The Big Ten’s recent success at the top could push it past other top conferences

PublishedJune 13, 2025 7:07 PM EDT•UpdatedJune 13, 2025 7:07 PM EDT

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Urban Meyer has better perspective than almost anyone on the differences and divide between smaller, Group of Five schools and power programs. From head coaching positions at Bowling Green and Utah, to then Florida, the NFL and back to Ohio State University, Meyer’s done it all. 

So when he talks about the future of the college football landscape, it’s worth listening. 

Meyer earlier this week discussed his concerns over the distribution of talent on “The Triple Option” podcast with Mark Ingram and Rob Stone. Specifically, that developing talent at smaller schools won’t pay the same dividends as it did when he was coaching.

READ: Urban Meyer Roasts Lincoln Riley At USC, Forgets Recent Ohio State History

“They become the feeder system for the big boys,” he explained. “It’s still beautiful football. The MAC, I coached there for two years, it’s fantastic because everybody had the same players. So it was really a coaches league. Some leagues you have the best teams are so much better than the other teams. But what happens (now) … the reality is you’re going to develop a player and he’s going to leave.”

It’s hard to argue.

Jan 20, 2025; Atlanta, GA, USA; Urban Meyer looks on during the second half the CFP National Championship college football game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images

Urban Meyer Talks Big Ten, SEC Rivalry

The NIL era has created the “feeder” system, where small programs now serve as an effective minor league program for bigger teams. 

If say, a Bowling Green type program recruits well, finds a promising high schooler, develops him as a freshman and/or sophomore, it’s now become a near certainty that an Alabama, USC, or Michigan will come calling soon afterward. Unrestricted transfers have it easier for players to find better financial opportunities and more national television exposure. 

And it’s hard to argue against players taking those opportunities. After all, any student or employee would jump at the chance to improve their financial or career prospects if available. 

Meyer wasn’t done there. 

In a second interview, part of the “Another Dooley Noted” Podcast, Meyer said he thinks the Big Ten Conference has passed the SEC in terms of top-flight quality. 

“Well, you know what the SEC’s done? It’s raised the level,” he explained. “But the Big Ten has passed the SEC at the upper part. If you would have told me that 10 years ago, I would have said it’s not even close.”

The Big Ten has won the last two National Championships, something Meyer didn’t believe was possible when he started coaching in Columbus.

“When I first got to the Big Ten, even Shelley said, ‘What in the world? This is a slow man’s game up here,’ and I like to think that the Buckeyes really changed that. Then everyone else started investing in their schools,” Meyer said. “And started recruiting the best player, not just the footprint. As a result, the Wolverine team two years ago was one of the best teams I’ve seen. The Buckeyes team this year is one of the best I’ve ever seen. You’re seeing Penn State, and some of these teams have great success.”

There’s no arguing that the Big Ten has closed the gap, but SEC fans will say it’s going to take more than two years, and more teams will have to show they’re legitimate contenders before they’ve fully become the best conference. Not to mention that the SEC’s depth is unique, even among Power 5 conferences.

How will Michigan, Ohio State, Penn State, Oregon and USC stack up this season against Alabama, Georgia, Texas, Ole Miss and South Carolina? The answer to that question will go a long way towards proving Meyer right. Or wrong. 

It was never going to be easy. The Oregon State baseball program — despite its status as a blue blood and arguably the top operation in the sport this century — faced an uphill battle from the moment the Pac-12 collapsed. When the Beavers stared elimination in the eyes five times this postseason, they were no strangers to adversity. Right at home with their backs against the wall, they rattled off victories in each of those do-or-die contests to punch their ticket to Omaha.

Superheroes. That’s what coach Mitch Canham called his players ahead of their opening game at the 2025 College World Series.

“I really want more of the story to be out,” Canham said. “I don’t want walls around our clubhouse. I would like just pillars so people can see in and understand what they went through in its entirety this year and how special it really is. That was the prayer from the get go: Let’s make this thing so challenging. Let’s do something that no one else has ever done.

“That gives them the opportunity to go out there and transform college athletics.”

Oregon State goes independent

The grueling road back to Omaha began well before Nelson Keljo threw the first pitch on Valentine’s Day. The opening chapter in this team’s story hit the paper in the summer of 2023 when eight schools, following USC and UCLA from the year prior, announced their intentions to depart from the Pac-12.

Only Oregon State and Washington State went homeless in the landscape-altering wave of conference realignment. Both universities patched together plans for the two-year grace period in which they control the Pac-12’s assets and continue to rebuild the league. For baseball purposes, the Cougars packed their bags for the Mountain West as temporary members. The Beavers paved their own path and became the only Division I Independent for the 2025 season.

