Top 10 impact freshmen heading into the 2025 college football season

As the first-ever champions of an expanded, 12-team College Football Playoff last winter, Ohio State’s sojourn to the national title was filled with some unforgettable postseason moments: from the defiant response by embattled head coach Ryan Day in the quarterfinals against Tennessee to the first-half explosion against top overall seed Oregon in the Rose Bowl; from the mind-twisting scoop and score by edge rusher Jack Sawyer against Texas to the 24-point lead over Notre Dame in the championship game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.

With the exception of a quiet semifinal performance against Texas, true freshman wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, the former No. 1 overall recruit in the country, forced his way toward the epicenter of Ohio State’s entire playoff run. He caught six passes for 103 yards and two scores in the win over Tennessee that reminded everyone how effective it is to simply throw the ball to the best player on the field. He shredded Oregon with five receptions for 161 yards and two scores in the first half alone during an eventual 20-point beatdown. And when the national championship was on the line against Notre Dame — third-and-11 with 2:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, the Buckeyes clinging to a one-score lead — it was Smith who hauled in a 56-yard reception against man coverage that all but sealed Ohio State’s victory.

While it would be foolish to assume that each recruiting class can produce a freshman of Smith’s supreme ilk, the fact remains that ultra-talented, physically mature newcomers can still play outsized roles in a sport often dominated by age and experience. Bryce Underwood, the No. 1 overall player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, might become the starting quarterback at Michigan. Gideon Davidson, an electric runner during spring practice at Clemson, is climbing the depth chart for a team with legitimate national championship aspirations. Devin Sanchez, described by some as the next great Ohio State corner, will be difficult to keep off the field as the Buckeyes chase a repeat national championship. Those are just a few of the newcomers in key positions entering fall camp. 

So with that in mind, here’s a look at 10 potential impact freshmen capable of shaping the upcoming college football season: 

* Recruiting rankings and historical data courtesy of 247Sports.com

Bryce Underwood #19 of the Michigan Wolverines prepares to receive the ball during the second half of the Michigan Maize vs Blue Spring Football Game. (Photo by Aaron J. Thornton/Getty Images)

Height: 6-4
Weight: 208 pounds
School: Belleville High School in Belleville, Michigan
Ranking: No. 1 overall, No. 1 QB

Underwood authored the most significant plot twist of the 2025 recruiting cycle on Nov. 21, 2024, when he decommitted from LSU, a program that had held his verbal pledge for nearly a year, and swiftly flipped to Michigan that same day. Not only did Underwood’s decision immediately change the tenor of head coach Sherrone Moore’s debut season with the Wolverines, which had largely floundered until that point, but it also signaled a distinct change in Michigan’s viability as an NIL powerhouse with a reported deal for the quarterback worth between $10 million and $12 million over four years, according to numerous media outlets. Underwood became just the second No. 1 overall prospect to sign with Michigan in the recruiting rankings era alongside former edge rusher Rashan Gary in 2016. The only other top-five prospects to play for the Wolverines are defensive back Jabrill Peppers (No. 3 overall in 2014), quarterback Ryan Mallett (No. 5 overall in 2007), linebacker Lamarr Woodley (No. 4 overall in 2003) and safety Prescott Burgess (No. 5 overall in 2003). 

Though Underwood grew up roughly 30 minutes from Michigan Stadium, the idea that he would eventually sign with the Wolverines felt somewhat farfetched given his relatively early commitment to LSU, which seemed to signal that Michigan would miss out on a third highly rated local quarterback in as many cycles after Dante Moore (No. 4 overall in 2023) signed with UCLA and CJ Carr (No. 68 overall in 2024) signed with Notre Dame. The hype surrounding Underwood, a four-year starter who won two state championships and finished his career having thrown for more than 11,000 yards with 179 total touchdowns, exceeded that of his predecessors when he became the nation’s top overall player the summer before his junior season. And while Underwood won’t turn 18 until mid-August — less than two weeks before Michigan’s opener against New Mexico — he’s the presumed front-runner in a quarterback competition that also includes Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene and former four-star recruit Jadyn Davis. 

