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It is often said, and holds true, that a player takes their biggest leap between their first and second years of college football. It certainly makes sense, given that sophomores or redshirt freshmen have had a year to adjust to an different level of the sport, both mentally and physically.
That rapid development is especially important in the transfer portal era. Teams can cut bait with a prospect that isn’t panning out or, vise versa, a player who feels like he isn’t getting properly developed — or maybe isn’t receiving what he was promised in the recruiting process — can look for a more suitable home.
This condensed timeline has led to true freshman playing a bigger role on their respective teams. Even if that’s the case, that first full offseason between the freshmen and sophomore years is crucial for an athlete’s future.
As most teams are in the midst of — or at the very least close to starting — their respective spring practice slate, let’s evaluate the outlook for each five-star prospect from the 2024 recruiting class entering the 2025 season. Think of this as a blue-chip stock report.
247Sports Ranking: No. 1 Natl., No. 1 WR
Everybody knows Smith by now. The best wide receiver in college football? Without a doubt. The best offensive player in college football? Probably. A legitimate Heisman Trophy contender? Definitely. The 6-foot-3 superstar terrorized opposing secondaries with 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, shattering Ohio State and Big Ten true freshmen records for receiving along the way. Moving forward, the sky is the limit, especially that he’s now the totally unquestioned leader of the Buckeyes’ wide receiver group in the wake of Emeka Egbuka’s departure.
247Sports…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/college-football/news/sophomore-stock-watch-second-year-outlooks-for-all-32-five-star-prospects-from-2024-recruiting-class/
Author : Will Backus
Publish date : 2025-03-26 13:38:00
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