Independents to reach NCAA Tournament since 2000

Going conference-less in an era of college athletics where media rights deals reign supreme, leagues boast as many as 18 teams and the chasm between the haves and have-nots only continues to widen was a major risk, yet it paid off.

Transfer portal ravages the Beavers

The transfer portal gutted Oregon State’s athletic department following the Pac-12’s demise. Football and women’s basketball were among the hardest hit, and their results last season plummeted. The football team’s win percentage dropped from 61.5% to 41.7%. Women’s basketball miraculously returned to the NCAA Tournament but did so at just over .500 on the year.

The Oregon State baseball brand was so strong, however, that Canham used the portal to his advantage rather than his detriment and built a roster that posted a better record than the 2024 squad. In from Washington came shortstop Aiva Arquette, who turned down larger NIL packages because, in his words, he wanted to win. The projected first-round MLB Draft pick has been the best bat in the lineup and is a walking highlight reel defensively.

2025 MLB Draft rankings: Top 30 players in class, including Eli Willits, Jamie Arnold, Ethan Holliday and more

R.J. Anderson

Perhaps most importantly, Canham convinced nearly all of his most important players from a year ago to stick around rather than look for a new program, star outfielder Gavin Turley and stalwart catcher Wilson Weber chief among them.

“One of the biggest things I want to point out is with all of this going on with NIL, transfer portal, the amount of money that can be had in the draft, you name it, these guys all chose to be at Oregon State,” Canham said. “That means a lot about who they are as men and where their values lay, how much they care about that place and that brotherhood. It warms my heart that I get to go be a part of that.”

Beavers attack brutal, road-heavy schedule

In an anecdote that defines Oregon State’s struggle the last two seasons, players and coaches recall earlier this season when the team bus never showed up on travel day. Players and coaches scrambled to find enough cars to drive themselves nearly two hours north to the Portland International Airport for one of their countless road series.

By the end of the regular season, the games they played on that trip accounted for some of the 35 for which they suited up away from Goss Stadium at Coleman Field. The Beavers held just 19 games, in contrast, at the nation’s oldest continuous ballpark before the start of regional play.

“I’ve been saying it all year,” said Freshman All-American starting pitcher Dax Whitney, who is set to take the mound in Friday’s College World Series opener. “I think we’re more prepared than anybody to go do this thing. We’ve been handling adversity all year, and we welcome it all the time. I think we’re better trained than anybody in the country to go do this thing.”

Oregon State’s strength of schedule ranks No. 33 nationally, per D1Baseball. That is not too shabby for a program that did not have the luxury of playing consistent weekend series against power conference competition. Road battles with tournament-caliber opposition and a couple of preseason events with premier programs boosted the résumé and ensured the Beavers got enough tests in before postseason play. But it was a drag.

At one point, the Beavers even reached a mutual agreement with Portland to cancel one of their midweek matchups due to the scheduling demands. Canham’s team had just arrived back on the mainland from a four-game swing at Hawai’i when it was scheduled tens of hours later to depart for a neutral-site battle against Iowa in Des Moines. Rather than play eight games in 10 days, Oregon State took a much-needed breather.

It worked wonders, as they won the first two games against the Hawkeyes and tied the last, shoring up a top-eight national seed in the process and guaranteeing home-field advantage through the super regional round.

Long wait for home games pays off

While teams across the nation competed in their conference tournaments, Oregon State held a three-day fan appreciation weekend of sorts with open scrimmages, autograph sessions and even a community movie night. Accustomed to their constant trips up and down Interstate 5 to the PDX airport and night after night in hotel rooms, the Beavers suddenly found themselves in the early stages of an extended home stand.

Only once in the regular season did Oregon State play more than four straight games at home. Opponents simply would not make the trek to Corvallis to play in one of college baseball’s most intimidating parks. The NCAA sent four squads to the home of the three-time national champions for regional play, though, and another in the super regional round. The Beavers strung together eight consecutive games in their home digs.

Program legends Jacoby Ellsbury, Darwin Barney and Nick Madrigal were among those on hand over the last two weekends. Football coach Trent Bray was a ringleader of the constant chants and rhythmic clapping that echoed throughout the legendary grounds, nestled between campus buildings and an old railroad line. Record crowds packed both permanent and temporary seats on a daily basis as Oregon State inched closer to the College World Series.

“I’ve had a lot of other coaches come in and go, ‘Wow, it’s really like this out here, huh?'” said Canham. “Hearing coaches that are coming from the East Coast. Butch Thompson said that when he came in a couple years ago. Link (Jarrett) said it when he was here. ‘Wow, this place is pretty special.’ There’s no doubt about it. That’s why I wish everyone could live it for a little bit of time.”

