his arm and legs to put points on the board. But if you put Hurts and Mayfield in a vacuum, I’m just a little higher on the latter’s game right now. Over the past couple months, I’ve implored readers to hop on Baker’s bandwagon and projected that Tampa Bay will field the second-best offense in the league in 2025. Basically, I’m pot-committed to Mayfield being a dark-horse MVP candidate, so I might as well throw a few more chips into the center of the table by predicting he’ll outplay the reigning Super Bowl MVP.