The best FCS football players at every position halfway through the year

Six weeks remain in the 2025 FCS football season, and some players have lived up to preseason expectations while other players have emerged as stars through the first half of the season.

After evaluating the season so far, I've determined the top players at every position in FCS football. Here's an all-star roster with the best players in the FCS, right now.

Offense

Quarterback — Derek Robertson | Monmouth

The Monmouth offense goes as Derek Robertson does. He leads the FCS in passing touchdowns and yards, ranks third in completion percentage and ranks fourth in passing efficiency. He’s putting up the numbers and also leading the Hawks to wins as Monmouth is 5-1 on the season.

SUPERLATIVES: Here are some FCS football midseason superlatives for 2025

Running back — Eli Gillman | Montana

Eli Gillman is tied for the second-most rushing touchdowns in the FCS and 713 rushing yards on the season. Montana had an early bye, so Gillman had to catch up to his peers when it comes to counting stats, but he’s since had four 100-yard games and has scored at least two touchdowns in five of six games.

Running back — L.J. Phillips Jr. | South Dakota

LJ Phillips leads FCS with 986 rushing yards and is tied for second in the FCS with 11 rushing touchdowns. He’s done this without starting in the first two games. He has a 300-yard game, a 200-yard game and a pair of 100-yard games in four of his five games as a starter.

Wide receiver — Treyvhon Saunders | Colgate

Treyvhon Saunders leads the FCS in receptions and receiving yards. On the year he has 50 catches for 700 yards and six touchdowns. He’s a bright spot for a Colgate squad that has only managed two wins this year.

Wide receiver — Josh Derry | Monmouth

Josh Derry is a big reason for Monmouth’s offensive explosiveness. Derry has four 100-yard receiving games, including a 177 yard showing in a ranked contest against Villanova. While the wideout has had quieter performances in his last two games, he still leads the FCS in receiving touchdowns with eight.

Wide receiver — Marquis Buchanan | Rhode Island

Marquis Buchanan has 39 catches for 683 yards and four touchdowns on the season this year. That’s impressive with Buchanan being a focal point for opposing defenses facing the Rhode Island offense. He has the second-most receiving yards in the FCS.

Tight end — Nathan Levicki | Presbyterian

Presbyterian being undefeated at 6-0 is one of the surprises of the FCS season, but the Blue Hose wouldn’t be in the position they are in without the success of tight end Nathan Levicki. 

Levicki leads all tight ends with five receiving touchdowns. He scored the only touchdown in Presbyterian’s upset of Mercer and the game-winning touchdown in Presbyterian’s overtime upset of Furman.

Offensive line

No offense can have success without good offensive line play. However, offensive linemen don’t record stats. While there is data on pancake blocks and sacks allowed out there, not every school, conference or game records those stats the same. I’m passing on the big fellas in the trenches for this list.

Defense

Interior DL — Jayland McGlothen | Sacramento State

Sacramento State’s Jayland McGlothen has been having a great year out west. He has six sacks and 7.5 tackles for loss from his defensive tackle position, including two multi-sack games against South Dakota State and Central Arkansas.

Interior DL — Kaleb Proctor | Southeastern Louisiana

Kaleb Proctor showcased why he’s one of the best defensive linemen in FCS football and a top FCS NFL draft prospect when he played against an FBS-ranked LSU team. He finished with three tackles for loss and two sacks against the Tigers. On the season, he has six tackles for loss and four sacks.

Edge rusher — Joshua Stoneking | Furman

Joshua Stoneking is the top edge rusher in the FCS this season. Stoneking's 10.5 sacks leads the FCS and his 14.5 tackles for loss ranks second. He’s had at least two tackles for loss and sacks in four of his six games this season, making his presence known in opposing backfields.

Edge rusher — Ckelby Givens | Southern

The second edge rusher on this list is Southern’s Ckelby Givens. Givens has 7.5 sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss, ranking third in the FCS in both categories, also adding in two forced fumbles. He dominated Mississippi Valley State with 3.5 sacks and five tackles for loss, two quarterback hurries and a forced fumble. 

EVERYTHING HBCU: Schedule, scores, updates and more from the 2025 HBCU football season

Linebacker — James Conway | Fordham

James Conway continues to be a tackling machine for the Fordham defense. The linebacker leads the nation with 86 tackles so far this season. If he keeps pace, he’ll likely break the FCS career tackles record within two weeks and the Division I career tackles record before the season is over.

Linebacker — Justin Waters | Charleston Southern

Charleston Southern might not be a good team this year with a 1-6 record, but that doesn’t mean the Buccaneers don’t have good players. Linebacker Justin Waters is just that. He leads the FCS with seven forced fumbles in seven games. He tied the OVC-Big South record for single game tackles against Gardner-Webb with 19. Waters is on pace to break the FCS single-season record for forced fumbles of 10 set by Robert Mathis in 2002, which would also break the Division I and NCAA record shared by Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil from 2005.

FCS RANKINGS: AFCA Coaches Poll | STATS PERFORM

Cornerback — Shadwel Nkuba II | Illinois State

Shadwel Nkuba II transferred in from Louisiana to Illinois State and has had an instant impact. He started off the season with an interception in each of his first four games with the Redbirds. In addition to his four interceptions, Nkuba has 30 tackles, two tackles for loss, two pass breakups and a sack.

Cornerback — Ishmel Atkins | Elon

Ishmel Atkins has been having a great year for Elon. He has three interceptions and six pass breakups on the season, highlighted by a two interception day against Hampton. Atkins leads the CAA in both categories.

Safety — Mekhai Smith | Lehigh

Lehigh is 7-0 and ranked in the top-10 of the FCS. A key contributor to the undefeated start has been safety Mekhai Smith. Smith is tied for the FCS lead in interceptions with four. He’s helping lead the No. 3 rushing defense and No. 8 total defense. 

Safety — Nate Robinson Jr. | Marist

Marist safety Nate Robinson Jr. leads the FCS in passes defended with 14. He has three interceptions and 11 pass breakups, adding in 33 tackles. His best game came against Wagner when he had 10 tackles, two interceptions and 0.5 tackles for loss.

Specialists

While specialists like kicker, punter, long snapper and returners are important, I didn't add any specialists to the list. Why? I think it's best to wait for more high-stakes moments to come during conference play to allow specialists to separate themselves from the pack.