Every college football season, there is a collection of freshmen who impact their teams in ways few expected.

Cal’s Jaron Keawe-Sagapolutele, Miami’s Malachi Toney and Duke’s Nate Sheppard are examples of players who took different paths to rookie stardom in 2025.

Keawe-Sagapolutele, the No. 7 quarterback in the 2025 cycle, signed with Oregon, transferred to Cal and beat out Ohio State transfer Devin Brown in camp to win the job heading into Week 1. Toney reclassified into the 2025 cycle, beat out veteran Ray Ray Joseph and led the ACC with 109 receptions and 1,211 receiving yards. Sheppard received limited reps the first three games, broke into the starting lineup for the first time in his fifth game and ran for 1,132 yards and 11 touchdowns to help the Blue Devils win their first league championship since 1989.

These three ACC standouts were among the 151 true freshmen who started games at the Power 4 level last season.

The list below is a best guess — very early in preseason camp — of which freshmen will impact college football in 2026.

Note: All rankings are from the 247Sports Composite.

1. Kodi Greene, OT, Washington, 5-star, No. 26 overall

Jedd Fisch has not been shy about starting true freshmen on his offensive line. He’s done it four times in his five seasons as coach, and he’s been referring to Greene — a 6-foot-6, 325-pound Southern California native — as his starting left tackle since convincing him to back off a pledge to Oregon and commit to the Huskies in April 2025. Greene, ranked No. 3 at his position in the 2026 cycle, is expected to start next to John Mills, who started 11 games at left guard last season as a freshman.

2. Jared Curtis, QB, Vanderbilt, 5-star, No. 4

Clark Lea has let the competition for the starting job bleed into fall camp, but it’s hard to imagine a world where Curtis — the No. 2 quarterback in the 2026 cycle — doesn’t eventually beat out veteran Blaze Berlowitz as the starter in the post-Diego Pavia era. The Nashville native didn’t flip from Georgia to sit the bench for long. The highest-rated recruit in program history, Curtis is 6-3, 230 pounds and has an NFL arm. He’s also being handsomely paid.

3. Jackson Cantwell, OT, Miami, 5-star, No. 2

Veterans Matthew McCoy, Ryan Rodriguez and Samson Okunlola are emerging as the three anchors of an offensive line that must replace four starters. Cantwell, a 6-8, 330-pound Missouri native, hasn’t secured the starting left tackle job yet. In fact, he’s been taking snaps at guard in preseason camp as Miami cross-trains many of its linemen. But there isn’t a scenario in which he isn’t running with the first unit at some point early in the season.

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4. Deuce Geralds, DT, LSU, 4-star, No. 56

Lane Kiffin mentioned at SEC media days that he expected his freshman defensive linemen to make an immediate impact — and he wasn’t just talking about Lamar Brown, the No. 3 overall player and top recruit in LSU’s 2026 signing class. Brown (6-4, 295) is out on the edge. Geralds and Richard Anderson (No. 17 overall) have been running with the first team inside since the start of camp, pushing veterans Dominick McKinley, Malik Blocton and Stephiylan Green for snaps.

5. Mark Bowman, TE, USC, 5-star, No. 30

Brock Bowers, Pat Freiermuth, Michael Mayer, Mason Taylor and Brevin Jordan are recent examples of tight ends who made an impact as true freshmen. Bowman, the No. 2 prospect at his position, reclassified into the 2026 cycle and has been on campus since January working with quarterback Jayden Maiava. Bowman came into camp at 6-4, 245 pounds — 10 pounds heavier than Bowers was as a freshman at Georgia.

6. Chris Henry Jr., WR, Ohio State, 5-star, No. 14

The Buckeyes always have a few freshmen who find their way into significant roles, and Henry — the No. 2 receiver in the class — will be expected to play a supporting role to All-American Jeremiah Smith. Although UTSA transfer Devin McCuin has been stellar in camp along with veteran Brandon Inniss, Henry is too talented not to contribute. He’s listed at 6-5, 211 pounds — up from 195 pounds when he arrived on campus in January — and can be especially effective in the red zone with Smith drawing double teams.

