“Defense wins championships” is that the most overused phrase in football? Is there an idiom that football commentators, coaches, players, and fans use more? It’s ridiculous how many times I’ve heard that phrase in my life. It’s surely got to be in the four digits by now.
I think the reason we hear it so much is that it’s true. It’s true in real life, and it’s true in College Football 25. If you want to win games, you need a great defense.
Let’s break down the ten best defenses in CFB 25. And if you haven’t seen our top ten offenses article, go back and give it a look. It’s pretty good, if I do say so myself.
Best Defenses in EA Sports College Football 25
1. Ohio State
The Buckeyes had the best defense in real life, with only 254.6 yards allowed per game (best in FBS) and 12.9 points allowed per game (also best in the league), so it makes sense that they also have the best defense in the game.
Ohio State’s defense is led by free safety Caleb Downs, who is the highest-rated player in the game and will not be entering this year’s draft and will return in CFB 26. He is an insane coverage guy, but what sets him apart is his 83-tackling rating and 95-pursuit, which makes him perfect for crashing the line and creating negative plays for opposing offenses. I think he is a great candidate to user in the secondary.
Of course, most great defenses are centered on a great pass rush, and Ohio State sure has plenty of guys who can hit the quarterback. Jack Sawyer is a top power rusher in the game, with 90 ratings in tackling, power, and bull rush and 95 ratings in power moves and pursuit. His general athletic ratings are also off the charts. Right next to Sawyer, you have 91 overall Tyliek Williams, who stuffs the run with his 327-pound frame and 94-strength rating.
Their fourth 90+ overall defensive player is Denzel Burke, a lockdown corner with 91-speed and 94-man coverage. They also have three other beasts to fill out their secondary outside Burke and Fuller, including Davison Igbinosun (89 overall), Lathan Ransom (88 overall), and Jordan Hancock (87 overall). You also have Cody Simon (86 overall) in the middle of the field as the MLB, with Sonny Styles (86 overall) and C.J. Hicks (83 overall) on either side of him as outside LBs. This is truly a stacked defensive unit.
2. Georgia
When is Georgia’s defense not great? It’s a consistently spectacular group that continues to recruit the best and brightest defensive studs. They may have had a slightly underwhelming season this past year, but that’s only because the bar had been raised year after year with stellar play that any slight hiccup led to overreactions. They were still a top defense in the country and are still stacked with beasts throughout the roster.
Just like Ohio State, Georgia is led by an elite safety in Malaki Starks, whose 93 speed, 86 tackle, and 80 catching makes him one of the best coverage guys to user as. He’s got backup in the secondary, too, with a pair of speedy man-to-man corners in Daylen Everette (87 overall) and Julian Humphrey (86 overall). The other Safety K.J. Bolden (84 overall) is also a stud and rounds out a fantastic secondary.
Of course it wouldn’t be a Georgia defense without a cadre of pass rushers. This team’s got two likely first-round picks this year: Mykel Williams (92 overall) and Jalon Walker (91 overall), as their speedy edge rushers. Their slower power rushers are big Warren Brinson (85 overall) and outside linebacker Chaz Chambliss (84 overall).
They have two fantastic coverage linebackers in 89 overall Smael Mondon who is another great option to user as with his 89 speed rating and 90 tackling. Their other linebacker is their MLB C.J. Allen (85 overall).
Up the gut on their D-line, they have a top-15 DT in the game in Nasir Stackhouse. At 320 pounds, he can clog the rushing lanes and hamper an opposing team’s running game. He’s the glue that holds together one of the most complete defenses in the game; they have zero weak links.
3. Notre Dame
Notre Dame’s electric defense carried a rather disappointing offensive unit to the National Championship game IRL, and their College Football 25 versions reflect that same electricity.
It seems to be a theme with all of these top defenses: they each have a superstar safety that leads the unit. It’s no different with Notre Dame, as they have Xavier Watts as a free safety. He’s a 95 overall freak, but I do recommend using him in the slot because of his 99-press coverage rating.