Height: 5-11
Weight: 182 pounds
School: Duncanville High School in Duncanville, Texas
Ranking: No. 4 overall, No. 1 WR

If Jeremiah Smith from Ohio State and Ryan Williams from Alabama were the freshmen wide receivers who captivated college football fans last fall — with both of them ending up as cover athletes for EA Sports College Football 26 — then Moore might be the next wideout whose name viewers are likely to hear much sooner than later. A bonafide speedster, Moore was part of some historic track and field relay teams at Duncanville that set the national high school record in the 4×200-meter with a time of 1:22.25 in May 2024. He and his teammates also scorched the 4×100-meter relay in 39.47 seconds that same year. Moore’s fastest individual times in the 100-meter dash were 10.40 and 10.45 seconds his junior season before enrolling early at Oregon. As a football player, Moore finished his high school career with more than 3,400 receiving yards and 40 touchdowns while helping Duncanville to two state championships in 2022 and 2023. He caught 74 passes for 1,460 yards and 19 touchdowns last fall.  

The second-best prospect to ever sign with Oregon in the recruiting rankings era — only edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux (No. 2 overall in 2019) was ranked higher — Moore was always expected to play a large role as a true freshman in 2025, especially considering the Ducks have ranked among the top 13 nationally in passing each of the last two seasons under well-regarded offensive coordinator Will Stein. But Moore’s projected contributions took on even greater importance last week when it was reported that returning starter Evan Stewart, who caught 48 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns last season, suffered a severe knee injury that may sideline him for most, if not all, of the upcoming campaign. That means Oregon will now enter the year without its top three receivers from 2024 after Tez Johnson (83 catches, 898 yards, 10 TDs) and Traeshon Holden (45 catches, 718 yards, 5 TDs) moved on to the NFL. The door is open for Moore to blossom into a star. 

Devin Sanchez #4 of the Ohio State Buckeyes arrives at Ohio Stadium prior to the Ohio State Spring Game. (Photo by Ben Jackson/Getty Images)

Height: 6-2
Weight: 185 pounds
School: North Shore Senior High School in Houston, Texas
Ranking: No. 8 overall, No. 1 CB

Over the last 25 years, the list of cornerbacks who developed into first-round draft picks after successful careers at Ohio State is a lengthy one: Ahmed Plummer in 2000 (No. 24 overall); Nate Clements in 2001 (No. 21 overall); Chris Gamble in 2004 (No. 28 overall); Malcolm Jenkins in 2009 (No. 14 overall); Bradley Roby in 2014 (No. 31 overall); Eli Apple in 2016 (No. 10 overall); Gareon Conley and Marshon Lattimore in 2017 (Nos. 24 and 11, respectively); Denzel Ward in 2018 (No. 4 overall); and Damon Arnett and Jeff Okudah in 2020 (Nos. 19 and 4, respectively). 

None of those eventual stars joined the program with as much hype as Sanchez, the highest-rated cornerback prospect to sign with the Buckeyes since Ted Ginn Jr. in 2004, though Ginn was later converted to offense and became a first-round pick at wide receiver. Since the dawn of the recruiting rankings era, the only full-time defenders with stronger recruiting profiles than Sanchez when their Ohio State careers began were edge rushers JT Tuimoloau (No. 4 overall) and Jack Sawyer (No. 5 overall) in 2021 and edge rusher Noah Spence (No. 5 overall) in 2012. All of which means that Sanchez, who made 57 tackles and had 29 pass breakups to go along with nine interceptions his junior year, arrived with a pedigree that turned heads at a program already accustomed to fielding elite defensive backs seemingly every year. 

With the departure of Denzel Burke via the NFL Draft, where he was a fifth-round pick earlier this year, Sanchez should have the opportunity to compete for early playing time opposite veteran Davison Igbinosun, the former Ole Miss transfer who led the Buckeyes’ cornerbacks with 810 snaps in 2024. Fellow corners Jermaine Matthews Jr. (396 snaps), Lorenzo Styles Jr. (162 snaps) and Aaron Scott Jr. (74 snaps) are also in the mix. 

Height: 6-6
Weight: 290 pounds
School: Providence Day School in Charlotte, North Carolina
Ranking: No. 6 overall, No. 2 OT

Tennessee flashed both its recruiting chops and its NIL prowess by successfully staving off more than three dozen suitors to secure Sanders’ signature last December. A summer filled with official visits to Nebraska, Clemson, Georgia, Ohio State and Tennessee gave way to a verbal pledge from Sanders to the Volunteers shortly before the season opener. There was a significant late push from the Buckeyes in mid-November that left many Tennessee fans nervous about potentially losing the crown jewel in head coach Josh Heupel’s class, especially when Sanders visited Ohio State again for a high-profile showdown with Indiana, but Sanders’ commitment lasted into the early signing period when he officially put pen to paper and anchored a class that finished No. 11 nationally and No. 8 in the SEC. 

