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TOP FOOTBALL RECRUITS
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Bounce-back & Transfer portal pipeline recruits are located on the 2026 Top Football Recruits at College Football Now & were re-classed.
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2031 TOP COLLEGE FOOTBALL RECRUITS
Check out the new College Football Now 2031 Top Football Recruits by smashing the official CFB Now 2031 Top Football Recruits graphic below!
SCOUT TROUT NFL PLAYERS
Scout Trout Elite Pipeline Program members Chandler Rivers, Myles Rowser & T.J Quinn have all declared for 2026 NFL Draft!
S.T.E.P LEADERSHIP SCORES (CAREER BACK-TEST)
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S.T.E.P RATINGS
📊 Scout Trout Elite Prospect Ratings (S.T.E.P.)
What Is S.T.E.P.?
S.T.E.P. Ratings (Scout Trout Evaluation & Projection) is a proprietary analytical framework developed by Meredith “Merf” Trout to evaluate football prospects with depth, context, and projection power — not popularity or hype.
S.T.E.P. is built to answer one critical question for athletes and coaches:
“Given this player’s film, physical profile, and developmental trajectory, how likely is he to help a college roster?”
Unlike traditional recruiting rankings that often rely on offers or subjective scouting buzz, S.T.E.P. Ratings are rooted in what actually translates from high school to college and beyond.
What Is S.T.E.P.?
S.T.E.P. Ratings (Scout Trout Evaluation & Projection) is a proprietary analytical framework developed by Meredith “Merf” Trout to evaluate football prospects with depth, context, and projection power — not popularity or hype.
S.T.E.P. is built to answer one critical question for athletes and coaches:
“Given this player’s film, physical profile, and developmental trajectory, how likely is he to help a college roster?”
Unlike traditional recruiting rankings that often rely on offers or subjective scouting buzz, S.T.E.P. Ratings are rooted in what actually translates from high school to college and beyond.
NIL S.T.E.P VALUATIONS
Big Picture: Why STEP → NIL Makes Sense
Traditional NIL valuation is broken because it overweights:
Social media followers
Hype
Market size
Flash stats
What NIL actually needs is risk-adjusted value:
“How likely is this athlete to sustain relevance, production, and brand trust over time?”
That’s exactly what S.T.E.P. already measures.
So instead of NIL = popularity,
you make NIL = performance × sustainability × market fit.
STEP → NIL Translation Framework
(S + T + E + P = 40-point max)
We’ll convert that into three NIL valuation layers:
Base NIL Value (Performance Floor)
This is the minimum defensible NIL value for the athlete.
Formula (simple & clean):
Base NIL Score = (S + T + E + P) × Multiplier
Suggested Multipliers (they can be whatever)
High School: × $250
College Starter: × $1,000
Power 5 Star / Portal Target: × $2,500+
NFL Draft Prospect: × $5,000+
Example
STEP Score: 34/40
College Starter multiplier: $1,000
Base NIL = $34,000
This gives schools and collectives a non-emotional starting point.
NIL Sustainability Index (Risk Modifier)
We weight categories differently for NIL longevity:
STEP Category NIL Weight
Substance 35%
Technique 20%
Execution 25%
Presence 20%
Why?
NIL collapses when Substance fails (off-field, maturity, burnout)
Technique + Execution sustain on-field relevance
Presence determines brand trust and marketability
Output
Elite NIL Hold (Low risk)
Moderate NIL Hold (Medium risk)
High Volatility NIL (Short-term only)
This protects collectives from bad deals.
Presence → Brand & Market Multiplier
This is where P (Presence) finally gets its respect.
Presence measures:
Leadership
Coachability
Media comfort
Locker room gravity
Faith / character consistency (huge for certain brands)
Presence Tiers
P Score NIL Impact
9–10 Brand Anchor (multi-year)
7–8 Campaign Ready
5–6 Limited Activation
<5 On-field only
This helps brands decide:
Jersey deals
Faith-based partnerships
Local endorsements
National campaigns
STEP NIL TIERS
40–36 → Franchise NIL Asset
35–31 → Program Builder NIL
30–26 → Developmental NIL
25–21 → Short-Term / Local NIL
<20 → NIL Risk Zone
Transfer Portal NIL Angle (Huge Advantage)
For the portal:
STEP exposes why a player transferred
Substance + Presence predict second-program success
NIL collectives can avoid:
Culture mismatches
One-year mercenaries
Locker-room volatility
This makes S.T.E.P. mandatory reading for portal evaluations.
