Anthony Wilson
Spring football practices across the country end this weekend. While most workout reports center around veterans and offseason additions through the transfer portal, there are still plenty of young guys who have stood out in one way or another.
Last year, it was five-star safety Caleb Downs who showed up for Alabama during the spring months. His remarkable freshman season may have come as a surprise to some, but not to those who had been watching and evaluating him since his high school days. The same goes for other instant-impact blue-chip recruits like Alabama offensive lineman Kaydn Proctor, Texas linebacker Anthony Hill and Miami offensive lineman Francis Mauigoa.
So what ranking are we feeling good about coming out of spring training? Below, we highlight ten freshmen who lived up to the hype. The group includes nine true freshmen along with one very famous redshirt freshman.
We had little concern at 247Sports ranking Jeremiah Smith as our No. 1 overall prospect in the 2024 class after a dominant senior season, but we’re sleeping a little better after seeing all the Ohio State footage.
Smith became the fastest player to lose his black belt with the Buckeyes and was recognized as an “official member” of the team after just four spring practices. Ohio State has recruited and developed wide receivers to an astonishing degree in recent years under the direction of assistant Brian Hartline. None have created the buzz that Smith has, especially so early.
It’s rare for a wide receiver who has yet to play a college game to attract so much hype, but Smith absolutely deserves the attention. He has play-ready size to go along with top-tier athleticism and an advanced feel for the position. The kicker? He will only become more polished with his professional mindset. Smith has been one of the stories of the spring in college football. His father, Chris, isn’t surprised.
“He’s very, very ready,” Chris told 247Sports. “He’s been ready since he was 9.”
In any other cycle, Cam Coleman would have finished as the top-ranked wide receiver for us.
Coleman gave Auburn’s passing attack plenty of life on A-Day, catching four passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. The Tigers haven’t had a 1,000-yard receiver since the 1999 season and the smart money should be on Coleman, who finished as the No. 5 seed in 2024, to eventually end the drought. He’s going to be a superstar.
On the younger side of his grade, Coleman took a big step forward between his junior and senior seasons of high school. That made us feel good about his upward trajectory, but what really convinced us he was a potential game-breaker was an excellent week of practice in the Under Armor All-America Game. Coleman proved to be a total mismatch on the perimeter as he used his length and jump to make acrobatic grabs.
There wasn’t a player in America who had a better senior season last fall than DJ Lagway, who earned MaxPreps and Gatorade Player of the Year honors.
Lagway’s biggest obstacle throughout the evaluation process was his consistency as a passer. The raw talent in her arm was there, but the flashes were just flashes. However, things began to look up for the athletic Lagway during his final prep season at Texas and his performance in the Florida Orange and Blue Game was extremely encouraging.
Lagway, who moved up to third overall and the highest-ranked QB in the final rankings of the 2024 cycle, completed 12 of 21 passes for 173 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. He also moved the chains with his legs. It’s certainly been far from a perfect ride, but Lagway has come a long way in a short time and should only continue to progress under the direction of Billy Napier, who gets a lot of hate but hasn’t gotten much credit for quietly. revitalizing Graham Mertz’s career.
While most schools use the transfer portal to fill roster holes, Dabo Swinney continues to build his roster through the high school ranks — no matter how many players he loses to the portal. This has created a situation where true freshmen have to play and Sammy Brown is practically a lock to prevent a redshirt.
Not only did Brown get a five-star rating from us, but he also came in first place in my annual rankings ‘Crazy List.’ A drill warrior and decorated wrestler with elite scorers in track and field, Brown had eight tackles in Clemson’s spring game. He also recorded a sack on his first rush, which is notable because he wasn’t asked to blitz a ton in high school.
The Tigers welcome a future NFL Draft pick in linebacker Barrett Carter and plan to pair him up front with a rising star in Wade Woodaz, but Swinney has already made it clear that Brown is ready to help Clemson in year one .
EUATSI
No position group at Alabama has been hit harder this winter than the cornerback room, as the Crimson Tide lost several players to the transfer portal. Kalen DeBoer and his new staff brought in veterans to help, but it wouldn’t be shocking if Zabien Brown burned out badly as a true freshman after representing the first-team defense.