This represented a massive recruiting victory for Heupel, who added his third five-star signee of the last two classes alongside edge rusher Jordan Ross (No. 22 overall) and wide receiver Mike Matthews (No. 24 overall) in 2024. Sanders is the fourth-best recruit to ever sign with the Volunteers, behind running back Bryce Brown in 2009, defensive back Eric Berry in 2007 and quarterback Nico Iamaleava in 2023. The commercialized nature of modern college football means landing a player of Sanders’ quality comes at a significant price, with one source reportedly telling On3 in February that he was the highest-paid recruit in the cycle. Accurate or not, such publicity never hurts in the eyes of future recruits, even if that kind of investment attached lofty expectations to Sanders from the moment he arrived on campus. Sanders, who played left tackle in high school, began spring practice by cross-training at both tackle positions before settling on the right side in March. He could be a Day 1 starter when the Volunteers open against Syracuse on Aug. 30.

Clemson running back Gideon Davidson (9) during the Clemson Tigers college Orange and White spring football game. (Photo by John Byrum/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Height: 5-11
Weight: 185 pounds
School: Liberty Christian Academy in Lynchburg, Virginia
Ranking: No. 69 overall, No. 3 RB

Everything about Clemson’s running back depth chart for the upcoming season changed last December when second-string tailback Jay Haynes, a promising redshirt freshman who had averaged 6.9 yards per carry on 43 attempts, suffered a torn ACL in the ACC Championship game against SMU. With starting running back Phil Mafah (1,115 yards, 8 TDs) and mobile quarterback Cade Klubnik (463 yards, 7 TDs) shouldering most of the team’s rushing responsibilities in 2024, the injury to Haynes would prove far more impactful to the team’s future than its present, which included a return to the College Football Playoff for the first time in four years. Had Haynes remained healthy down the stretch, he likely would have been in contention for the No. 1 tailback spot in 2025 after Mafah, a third-team All-ACC performer, was selected in the seventh round of this year’s NFL Draft by the Dallas Cowboys. Instead, the only healthy returner to carry the ball more than 10 times last season is Keith Adams Jr., whose 30 rushes for 122 yards and one touchdown made him the Tigers’ fourth-leading rusher. 

That means the door is now open for Davidson, an early enrollee, to reach the top of Clemson’s depth chart before ever playing a collegiate game. Davidson rushed for 1,000 yards in four consecutive seasons at Liberty Christian Academy and topped 2,000 yards in each of his final two campaigns, both of which culminated with state championships. He was named the 2023 National Junior of the Year by MaxPreps — an award previously won by former Clemson standout Trevor Lawrence, arguably the greatest quarterback in program history — after rushing for 2,716 yards and 43 touchdowns while averaging 12.9 yards per carry. He finished his high school career with more than 8,000 scrimmage yards and 132 total touchdowns, including four on special teams: three kickoff returns, one punt return. As a track athlete, Davidson was timed at 10.69 seconds in the 100-meter dash during the spring of his freshman year. 

Height: 6-2
Weight: 187 pounds
School: Sachse High School in Sachse, Texas
Ranking: No. 18 overall, No. 2 WR

The blueprint for Lockett’s inclusion on this last was drawn up last fall by freshman wide receiver Ryan Wingo, who caught 29 passes for 472 yards and two touchdowns despite being the fourth or fifth target — at best — in a passing attack dominated by wideout Matthew Golden (58 catches, 987 yards, 9 TDs), tight end Gunnar Helm (60 catches, 786 yards, 7 TDs), wideout Isaiah Bond (34 catches, 540 yards, 5 TDs) and wideout DeAndre Moore Jr. (39 catches, 456 yards, 7 TDs). Even tailbacks Jaydon Blue and Quintrevion Wisner both caught at least 40 passes to combine for 679 receiving yards and seven additional scores through the air. But Wingo was the No. 39 overall prospect and No. 8 wide receiver in the 2024 recruiting cycle, a player who took official visits to Georgia, Michigan and Missouri in addition to Texas. He was too talented to keep off the field — evidenced by a four-catch, 70-yard outing in his collegiate debut against Colorado State last August — and finished the season second on the team in snaps among wide receivers with 618. The only freshmen in the country to average more yards per reception than Wingo (16.3) among players with at least 50 targets were Joseph Williams of Tulsa (19.6), Ryan Williams of Alabama (18), Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State (17.3) and Bryant Wesco Jr. of Clemson (17.2). 