“We provide the evaluation framework NIL decisions should be based on.”
“NIL doesn’t reward hype — it rewards sustainability. STEP measures whether the value will still be there tomorrow.”
Traditional NIL valuation is broken because it overweights:
Social media followers
Hype
Market size
Flash stats
What NIL actually needs is risk-adjusted value:
“How likely is this athlete to sustain relevance, production, and brand trust over time?”
That’s exactly what S.T.E.P. already measures.
So instead of NIL = popularity,
you make NIL = performance × sustainability × market fit.
STEP → NIL Translation Framework
(S + T + E + P = 40-point max)
We’ll convert that into three NIL valuation layers:
Base NIL Value (Performance Floor)
This is the minimum defensible NIL value for the athlete.
Formula (simple & clean):
Base NIL Score = (S + T + E + P) × Multiplier
Suggested Multipliers (they can be whatever)
High School: × $250
College Starter: × $1,000
Power 5 Star / Portal Target: × $2,500+
NFL Draft Prospect: × $5,000+
Example
STEP Score: 34/40
College Starter multiplier: $1,000
Base NIL = $34,000
This gives schools and collectives a non-emotional starting point.
NIL Sustainability Index (Risk Modifier)
We weight categories differently for NIL longevity:
STEP Category NIL Weight
Substance 35%
Technique 20%
Execution 25%
Presence 20%
Why?
NIL collapses when Substance fails (off-field, maturity, burnout)
Technique + Execution sustain on-field relevance
Presence determines brand trust and marketability
Output
Elite NIL Hold (Low risk)
Moderate NIL Hold (Medium risk)
High Volatility NIL (Short-term only)
This protects collectives from bad deals.
Presence → Brand & Market Multiplier
This is where P (Presence) finally gets its respect.
Presence measures:
Leadership
Coachability
Media comfort
Locker room gravity
Faith / character consistency (huge for certain brands)
Presence Tiers
P Score NIL Impact
9–10 Brand Anchor (multi-year)
7–8 Campaign Ready
5–6 Limited Activation
<5 On-field only
This helps brands decide:
Jersey deals
Faith-based partnerships
Local endorsements
National campaigns
STEP NIL TIERS
40–36 → Franchise NIL Asset
35–31 → Program Builder NIL
30–26 → Developmental NIL
25–21 → Short-Term / Local NIL
<20 → NIL Risk Zone
Transfer Portal NIL Angle (Huge Advantage)
For the portal:
STEP exposes why a player transferred
Substance + Presence predict second-program success
NIL collectives can avoid:
Culture mismatches
One-year mercenaries
Locker-room volatility
This makes S.T.E.P. mandatory reading for portal evaluations.
“We provide the evaluation framework NIL decisions should be based on.”
“NIL doesn’t reward hype — it rewards sustainability. STEP measures whether the value will still be there tomorrow.”
S.T.E.P COACHING OUTCOMES
Scout Trout Elite S.T.E.P coaching outcomes featuring the only coach to score a perfect 40. S.T.E.P score!
Nick Saban: The Only Head Coach to Achieve a Perfect 40.0 S.T.E.P. Score
The S.T.E.P. grading system evaluates Substance, Technique, Execution, and Presence on a 10.0 scale, producing a maximum composite score of 40.0.
At the conclusion of his career, Nick Saban is the only head coach in modern college football history to earn a perfect 40.0 S.T.E.P. score — not for a season, but for an entire body of work.
This distinction is about sustainability + evolution, not peaks.
S — Substance (10.0 / 10.0)Program DNA | Cultural Permanence | Long-Term Stability
Substance measures whether success is repeatable without erosion.
Why Saban earns a 10:
Perfect Substance = the program outlived every variable.
T — Technique (10.0 / 10.0)
Teaching Efficiency | Scheme Translation | Development Accuracy
Technique is about how well knowledge is transferred and executed, not just scheme design.
Why Saban earns a 10:
E — Execution (10.0 / 10.0)
Performance Under Pressure | Error Suppression | Adjustment Speed
Execution is where great programs separate from legendary ones.
