Our best guess at the top impact freshman for powers like Georgia, Texas and Ohio State
By Chris Hummer
• 5 min read
True freshmen no longer have the type of outsized impact on college football they did five years ago. The era of Jake Fromm and Tua Tagovailoa tangoing in the second half of a national championship game, or Trevor Lawrence leading Clemson to a perfect record and a title a year later, has given way to super seniors and transfers-for-hire.
But that doesn't mean true freshmen won't make an impact. Think about the 2024 College Football Playoff: Where would Alabama have been without Caleb Downs? Does Texas win the Big 12 without Anthony Hill? In some cases, like at Georgia Tech (Eric Singleton) or Purdue (Dillon Thieneman), a true freshman emerged as arguably the top overall player on the team.
In concert with our mammoth list of the top 100 impact freshmen in college football -- not the highest-rated, but the players most likely to see the field early -- we've drawn out the most likely impact frosh for each of the top 10 teams according to CBS Sports' preseason 2024 college football rankings.
| 1 | Georgia |
| CB Ellis Robinson : It's hard for true freshmen to break through at a place with the talent level of Georgia. But as we saw two years ago with Malaki Starks, Kirby Smart isn't shy about playing young players in his secondary. Robinson is that type of instant impact freshman. He might not start right away -- he's in a battle with Julian Humphrey to do so -- but he'll certainly have a role in the cornerback room;Top247 rank : No. 2 overall, No. 1 CB | |
| 2 | Ohio State |
| WR Jeremiah Smith :The no-doubt inclusion of this list, Smith came to Ohio State with a ton of hype and exceeded it this spring. The top-ranked wide receiver in Top247 history, Smith stood out from the jump in Columbus and already looks locked in as a starter for one of the top wide receiver rooms in the country. But don't just let me tell you about Smith, allow his Ohio State teammates to clue you in; Top247 Rank:No. 1 overall, No. 1 WR | |
| 3 | Oregon |
| DB Aaron Flowers : There are some snaps to grab at safety behind Kobe Savage and Tysheem Johnson. That is a plus for Flowers, who greatly impressed during spring ball and had a huge spring game. Given that almost every other player in the safety mix is an unproven underclassman, Flowers definitely has a path to the field; Top247 Rank : No. 102 overall, No. 7 safety | |
| 4 | Texas |
| EDGE Colin Simmons : Like Anthony Hill a year ago, there's going to be a role on the defense for Simmons this fall. Simmons is the type of edge-rushing talent Texas has not had in years (Longhorn hasn't posted more than six sacks in a season since 2018). Simmons has that type of potential and flashed it this spring. He'll battle with UTSA transfer Trey Moore for playing time but you can bet Simmons will be springing into attack mode come third downs; Top247 Rank:No. 28 overall, No. 4 EDGE | |
| 5 | Alabama |
| CB Zabien Brown : Alabama lost its top two cornerbacks to the NFL Draft and returned only one player from that room last year, so there was a lot of opportunity for young players this spring to step in and compete. Brown did just that and ended up starting Alabama's spring game opposite USC transfer Domani Jackson. Brown's starting status isn't assured heading into fall camp after the Tide added former Wake Forest cornerback DaShawn Jones in the portal. But Brown, a dominant player at California power Mater Dei, showed this spring he'll play a lot in 2024;Top247 Rank : No. 22 overall, No. 3 CB | |
| 6 | Ole Miss |
| DL Will Echoles : Echoles, the team's top-ranked signee in the 2024 class, is already drawing rave reviews. Echoles came to Oxford with the ability to play offensive or defensive line. Thus far, he's settled in at DT and is making an impact: "He's already one of our most explosive guys in that room," said one source. That's no small feat considering how much talent Ole Miss has along its defensive front;Top247 Rank : No. 77 overall, No.16 DL | |
| 7 | Missouri |
| DL Williams Nwaneri : Missouri returns just one of its four interior d-linemen from last season and the Tigers are clearly still looking to upgrade that position after making a late run at current Miami DT transfer Simeon Barrow. So while Nwaneri is a bit behind the eight-ball as a summer enrollee, there's a chance the Tigers' five-star splash signee can come in right away and make an impact. He's the type of talent who can come along late in the season and impact Missouri's push for a playoff spot;Top247 Rank : No. 6 overall, No.2 DL | |
| 8 | Notre Dame |
| LBKyngstonn Viliamu-Asa:A do-it-all linebacker for California powerhouse St. John Bosco, Viliamu-Asa finished his senior year with 114 tackles, 13 TFLs, two sacks and an interception. He's an inside linebacker who can explode off the edge or look smooth in coverage. He had a big spring for Notre Dame, consistently impressing as an early enrollee. The Irish are young behind Jack Kiser at linebacker, so there's a glut of underclassmen competing for playing time. Given the lack of experience in front of him, Viliamu-Asa is positioned for a role;Top247 Rank : No. 42 overall, No. 4 LB | |
| 9 | Penn State |
| OL Cooper Cousins : Cousins showed the ability to play pretty much every position along Penn State's interior, including center, where he worked extensively this spring. It seems unlikely he'll start ahead of Nick Dawkins there, but there's a chance he can push a few veterans for a starting job at guard. Either way, he's going to be in Penn State's two-deep and will be a big part of the offense in 2024. The 6-foot-6, 319-pound Erie native has only drawn rave reviews this offseason;Top247 Rank : No. 53 overall, No. 2 IOL | |
| 10 | LSU |
| CB PJ Woodland : Woodland had a strong spring for the Tigers to the point he's at least in the mix as a potential starter this fall. Sources have indicated he's very advanced for a freshman and has quickly put on weight in the strength and conditioning program after arriving at 160 pounds;Top247 Rank : 88 rating, No. 46 CB | |
MORE: Read about all 100 impact true freshmen to know for the 2024 college football season
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