Some of the best players in the country are represented in the 2025 College Football Playoff, with 12 talented teams facing off in win-or-go-home situations. On Wednesday, ESPN released a ranking of the top 50 players in the CFP, with stars lining dotting the list.
Six Oregon Ducks players were included, with three coming on the defensive side of the ball and three on the offensive side.
Defensive tackle A’Mauri Washington kicked it off at No. 39 thanks to a breakout junior campaign in which he racked up 29 tackles, four tackles for loss, five quarterback hurries and six passes defensed. The 6-foot-3, 330-pounder earned third-team All-Big Ten honors for his impressive season.
Washington’s presence on the interior gave more favorable opportunities to outside linebacker Teitum Tuioti, who came in at No. 35 on the list.
“The former blue-chipper was a contributor from almost day one at Oregon and has blossomed into almost the perfect outside linebacker,” ESPN’s Bill Connelly wrote. “He set career highs in TFLs (13), run stops (14), sacks (seven) and forced fumbles (two), and when he missed a tackle against Washington in the fourth quarter of Oregon’s 12th game, it was his first official miss all season.”
Another defender came in next on the list, this time in the secondary as Dillon Thieneman was ranked No. 29.
The AP Second-Team All-American has been everything that the Ducks hoped for and more as a highly-rated transfer from Purdue, finishing second on the team in tackles while registering two interceptions and four passes defensed. His two picks were in game-sealing fashion, as he ended both the Penn State and Washington games with clutch takeaways.
After Thieneman appears on the list, it’s all offensive Ducks after that, with tight end Kenyon Sadiq being named the 23rd best player in the CFP.
“In a season in which injuries hit Oregon’s wide receiver room especially hard, Sadiq emerged as a capable target,” ESPN’s Adam Rittenberg wrote. “He earned second-team AP All-America honors and was named the Big Ten’s Tight End of the Year after recording eight touchdown catches — most among FBS tight ends — and a team-high 40 receptions. Despite sitting out some time because of injury, Sadiq recorded 490 receiving yards and became the first Oregon tight end to be a finalist for the Mackey Award.”
Sadiq’s quarterback came in next, as Dante Moore was listed at No. 18.
The redshirt sophomore passer is similar to Thieneman, as he entered with high expectations as a former five-star with clear talent yet has exceeded all expectations. Along with seemingly improving each and every week, Moore has been a steady leader for the offense and guided them through a number of tough environments.
Though he didn’t have the best game statistically, his game-winning drive against Iowa which featured several pinpoint passes in a downpour is as impressive as it gets from the quarterback position.
Moore was the third-highest ranked passer on the list, falling behind Ohio State’s Julian Sayin (No. 5) and Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza (No. 1). Other quarterbacks ranked were Georgia’s Gunner Stockton (No. 24), Ole Miss’ Trinidad Chambliss (No. 27), Alabama’s Ty Simpson (No. 41), Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed (No. 45), Miami’s Carson Beck (No. 46) and James Madison’s Alonza Barnett III (No. 48).
The top-ranked Duck, ahead of Washington, Tuioti, Thieneman, Sadiq and Moore, was guard Emmanuel Pregnon, at No. 14, who has been the team’s top lineman this season as a road-grading run-blocker and reliable pass protector.
“A key member of an Oregon offensive front reshaped through the transfer portal, Pregnon earned first-team AP All-America honors during his first season with the Ducks,” Rittenberg wrote. “After starting two seasons for USC, Pregnon helped protect quarterback Dante Moore, giving up no sacks and only three pressures on 335 pass-blocking opportunities. Oregon enters the CFP ranked sixth in fewest tackles for loss allowed.”
With six players included, Oregon had the third most players ranked in the top 50, coming just behind the Hoosiers (seven) and Buckeyes (nine) — two teams they may have to go through if they’re to accomplish their goal of winning a national title.
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This article originally appeared on Ducks Wire: Six Oregon Ducks listed among top 50 players in CFP
