Top Sophomore at Each Position Heading into the 2025 CFB Season
The 2024 college football season provided us with a master class of freshmen.
The youngsters who starred on the fields for their respective teams were out of this world, and those first-year players or redshirt freshmen will now provide us with a scintillating sophomore group of playmakers.
It's hard to pick who is going to be the top returning player at each position in 2025. In some cases, it's because there is such a deluge of talent at that particular spot; in others, it's because there weren't any dazzling guys in 2024, and we've got to project a little.
Either way, it's fun to try to guess who is going to lead the way in the sophomore class in the upcoming season. With spring practice right around the corner, it's time for a lot of these guys who sampled stardom to take the leadership leap.
If that happens, there are going to be some names from this past year's crop of freshmen who compete for the top honors in college football.
Here are some super sophomores to watch for 2025.
Defensive End/Edge: Colin Simmons, Texas Longhorns
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This is one of those positions that could have gone either way and is hard to predict who is going to have the best season in 2025. Several guys had terrific inaugural campaigns, but one pair really stood out.
In the end, though, it was impossible to move away from Texas edge rusher/outside linebacker Colin Simmons, who teamed with Anthony Hill Jr. for a fearsome duo that led one of the most disruptive defenses in the country.
The pair helped carry the Longhorns all the way to the College Football Playoff, and they will both return in 2025 to lead a team with national championship aspirations. Defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski has hit the jackpot on talent the past few years, and these are the top two.
Simmons finished the year with the fifth-most sacks in the SEC (nine) and tied for third in the conference with 14 tackles for loss. He added 48 tackles, three forced fumbles and an interception and was at his most disruptive during the playoffs.
The Duncanville, Texas, native was a 5-star prospect out of the Dallas area, and he has the potential to be the best edge-rusher from the state since Myles Garrett. Yes, he's that good. He could be an All-American right now.
Is he better than South Carolina's Dylan Stewart, who had a higher pass-rush rate? He was certainly more consistent, but it's going to be a great race between the two SEC stars.
Honorable Mention: Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
Defensive Tackle: John Walker, UCF Knights
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It's possible you've forgotten about John Walker, who missed the 2024 college football season with a lower body injury, but you'll remember him once he steps on the field again.
The 6'4", 310-pound Kissimmee, Florida, native was a revelation during the 2023 season after becoming one of the UCF Knights' top recruits in a long time. He was a 4-star prospect and top-100 player who pledged to coach Gus Malzahn, and he played like it right away.
Two seasons ago, Walker played in all 13 games and started one, totaling 24 tackles, including 14 solo and five tackles for loss.
This is a guy who, if he returns to true form, will run away with Defensive Comeback Player of the Year. He is a force getting after quarterbacks from the center of the line, and even though UCF saw some defections following Malzahn's departure to Florida State, Walker hung around.
That's big news for new coach Scott Frost, who has a defensive line centerpiece around whom to build. Walker will be a redshirt sophomore, and he could compete for All Big 12 honors.
He is a big guy who probably could have entered the portal and made a ton of money, but he is also from nearby and wanted to be part of the rebuild.
It's those type of players who will help Frost rebuild his program following back-to-back losing seasons.
Honorable Mention: Jayden Jackson, Oklahoma
Linebacker: Sammy Brown, Clemson
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Everybody in the nation wanted elite 5-star linebacker Sammy Brown when he was coming out of high school in Georgia as part of the 2024 recruiting class, but he decided pretty early in the process he wanted to be a Clemson Tiger.
It didn't take Brown long to prove the recruiting analysts were right about him. He was college-ready right away and was impossible to keep on the sideline.
Now, with the Tigers on the cusp of returning to prominence after sliding their way in the back door of the 2024 College Football Playoff, Brown is a key cog in a defense that returns stars such as T.J. Parker, Peter Woods, DeMonte Capehart and added elite defensive coordinator Tom Allen, who was at Penn State last year.
There may not be a more important player than Brown, though. He's an emotional leader and a big-time playmaker who only began to grow into his own as the season wore on in 2024.
With 80 tackles, five sacks and three passes defended, he made an impact right away, winning ACC Defensive Player of the Year. He's a fiery competitor, too.
So far, Brown really has responded to Allen and new linebackers coach Ben Boulware, a former Tigers star at the position.
"I think our group chat for the linebackers is called 'Meathead University,'" Brown told The Clemson Insider's Will Vandervort. "He is going to push us as hard as he can. I think he said he is going to drag us out into the deep water, and when we come back, we are going to be men. It is going to be really fun."
