The college football season is officially underway this weekend as four FBS games will be played, including the main attraction between No. 10 Florida State and Georgia Tech in Dublin. In honor of football being back, I am sharing some of the prospects I am excited to watch, broken down by conference:
Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC)
LB Barrett Carter, Clemson
Carter plays with his hair on fire and is more comfortable playing in space than his teammate, Jeremiah Trotter Jr., had been a year ago. The Georgia native stuffs the stat sheet as he is often first on the scene, but sometimes that pace of play prevents him from coming to balance and making a square tackle. According to TruMedia, Carter had a 20.0% missed tackle rate last season. Carter is an easy projection to the next level because of his ability to play sideline to sideline.
EDGE Ashton Gillotte, Louisville
Gillotte does a good job holding his ground in the run game and setting the edge. He has amassed 18 sacks over the past two seasons but can continue developing pass-rush moves. Gillotte is more quick and powerful than fast but he knows how to create turnovers with four forced fumbles dating back to 2022. The Cardinals were a factor in the conference in the first season under the direction of head coach Jeff Brohm, and that does not figure to change moving forward.
RB Omarion Hampton, North Carolina
Hampton has ideal size for a feature NFL running back and has shown an ability to impact the pass game, in addition to his 1,504 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns. Hampton accelerates quickly and has good balance through contact. The North Carolina native does a good job planting his foot in the ground and getting north.
RB Damien Martinez, Miami
Martinez was a part of that mass exodus of players leaving Corvallis in the wake of Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith departing for Michigan State. The junior has great size and knows how to break defenders down in open space. Although his 15 career receptions may suggest otherwise, Martinez has shown the ability to be an effective pass catcher out of the backfield. He joins a new look battery in Miami with former Washington State quarterback Cam Ward.
DT Davin Vann, NC State
Vann has good first-step quickness and multiple pass-rush moves. He can line up on the edge or slide inside dependent upon the situation. Outfitted with a thick lower body build, the homegrown talent does a good job creating displacement and plays to the whistle.
Big 12
LB Lander Barton, Utah
There is always NFL talent coming out of the Utah program. Despite missing a handful of games following a season-ending injury, Barton showed a well-rounded skillset to drop in coverage and play within the box. There are a few linebackers in the class who have better movement skills, but Barton offers more traditional size at the position.
TE Jalin Conyers, Texas Tech
The Texas native returned home this offseason after showing a lot of promise at Arizona State. Conyers has soft hands and turns upfield quickly post-catch. Last season, he contributed 362 receiving yards, but also had nearly 100 rush yards for the Sun Devils. Can he take the next step as a pass catcher with the Red Raiders?
RB Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
Gordon has good foot quickness and can bounce gap to gap. He does a good job following his blocks and has proven capable of impacting the pass game with 39 receptions last season alone. The 2024 NFL Draft class was not riddled with running back talent, but Gordon is among what figures to be a talented, deep 2025 class.
CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter is a rare two-way player in college football. He plays cornerback and wide receiver for the Buffaloes but is better suited to play cornerback at the next level, in my opinion. Hunter could prefer playing wide receiver, however, because there is a higher financial ceiling with No. 2 wide receivers being on a similar pay scale as No. 1 cornerbacks.
OT Jonah Savaiinaea, Arizona
If there were only one player on this list to come from Arizona, the expectation likely would have been either quarterback Noah Fifita or wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan. Instead, it is the offensive lineman. Savaiinaea played opposite -- at both guard and tackle -- first-round left tackle selection Jordan Morgan last season. He has great size for an NFL offensive guard. The American Samoan born lineman has active eyes in pass protection and good ankle flexion to recover when challenged with power.
Big Ten
EDGE Abdul Carter, Penn State
Carter has played more of an off-ball linebacker role in the past, but the Nittany Lions are letting him out of his cage this season. He has free reign to rush the passer and that is a role in which he should thrive. There is work for him to do if he wants to be in the same category as Tennessee's James Pearce and Georgia's Mykel Williams, in my opinion, but Penn State has never struggled to find uber-athletic prospects. Chop Robinson and Odafe Oweh are a few that recently matriculated through that program.
CB Will Johnson Jr., Michigan
Johnson is my personal No. 1 overall prospect in the class right now. He has exposure to a heavy zone defensive scheme but also profiles as an impact performer in man coverage. In terms of technique, he is in the same conversation as Patrick Surtain II. Although the Wolverines turned over most of their defensive coaching staff, Johnson has a skillset that can transcend situation.
S Xavier Nwankpa, Iowa
Nwankpa is a quick twitch, instinctive player who can provide assistance in the box or back in coverage. He is a good leader and communicator with two interceptions in as many collegiate seasons. According to TruMedia, he had a 13.6% missed tackle rate in 2023; that number needs to come down, but the Iowa native profiles as potentially the best safety in this class when all is said and done.
