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Bryce Underwood, Dakorien Moore among college football freshmen poised to make impact in 2025 season

Published

6 months ago

June 14, 2025

The college football offseason storylines are no longer dominated with intel on how freshmen look in spring practice or fare in summer workouts. Most of the attention has turned to transfers and their place on the depth chart. But that doesn’t mean freshmen won’t help shape the 2025 college football season.

After all, what would Ohio State have been last year without superstar Jeremaih Smith? You could say the same of Alabama with Ryan Williams or Florida with DJ Lagway.

There are always freshmen who emerge as impact players. With spring practice behind us and fall camp coming up quickly, let’s look at some freshmen poised to provide major production (and in some cases, blossom into superstars) during the 2025 season.

College football’s summer agenda: One area every top 25 team must address for success in 2025

Brad Crawford

Underwood is already a cover athlete for the deluxe edition of the “EA Sports College Football 2026” video game. No freshman in the country commands a bigger than Underwood — who flipped from LSU to Michigan late in the 2025 cycle in part due to an eye-popping NIL deal that exceeded $2 million a year, per sources.

The imposing 6-foot-4, 208-pounder has been as advertised since showing up in Ann Arbor with a game that reminds the good folks at 247Sports of Vince Young. Underwood got better throughout spring practice. But he’ll have to hold off Fresno State transfer Mikey Keene, who missed most of spring with an injury, to win the starting job.

Even if Keene exits fall camp as QB1, Underwood is going to play at some point. He’s the Wolverines’ future. Frankly, they have way too much NIL money tied up with him for Underwood to sit for long.

After losing Billy Edwards to Wisconsin, Maryland could have replaced him with an experienced transfer. Instead, they went with UCLA’s Justyn Martin, who’s thrown 35 passes in his three-year career. That left the door open for Washington to push for the starting job. The freshman took advantage of the opportunity, capping things off an impressive spring with a 12-for-18, 168-yard and two-touchdown performance in the Terrapins’ spring game.

While Maryland coach Mike Locksley was noncommittal on naming a starting QB exiting spring, Washington has momentum. Keep in mind, Washington is a critical recruit for Mike Locksley. He’s an in-state prospect and one of the highest-ranked offensive players to ever sign with the program. Washington is the type of player who could define Locksley’s tenure. Those type of QBs tend to get on the field sooner rather than later.

No blue-chip running back from the 2025 class enters a better situation for early playing time than Davidson. Behind just 295 yards in 2024, Jay Haynes was set to return as the Tigers’ leading rusher, but he tore his ACL in December. Everyone else in the room has even less experience or — in the case of Adam Randall — is new to the position after making the switch from wide receiver. That’s what makes Davidson so intriguing.

247Sports’ No. 5 back averaged more than 10.5 yards per carry in his high school career and has hit sub-10.7 seconds in the 100-meter dash. He also put together a strong spring. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney called Davidson a “natural” as he pushed his way up the depth chart.

It’d a surprise if Davidson didn’t emerge as a high-level contributor in Year 1. Clemson needs him to do so if it hopes to reach its ceiling.

If you’re looking for the wide receiver in the 2025 class with Smith or Williams’ impact potential, Moore is your guy.

Talking to coaches during the 2025 cycle, Moore was on a tier of his own as a receiver prospect coming out of Duncanville High School in Texas. Moore combines elite track and field times — he hit 10.4 seconds in the 100 meter dash as a junior — with incredible production (145 catches, 2983 yards as an upperclassman) against the highest level of competition in Texas.

Maybe it was just a case of giving the fans what they want, but it’s worth noting that Moore received the first two targets of Oregon’s spring game. He’s drawn rave reviews since enrolling in January and has an excellent chance to start.

One of the most productive high school receivers in Sunshine State history, Boggs produced an eye-popping 99 catches for 2,133 yards and 24 touchdowns as a senior for 2A Cocoa High School. Boggs does lack some of the high-level athletic traits of some of his peers, but he makes up for it with a thick build (6-feet-1, 204 pounds) and a suddenness in the open field that allows him to generate chunk yards in the slot.

