NIL and the transfer portal has dramatically altered college football over the past few years, notably allowing teams to fill holes on their roster by adding veterans who can come in and start right away.
In many cases this has resulted in less playing time for true freshmen, particularly at the biggest programs in the sport.
However, there are still plenty of hyper-talented true first year football stars across the college landscape, and a recent article from Billy Tucker at ESPN included three true freshmen in the ACC among the 15 best in the country.
First up is Clemson linebacker Sammy Brown, who comes in at No. 10 on the list. Brown was the No. 2 ranked linebacker in the 2024 class but has stepped into a starting role right away due to injuries on Dabo Swinney’s defense. Brown is fourth on the team with 20 tackles, and he racked up 3.5 tackles for loss against NC State and two sacks against Stanford.
Next is a guy who was not expected to play much – if at all – this season. CJ Bailey stepped up for NC State at quarterback following the injury to starter Grayson McCall, and while his numbers aren’t jaw-dropping he does have 741 passing yards and four touchdowns – along with two on the ground. Not bad for a three-star quarterback who wasn’t expected to play in Year 1.
Finally, Louisville running back Isaac Brown comes in at No. 15 on the list after being the 31st ranked running back in the 2024 class out of high school. Brown is averaging over nine yards per carry, and racked up 72 yards against Notre Dame and 117 yards against SMU. He also has 91 receiving yards and has been productive in the return game, and could end up with a bigger share of touches in the second half of the campaign.