Honorable Mention: Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame
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Safety: KJ Bolden, Georgia
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This was an extremely difficult decision because of the dilemma between going with elite talent or siding with a mass-producer who is going to post big numbers once again.
You can rarely go wrong picking the highest-upside player, though, and that's why KJ Bolden is the feature on the slide here over Minnesota's super youngster Koi Perich, who finished his freshman campaign with 46 tackles and a ball-hawking five interceptions.
Perich certainly had the best first season of any safety in the nation, but, at the end of the year, Bolden was one of the leaders for the College Football Playoff participant Dawgs and has a future that could wind up as a first-round NFL draft pick.
Bolden was a 5-star prospect who was the nation's top-rated safety coming out of high school. He flipped to Georgia from Florida State late, giving Kirby Smart a massive recruiting win. It didn't take him long to prove he was worthy of that ranking.
Despite making only two starts, Bolden played in all 13 games and finished fifth on the team with 59 tackles. He added a forced fumble, a sack and an interception, and that finish to his season should leapfrog him into stardom as a sophomore.
We may look back on this one and wince for not putting Perich on the slide, but it's a roll of the dice. Much like last year, when there was the battle between Caleb Downs and Dillon Thieneman, you can't go wrong.
Honorable Mention: Koi Perich, Minnesota
Cornerback: Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
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There were a bunch of quality cornerbacks from the freshman class starring for teams during the 2024 season. Players such as Miami's OJ Frederique, Jr. and Oklahoma's Eli Bowen were terrific playmakers with bright futures.
Everybody took a statistical back seat to Notre Dame's Leonard Moore, though.
Despite not being a very highly rated recruit coming out of high school (a 4-star in the 247Sports composite rankings who wasn't in the top 425 players), he proved early on he was worthy of playing time.
He soon became one of the top playmakers on a Fighting Irish team that was bolstered by its young defense and ultimately finished a close national runner-up to Ohio State.
Moore had some struggle moments, but overall, he had a spectacular campaign in his first season in South Bend, finishing the season with 48 tackles, two forced fumbles, two interceptions and 11 passes defended.
Teams who tried to pick on him had little success. He displayed the supreme confidence and short memory needed to excel at the position, and his future is limitless as the Irish look to continue an outstanding year and get back into title contention.
Brilliant recruiting evaluations like Moore and the no-fear element of putting him on the field right away and letting him show what he can do will continue to be attractive to recruits.
Honorable Mention: OJ Frederique, Jr., Miami
Offensive Line: Jordan Seaton, Colorado
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Some of the biggest recruiting waves from the 2024 class were sent when Jordan Seaton stunned everybody by not picking Tennessee and instead signing to play for coach Deion Sanders' Colorado Buffaloes.
Right away, Seaton became a stalwart to one of the biggest turnaround seasons in the sport.
Part of the reason why quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter were able to do their thing is they had a lot more time to make plays after a dreadful 2023 season from the Buffs' offensive line. Credit Seaton and Co. for the turnaround.
Like any offensive lineman getting a baptism by fire on the front in the Power Four—especially protecting a first-round quarterback's blind side—there were a few growing pains. But, for the most part, he was a force of nature. The massive, 6'5", 285-pound tackle immediately was inserted as Colorado's left tackle and shone.
You rarely heard his name because he consistently did his job protecting Sanders, and he made multiple all-freshman teams in the process. He also seems to be stepping up in his leadership role.
With his size and athleticism, Seaton is set up to be a stalwart in Boulder for at least the next two seasons and has what it takes to be a first-round pick down the road.
Honorable Mention: Anthonie Knapp, Notre Dame
Tight End: Luke Reynolds, Penn State
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For a lot of these positions, there were just too many talented players, and you had to make a guess based on some on-field production from a year ago, coupled with talent.
Then, you had the tight end position, where 2024 brought little in the way of first-year production. Out of the bunch, Washington's Decker DeGraaf (15 catches, 233 yards, three touchdowns) had the best year, but does he have the best upside?
The guess here is DeGraaf will have a nice second season as a target for first-year full-time starting quarterback Demond Williams Jr., but Penn State's Luke Reynolds will have a bigger impact.
Last season, the 6'4", 220-pound Reynolds learned under star catalyst Tyler Warren, who was a special playmaker for the Nittany Lions. Still, he played a role as a true freshman, catching nine passes for 111 yards and a touchdown.