Boggs drew a lot of praise this spring from the Florida State coaches.

“He’s still learning, figuring it out, we’ve moved him around just a little bit, he showed maturity to handle, we’re still pushing from more from him, but he’s definitely been a bright spot,” coach Mike Norvell said, per Noles247.

Never overreact to spring game performances. They’re often misleading and far from an indication of what a depth chart will look like come fall. But it was hard not to come away from Florida’s spring game thinking Wilson, who caught 10 passes for 195 yards and two touchdowns, will play a role for the Gators this season.

A top-50 prospect out of high school, Wilson is part of a suddenly loaded Florida wide receiver room. He’ll likely be behind J. Michael Sturdivant, Eugene Wilson and perhaps Aidan Mizell in the Gators’ pecking order, but he’s at least earned a spot in Florida’s two-deep. And if the buzz behind the scenes is any indication, he could end up playing an even larger role for the Gators this year.

Dallas Wilson turned heads at the Florida spring game.
Getty Images

David Sanders, OT, Tennessee

The Vols return only one starter on the offensive line. When you combine that with the fact Sanders was a very highly paid player out of high school — follow the money with depth chart projections — and it’d be a surprise if Sanders didn’t start most of the season.

It helps his case that Larry Johnson, the player who earned most of the first-team reps at right tackle during the spring, transferred to Colorado. That leaves the door is wide open for Sanders to emerge as a Day 1 starter opposite standout left tackle Lance Heard. Sanders needs to show continued improvement in the weight room — he gained 20 pounds from the winter to the end of spring practices — but the Vols didn’t pay Sanders to sit this season.

Stewart, who reclassified into this class, is younger than most players on this list — he just turned 18 in May after reclassifying from the 2026 class. But he is also 6-5, 290 pounds and one of the most physically impressive freshmen in the country.

Expect Stewart to be a big part of USC’s defensive rotation. He will start on the edge over the interior and is someone USC can use in multiple roles across the defensive front.

“It’s rare what he does,’ USC defensive coordinator D’Anton Lynn said in April, per USCFootball.com. “”I knew he’d be good, but, like, just his first week, it just caught me off guard. He looks like a grown man out there and just seeing like, his strength, the way he gets off blocks, his ability to play end and to play three tech, it’s impressive. He’s played just about everywhere up front, and he’s done an outstanding job.”

Yep, another Tiger. There’s a reason for that: Swinney plays more freshmen than any other blueblood coach. Clemson rarely dips into the portal to backfill its roster, which means first-year players, even during a season in which the Tigers return almost everyone, can see the field early. Adams will be one of those freshmen.

Swinney made that determination way back in March: “He’s going to help us. That’s what we’ve seen.”

The 6-4, 285-pounder wrecked games in high school. He did the same at the Navy All-American Bowl, an annual showcase of the best high school prospects. Adams is massive, powerful and the type of interior defender capable of consistently generating backfield pressure. Given Clemson struggles on the interior last year behind Peter Woods, Adams projects as an ideal rotational piece after Woods and DeMonte Capehart on the depth chart.

Kirby Smart has done nothing but land five-star defensive linemen since showing up in Athens. So, it’s notable that Griffin is the highest-ranked defensive lineman to sign with the Bulldogs under Smart.

Griffin had a strong spring, too, generating plenty of hype even if Smart attempted to downplay any Jalen Carter comparisons midway through spring ball. Said his teammate Jordan Hall, per Dawgs247: “Strong as all get out, you know what I’m saying? He’s an ox.”

While Christen Miller and Xzavier McLeod project in front of Griffin on the depth chart, there’s little proven experience on UGA’s roster outside of that pair. It’ll be up to those like Hall and Joseph Jonah-Ajonye to hold off the young freshman for playing time.