Why Saban earns a 10:
P — Presence (10.0 / 10.0)Authority | Psychological Edge | Competitive Gravity
Presence measures how a leader alters environments before competition begins.
Why Saban earns a 10:
Final S.T.E.P. Score
Substance 10.0
Technique 10.0
Execution 10.0
Presence 10.0
Total 40.0 / 40.0
Why No One Else Reaches 40.0
Other elite coaches may hit:
That’s why Saban remains the gold standard S.T.E.P. benchmark — not just a great coach, but the evaluation ceiling itself.
Back Reference: Scout Trout Elite (2018)
This evaluation is not revisionist history.
In 2018, Scout Trout Elite published an early leadership and process-based analysis identifying Nick Saban as the only active head coach operating at a true ceiling level across all four S.T.E.P. pillars — before the modern NIL era, before unrestricted transfer movement, and before the current volatility of college football leadership.
At the time, the conclusion was simple but controversial:
Saban was not just winning — he had built a system that could survive anything the sport threw at it.
That assessment was based on:
Why the 2018 Evaluation Matters Now
Since that original analysis:
What was identified in 2018 as:
Scout Trout Elite Historical Note
Scout Trout Elite does not grade in hindsight --
we track process in real time and let outcomes confirm the model.
Nick Saban’s final 40.0 S.T.E.P. score stands as the first fully completed proof case that the system works across eras, not just seasons.
The S.T.E.P. grading system evaluates Substance, Technique, Execution, and Presence on a 10.0 scale, producing a maximum composite score of 40.0.
At the conclusion of his career, Nick Saban is the only head coach in modern college football history to earn a perfect 40.0 S.T.E.P. score — not for a season, but for an entire body of work.
This distinction is about sustainability + evolution, not peaks.
S — Substance (10.0 / 10.0)Program DNA | Cultural Permanence | Long-Term Stability
Substance measures whether success is repeatable without erosion.
Why Saban earns a 10:
- Built a culture that survived staff turnover, NIL, transfer portal, and generational athletes
- Standardized accountability regardless of recruiting rank or star power
- Eliminated entitlement before it could metastasize
- Maintained identity while allowing innovation
Perfect Substance = the program outlived every variable.
T — Technique (10.0 / 10.0)
Teaching Efficiency | Scheme Translation | Development Accuracy
Technique is about how well knowledge is transferred and executed, not just scheme design.
Why Saban earns a 10:
- Defensive teaching mastery across multiple schematic eras
- Developed players and assistants at elite rates
- Film study, practice tempo, and teaching language were standardized
- Technique was simplified without being dumbed down
E — Execution (10.0 / 10.0)
Performance Under Pressure | Error Suppression | Adjustment Speed
Execution is where great programs separate from legendary ones.
Why Saban earns a 10:
- Elite postseason execution across multiple decades
- Rare self-inflicted losses
- In-game adjustments consistently flipped matchups
- Situational football (red zone, 3rd down, 2-minute) was elite year over year
P — Presence (10.0 / 10.0)Authority | Psychological Edge | Competitive Gravity
Presence measures how a leader alters environments before competition begins.
Why Saban earns a 10:
- Recruiting battles shifted before visits occurred
- Opponents coached tighter against Alabama
- Players elevated preparation because of expectations
- Assistants carried Saban’s imprint wherever they went
Final S.T.E.P. Score
Substance 10.0
Technique 10.0
Execution 10.0
Presence 10.0
Total 40.0 / 40.0
Why No One Else Reaches 40.0
Other elite coaches may hit:
- 38–39 for peak stretches
- 36–37 for sustained success
- 34–35 for legacy impact
That’s why Saban remains the gold standard S.T.E.P. benchmark — not just a great coach, but the evaluation ceiling itself.
Back Reference: Scout Trout Elite (2018)
This evaluation is not revisionist history.
In 2018, Scout Trout Elite published an early leadership and process-based analysis identifying Nick Saban as the only active head coach operating at a true ceiling level across all four S.T.E.P. pillars — before the modern NIL era, before unrestricted transfer movement, and before the current volatility of college football leadership.
At the time, the conclusion was simple but controversial:
Saban was not just winning — he had built a system that could survive anything the sport threw at it.
