College Football's Best Returning Players for 2025
Across the Football Bowl Subdivision landscape, 136 programs are set to take the field during the 2025 season.
It's no surprise, then, to recognize the depth of talent nationally.
There are recent All-Americans, projected top NFL draft picks and veterans who have excelled at this level for years. These experienced players enter the 2025 campaign as most of the biggest names in the sport.
As with any list of this nature, it's a subjective group. However, a strong majority of these players should be familiar to even casual fans.
More players will soon demand a place in this category—someone like Arch Manning is widely projected to do that, for instance—but these selections are focused on high levels of past production.
Quarterbacks
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Last season, most of the highest-regarded QBs hailed from the SEC. This year, it seems like the ACC holds the initial advantage.
The featured player is Cade Klubnik, a third-year starter at Clemson who's attracted plenty of Heisman Trophy hype. Georgia transfer Carson Beck is now at Miami, and Kevin Jennings led SMU to a surprise College Football Playoff trip in 2024.
Similar to Jennings, Sam Leavitt propelled Arizona State to the CFP after winning an unexpected Big 12 crown last year.
LSU's Garrett Nussmeier and Penn State's Drew Allar both accounted for 30-plus scores in 2024, and their respective teams open the campaign with CFP expectations. Oklahoma and South Carolina are a tier below, but they're in the hunt thanks to John Mateer—a transfer from Washington State—and LaNorris Sellers.
Running Backs
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Ashton Jeanty reigned atop the position last year, but his departure for the NFL leaves the college ranks searching for a new No. 1 runner.
An early favorite is Notre Dame's Jeremiyah Love, but he has plenty of competition. Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen have shared Penn State's backfield since 2022, and both notched at least 975 scrimmage yards in each season.
More veterans to know are Georgia Tech's Jamal Haynes, Oregon's Makhi Hughes—a transfer from Tulane—and Washington's Jonah Coleman.
Louisville's Isaac Brown put together a terrific year as a true freshman, leading a group of 2024 breakouts that includes Pitt standout Desmond Reid and Louisiana-Monroe transfer Ahmad Hardy at Missouri.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
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The only logical place to start is Jeremiah Smith.
As a true freshman at Ohio State, he emerged as the most dangerous wideout in the country. Smith and Alabama's Ryan Williams both are looking at two more years in college before being eligible to enter the NFL draft.
Jordyn Tyson played a key role in Arizona State's ascent in 2024. He earned third-team AP All-American honors with Florida International's Eric Rivers, who has since transferred to Georgia Tech.
Clemson is stacked with Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr., among others, and Auburn has paired Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton Jr. with Cam Coleman. They should boast two of the nation's best receiving rooms.
The best tight ends include Cal transfer Jack Endries at Texas, Purdue transfer Max Klare at Ohio State and Vanderbilt's Eli Stowers.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Offensive Linemen
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Considering we are covering five positions in this section, let's take a rapid-fire approach from left tackle to the opposite side.
The big-name blindside protectors are Alabama's Kadyn Proctor and Colorado's Jordan Seaton, although Boise State's Kage Casey and Indiana's Carter Smith are both lesser-known standouts.
Penn State's Olaivavega Ioane is a premier left guard, and Cayden Green impressed in his first season with Missouri.
The nation is awfully deep at center, with Florida's Jake Slaughter, Iowa's Logan Jones, Oregon's Iapani Laloulu and Alabama's Parker Brailsford also looking to impress this season.
Right guard is thinner, but Army's Paolo Gennarelli is a returning All-American and Texas A&M's Ar'maj Reed-Adams had an outstanding 2024 season.
At right tackle, Miami's Francis Mauigoa and Utah's Spencer Fano are (very athletic) brick walls. Clemson's Blake Miller, Iowa's Gennings Dunker and Notre Dame's Aamil Wagner round out the impressive list on the edge.
Defensive Linemen
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For clarity, we are including edge-rushers. They may be labeled as outside linebackers in some cases, but these players do not often drop into coverage.
And neither should they.
Clemson's T.J. Parker has been a menace for a couple years, as has Indiana's Mikail Kamara. Injuries slowed Miami's Rueben Bain Jr. in 2024, but he's healthy again and has an enormous ceiling like Illinois' Gabe Jacas.
The deep SEC contingent includes Alabama's LT Overton, Auburn's Keldric Faulk, Florida's Tyreak Sapp and Ole Miss' Suntarine Perkins. South Carolina's Dylan Stewart and Texas' Colin Simmons thrived as true freshmen, too.
Boise State's Jayden Virgin-Morgan and San Diego State's Trey White stuffed the box scores with at least 15.5 tackles for loss in 2024.
Penn State provides a tidy segue with edge-rusher Dani Dennis-Sutton and interior lineman Zane Durant, who each posted 11-plus TFLs last year.
The interior group is full of talent at traditional powers, including Alabama's Tim Keenan III, Clemson's Peter Woods and Georgia's Christen Miller.
Otherwise, the Big 12 is quietly strong up the middle with Cincinnati's Dontay Corleone, Iowa State's Domonique Orange and UCF transfer Lee Hunter, who's part of a transfer-infused Texas Tech defense.
Linebackers
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Once again, we have an obvious place to begin.
Texas star Anthony Hill Jr., a returning All-American, is a relentless agent of chaos who racked up 113 tackles with 16.5 for loss in 2024.
Hill headlines a (surprise, surprise) great SEC unit ahead of Bama's Deonte Lawson, Georgia's CJ Allen, LSU's Whit Weeks and Texas A&M's Taurean York. LSU's Harold Perkins Jr. is among the nation's top hybrid defenders, as well.
Pitt's Kyle Louis also earned AP All-American honors last season, while Ohio State's Sonny Styles is a strong candidate in that category this year. Kansas State's Austin Romaine is worth monitoring there, too.
The veterans of the group are Buffalo's Red Murdock and Old Dominion's Jason Henderson, a couple of proven tackling machines.
Defensive Backs
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Notre Dame has churned out star defenders lately, and cornerback Leonard Moore is among the next in line. He became a critical piece as a true freshman, helping the Irish end as the national runner-up.
Tennessee's Jermod McCoy is still rehabbing from a January ACL injury, but he'll be highly respected when healthy.
McCoy and Duke's Chandler Rivers both earned AP All-American honors last season, while Clemson's Avieon Terrell and Indiana's D'Angelo Ponds both enter the campaign in that conversation.
The high-end talent at safety is sensational, too.
Ohio State's Caleb Downs has an opportunity to become a rare three-time All-American pick. Oregon's Dillon Thieneman—a Purdue transfer—and Texas' Michael Taaffe are seeking their second such honor.
The next great safety may be Minnesota's Koi Perich, who made an immediate impact with 46 tackles and five interceptions as a true freshman.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