Auburn spent much of the offseason looking to add an impact to its defensive line room through the portal. The Tigers never quite landed that guy, instead adding a trio of role-playing transfers. But Autry is capable of being a true game changer inside for Auburn.

While the best snaps for the 6-foot-5, 339-pounder will come in the years ahead as he transforms his body and refines his technique, Autry still brings the combination of size, power and pocket-collapsing ability you find in only the rarest of physical talents.

Maybe it doesn’t happen early in the season for Autry, but it’d would be far from shocking to see him emerge as a key contributor for Auburn this year. The Tigers have a need, and Autry is going to be hard to keep off the field, especially for a team that played six interior defenders at least 70 snaps last season.

Pickett is going to play for LSU this season. The question is, how much? Pickett is exactly what the Tigers need as a 6-foot-4, 190-pound lockdown cornerback prospect.

Pickett is going to play for LSU this season. The question is, how much? Pickett is exactly what the Tigers need as a 6-foot-4, 190-pound lockdown cornerback prospect. The Tigers’ secondary struggled last year, ranking 68th nationally in opposing passer rating, and Pickett — along with several transfers — were big offseason additions meant to address that issue.

Pickett will have to climb over those like Florida transfer Ja’Keem Jackson and sophomore PJ Woodland on the depth chart, but he’s a very safe bet to play early and often for the Tigers. He has the chance to be the best LSU cornerback since Derek Stingley.

Between returners Davison Igbinosun and Jeremaine Matthews, Ohio State is set with its starting cornerback group. But there’s a good chance Sanchez is the first off the bench.

Being the top backup CB is a role Matthews occupied last year on his way to 396 snaps, so Sanchez is still in line for a big role.

He’s certainly ready for it physically. A constant near the top of the 247Sports 2025 rankings since their debut, Sanchez was a dominant high school football player, combining elite production with a rare combination of size, instincts and high-level athletic traits. He won’t have a Smith-level impact for the Buckeyes in Year 1. But he’s in line to be a big part of Ohio State’s defense.

Other freshmen to watch for preseason top 10 teams

No. 1 Texas: Daylan McCutcheon, WR | Justus Terry, DL

McCutcheon had a standout spring for Texas, frankly flashing ahead of a trio of top 50 wide receivers the Longhorns brought in (Kaliq Lockett, Jjaime Ffrench, Michael Terry). Don’t be surprised if all four of them get some run for Texas this season with an unproven receiver room outside of Ryan Wingo and Emmett Mosley. Terry, for his part, is starting his career on the edge but projects as a long-term interior player for Texas.

No. 2 Penn State: Daryus Dixson, CB | Koby Howard, WR

Dixson is among the most ready-to-play freshmen in the 2025 class coming out of California powerhouse Mater Dei High School. He could be on the field a lot behind AJ Harris and Elliot Washington. PSU did a nice job shoring up the wide receiver position in the portal, but Howard was a buzzy name for PSU this spring and could earn some snaps. Also don’t sleep on fellow freshman receiver Lyrick Samuel, who led the Nittany Lions in receiving during the spring game.

No. 7 Notre Dame: Elijah Burress, WR | Madden Faraimo, LB

There isn’t a ton of room on Notre Dame’s depth chart for true freshmen to emerge as starters. But Burress and Faraimo posted strong enough performances in the spring that they should at least be in the rotation. Don’t be surprised if a corner like Cree Thomas or Dallas Golden also pushed their way onto the depth chart.

No. 8 Alabama: Michael Carroll, OL | Dijon Lee, CB

Yep, two five-stars for the Tide. Carroll was thought to be the best interior o-line prospect in the 2025 class, but he spent most of the spring playing offensive tackle. It’ll be interesting to see if he stays there going into the fall. Either way, he’s a two-deep lock. You could say the same of Lee, who had a strong debut for the Tide and projects to be right behind Domani Jackson and Zabien Brown on the depth chart at cornerback. A few of Alabama’s freshman receivers flashed this spring, but the Tide are so deep at that spot it’d be a surprise for someone to pull a Williams.