That assessment was based on:
- Cultural durability over star dependency
- Staff regeneration without performance drop-off
- Player development independent of recruiting hype
- Process dominance rather than schematic trends
Why the 2018 Evaluation Matters Now
Since that original analysis:
- The transfer portal exploded
- NIL fundamentally altered roster management
- Coaching lifespans shortened dramatically
- Blueblood programs experienced internal erosion
What was identified in 2018 as:
- Elite Process Alignment
- A perfect 40.0 S.T.E.P. career outcome
Scout Trout Elite Historical Note
Scout Trout Elite does not grade in hindsight --
we track process in real time and let outcomes confirm the model.
Nick Saban’s final 40.0 S.T.E.P. score stands as the first fully completed proof case that the system works across eras, not just seasons.
More edits will be added after Top Football Recruit Scouting Report Updates are concluded at Scout Trout Elite!
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CFB TOP 25 RANKINGS 2025
College Football Now FBS, FCS, D2 & NAIA football top 25 rankings can be found for week three of the 2025 college football season by using the buttons below!
2025-2026 CFP TOP 25 RANKINGS WK 11
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2025-2026 CFP TOP 25 RANKINGS WK 9
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THE POSITIVES OF THE NCAA TRANSFER PORTAL PT.1 - OPPORTUNITY & ACCOUNTABILITY
“Enter through the narrow gate. For wide is the gate and broad is the road that leads to destruction, and many enter through it. But small is the gate and narrow the road that leads to life, and only a few find it” (Matthew 7:13-14)
2025 HEISMAN TROPHY FRONTRUNNERS
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2025 TOP FOOTBALL RECRUITS
College Football Now & Scout Trout Elite 2025 top football recruits can be found by clicking the buttons to 2025 top FB recruit position rankings pages & the new 2025 Top 500+ Football Recruit Rankings below!
TOP 2025 FOOTBALL RECRUITS
College Football Now & Scout Trout Elite top 2025 football recruits & 2025 High School Football All-Americans slide-show can be found below and 2023, 2024, 2025 & 2026 football offers are updated on the Scout Trout Football Offers page!
2026 TOP FOOTBALL RECRUITS
College Football Now 2026 top football recruits can be found via the new College Football Today RokFin 2026 Top 200+ Football Recruit Rankings & on the 2026 Top Football Recruits Scouting page by clicking the button below!
2026 TOP OL RECRUIT TRISTEN SEIDL
Check out new top 2026 offensive line recruit Tristen Seidl by clicking the College Football Now Go Navy graphic below!
2026 TOP 200+ FOOTBALL RECRUIT RANKINGS
Scout & recruit 2026 top football recruits by clicking the image of 2026 top ATH recruit Zelus Hicks, who recently earned an offer from the defending National Champion Georgia Bulldogs!
The College Football Now 2026 Top 500+ Football Recruit Rankings features the best rising class of 2026 football recruits in the world of college football recruiting!
2027 TOP FOOTBALL RECRUITS
Check out the new College Football Now 2027 top football recruits watch-list by clicking the graphic below & check back soon for the initial release of the 2027 top football recruit rankings!
2028 TOP FOOTBALL RECRUITS
The College Football Now top 2028 football recruits watch-list features the best rising high school freshmen football players nationally!
2030 TOP FOOTBALL RECRUITS
The College Football Now 2030 top football recruits database features rising class of 2030 football recruits scouting & recruiting profiles!
2025-2026 CFB BOWL GAME APPAREL
College Football Now 2025-2026 CFB Bowl game apparel & CFP gear will be released the week following the announcement of the 2025-2026 CFB bowl game & CFB Playoff match-ups!
CFB PLAYOFF RANKINGS
Check out the 2024-2025 CFB Playoff final top 25 rankings at College Football Now!
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SCOUT TROUT NFL PLAYERS
Congrats to 2018 Scout Trout All-Americans Tykeem Doss of the Baltimore Ravens & Lincoln Sefcik of the New York Jets for making it to the National Football League!
Pipeline program enrollment date for both Tykeem Doss & Lincoln Sefcik - 7/16/2017
Pipeline program enrollment date for both Tykeem Doss & Lincoln Sefcik - 7/16/2017
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL PLAYERS
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2025 FLORIDA GATORS FOOTBALL PREVIEW
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2024 NFL DRAFT QB RANKINGS SCOUTING NOTES
2024 TOP FOOTBALL RECRUIT RANKINGS
College Football Now 2024 top football recruits were initially evaluated through the utilization of the Scout Trout Elite S.T.E.P ratings algorithmic formula before the 2020 NCAA FB evaluation period.