Notre Dame also has another spectacular defensive back in Benjamin Morrison (93 overall), who has 95+ ratings in both man and zone coverage. Their secondary also has cornerbacks Jordan Clark (87 overall) and Christian Gray (82 overall), as well as safety Rod Heard II (86 overall) and Adon Shuler (84 overall).
91 overall, Howard Cross III anchors the front seven as an interior pass rusher. Also on the D-line is another elite interior rusher in Rylie Mills (89 overall) and a speed rusher on the outside in R.J. Oben (85 overall).
What holds this defense together is stud linebacker Jack Kiser (89 overall), who patrols the middle of the field as a savvy coverage linebacker.
4. Iowa
Full disclosure: Iowa does have a spot in my heart. As a citizen of the Great Plains in the heart of flyover country, I always try to root for the Midwest powerhouses. Regardless, this defense is legitimately good and is powered by their back seven, which is arguably one of the best in the country.
Sebastian Castro fills the stud safety role for the Hawkeyes at 91 overall and 95 zone coverage. They also have another 90+ overall safety in Quinn Schulte (90 overall). In a testament to how absolutely insane their secondary is, they have another safety in Xavier Nwankpa, who is an 89 overall player.
Jemari Harris (90 overall), their ace corner, brings the number of 89+ secondary players up to four, creating the most star-studded secondary in the country despite not being the deepest unit; their next-best secondary player is 79 overall.
Jay Higgins is their green dot field general and one of the game’s best middle linebackers. His 98-tackling and 95-pursuit are truly elite. He partners up with outside standup linebacker Nick Jackson (90 overall) to provide lockdown skills in the run game and to limit yards after the catch in the passing game.
Their defensive front is also good, but they get outshined by their truly great secondary/linebackers. They’ve got Aaron Graves, an 87 overall interior pass rusher, Yahya Black, an 85 overall run stopper, and Ethan Hurkett, another massive pass rusher who lines up on the left end.
5. Alabama
If it’s a talent ranking, of course Alabama’s going to be on the list. Their recruiting regime and transfer portal dominance have landed them a true blue-chip prospect at every level of their defense.
They’ve got super senior Malachi Moore as their obligatory stud safety because every defense is built on those, apparently. They also have one of my favorite players in CFB with Domani Jackson at corner with 98 speed and 97 acceleration to help keep the deep pass game in check. Keon Sabb, the 87 overall free safety, is also in this secondary.
Jihaad Campbell is in the middle as their green dot field general and MLB. He’s one of the most complete standup linebackers in the game, with 90 speed, 88 tackle, and 80 zone coverage ratings.
On the line is where Alabama truly thrives; they have Deontae Lawson (91 overall) harassing QBs off the edge. The two Tim’s up the gut in Tim Keenan III (86 overall) and Tim Smith (85 overall) are two 300+ pound massive bodies that clog up rushing lanes. You also have one of the fastest outside rushing linebackers in Que Robinson (83 overall) on the other side of Lawson.
6. Michigan
Michigan gets a spot on this list despite only having six players over 85 overall. It’s the quality of those players, along with their depth of 80-84 overall players, that gets them on this list.
Arguably, Michigan has the two best defensive players entering this year’s NFL draft. Will Johnson is the top-rated defensive player in the game (besides two-way player Travis Hunter) and the fifth-best-rated player in Mason Graham. Johnson is a lockdown corner with three elite abilities and coverage ratings that are all over 95. Graham is an incredibly disruptive interior pass rusher with four elite abilities and a 97 bull rush rating.
Outside of those two true game-changers, you have two very different kinds of power rushers in DT Kenneth Grant (91 overall), who absolutely bowls over guards with his 339 pounds and 97 strength. Josaiah Stewart (92 overall) is only 245 pounds and uses leverage and a 93-power move rating to beat out tackles on the outside.
They’ve got Rod Moore (89 overall) as their stud safety because, of course, they have one, too, but besides him, they don’t have many more fantastic players to round out their roster. Most of the teams in the top five roll out at least eight or nine 85+ players and have a complete starting lineup of 83+ defenders. Michigan is certainly fun to play with their superstar defenders, but they have weak spots in a way other teams above them don’t.