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Nike announces long-term extension with SEC powerhouse amid college football season

Published

6 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Athletic apparel giant Nike has a significant toehold in the world of collegiate sports. It’s a situation that doesn’t seem to be going anywhere soon, with an extension between the brand and one of the SEC’s most powerful athletic programs. But even for Nike, keeping up in the modern era requires some new techniques.

New Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program

Nike announced the inception of tis Blue Ribbon Elite NIL program. Similar programs have been established at schools like Tennessee and Penn State with adidas. While the details are somewhat scant, the ideas of the program are that the brand will essentially function as a middleman to connect athletes with endorsement opportunities.

Nike extends relationship with LSU

LSU is the program with which Nike has extended its relationship. The new contract will keep the Tigers and the brand aligned through 2036. Nike has long been affiliated with LSU and the University’s all-around athletic excellence has probably done nothing to weaken that relationship.

Tiger Football and the Blue Ribbon Elite Deal

With LSU football preparing for the Texas Bowl against Houston and new head coach Lane Kiffin moving into the program, a pair of football players are part of LSU’s 10-athlete class that brings the Blue Ribbon Elite program into existence. Trey’Dez Green and DJ Pickett are signees of the Blue Ribbon Elite program.

Green is a 6’7″ tight end who has caught 29 passes for 353 yards and five touchdowns this season. The sophomore will have at least one more season of college eligibility before he can potentially enter the NFL Draft. Pickett is a 6’5″ freshman cornerback who has 30 tackles and three interceptions on the season.

LSU’s Broad-Ranged NIL Deal

LSU’s Blue Ribbon Elite signees also include a gymnast, two baseball players, two softball players, a volleyball player, and one men’s and one women’s basketball player. While Nike boasts a total roster of nearly 50 collegiate athletes, the new program is a point of pride for the brand.

“LSU has always been at the forefront of NIL strategy, and as the launchpad for Nike Blue Ribbon Elite, we look forward to working with Nike to offer our student-athletes unrivaled opportunities to capitalize on their brands,” said Tigers athletic director Verge Ausberry.

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Does UAB football have the resources to win? ‘The short answer is yes’

Published

7 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Bill Clark built UAB into a winner, leading the Blazers to 49 wins and five straight bowl appearances following the revival of the football program in 2017. That’s the level of success UAB is trying to return to after failing to win more than four games in each of the past three seasons.

Following a forgettable three-year stint under Trent Dilfer, UAB is now turning to Alex Mortensen to lead the program back to its previous winning ways. But is that possible in college football’s new NIL landscape?

While Clark rose UAB from the ashes, he did so before the days of players earning money through shared revenue and name, image and likeness deals. It’s no secret that UAB’s funding is a fraction of what college football’s elite programs receive. But can the Blazers still build their program back into a winner with their current resources?

“The short answer is yes, we can,” Mortensen said when asked if he can win at UAB during a Thursday appearance on WBRC’s Good Day Alabama.

Mortensen listed recruiting as UAB’s biggest advantage, pointing out the strong five-hour radius of talent the Blazers have at their disposal. Before coming to UAB, Mortensen spent nine seasons working as an assistant on Nick Saban’s talent-laden Alabama teams. On the opposite side of the spectrum, he began his coaching career overseeing quarterbacks at New Mexico Highlands, where he was faced with a dearth of local prospects.

“No offense to the state of New Mexico. I coached New Mexico for a year, not a densely populated area,” Mortensen said. “Here we got a lot of people. We got really good football in this area. So I think we can recruit to the school in the area. That helps tremendously. So that’s an advantage that we really wanted to tap into. That’s something we did at Alabama, too.”

Alabama’s football program has a backing that dwarfs the one Mortensen will receive at UAB. However, UAB’s administration has expressed a willingness to extend more resources to the Blazers moving forward.