Reynolds was the nation's fifth-rated tight end and No. 71-rated overall prospect in the 2024 class, but he was a 5-star on 247Sports and the top-ranked TE.
He also made one of the biggest plays of Penn State's season when he took a 4th-and-1 snap on a fake punt against Minnesota late in the year and ran for 32 yards in a 26-25 win over the Golden Gophers.
The only thing blocking Reynolds from a big season was Warren, and now he's off to the NFL, clearing the way for big things from a player who is clearly capable of doing big things.
With Drew Allar's love to check down to his safety valve, that spells major catch numbers for Reynolds in 2025.
Honorable Mention: Decker DeGraaf, Washington
Wide Receiver: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State Buckeyes
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It must be tough being Alabama's Ryan Williams, Texas' Ryan Wingo or the Clemson due of Bryant Wesco, Jr. and T.J. Moore.
No matter how elite you are (and those guys are special), you're still in the same recruiting class as Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith. So, while you aren't necessarily overlooked, it's going to be extremely far-fetched for anybody to say those terrific playmakers are the top player at their position in their class.
Smith is just a cyborg.
By now, you probably know the 6'3", 215-pound pass-catcher's numbers by heart from his scintillating freshman season where he replaced Marvin Harrison Jr. and became one of the best first-year receivers we've seen. He finished with 76 catches, 1,315 yards and 17 touchdowns.
He even outshone Emeka Egbuka, who's likely to be a first-round draft pick.
When the lights were brightest in the College Football Playoff, Smith went from a guy everybody already knew to one of the top playmakers in college football and a player on everybody's radar for the 2025 Heisman Trophy.
He was the nation's No. 1-ranked recruit coming out of high school, and if he was coming out in the 2025 draft, he'd be the top player taken. Yes, he's that good, and even though the Buckeyes will be breaking in a new quarterback in Julian Sayin, there's no reason to expect a dropoff.
Honorable Mention: Ryan Williams, Alabama
Running Back: Isaac Brown, Louisville Cardinals
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What is perhaps most interesting about the three candidates to win positioning in this slide is that none of them were highly rated prospects coming out of high school.
Two dudes who transferred from mid-major programs to lead the charge in SEC backfields—Missouri's Ahmad Hardy, who transferred from Louisiana-Monroe, and Mississippi State's Fluff Bothwell, who transferred from South Alabama—could have represented here.
Instead, though, we went with a guy who already has shown he has breakout ability in the Power Four. That would be Louisville's Isaac Brown, who was the centerpiece for coach Jeff Brohm's offense as a true freshman.
Even though quarterback Tyler Shough's re-emergence was a big story for the Cardinals, Brown was the dependable weapon. Now, with Miller Moss coming in from USC, the Florida second-year prospect will enter his sophomore season as a dependable force running the ball again.
Last year, Brown ran for 1,173 yards, scored 11 touchdowns and averaged 7.1 yards per carry. He also caught 30 passes for 152 yards and scored another touchdown, and the 5'9", 190-pound prospect could be an even bigger weapon in the pass game.
Brown has game-breaking ability in the open field and was a terrific recruiting find for a Cardinals program who has done very well recruiting in South Florida for years (Lamar Jackson, anyone?) This is a guy who is one of the most underrated stars in college football.
Honorable Mention: Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
Quarterback: LaNorris Sellers, South Carolina Gamecocks
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Well, now that we've come to the most important position on the field, where are we going to go with the pick? The truth is it was back-and-forth between several names before settling.
There's Nico Iamaleava, who had an up-and-down first season as a starter at Tennessee, but he's just too inconsistent. There is Florida's DJ Lagway, who has elite potential, but we really haven't seen a large enough sample set yet. An obvious pick is Arch Manning, who has No. 1 overall pick talent.
Ultimately, however, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers won the position (barely) over Manning because of his dual-threat ability and the flashes of brilliance he showed in 2024. At times, he simply willed the Gamecocks to wins, and even though he didn't always produce, his talent is undeniable.
For the season, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,534 yards, 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. The 6'3", 242-pound Florence, South Carolina, native also displayed his athleticism with 674 yards and seven more scores.
Could Manning have the type of season to blow that out of the water with all the terrific talent around him? Sure, it could happen. Sellers' supporting cast is nowhere near as good, but he is a big, fierce competitor and should really grow and develop.
He has so much to love about his game, and now entering his third year of college football (redshirt sophomore), this could be when we start to see more consistency. Expect a massive season from Sellers that propels the Gamecocks into the playoffs.
Honorable Mention: Arch Manning, Texas
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