College Football 2025: The most valuable returning players, according to PFF WAA

As the dust settles on the previous season and anticipation builds for the 2025 college football campaign, the focus inevitably shifts to the individual talents poised to dominate the landscape. Identifying the truly indispensable players – those who don't just accumulate statistics but genuinely elevate their teams – is a complex challenge, one that modern analytics endeavors to illuminate. At the forefront of this evaluation is Pro Football Focus (PFF), an organization renowned for its unparalleled database of collegiate snaps and its sophisticated methodologies for quantifying player impact.

PFF employs a robust two-tiered system to dissect player performance, offering a granular view unparalleled in sports analysis. The foundational layer consists of PFF grades, meticulously assigned on a play-by-play basis by expert analysts. These grades assess every action a player takes, from a quarterback's decision-making on a scramble to a defensive lineman's technique against a double team, providing a precise measure of individual execution and consistency. However, while PFF grades offer deep insight into performance, the ultimate metric for assessing a player's overall worth to their squad is Wins Above Average (WAA).

Wins Above Average transcends individual play grades by quantifying a player's contribution to their team's probability of winning. It's a holistic metric that takes into account not just how well a player performs, but how much that performance translates into tangible success on the scoreboard. A high WAA indicates a player whose presence on the field consistently leads to positive outcomes, whether through game-changing plays, sustained excellence that prevents opponents from gaining an edge, or clutch moments that swing momentum. This sophisticated model allows PFF to pinpoint those rare talents who are not merely productive, but truly invaluable, fundamentally altering their team's trajectory.

For the 2025 season, the PFF WAA metric will be crucial in identifying the returning players poised to make the biggest impact. It’s not just about the highlight-reel moments, but the consistent, high-leverage plays that elevate a team from good to great. Expect to see elite quarterbacks, who consistently make accurate throws under pressure and extend plays, near the top of these lists. But WAA also highlights the often-unsung heroes: the dominant offensive linemen who consistently open running lanes and protect the pocket, the versatile defensive linemen who disrupt both run and pass plays, or the shutdown cornerbacks who eliminate half of the field. These are the players whose contributions might not always lead SportsCenter, but whose absence would be profoundly felt by their respective programs. Their influence extends beyond individual statistics, permeating every aspect of team success and often serving as the bedrock for championship aspirations.