“I can just tell you that the institution, the administration, the university, they want to make a commitment to help as much as they can, to adapt in this era,” Mortensen said. “And then also you have people in the community that want to donate to our Excellence Fund and help that grow so we can, we can go compete.”

During a private interview with local reporters last week, UAB Director of Athletics Mark Ingram called the administration’s increased monetary commitment “significant” without providing exact figures.

“Well, first of all, having more is always appreciated, and the increase that [UAB president] Dr. [Ray] Watts and I have talked about is really important in a couple of ways,” Ingram said during the interview. “One, the amount of money is significant. And two, it’s him clearly understanding this new unusual challenge that everybody has to deal with. I appreciate his acknowledgement of that challenge. We’ve talked about it probably every year that I’ve been here. How do we compare to everybody else and how does that look and what can we do? Community guys want to participate and so you’re trying to do that. He certainly recognizes the value and what the institution can do as it’s able.”

Mortensen’s first step in rebuilding UAB’s program will be to retain as many of his top players as possible. The Blazers have already seen several key players announce their intention to enter the transfer portal.

UAB players are currently in the midst of a 15-day transfer window that opened up Wednesday, five days after the Blazers officially promoted Mortensen. The NCAA portal will open up for all players from Jan. 2-16.

“I think it’s really important to have really good relationships with your own players,” Mortensen said during his television interview. “You know, it’s always been important, but it’s maybe more important than ever, because you have to recruit them to retain them. And then you also have to be mindful of they have someone else in their ear now. There are agents out there that are going to be talking to them, and they’re going to try to convince them that your coach doesn’t have your best interests at heart and tehy only want you here for our own purposes.

“So there it’s it’s different. It is really different. And so there are some challenges there, and and we do have to recognize that you’re gonna probably get your heart broken some, but what we obviously want to retain as many of our players as we can.”

Despite facing a challenging next few weeks, Mortensen isn’t making any excuses as he looks to resurrect the Blazers in his first season.

“There’s an old saying, ‘Adapt or die,’” Mortensen said. “So we can complain about it and be frustrated, or we can say, let’s figure out how to compete in this new era. And you know, UAB, I have a lot of respect for the stretches of success we’ve had here. But at the same time, we got to recognize that to compete, it can’t just be copy and paste. We have to find how to compete in this new era, and I’m confident we will.”

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Three Transfer Portal Players Dan Lanning Should Add To Oregon Ducks

Published

8 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Nov 8, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

Oregon Ducks North Carolina Tar Heels College Football Big Ten Khmori House linebacker Matayo Uiagalelei Bryce Boettcher — Nov 8, 2025; Iowa City, Iowa, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning enters Kinnick Stadium before the game against the Iowa Hawkeyes. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images | Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images

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Indiana NIL collective takes pathetic shot at Ohio State football with new shirts

Published

8 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Indiana Hoosiers, at this point, have won their Super Bowl by taking down Ohio State in the Big Ten title game, but the Buckeyes know that while a Big Ten title was a goal, there is a bigger game ahead. While the Buckeyes would have loved to win the Big Ten Championship, a National Championship win is the ultimate goal.

Since beating the Buckeyes, Indiana has certainly taken every opportunity to rub the win in Ohio State’s face, including making shirts and selling them for NIL money. After the win, quarterback Fernando Mendoza uttered the phrase ‘flippin’ champs,’ and when Curt Cignetti spoke to the Hoosier faithful for the first time after being hired, he also had a memorable quote.

“Purdue sucks,” Cignetti said. “But so do Michigan and Ohio State.”

While Ohio State fans will agree with the Michigan part, the fact that they are now selling shirts with those quotes on them just seems like a pathetic attempt to troll Ohio State.

Reminder to flippin’ support NIL ;)https://t.co/oH7oL4KitU pic.twitter.com/yAcgJaDgAc

— Hoosiers Connect (@HoosiersConnect) December 10, 2025

Ohio State knows a bigger game is ahead of them

As stated earlier, of course, Ohio State would have wanted to win the Big Ten Championship, but sometimes suffering a loss can help teams go forward. Last season, while the Buckeyes never wanted to lose to Michigan, that loss helped fuel the team in the College Football Playoff and to a National Championship win.