The Beavers played the maximum number of games across the Corvallis Regional and Super Regional, needing to bounce back from a loss in the regional opener and a defeat in Game 2 of the super regional series with Florida State. They won the ones that mattered most, like they did in 2006 and 2018 when they became one of just two teams this century to lose their College World Series opener and proceed to win the national championship.

It is almost as if Oregon State is most comfortable when the adversity is at its strongest. There is a good chance it will strike again in the final stanza of the Beavers’ hunt for national championship No. 4.

Frankly, they wouldn’t have it any other way.

Could an entertainment district be coming soon to Kentucky’s campus? The university is at least going to explore the idea as it looks for ways to grow revenue in the new age of college athletics.

At yesterday’s UK Board of Trustees meeting, UK Athletics submitted a request for information (RFI) to develop an entertainment district on campus, which could include concepts such as restaurants, hotels, and other entertainment options. The request was part of a larger proposal for $110 million worth of investments over the next few years, which was approved today by the Board of Trustees. Although a location was not mentioned in the presentation, the district would presumably be on the south side of campus, adjacent to Kroger Field, Kentucky Proud Park, the Wendell & Vickie Bell Soccer Complex, and John Cropp Stadium.

Athletics director Mitch Barnhart told BBN Tonight’s Maggie Davis that the entertainment district, or “fan zone,” as he called it, would be similar to those in professional sports cities. He specifically mentioned the Deer District outside the Fiserv Forum, which he and Kentucky fans who made the trip to Milwaukee got a firsthand look at during the first and second rounds of the NCAA Tournament in March. The Deer District is an indoor-outdoor sports, retail, and entertainment hub built on 30 acres, at the center of which is a large plaza, where, in 2021, 65,000 fans gathered to watch the Bucks’ NBA Championship run. The district includes several bars, restaurants, shops, and even an outdoor beer garden. As someone who went there more than once during that weekend, it’s pretty awesome.

Other schools have already announced plans for entertainment districts near their football stadiums, most notably Tennessee. The 175,000 square foot Neyland Entertainment District will include a 240-room hotel with 60 additional condos, retail, restaurants (including one with a rooftop), a conference center, and a pool with a terrace. The area will tie together Neyland Stadium and Food City Center. Kansas is also building the Gateway District, a new entertainment and lodging district surrounding Memorial Stadium.

Where exactly would Kentucky’s entertainment district be located? There are some intriguing options around Kroger Field. That could further cut into the tailgating areas; however, now that schools can distribute up to $20.5 million to their athletes this upcoming year (and increasingly more in the years after that), Kentucky needs all the money it can get. That’s the primary reason that over the next year, UK Athletics will transition to Champions Blue LLC, a non-profit holding company designed to give the department more flexibility to unlock new revenue streams through public-private partnerships and potentially other transactions, such as real estate. Maybe that real estate includes more property around the stadium for the entertainment district?

Now that the request for information has been submitted, UK can start exploring some options. As much as we all love tailgating, UK is only making money off parking passes and the REVELxp VIP tailgate setups (which I can’t imagine have been selling like hotcakes). Creating a new area near Kroger Field where fans can eat, drink, and even stay, with the athletic department getting a piece of the pie through partnerships, is just smart.

Imagine having a hotel room right next to the stadium on a big gameday, or even during basketball season, the district being used for watch parties for away games and the SEC and NCAA Tournaments. It would be awesome.

Renovations coming to Kroger Field

Another part of the $110 million investment is $36 million for Kroger Field. Thirteen million of that will go toward maintenance, $18 million for renovations to the corner suites, and $8 million for the initial design of a West End Zone Club space and wi-fi improvements.

“Obviously, you have to continue to maintain and repair the stadium,” Barnhart told Maggie Davis. “For safety reasons, making sure that all the components, the stairwells, ramps, those kinds of things, that there’s not anything that’s going to put our patrons at risk, so that’s important.

“The other piece is just the fan amenities that allow us to bring new revenue streams, to be able to do some things differently in our suites, really, really important. Those are priorities. What things, what decisions do we make that allow us to create revenue streams or be more efficient, or make sure that we’re prioritizing our fan experiences the right way?”

UK Athletics also requested $5 million for renovations to the soccer and softball facilities. Kentucky will host the SEC Softball Tournament in 2026.