In our eyes, there has been no more technically advanced cornerback in the 2024 cycle than Zabien Brown. He was one of the few defenders who could keep up with Jeremiah Smith in the All-American Bowl and played his best football late in his senior season.
Brown didn’t shoot 1,000 percent on A-Day, but he received praise from DeBoer for his consistent play during practice and has the tools to play outfield in the SEC. There may be some early growing pains with the No. 3-ranked cornerback, but investing in Brown makes sense for Alabama.
Nebraska featured one of the worst passing attacks in the country last season. Matt Rhule has yet to name a starting quarterback, but it’s hard to imagine a scenario where five-star Dylan Raiola doesn’t see the field as a true freshman. Not after a solid showing last weekend.
In the Cornhuskers’ spring game, the No. 2-ranked quarterback connected on 16 of his 22 pass attempts for 239 yards with two touchdowns against one interception. He impressed not only with the touch on his deep shots, but also with the torque he was able to create with different arm angles.
Raiola’s recruitment has had no shortage of drama, but there’s no doubt he has what it takes to make a difference on Saturdays, given the way he plays the ball and buys time in the pocket.
UNC returns seven of its top eight pass catchers from last season, but it may be difficult for Mack Brown and the Tar Heels to keep Jordan Shipp out of the wide receiver rotation.
A late addition to the All-American Bowl, we were impressed in San Antonio with Shipp’s college-ready size and advanced ball skills. He was a big standout in our final rankings update, ranking as the 19th wide receiver in the class after a decorated prep career: 128 receptions for 2,283 yards and 29 touchdowns in his final two seasons.
After starting up front and participating in some Duke’s Mayo Bowl practices, Shipp excelled in UNC’s spring game, catching four passes for 38 yards and a touchdown.
Mario Cristobal quickly raised the bar for expectations in Coral Gables by revamping his lineup. While most of the notable additions came through the transfer portal, the case of freshman Elija Lofton creates a fun storyline in terms of the player’s versatility and adaptability that will be something to watch for. college football stubborn to track. Recruited as a tight end, Lofton got some reps at running back during spring practice and turned heads.
Lofton has no measurable prototypes for the tight end position, but one of the main reasons he finished as the 10th tight end in the country for us is because of what he was able to do as a ball carrier in high school. average . As a senior, Lofton was often featured as a short-yardage running back and found the end zone nine times on the ground.
It wouldn’t be shocking to see Lofton emerge as a Swiss Army knife for the Hurricanes in the H-back role with his soft hands, contact balance and body control. Congratulations to Miami and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson for possibly unlocking Lofton’s best so early.
A dismal slump followed by a portal season that took as long as it did — there just hasn’t been much to get excited about in East Lansing lately. Maybe Nick Marsh could change that.
Marsh was a bit of an outsider to us as far as rankings went (No. 22 wide receiver, No. 107 overall), but we were optimistic about his physical traits, lateral fluidity and multi-sport experience. We also like the fact that he’s younger and starting to turn the corner.
In Michigan State’s spring game, Marsh caught a 75-yard touchdown pass, finishing the day with three receptions for 105 yards. The Spartans have lost four of their top six pass catchers from a dismal 2023 season to graduation or the transfer portal, and it appears Marsh could emerge as a transfer target for quarterback Aidan Chiles as new head coach Jonathan Smith looks to right the to send.
If you guessed Arch Manning as that famous redshirt freshman, congratulations – DM me for a free one-month subscription to 247Sports.
And what a difference these 12 months have made for Arch. Many ridiculously labeled the then-freshman a failure after an abysmal performance in last year’s spring game (5 of 13 passing for 30 yards), our #1 ranked prospect in the class of 2023 quickly turned into the toast of the town for Burnt Orange .
Manning stole the show in this year’s spring game, completing 19 of 25 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns. Two of those scores were 75-yard bombs where Manning pushed the ball well into the deep third.
Quinn Ewers is undoubtedly Texas’ starter after leading the Longhorns to the College Football Playoff, but Manning’s performance reinforced that he is exactly who we thought he was two years ago: an elite processor with a prototypical frame who can do all the releases. Too bad no one will be able to play with him in the EA Sports College Football 25 video game.
