Top 15 CFB Players You'll Fall in Love with in 2025

It’s Valentine’s Day, and while all you dudes out there had better have something for your significant other, we all know most of your heart belongs to college football. You just can’t help that wandering eye looking forward to next year.

No matter the time of year, you just can’t help falling in love with the sport of your dreams. After all, if you’re reading this in February, you’re obsessed just like the rest of us.

It’s our job to tell you some of the guys who will steal your heart next year—dudes who will make their teams better and who, even though maybe they haven’t reached stardom yet, are right on the cusp.

Everybody would have their own list of these guys, of course, but this would ‘be mine.’ These budding playmakers are all that and a box of chocolates. So, if you’ve had enough of the puns and bad jokes, let’s get to it.

Here are 15 college football players you’ll fall in love with in 2025.

Fluff Bothwell, Mississippi State Running Back

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You don’t know Fluff Bothwell’s name right now, but you certainly will very soon. Oh, and by the way, don’t call him De’Marion. It’s “Fluff,” and when you’ve got a nickname like that, you already are the coolest guy on the field.

Bothwell can back it up with some mad game, too.

Last year, he was a relative unknown freshman running back for the South Alabama Jaguars from Oneonta, Alabama. But at 5’9”, 210 pounds, the bowling ball who had another gear when he got past the second level certainly made a name for himself quickly.

He wound up a lower-tier gamebreaker with 832 rushing yards and 13 touchdowns on a 7.5 average, and while he was part of a dynamite offense in Mobile, Bothwell was destined for brighter lights.

Lots of teams wanted him, but he ultimately decided to enter the portal and transfer to the Mississippi State Bulldogs where he will be part of coach Jeff Lebby’s blooming offense. He has all the trappings of a centerpiece, too.

Don’t be surprised if Bothwell is a guy who bursts onto the scene in the SEC with more than 1,000 yards and becomes somebody defenses must scheme around every time out.

Sammy Brown, Clemson Linebacker

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If you follow recruiting, you already know Sammy Brown’s name. The rising sophomore linebacker was a former 5-star everybody wanted out of high school, and Clemson coach Dabo Swinney closed the deal.

All Brown did as a true freshman in 2024 was become an instant-impact starter and finish third on a quality, young Tigers defense with 80 tackles. He also had five sacks and three passes defended.

Still, the 6’2”, 230-pound second-level defender flew a bit under-the-radar nationally when it came to playmakers. Don’t expect that to happen this year.

The ACC defensive rookie of the year is fast, instinctual and has a leadership gene that you can’t teach. He also is a fierce competitor, and with his flowing mullet-like wave, you simply can’t deny Brown. He is the type of throwback defender that you want on your team.

Brown is a sideline-to-sideline force who is going to be a leader on the best unit in the ACC. He is going to break out with an All-American type year, and you’re going to love how aggressive he is on the field and how matter-of-fact he is off it.

Dylan Edwards, Kansas State Running Back

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Don’t look now, but Kansas State Wildcats coach Chris Klieman is surrounding junior quarterback Avery Johnson with some serious weapons in the Little Apple.

You’re going to love the focal-point running back possessing the purple power in 2025.

Last year, DJ Giddens was a force to be reckoned with, and the Wildcats leaned on him at times when Johnson was learning the offense and going through growing pains. But he never was the type of guy who could make a house call.

Enter Dylan Edwards.

The Kansas native started his career with Deion Sanders’ Colorado Buffaloes, but he came back home last year and patiently waited his time to shine. That came in a 44-41 Rate Bowl win over Rutgers when the 5’9”, 167-pound runner had 18 rushes for 196 yards and a pair of touchdowns.

His previous high-water mark was 60 yards on just three carries against Kansas, but with Giddens opting out of the bowl, it became Edwards’ show. He’s more than capable of carrying the load. Expect big things in 2025.

Edwards is a home-run hitter with the ball in his hands.

Mark Gronowski, Iowa Quarterback

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You know you’ve found yourself thinking from time to time as the Iowa Hawkeyes defense turns back opponent after opponent and their offense sets the sport back 100 years, “Boy, I wonder what they’d look like with a competent quarterback.”

Well, we may all get the opportunity to see that in 2025.