Lockett arrived at Texas with an even stronger recruiting profile than Wingo. He caught 59 passes for 1,299 yards and 13 touchdowns as a junior in 2023 to vault up the recruiting rankings and finish as the second-best wideout in the cycle behind Dakorien Moore of Oregon. He chose the Longhorns from a laundry list of suitors that included virtually every blue-blood program in the country, with the likes of Alabama, LSU, Texas A&M and Florida State all hosting him for official visits. By choosing Texas, which has now inked two five-star wideouts in the last three classes, Lockett became the fifth-best receiver to sign with the Longhorns in the recruiting rankings era behind B.J. Johnson in 2000, Bru McCoy in 2019, Mike Davis in 2010 and Roy Williams in 2000. He should contend for significant playing time almost immediately for an offense seeking to replace four of its top six receiving threats from last season.

DJ Pickett poses for a portrait during a photo shoot at the LSU Football Indoor Practice. (Photo by LSU Athletics/University Images via Getty Images)

Height: 6-4
Weight: 190 pounds
School: Zephyrhills High School in Zephyrhills, Florida
Ranking: No. 11 overall, No. 2 CB

On June 20, 2018, the LSU fan base rejoiced when a hometown hero from Baton Rouge, Louisiana, verbally committed to the Tigers over Texas and Florida, the other schools he officially visited. Derek Stingley Jr. seemed like the perfect cornerback prospect. He was a smidgeon over 6 feet tall, he weighed nearly 190 pounds and in the spring of his junior year — roughly a month before pledging to LSU — he was clocked at 4.30 seconds in the 40-yard dash and had his vertical leap measured at 42 inches. At that point, he was the best defensive prospect and third-best overall recruit to ever commit to LSU behind running back Leonard Fournette in 2014 and athlete Russell Shepard in 2009. Stingley went on to enjoy one of the best freshman campaigns in college football history when he led the SEC with six interceptions and 21 passes defended to earn consensus first-team All-America honors and helped guide the Tigers to both an undefeated season and the program’s first national title since 2007. Two years later, Stingley would become the No. 3 overall pick in the 2022 NFL Draft.

For the first time since Stingley’s collegiate career ended, another LSU defensive back is being mentioned in the same breath as one of the school’s all-time greats. At 6-4 and 190 pounds, Pickett is the rare cornerback that blends exceedingly rare height with breathtaking speed, a fact reflected by his time of 10.7 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He was a two-way star in high school who caught 130 passes for 2,577 yards and 25 touchdowns at wide receiver while also recording 94 tackles and 10 interceptions on defense, ultimately choosing the Tigers over additional interest from Oregon, Miami and Georgia. He’s the highest-rated cornerback to sign with LSU since Stingley and the fourth-highest overall behind Stingley, Patrick Peterson in 2008 and Kevin Tolliver II in 2015. Pickett enrolled early and began practicing with LSU ahead of the team’s bowl game last winter, at which point fellow defensive back Mansoor Delane, a transfer from Virginia Tech, said the freshman was already “as good as advertised.” It will be difficult for second-year defensive coordinator Blake Baker to keep Pickett off the field this season, especially following the departure of starting corner Zy Alexander to the NFL. 

Height: 6-6
Weight: 300 pounds
School: Blue Valley Northwest High School in Overland Park, Kansas
Ranking: No. 16 overall, No. 3 OT

An eye-catching regression along the offensive line, which had been a unit of unquestioned strength for Michigan amid three consecutive College Football Playoff appearances from 2021-23, was among the myriad reasons why the debut for head coach Sherrone Moore wobbled until back-to-back victories over then-No. 2 Ohio State in the regular-season finale and then-No. 11 Alabama in the ReliaQuest Bowl. There was a significant weakness at right tackle, where first-year starter Evan Link surrendered 30 quarterback pressures, including nine in the Week 2 loss to Texas alone. There were issues at center, where the Wolverines employed a timeshare between Greg Crippen (558 snaps) and Dominick Giudice (317) as they searched for an adequate successor to former Stanford transfer Drake Nugent. And veteran guard Giovanni El-Hadi, another first-year starter, continued to fall short of lofty expectations attached to a recruiting profile that saw him finish as a top-100 player in the 2021 cycle. All told, the Wolverines finished ninth in the Big Ten with 66 tackles for loss allowed — 18 more than when they won the national title in 2023.