Check out the College Football Today RokFin 2024 Top 500+ by clicking HERE & view 2024 top ranked recruits scouting & recruiting data by using the buttons below!
Check out the College Football Today RokFin 2024 Top 500+ by clicking HERE & view 2024 top ranked recruits scouting & recruiting data by using the buttons below!
CFB PLAYOFF RANKINGS FORMULA
The Scout Trout Elite formulated College Football Today CFB Playoff rankings formula was created during the 2018-2019 CFB season and was the world's consensus best solution for an expanded CFB Playoff bracket.
NCAA FOOTBALL CONFERENCE REALIGNMENT 2024
Check out the new NCAA football conference realignment for the 2024-2025 college football season by clicking the NCAA Conference Realignment 2024 graphic below!
ALL-AMERICAN DB MYLES ROWSER NAMED TO FCS BLUEBLOODS FRESHMAN ALL-AMERICAN TEAM
NFL DRAFT QB PROSEPCT RANKINGS
College Football Now & Scout Trout Elite 2023 NFL Draft QB prospect mid-season rankings feature the top college quarterbacks that are draft eligible for the 2023 NFL Draft, as of October 18th, 2022.
2023 TOP 1000+ FOOTBALL RECRUIT RANKINGS
College Football Now 2023 top football recruits & can be found below via the position rankings buttons below and are ranked on the 2023 Top 1000+ Football Recruit rankings on College Football Today RokFin!
CFB TODAY FSU FOOTBALL PREDICTION
Check out the new College Football Today RokFin Live channel where Scout Trout begins to breaks down film on top 2022, 2023, 2024, 2025 & 2026 football recruits nationally, as well as our 2022 CFB predictions & previews!
LSU FOOTBALL PREVIEW & PREDICTION
Click the image below of Mike The Tiger to view the 2022 LSU football preview & prediction brought to you by Scout Trout Elite LLC.
UNLV FOOTBALL PREVIEW AT LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
The College Football Now & Scout Trout Elite 2022 UNLV Football Preview at the Las Vegas Raiders is brought to you by Scout Trout Elite LLC.
The UNLV Rebels football team has not produced a winning team the past eight seasons and finished 125th in the 2022 football recruiting rankings, but appear to be trending in the right direction under Coach Arroyo. Find out why we think the UNLV Rebels will be tough to stop offensively this year with the arrival of top 2020 QB recruit Harrison Bailey from Tennessee and learn more about some of the key players to watch at the Las Vegas Raiders Allegiant Stadium from Scout Trout. Also enjoy the beautiful scenery and photos from Allegiant Stadium, UNLV and the beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada by clicking the image below!
The UNLV Rebels football team has not produced a winning team the past eight seasons and finished 125th in the 2022 football recruiting rankings, but appear to be trending in the right direction under Coach Arroyo. Find out why we think the UNLV Rebels will be tough to stop offensively this year with the arrival of top 2020 QB recruit Harrison Bailey from Tennessee and learn more about some of the key players to watch at the Las Vegas Raiders Allegiant Stadium from Scout Trout. Also enjoy the beautiful scenery and photos from Allegiant Stadium, UNLV and the beautiful Las Vegas, Nevada by clicking the image below!
AUBURN FOOTBALL PREVIEW
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SOUTH ALABAMA FOOTBALL PREVIEW & PREDICTION
Click the image of Coach Kane Wommack at the new Hancock Whitney stadium to view the 2022 South Alabama football preview & prediction brought to you by Scout Trout Elite LLC!
2022 TOP FOOTBALL RECRUITS
College Football Now 2022 top football recruit rankings were formerly featured on CollegeFootballToday.Org & were initially evaluated through the utilization of the Scout Trout Elite S.T.E.P ratings algorithmic formula before the 2019 NCAA FB evaluation period. Check out the College Football Today RokFin 2022 Top 700+ by clicking HERE & check out the new 2022 top FB recruit rankings page on College Football Now by clicking HERE or the button below.
SCOUT TROUT ELITE 2018
STUDENT-ATHLETES GETTING PAID
The CFB Today Token system was developed by Scout Trout through the course of learning the intricacies of the rapidly evolving world of cryptocurrency through his valued partnership with RokFin!
