Where some of the top college football 2025 defensive recruits have committed, so far

August was a busy month for the Class of 2025 when it came to college football recruiting, as several of the top recruits in the country came off the board and committed to a program.

Eight recruits, four on offense and four on defense, ranked in the Top 20 of a major recruiting site ultimately made their decision to commit, so let’s break down each situation and what each player brings to their next team.

Here are some notable talents on the defensive side who committed this month:

One of the most recent commitments was five-star outside linebacker Jonah Williams, who is headed to Texas, marking a major victory for head coach Steve Sarkisian and the Longhorns.

With many of the top prospects in Texas heading elsewhere, such as five-star cornerback Devin Sanchez (Ohio State), five-star wide receiver Dakorien Moore (Oregon), five-star tackles Michael Fasusi (Oklahoma) and Ty Haywood (Alabama), Williams presents a needed in-state keep for the Longhorns.

Williams, considered a freak athlete at 6’3”, 205 pounds, has the ability to play safety, providing some major positional versatility at the next level. In addition, the five-star is expected to play baseball at Texas as a two-sport athlete.

The five-star is now the headliner of a strong recruiting class for the Longhorns that also includes five-star in-state receiver Kaliq Lockett, four-star in-state defensive end Lance Jackson and four-star outside linebacker Elijah Barnes.

Williams is expected to start at safety for the Longhorns, given the team’s depth at the position, with the option to bulk up and move to linebacker if that ultimately proves to be the best fit.

Five-star defensive lineman Iose Epenesa continued the family tradition when he committed to the Iowa Hawkeyes, joining in the footsteps of older brother A.J. Epenesa.

A top-20 recruit in the 2025 class, Epenesa is a 6’3”, 265-pound lineman and is considered the top defensive end in the cycle. This marked a major win for the Hawkeyes, who have a good track record producing NFL players like older brother A.J.

Earlier this summer, the five-star took visits to Iowa, Miami, Missouri and Utah, ultimately committing to the Hawkeyes prior to the start of his high school season.

Epenesa becomes Iowa’s biggest recruit in the Class of 2025, with four-star in-state tight end Thomas Meyer ranking next as a top-250 player.

Attending Edwardsville High School this year in Illinois, Epenesa has accumulated 122 tackles and 15 sacks across his first three years in high school. With his college decision behind him, he’ll look to finish the year strong and maintain his five-star status.

One of the top edge rushers in the 2025 class, five-star Jared Smith committed to the Auburn Tigers at the beginning of the month, remaining in the state of Alabama.

Smith was a huge victory that capped off an extremely successful week for head coach Hugh Freeze and Auburn following their major recruiting weekend back on July 27th.

After a number of high-level programs showed interest, Smith chose Auburn over other finalists South Carolina, Ole Miss, Georgia, Florida State and USC.

Standing 6’7”, 235 pounds, the five-star has elite length and good burst off the edge, which is why Auburn coveted him as a pass-rusher in their 2025 class.

Auburn’s recruiting class is now seen as a top-five group in the nation, with 23 commits in the class and 15 of them being ranked at least a four-star, with a good portion of them seen as a top-100 recruit by one of the major recruiting services.

At Auburn, Smith will pair up with high school teammate Anquon Fegans, who is ranked as the No. 36 prospect and the No. 2 in the country by ESPN.

The top safety in the 2025 class went off the board as well this month, as five-star Trey McNutt committed to the Oregon Ducks and head coach Dan Lanning.

McNutt, a top-20 recruit in the country according to Rivals, is an Ohio native, but narrowed his decision down to Texas A&M and Oregon before landing on the Ducks this month.

Playing both ways in high school, the five-star finished with 61 tackles, three tackles for loss, 12 pass breakups and two forced fumbles in 2023. He also accumulated 611 yards from scrimmage and 12 touchdowns on the offensive side.

Expected to play safety at the next level, the 6-foot, 180-pound McNutt is seen as the No. 2 recruit in Oregon’s 2025 class behind five-star wideout Dakorien Moore, a top-five recruit in the cycle.

During his recruitment, McNutt saw interest from all across the country, landing 37 offers, but chose to focus on a select few schools, ultimately deciding between Oregon and Texas A&M.

With McNutt in the fold, Oregon now has at least five top-100 recruits in their 2025 class, while possessing 15 total commits so far.