The 2023 Walter Payton Award winner—the Football Championship Subdivision version of the Heisman Trophy—is heading to Iowa City. Former South Dakota State Jackrabbits quarterback Mark Gronowski is going to play his final season for the Hawkeyes.

After first-year offensive coordinator Tim Lester’s unit showed flashes at times even with a makeshift signal-caller under center in ’24, he will have a veteran playmaker throwing it around next year.

The 6’3”, 230-pound quarterback has helped turn the FCS program into a powerhouse, throwing for 10,330 yards, 93 touchdowns and 20 interceptions in four years. He’s also rushed for 1,767 yards and 37 more scores.

Simply put, Grownowski has been a dynamic FCS player, and he almost certainly would have been drafted in the NFL this year. Instead, he’s going to play for coach Kirk Ferentz at Iowa, and we should all be very excited about that.

Makhi Hughes, Oregon Running Back

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Makhi Hughes is traded one shade of green for another.

But the jersey he’s going to put on in 2025 will have a ton more visibility on the national radar, and he’s another guy (like Fluff Bothwell) who will go from a mid-major superstar to a guy whose name everybody knows next year.

The former sophomore phenom for the Tulane Green Wave who ran for more than 1,400 yards last year for first-year coach Jon Sumrall has left New Orleans for the Pacific Northwest where he almost certainly will be the Oregon Ducks’ answer to the departure of Jordan James.

The 5’11”, 210-pound running back took over when Tyjae Spears went to the NFL, and he immediately showed he’s a premiere running back, too. Now, he will get to do big things on the biggest level, stepping right into a national championship hunt.

The Ducks likely won’t be as explosive offensively right away next year as they break in new quarterback Dante Moore, so coordinator Will Stein should rely heavily on a deep and talented running back room led by Hughes.

That could spell big-time numbers for a guy with light-up-the-scoreboard capability.

Ja'Kobi Lane, USC Wide Receiver

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With Zachariah Branch gone from the USC Trojans, coach Lincoln Riley is going to have to find some explosive wideouts to get things going in the right direction in Year 2 of Big Ten play.

Good thing for the Trojans they still have Ja’Kobi Lane, who looks ready to turn it up a notch and become a household name.

A season ago, his development—along with that of Makai Lemon—were bright spots in an otherwise-difficult year for USC. The 6’4”, 195-pound sophomore with a gigantic wingspan was a big-time playmaker.

The Trojans didn’t get him the ball enough, but when they did, all he did was make plays. He also was a massive red-zone weapon, finishing with 43 catches for 525 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging more than 12 yards per catch.

Lane really blossomed into a top-tier receiver who looked like a 1,000-yard campaign could be on the horizon. His breakout game in a comeback bowl win over Texas A&M could catapult him to stardom.

He finished the game with seven catches for 133 yards and a trio of scores. He’d had big games earlier in the year such as in games against Wisconsin or Maryland, but the bowl showing propelled him to the Associated Press All-Bowl team and a potential breakout.

Ousmane Kromah, Florida State Running Back

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There aren’t many true freshmen on this list, but it’s hard to ignore the potential presence of running back Ousmane Kromah in a Florida State offense desperately seeking playmakers.

The Seminoles are coming off perhaps the most forgettable season in the past 30 years in Tallahassee, and while coach Mike Norvell was far from the hot seat before last year, there’s at least a trickle of sweat now. Getting UCF coach Gus Malzahn to come take over the offense is a big deal.

Now, it appears Kromah has an inside track to start in the backfield alongside new quarterback Thomas Castellanos, and the dynamo who flipped from Georgia in December could be one of the most explosive players in the ACC.

The 6’0”, 205-pound Leesburg, Georgia, native is the quintessential one-cut back who also can make his presence known as a receiver out of the backfield. He was sold on becoming an instant-impact centerpiece in FSU’s offense, and this is a dude who can deliver.

The nation’s fourth-rated running back in the ’25 class has the skill set to be a weapon Malzahn  deploys against defenses right away. You’re going to love his chip-on-the-shoulder mentality and outgoing personality. Oh, and he packs a punch, too.

John Mateer, Oklahoma Quarterback

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When Washington State quarterback John Mateer entered the transfer portal, he quickly rose to the top spot regardless of position in the rankings on On3.