7. South Carolina
We see a bit of a drop off in elite-level talent after Michigan at 6, but the Gamecocks have a solid defensive group, though it’s not chock full of superstars like Michigan. Of course, they have a 93 overall safety in Nick Emmanwori because those are a dime a dozen, I guess. Besides Emmanwori, they only have one other true game changer in Kyle Kennard.
Kennard is a beast edge rusher and one of my favorite players in the game. Although he has only 84 speed, he seems to play faster in the game with his 91 acceleration and silver quick jump ability. His 95 finesse moves are also appreciated.
They then have a trio of great players representing each level of their defense with 88 overall cornerback O’Donnel Fortune, 88 overall MLB Demetrius Knight Jr., and 87 overall freshman left end Dylan Stewart.
South Carolina also has one of the better DT duos in the game with 86 overall Tonka Hemingway and 85 overall T.J. Sanders, who are both sub-300-pound pass rushers. Combined with Kennard’s speed off the edge and Dylan Stewart on the left end, their pass rush is dominant.
8. Oregon
The Ducks have always been more of an offensive team, but their defense is usually sneakily good, with a few elite players mixed in. This year is no different, with cornerback Jabbar Muhammad locking down receivers with 93-man coverage and 95 zone. The 92 overall corner isn’t the only stud on the field for the Ducks; they also have likely first-round pick Derrick Harmon on the interior defensive line.
Harmon provides a lot of push on the inside with 95 strength and a 92 bull Rush rating. Opposing teams have a hard time maintaining pocket integrity with him on their team. If you add left-end Jordan Burch (89 overall), DT Jamaree Caldwell (86 overall), and underrated superstar Matayo Uiagalelei (85 overall), you’ve got yourself an elite D-line.
At 85 overall, safety Kobe Savage doesn’t quite count as a stud safety, but he helps create a quality secondary with Muhammad, Nikko Reed (84 overall), and Jahlil Florence (82 overall). They also have Jeffrey Bassa (87 overall), an undersized linebacker who covers the midfield like a ball-hawk safety.
9. Oklahoma
The Sooners have two stud safeties! Billy Bowman Jr. is their 90 overall strong safety with elite athleticism and ball-hawk abilities. Robert Spears-Jennings is their 89 overall free safety who can come down into the box and crash the line. Those two are accompanied in the middle of the field by 90 overall superstar MLB Danny Stutsman. his 97-awareness, as well as his 92 tackling and 91-acceleration makes him a great user option as a roaming linebacker.
Damonic Williams (86 overall), Mason Thomas (85 overall), Ethan Downs (85 overall), and Adepoju Adebawore (84 overall) make up a solid D-line that holds down the fort up front so their three studs in the middle can make plays.
They have a deep well of talented 84 and 83 overall players that fill up the rest of the starting line up and rotational players. Overall it’s a solid unit that centers around the midfield triangle.
10. Ole Miss
Walter Nolen, upfront for Ole Miss, is a future first-round pick that can absolutely bring chaos to an offense with his platinum inside disruptor ability and silver pocket disruptor ability. If opposing offenses can hold him off, they’ll still have to worry about 90 overall speed rusher Princely Umanmielen coming off the edge. If somehow an O-Line can block both Nolen and Princely, they’ll still have to deal with 89 overall edge rusher Chris Paul Jr hunting their QB down.
That’s not to mention both Jared Ivey (87 overall) and J.J. Pegues (86 overall), who are both senior power rushers on the D-Line that help their stars wreak havoc on opposing backfields.
Ole Miss only ranks 10th overall despite having one of the most disruptive D-lines in the game because it is extremely one-dimensional. Cornerback Trey Amos (87 overall) is the only non-D-line defender over 85 overall. They don’t have a stud safety; rather, they have a pair of solid 84 overall D-backs in John Saunders Jr. and Trey Washington.
They have some decent players in the low eighties to help make up the starting lineup, but a quick-passing West Coast-style offense that deploys a lot of outside zone runs should be able to have success against them.
Honorable mentions
- Clemson
- Indiana
- Kansas
- Tennessee
- Penn State
Published: Feb 21, 2025 6:15 PM UTC