7. Faizon Brandon, QB, Tennessee, 5-star, No. 10

The Volunteers were unable to secure a veteran quarterback in the transfer portal, giving the five-star prospect from Greensboro, N.C., a legitimate shot to play as a freshman. Brandon, though, still needs to beat out redshirt freshman George MacIntyre for the starting job. Freshman five-star receiver TK Keys said you can “hear the ball sizzling” when Brandon throws it.

8. Savion Hiter, RB, Michigan, 5-star, No. 12

New Wolverines offensive coordinator Jason Beck has split backfield carries 60-40 in his past two stops (2024 at New Mexico, 2025 at Utah). So even if junior Jordan Marshall starts the season as the top back, there should be plenty of carries for Hiter, a 6-foot, 210-pound Virginia native.

9. Kayden Dixon-Wyatt, WR, USC, 4-star, No. 59

The 6-2, 200-pound Dixon-Wyatt has been receiving buzz since the moment he stepped on the field in Los Angeles as a big-play threat opposite sophomore Tanook Hines. The reality is there’s a lot of opportunity at the position behind Hines and NC State transfer Terrell Anderson. Dixon-Wyatt and fellow freshman Trent Mosley got a leg up in the race as early enrollees.

10. Paris Melvin Jr., ATH, Houston, 4-star, No. 244

If you’re looking for an exciting triple-threat, this 5-11, 185-pound four-star recruit from Cypress, Texas, is one to watch in the Big 12. Willie Fritz slotted Melvin into the nickel spot on his defense, and offensive coordinator Slade Nagle said he has packages lined up to use him in the backfield. Melvin is also fielding punts and kicks in camp.

11. Luke Wafle, edge, USC, 5-star, No. 6

The 6-6, 265-pound prospect from New Jersey isn’t receiving first-team snaps yet, but he’s definitely been part of the four-man rotation on the edge behind Kameryn Crawford and Braylan Shelby. Veteran defensive coordinator Gary Patterson likes to go two-deep with his edge rushers; as long as Wafle is part of the rotation, expect him to make a sizable impact.

12. Jay Timmons, CB, Ohio State, 5-star, No. 25

The son of 2007 first-round pick Lawrence Timmons, an 11-year NFL veteran, has been taking first-team snaps at nickel in camp for the Buckeyes. That he may be ahead of veteran transfers this early in the process points to a real opportunity to make an impact on a revamped Ohio State defense.

13. Jasen Lopez, WR, Florida State, 4-star, No. 208

Mike Norvell has doled out heavy praise for the 6-foot, 182-pound South Florida native, saying Lopez has put himself in position to challenge “for significant opportunities.” The Seminoles have Duce Robinson and Micahi Danzy lined up to be a tough combination on the outside, but Lopez is battling Jayvan Boggs — who is returning from injury — for reps as the team’s No. 3 receiver. Lopez is also expected to play on FSU’s basketball team.

14. JJ Dunnigan, S, Miami, 4-star, No. 115

The Hurricanes have a veteran secondary, but Dunnigan could end up slotting into a Keionte Scott-like role, backing up Boston College transfer Omar Thornton at nickel while also getting reps behind Zechariah Poyser and Bryce Fitzgerald at safety. Last season, Fitzgerald played that role and led the team with six interceptions. Word is that Dunnigan — a Kansas native who was once committed to the Jayhawks — has similar ball-hawking ability.

15. Matt Sieg, S, West Virginia, 4-star, No. 184

Rich Rodriguez swiped the two-way standout from Penn State after James Franklin was fired and planted Sieg at safety the moment the Pennsylvania native arrived in Morgantown. Defensive coordinator Zac Alley employs three safeties and has veterans Kamari Wilson and Kameron Reddic as options at high safety. Sieg has the size (6-1, 190 pounds) and polish to eventually find a role in the rotation as a long-term building block.