Michigan responded to its glaring weakness last October by securing a verbal commitment from Babalola, the jewel of Moore’s recruiting class, until five-star quarterback Bryce Underwood committed the following month. An impressive mover and athlete, Babalola is the highest-rated offensive lineman to sign with Michigan in the recruiting rankings era and the sixth-best offensive player overall behind Underwood, quarterback Ryan Mallett in 2004, running back Kelly Baraka in 2001, wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones in 2017 and quarterback Chad Henne in 2004. He chose Michigan over Oklahoma, Stanford, Missouri and Auburn, among others. After Babalola enrolled early, the coaching staff selected him first overall in a fantasy draft to determine the Maize and Blue rosters for Michigan’s annual spring game, a nod to the potential those within the facility see in the former high school basketball player. Babalola only began playing football two years ago, in 2023, and will need to add strength and weight between now and fall camp if he’s going to see the field early this season. He’s expected to compete with Link and fellow tackles Andrew Sprauge (former four-star recruit) and Brady Norton (Cal Poly transfer) for starting spots.  

USC football player Jahkeem Stewart looks on after a women’s college basketball game between Michigan State and USC. (Photo by Brian Rothmuller/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Height: 6-5
Weight: 290 pounds
School: Edna Karr High School in New Orleans, Louisiana
Ranking: No. 34 overall, No. 5 DL

For the first few years of head coach Lincoln Riley’s largely underwhelming tenure at USC, where he’s lost 11 games over the last two seasons combined, a national approach to recruiting led the Trojans to earn a handful of verbal commitments from highly-rated players in the south while building their 2025 recruiting class. There were five blue-chip recruits from Georgia alone in five-star defensive linemen Isaiah Gibson and Justus Terry, four-star quarterback Julian Lewis, four-star linebacker Jadon Perlotte and four-star cornerback Shamar Arnoux. There were four-star safety Drake Stubbs, four-star linebacker Ty Jackson and four-star cornerback Dominick Kelly from Florida. There were two blue-chip prospects from Alabama in four-star safety Anquon Fegans and offensive tackle Carde Smith. None of those players wound up signing with USC amid a flurry of decommitments that called Riley’s approach into question and, as of this winter, prompted him to overhaul both the program’s personnel department and its recruiting philosophy to refocus their efforts on in-state prospects.

But the biggest recruiting win from Riley’s original strategy came last December, on the opening day of the early signing period, when Stewart chose the Trojans over LSU and Oregon. Stewart was rated as high as the No. 1 overall prospect in the 2026 recruiting cycle before reclassifying last October and reconfiguring his commitment timeline, which also cut short his high school career. He recorded 85 tackles (including 33 for loss and 20 sacks) with six forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries during his last full season of football in 2023, a standout sophomore campaign that earned him All-American honors from MaxPreps. Stewart will likely factor into the defensive line rotation almost immediately for the Trojans, who improved from 119th nationally in total defense two years ago to 77th last fall under new defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn, one of the hottest names in the sport. But USC still tied for 92nd nationally in sacks with 21 and only had one player tally more than 16 quarterback pressures all season. 

Height: 6-5
Weight: 223 pounds
School: Goodland High School in Goodland, Kansas
Ranking: No. 37 overall, No. 2 TE

Kansas State head coach Chris Klieman scored the biggest recruiting victory in program history last July when he earned a verbal commitment from Cure, the highest-rated prospect to ever join the Wildcats. Though he’s only a four-star prospect in the 247Sports Composite rankings, which factor in several recruiting services, Cure earned a five-star ranking from 247Sports individually as the network’s No. 30 overall recruit. He surpassed former Kansas State wideout Jerome Janet (No. 119 overall in 2001) as the top-ranked skill player to join the program directly from high school, though Janet eventually transferred in less than a year without ever playing for the Wildcats. Despite growing up roughly four hours from Kansas State’s campus, Cure said his final decision between the Wildcats and Oregon was much closer than most outsiders assumed. He became the unquestioned centerpiece for a Kansas State recruiting class that finished 35th overall and only featured one other player rated among the top 700 players nationally in four-star safety Noah King (No. 363 overall, No. 35 S). 

Cure has the potential to become one of the most unique receiving threats in the country given his breadth of athleticism. On the football field, where Cure was a two-way player last fall, he caught 57 passes for 1,049 yards and 17 touchdowns in nine games while also recording 52 tackles and three interceptions. He earned all-state honors in basketball following a junior season in which he averaged 11.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks for a team that lost in the Kansas 3A state championship game. And on the track, where Cure flashed elite speed for his size, he won two state titles in both the 300-meter hurdles and the 100-meter hurdles, with his top time of 14.36 seconds in the latter breaking a state record. There’s a strong chance Cure can develop into a versatile target for dual-threat quarterback Avery Johnson, who is expected to be among the most exciting signal-callers in the country this season. 

Michael Cohen covers college football and college basketball for FOX Sports. Follow him at @Michael_Cohen13.

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