Many sports media dimensions have seen increased discussions of conflicts of interest lately. In a lot of cases, though, those conflicts have been disclosed to both employers and to the public; they can still be questioned, but viewers or readers at least are aware of them. According to On3 founder and CEO Shannon Terry, that wasn’t the case with ex-employee Grant Frerking, who was a consultant for University of Tennessee head football coach Josh Heupel while serving as On3’s president of NIL University and director of athlete network development:

On3 had no knowledge of this relationship. Grant was explicitly instructed not to engage, either directly or indirectly, with the University of Tennessee or its associated collective. On multiple occasions during his employment, he was asked to confirm compliance with this… https://t.co/6rUtzVVgSy

— Shannon Terry (@ShannonTerry) June 12, 2025

Here’s the full text of that post, which Terry put out on X Thursday in response to a Knoxville News Sentinel story from Adam Sparks on Frerking (which has since been updated to reflect Terry’s comment):

On3 had no knowledge of this relationship. Grant was explicitly instructed not to engage, either directly or indirectly, with the University of Tennessee or its associated collective. On multiple occasions during his employment, he was asked to confirm compliance with this directive, and he repeatedly denied any involvement. These representations were false. He lied to us.

The Frerking saga is notable on several levels. Frerking was a significant figure in On3’s NIL efforts, and was particularly cited as a key figure in arranging their NIL summits, involving speakers from ESPN CFB analyst Kirk Herbstreit to former LSU gymnast Livvy Dunne to chief marketing officers of Fortune 100 brands. He also often represented On3 in interviews on other media outlets.

Those media appearances included repeated appearances on SEC Network’s The Paul Finebaum Show, an appearance on Tomi Lahren’s Fox Nation show, appearances on Outkick 360 and The Athletic podcasts, and more. And while it wouldn’t have been unexpected for Frerking to have some fondness for the Volunteers considering his 2017-22 playing career with that team (he started as a walk-on, and while he only saw limited on-field action, he was cited as a member of the team’s leadership council), there’s a difference between that and serving as a paid consultant to a coach while also offering seemingly-independent commentary on that coach and program. And the latter is what’s under discussion here.

Sparks wrote that Tennessee provided the paper with documents indicating that Frerking worked for the university as a Nashville-based part-time consultant from July 2023 through this month, earning $30,000 for that role. (His contract expires as of June 30, but he no longer works for the school, and they don’t owe him any further pay.) Frerking’s duties there included “advising and consulting football coaches on best practices to navigate the current college football climate,” “assisting and advising Heupel and staff on off-field matters related to the program, both internally and externally,” “aiding in future development of program by speaking on panels and attending events (which included numerous appearances on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on SEC Network),” and more.

Frerking started with On3 almost two years earlier, in August 2021. He began work there ahead of his second-to-last season playing for Tennessee, then continued there after his playing career ended. He then worked there through May 27 of this year, leaving amidst “allegations of criminal misconduct” as per an On3 statement.

Those “allegations of criminal misconduct” are the wider issue here. Sparks and colleagues Mike Wilson and Tyler Whetstone covered a lot of that in a separate piece Thursday, which looks at how Frerking “gained fame during his playing career as the teenage CEO of what was described as a $1 million company” but “has tumbled into a mess of financial scams and legal issues that have him asking former Vols athletes for loans.”

That piece describes claims of Frerking saying he still worked at the Metro Straw ground cover company he founded while still a Tennessee player (which received a glowing writeup in The Athletic back in 2018) for years after his departure. It has accounts from people who say he used that connection (which the company disavowed in an undated online post this year, saying they parted ways with him years ago) to scam people ordering straw into making direct Venmo payments to someone associated with him and not receiving any product. There are also discussions of unpaid rent, evictions, unpaid limo fees, and more.

Those other allegations are more significant in the big picture than the discussion of Frerking working for On3 and Tennessee at the same time. And there have been many discussions of players-turned-broadcasters’ roles with their former teams over the years, from Udonis Haslem to Tom Brady to Grant Hill, David Ortiz, and Jessica Mendoza; while some of those situations (Mendoza’s in particular) have ended with the broadcasters shifting away from commentary on that sport, most have seen them continue despite ties to a former team.

But this situation goes beyond those in one crucial way: the lack of disclosure. Terry’s note here that Frerking “was explicitly prohibited” from engaging with Tennessee or its collective while working for On3, and surrounding claim that “he lied to us,” suggests he and that company were not on board with the dual role Frerking ultimately wound up with here. Beyond that, it’s certainly strange that Frerking’s role with Tennessee included “aiding in future development of program by speaking on panels and attending events (which included numerous appearances on “The Paul Finebaum Show” on SEC Network)”; the claim that Tennessee paid Frerking to appear there, presumably without that program’s knowledge, carries some questions for both sides.

That may lead to more discussions about dual roles in the college media/NIL space in particular. And those have heated up recently on other fronts, including with another situation at Ohio State drawing scrutiny earlier this year. Many of the specific details of the claims against Frerking may not be more widely relevant, but conversations about media employees also working for schools or collectives certainly are.

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.

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.