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Brant's top 10 college football impact players to watch in 2025. His top quarterbacks, wide receivers, tight ends, and defensive players for the 2025 CFB season.
Top 10 Impact Players for 2025 College Football
The 2025 college football season is just around the corner, so let’s take a look at 10 must-watch players entering the new campaign. There are sure to be surprises, and players we haven’t heard of will become household names by the end of the season, but these 10 players are sure to bring excellence in 2025.
LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina
South Carolina’s star quarterback broke out in his first season as a starter. The dual-threat LaNorris Sellers passed for 2,534 yards and 18 touchdowns while rushing for 674 yards and seven scores in his redshirt freshman season, looking much improved as a quarterback from the beginning to the end of the season.
Now, the spotlight is even bigger for the rising sophomore. Sellers has the potential to be a first-round draft pick in 2026, but he must prove to NFL scouts that he can take the next big step. South Carolina will also be competing for a playoff spot after narrowly missing out a season ago. Sellers and the Gamecocks will be in the national spotlight from the jump, as they play Virginia Tech in a standalone Week 1 game on Sunday, August 31st at 3 pm. It is that game where Sellers can turn himself into a household name.
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
As a true freshman, Jeremiah Smith had the type of season that anybody else can only dream about. Highlight play after highlight play, 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, and a national title to top it all off.
Smith would have been a top-five pick in the past draft; he would be one next year, and he certainly will be one when he is finally draft-eligible in 2027. In the meantime, college football fans get to watch two more full seasons worth of the athletic freak. Every time Smith takes the field this season, eyes will follow. That starts Week 1 with Texas and likely ends in December or January in the playoffs. The Buckeyes will lean on their star offensively, and college football fans everywhere will benefit.
DJ Lagway, QB, Florida
The top recruit in the 2024 class fully took over the starting job after Graham Mertz tore his ACL in the Tennessee game. DJ Lagway’s freshman season was full of ups and downs, but he certainly showcased his potential. Standing 6-foot-3 and 239 pounds, his physicality stands out.
With a season to get acclimated to college football and another full offseason to hone his craft, Lagway is one of the most polarizing players entering 2025. He only averaged 17 pass attempts per game in the regular season, a sign that Billy Napier was attempting to limit his mistakes as a true freshman. Napier let Lagway loose in the Gasparilla Bowl against Tulane and got a mixed bag in return with a 305-yard, one-touchdown, two-interception performance.
Lagway and the Gators played spoiler down the stretch last season, knocking off LSU and Ole Miss in back-to-back late November games. This season, the schedule does not get any easier. Lagway will have plenty of opportunities to play in front of a national audience, and will certainly need to capitalize on them to solidify himself as one of college football’s top quarterbacks.
Arch Manning, QB, Texas
The Manning name has gotten Arch quite a bit of attention throughout his first two seasons on campus, but now he will finally get the opportunity to fully take the reins of the Longhorns’ program after sitting behind Quinn Ewers.
Manning played well in limited action a year ago, passing for 939 yards, nine touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for 108 yards and four touchdowns. Now, the stage gets huge in his first start of the season as Texas travels to Columbus for a Sugar Bowl rematch. Eyes will be on the star quarterback week in and week out, and he may just be the most polarizing player in college football this season.
Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama
Just in case you needed reminding (you don’t if you watched Alabama games last season), Ryan Williams should have been in high school last year. Instead, he put up 865 yards and eight touchdowns through the air while adding 48 rushing yards and two additional touchdowns on the ground at one of the most premier programs in the sport.
Williams’ highlight-reel game-winning touchdown against Georgia was one of the highlights of the entire season, and his production certainly fell off as the year went on, but he has undeniable talent and a sophomore leap should be expected from the star.
Cam Coleman, WR, Auburn
While the world was locked in on Jeremiah Smith and Ryan Williams, Auburn’s Cam Coleman was flying under the radar. The former five-star receiver took a bit of time to adjust to the college game, but he recorded 22 catches for 306 yards and six touchdowns over the final three games of the season. All of that with Payton Thorne under center.
Coleman has NFL size and speed, and put the production up at the end of the 2024 season. Heading into 2025, the quarterback depth looks a lot stronger between Jackson Arnold and Deuce Knight. The rising sophomore should solidify himself as one of the best receivers in the sport, and should have all eyes on him in Week 1 in a Friday night matchup with Baylor.
Linkon Cure, TE, Kansas State
Recruiting fanatics are familiar with this name, but the average college football fan may question his involvement on this list. Linkon Cure is an incoming freshman tight end for Kansas State. He opted to stay home over offers from a plethora of top-tier schools, including Alabama, Oregon, Michigan, Notre Dame, and more.
Cure is a mix of size and athleticism that the college football world hasn’t seen from a tight end since Brock Bowers, who took the NCAA by storm as a true freshman. Avery Johnson lacked a go-to target a season ago, but the addition of Cure should help him take the next step as a passer. It may not happen overnight, but college football fans should make it a point to watch Cure and will have the opportunity to do so in Week 0’s Ireland matchup.
Caleb Downs, S, Ohio State
It’s no secret that Caleb Downs is one of the most electric defensive playmakers college football has seen in a while. From his punt return touchdown against Indiana to his clutch interception against Texas, Downs helped lead the Buckeye defense to a title.
Now, he is the face of the defense, a captain, and a potential future top ten NFL Draft selection. He can shut down opposing playmakers while also being electric enough to return punts. His versatility will fit in well in new defensive coordinator Matt Patricia’s scheme, and he remains a player to watch this upcoming season.
Harold Perkins Jr., LB, LSU
Harold Perkins burst onto the scene in 2022 as a true freshman with 7.5 sacks, an interception, and three forced fumbles, looking the part of a future top NFL Draft pick. After being used as more of an inside linebacker than an edge rusher in 2023, his stats regressed a bit, and then in 2024, he tore his ACL early.
Perkins’ recovery sounds as if it is going well, and he will likely be ready for Week 1. It sounds as if he will play his third position in four years, as Brian Kelly has noted that his star linebacker will be playing the Star position on LSU’s defense. The Star position was newly added to the Tigers’ defense a season ago as a hybrid linebacker/defensive back. Kelly believes that the position will allow Perkins’ athleticism and coverage skills to be on full display.
Is it the right move to push a guy who starred as an EDGE as a freshman to a hybrid safety position? Only time will tell, but this interesting move by Kelly has to be monitored by college football fans.
Suntarine Perkins, EDGE, Ole Miss
Ole Miss’ do-everything linebacker broke out in 2024, tallying 10.5 sacks and an interception. Suntarine Perkins broke out as a sophomore and is now shooting for SEC Defensive Player of the Year honors and a potential first-round selection. The linebacker/edge rusher is known for his hard hits and is set to be the face of the Rebels’ defense in 2025.
The casual college football fan may not be familiar with Perkins, but they should familiarize themselves now before he takes the SEC by storm.
