Utah Football Star Ranks High On List Of Top 100 College Football Players

SALT LAKE CITY – The 2025 ESPN Top 100 college football players list is out, and Utah’s All-Big 12 tackle Spencer Fano made the cut.

ESPN released its top 100 players list on Wednesday, August 20.

Who landed at No. 1 in ESPN's list of top 100 college football players ahead of the season? 👀

Full list ⤵️ https://t.co/qlswhgfyZ2

— ESPN (@espn) August 20, 2025

Fano is no stranger to preseason awards.

The former Timpview Thunderbird has already been named one of the best tackles in college football by ESPN and found his way onto the AP Preseason All-America First Team.

Fano anchored Utah’s offensive line in 2024, starting all 12 games at right tackle and earning All-America honors from PFF (first team), AP (second team) and Walter Camp (second team). A finalist for the Polynesian College Football Player of the Year Award, Fano combines elite pass protection with physical run blocking. — Bonagura

Spencer Fano’s run blocking tape (as a true So.) is behind only Penei Sewell and Tyler Linderbaum out of the college OL I’ve watched. Elite zone blocker who is just as effective driving people off the LOS pic.twitter.com/G6QP8r2FcL

— James Foster (@NoFlagsFilm) June 30, 2025

NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper also included Fano and teammate Caleb Lomu in his initial 2025 first-round projection.

How many Big 12 players made the 2025 ESPN Top 100 list?

• No. 7 Spencer Fano, Utah Utes – Offensive line
• No. 21 Sam Leavitt, Arizona State Sun Devils – Quarterback
• No. 28 Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State Sun Devils – Wide receiver
• No. 49 Dontay Corleone, Cincinnati Bearcats – Defensive line
• No. 52 Sawyer Robertson, Baylor Bears – Quarterback
• No. 53 Josh Hoover, TCU Horned Frogs – Quarterback
• No. 57 David Bailey, Texas Tech Red Raiders – Defensive line
• No. 79 Avery Johnson, Kansas State Wildcats – Quarterback
• No. 86 Xavion Alford, Arizona State Sun Devils – Defensive back
• No. 89 Rocco Becht, Iowa State Cyclones – Quarterback
• No. 92 Jacob Rodriguez, Texas Tech Red Raiders – Linebacker

Max Olsen mentions Utah quarterback Devon Dampier among several Big 12 QBs who could find their names on a postseason version of this list.

Olse predicts that, along with the five quarterbacks to appear on the list, Dampier, Texas Tech’s Behren Morton, Cincinnati‘s Brendan Sorsby all have serious breakout potential, and we’ve already seen Colorado’s Kaidon Salter, Arizona’s Noah Fifita, and Kansas’ Jalon Daniels could challenge for All-Big 12 recognition.

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The Utes open the 2025 season on the road against the Big 10’s UCLA Bruins on Saturday, August 30. Kickoff is at 9 p.m. MT.

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The Cougars open the 2025 season on Saturday, August 30, at home against Portland State. Kickoff is at 6 p.m. MT. Find BYU’s entire 2025 football schedule here.

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Brian Preece is a KSLSports.com insider covering Locals in MLB and the Salt Lake Bees. Follow Brian’s Bees and Beehive baseball here. Find Brian on X, Instagram, and BlueSky at @bpreece24. 

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