Indiana is riding high right now, but they now have to bring themselves back down to Earth and get ready for the CFP. Last season, all of the one-seed teams lost in their first matchups after the bye, and some of those could very well happen again this season.

Ohio State knows that it needs to be in the right mindset going into the CFP with a target on its back as the reigning champions. A loss can put things into perspective for teams and show what needs to be worked on.

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Why Michigan’s coaching search instantly becomes a race against time

Published

9 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

The Michigan football program could not have found itself in a more disruptive moment to deal with a full-blown coaching crisis. The abrupt firing of head coach Sherrone Moore has thrown the program into instability at the exact point of the year when college football programs need to be the most organized.

The unfortunate truth to all of this (from just a college football standpoint) is Moore’s dismissal doesn’t just create a leadership vacuum — it collides directly with the most delicate stretch of the college football calendar. The transfer portal’s primary window opens on Jan. 2 and only lasts two weeks, and Michigan enters that period without a permanent coach to reassure players, guide roster plans, or engage in the backchannel relationships that define portal recruiting in today’s landscape.

More critically, NCAA rules will inevitably trigger a 15-day transfer window for all current Michigan players once a new hire is announced. This means the Wolverines are facing the possibility of back-to-back waves of player movement if the search stretches too long. In other words: interested programs will be ready to pounce, quickly and legally, once those windows open.

Behind-the-scenes portal work and early NIL discussions are also assuredly starting to take place. Without a head coach, Michigan will have a hell of a time participating in this process competitively. Every day without clarity is a day where other programs strengthen their position with some of the nation’s top available prospects while the Wolverines continue to catch up.

The timing is equally damaging on the recruiting front. Michigan’s 2026 recruiting class, ranked 11th nationally per 247Sports, is already in jeopardy. Under NCAA rules, recruits who signed their National Letters of Intent may now request releases due to the coaching change, including prospects like five-star running back Savion Hiter and five-star edge rusher Carter Meadows.

Still, Michigan has one crucial advantage: its brand power. The Wolverines remain one of the biggest names in college football with national reach, a strong NIL infrastructure, top-tier facilities and a track record of producing NFL talent. That prestige will keep some players and recruits interested in what the next move is, but the Block M alone cannot hold the roster together indefinitely. Stability needs to follow, and quickly.

Familiar names like Washington head coach Jedd Fisch or Los Angeles Chargers defensive coordinator Jesse Minter would bring ties to the program and a built-in understanding of its culture. Others like Kalen DeBoer, Clark Lea and Kenny Dillingham represent more ambitious swings outside of the traditional Michigan hire.

Everything that happens next will shape the foreseeable future of Michigan football. The recruiting class is vulnerable, the roster is undoubtedly tired of the drama, the transfer portal is around the corner, and the internal 15-day portal window will open shortly after a new head coach is hired. Every day without a leader increases the chances of losing players, recruits, staff and momentum.

Michigan is officially on the clock.

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Gear up for the Texas A&M Aggies in the 2025 College Football Playoff

Published

10 hours ago

December 12, 2025

Your Sports Nation

Updated Dec. 11, 2025, 6:26 p.m. ET

It’s the best time of year to be a college football fan. After another chaotic season, the field for the 12-team College Football Playoff has been set, and in just a few short weeks we’ll be crowning a new national champion.

Indiana, Ohio State, Georgia, Texas A&M, Texas Tech, Alabama, Oklahoma, Tulane, Ole Miss, Miami (Fla.), Oregon and James Madison are the final teams standing. Whether you’re a lifelong Aggies fan, or just jumping on the bandwagon this year, we’ve got plenty of ways to gear up for the postseason. Here’s everything you need to cheer on Texas A&M throughout the College Football Playoff.

Related:How to buy tickets for every College Football Playoffs game