Yes, a late move by Carson Beck from Georgia to Miami bumped Mateer down to second, but that doesn’t change the fact that the new Oklahoma Sooners signal-caller was one of the biggest names available. 

Thing is, he really wasn’t that “available.” The Sooners hired Ben Arbuckle away from the Cougars to be their new offensive coordinator, and his inside track with Mateer always made the Sooners the heavy favorite. Others like Miami tried, but the 6’1”, 219-pound junior was bound for OU.

Now, he enters a proud program needed to do a lot better in Year 2 in the SEC than they did in ’24. Having Mateer call the shots is a good start. A season ago in Pullman, he threw for 3,139 yards, 29 touchdowns and seven interceptions. He also ran for 826 yards and 15 touchdowns.

The Little Elm, Texas, native is back in the Midwest, and he is just the kind of dual-threat weapon who could go out and show out and win a Heisman if he keeps surging in his development.

Mike Matthews, Tennessee Wide Receiver

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It’s been quite the up-and-down year-plus for former 5-star wide receiver Mike Matthews after he chose the Tennessee Volunteers over Georgia, Clemson and others in the recruiting process.

Even on a team that needed playmakers on the perimeter, Matthews had a difficult time recovering from a minor injury and staying firm in the Vols’ rotation in 2024. As the season progressed, he began to show signs of promise.

Then, after a season that saw him catch just seven passes for 90 yards and a couple of touchdowns, it was reported he was going to enter the transfer portal before he decided against it and returned to Rocky Top.

Coach Josh Heupel and Co. are certainly glad he did. Matthews has the look of a dude who could be WR1 for a Tennessee team that desperately has to find consistent weapons on the outside for quarterback Nico Iamaleava.

A season ago, Iamaleava was about as up-and-down as you can be, but he didn’t get any help from his receivers, either. That room is rebuilt in a big way and will be extremely young. Matthews may have a big season out of necessity, but his talent makes him an intriguing guy to watch.

Desmond Reid, Pittsburgh Running Back

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When Desmond Reid transferred from the Football Championship Subdivision’s Western Carolina Catamounts a season ago, nobody knew who he was.

Like John Mateer, he followed his former offensive coordinator from Cullowhee, North Carolina—Kade Bell—and the play-caller knew what he was getting in the all-purpose dynamo. In his first season at Pitt, Reid quietly had a big-time year.

The 5’8”, 175-pounder finished the season with 966 rushing yards and five scores, 52 catches for 579 yards and four more scores and added a 78-yard punt return for a score.

Quarterback Eli Holstein gets a lot of credit for the Panthers’ offensive turnaround, and rightfully so. But Reid was a catalyst. Now, in Year 2 alongside Bell, he wants to help finish what Pitt started a season ago before a late-season tumble saw them hit the skids.

This offense is capable of putting up major points, and Reid is the best all-purpose guy in the nation. Every single time he touches the ball, he’s a threat to make a house call. The Panthers simply aren’t known for having guys like him.

They need to feed Reid.

Colin Simmons, Texas Outside Linebacker

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The Texas Longhorns are straight-up recruiting some DUDES on defense, and if you recall, we aren’t but three years removed from that side of the ball being the program’s Achilles heel.

In a 2024 College Football Playoff run, coach Pete Kwiatkowski’s side of the ball is where the ‘Horns hung their cowboy hat, and it’s because of stars like Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons.

The latter may have been the top overall freshman in the nation had it not been for Jeremiah Smith. The outside linebacker who can put his hand down and get after quarterbacks off the edge, too, was a force to be reckoned with.

At times, he was unblockable and looks like he could be a future No. 1 overall pick. The 6’3”, 245-pound Dallas native finished the year with 48 tackles, nine sacks, three forced fumbles and an interception.

Expect bigger things in '25.

He was all over the place, and if he surges in his development, he looks like a first-team All-American. This is arguably the most talented outside ‘backer in the nation, and he’s just a kid. The Longhorns can build a championship team around Simmons.

Dylan Stewart, South Carolina EDGE

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When South Carolina coach Shane Beamer used his connections in the Washington D.C. area to pull 6’6”, 248-pound 5-star edge-rusher Dylan Stewart in the 2024 class, the Gamecocks knew they had something special.