WR Evan Stewart, Oregon
Stewart is one of the more intriguing pass-catchers in the nation. If quarterback Connor Weigman had not gotten hurt at Texas A&M last season, perhaps things have played out differently for head coach Jimbo Fisher, Stewart and many others. The Memphis native has good size and excellent speed. With offensive coordinator Will Stein drawing up plays and quarterback Dillon Gabriel distributing the football, Stewart could be poised to put up big numbers in Oregon's first season within in the Big 10.
J.T. Tuimoloau, Ohio State
247Sports' No. 2 overall prospect out of high school has played well for the Buckeyes dating back to his freshman season. Tuimoloau does a good job setting the edge and providing run support. He has shown a few pass rush moves in his time with the Buckeyes but, to take his game to another level, he can do a better job of setting up those pass rush moves, exploiting mistakes made by linemen and stringing together multiple moves.
Southeastern Conference (SEC)
WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
Burden is one of the most electrifying playmakers in the country. Of the 10 players who averaged more yards after the catch per reception (8.4 yards), according to TruMedia, five are now in the NFL and the other five are back in college. He has filled out his 5-foot-11 frame and is looking to build upon the 86 receptions for 1,212 yards and 9 touchdowns that he amassed last season for the Tigers.
EDGE James Pearce, Tennessee
Pearce is explosive and flexible, but his frame has not yet filled out, which is exciting. Among players with at least 150 pass rush snaps last season, the Volunteer finished fourth in pressure rate (21.8%), according to TruMedia. A year after the first defensive player was not taken until No. 15 overall, Pearce spearheads a strong defensive class.
LB Harold Perkins, LSU
Perkins was asked to fulfill roles as an off-ball linebacker and an edge rusher under former defensive coordinator Matt House. Perkins has a case as being the most fluid, athletic football player, relative to size, in the nation. His future is probably at linebacker, but one should not pigeon-hole him into a traditional role. The best version of his utilization is allowing him to freelance and make plays sideline to sideline similar to Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah.
DT Deone Walker, Kentucky
For those that have not seen Walker play, he may be miscast as a run-stuffing nose tackle, but he creates chaos with his size and movement skills. His versatility has allowed defensive coordinator Brad White to move him around the formation in an effort to create mismatches. The Detroit native was credited with 7.5 sacks last season, and the Wildcats will need him to deliver again this fall.
EDGE Mykel Williams, Georgia
Williams has the frame and size of an NFL edge rusher but is not as quick and twitchy as Pearce. He is a relatively young player who is still developing his craft but, if all the pieces to the puzzle come together, the Georgia native will have a strong case to become the No. 1 overall selection.
Non-Power 4 programs
RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Jeanty is a personal favorite early in the draft process. Stylistically, he reminds of Jahmyr Gibbs with his quickness and ability to make plays in the pass game. The Jacksonville native had several suitors attempting to coax him into the transfer portal, but he stayed true to the program that initially showed faith in him.
Last season, Jeanty averaged 6.2 yards per carry for 1,262 yards and 14 touchdowns, in addition to 39 receptions for 552 yards and 5 touchdowns while splitting time with George Holani. The Broncos welcome a new play-caller this season, but Jeanty's skill set transcends situation.
CB Shavon Revel Jr., East Carolina
Revel is a tall boundary cornerback with a muscular build. His length allows him to recover quickly and shut open windows before quarterbacks have time to react. Although not anticipated to be taken as highly as Quinyon Mitchell coming out of the MAC last year, the buzz for Revel has steadily built to a loud hum.
WR Jalen Royals, Utah State
Royals caught 71 passes for 1,080 yards and 15 touchdowns last season. He has made a living throttling down at the top of his routes, but has strong hands and good contact balance post-catch. Utah State could do more in terms of moving him around the field and showcasing a full route tree. According to TruMedia, only three of his targets were beyond the far right hash.
EDGE David Walker, Central Arkansas
Walker has always been regarded as an athletic specimen dating back to 2022 when he was a member of Bruce Feldman's lauded 'Freaks List.' His comfort with the game has only grown in recent years. Walker has good instincts to set up pass-rush moves and sniff out screens. His ability to bend at the high side of his rush is suitable for the NFL, and there is certainly a speed-to-power element of his game. There is room for growth in terms of developing more pass-rush moves and learning how to string them together, but the foundation is sturdy for Walker, who has 20.5 sacks over the last two years.
OT Marcus Wehr, Montana State
Wehr is among a collection of small-school offensive linemen who have impressive. He has played right tackle but may project inside at the next level. A powerful player by nature, Wehr leans on defenders in the run game. Schematically, he is best projected to a power/gap blocking scheme that allows him to play more downhill.
William & Mary offensive tackle Charles Grant is one of the most athletic linemen in the nation, but is still a bit raw. Sacramento State interior offensive lineman Jackson Slater and North Dakota State offensive tackle Grey Zabel are a few others who could land on Day 2 of next year's draft.