Stewart proved them right in his true freshman season, teaming with Kyle Kennard to give Carolina an elite 1-2 punch off the edge when it came to getting after quarterbacks.

There was a little bit of a freshman wall after the first few games, but Stewart is going to be a terror for years to come. With a year in the college weight program and a little more knowledge of the scheme and nuances, he is in for a superstar year.

With big things expected in Columbia, Stewart could be a key cog. In his first year, he finished with 23 tackles, including 6.5 sacks and a pass defended. On the surface, those don’t look like unbelievable stats, but he got after quarterbacks with a vengeance.

Now, he is poised for another huge season, and he has the potential to be one of the most disruptive defenders in all of college football, regardless of position.

Jordyn Tyson, Arizona State Wide Receiver

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A lot of folks know Jordyn Tyson’s name right now, but they didn’t before the College Football Playoff when it became a storyline that Arizona State was going to be without its leading receiver against Texas.

Tyson had season-ending surgery following an injury suffered in a 49-7 rout of rival Arizona, and at that point, few around college football had heard of the Sun Devils’ pass-catching star.

Before the late-season run brought to a head the magical run by coach Kenny Dillingham’s team, Arizona State was known as “Cam Skattebo’s team,” but redshirt freshman quarterback Sam Leavitt had a terrific year, too, and his top target all season was Tyson.

The 6’1”, 195-pound sophomore had 75 catches for 1,101 yards and 10 touchdowns, averaging 14.7 yards per catch. Those are huge numbers, and he may be too big of a weapon already to be on this list.

But be honest: Did you know his name before the playoffs? Now, Dillingham’s team will be on plenty of radars, and with Leavitt making a big second-year leap as a starter, Tyson could skyrocket into All-America conversations.

He’s a legitimate NFL talent who is about to enter the spotlight.

Bryce Underwood, Michigan Quarterback

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So many words already have been written about Bryce Underwood, the megastar prospect who spent much of the 2025 recruiting cycle as the nation’s top-ranked player before Keelon Russell overtook him late.

Russell, of course, played elite competition in Texas high school football and shone on the all-star stage while Underwood flew a bit under-the-radar on the national showcase circuit. Nothing about Underwood’s recruitment, however, was low-key.

He was a longtime LSU pledge who seemed content on leaving his Michigan home for the Bayou and playing for coach Brian Kelly. Late in the game, however, the Wolverines convinced him to stay home and be the face of a proud program.

Now, Underwood is the poster child for the resurgence of coach Sherrone Moore’s program.

Big, athletic and possessing a strong arm, Underwood can do everything you need a signal-caller to do. With a huge NIL package in tow and the ability to be a game-changer, he’s going to have every opportunity to be the starter in Ann Arbor next year.

Having a true freshman making plays for a blue-blood program just one year removed from a national championship run? That’s got headlines and excitement written all over it.

Demond Williams Jr., Washington Quarterback

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Speaking of teams trying to regain their national championship form, the team Michigan beat for the title a couple of years ago was the Washington Huskies.

They, too, have seen massive upheaval from that run with coach Kalen DeBoer leaving for Alabama, losing a ton of players to the NFL and plucking new coach Jedd Fisch from Arizona.

Now, Fisch is trying to build his program in Seattle, and the maestro of it all is sophomore quarterback Demond Williams Jr. Fisch brought Williams with him from the Wildcats, and he was simply too good to keep off the field as a freshman.

Though he's just 5'11", 187 pounds, Williams packs a massive talent punch. Senior transfer Will Rogers couldn't hold him off. In a transition year, all Williams did was complete 78 percent of his passes for 944 yards, eight touchdowns and one interception. He also ran for 282 yards and a pair of scores.

He's so elusive, he's so flashy that he brings up comparisons to Kyler Murray and Johnny Manziel.

In a 35-34 loss to Louisville in the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl, Williams had his breakout performance, completing 26-of-32 passes for 374 yards, four touchdowns and an interception. He ran for 48 yards and another score.

This was a sign of things to come for a Huskies program who now has a star playmaker under center. Big things are coming for Williams and Fisch.