Freshmen are the “rookies” of the C2C landscape. Freshmen represent untapped value, upside optimism, and maximum years of production. There is never a more valuable time to acquire a future star than before he takes a collegiate snap. Early camp buzz is a great time to capitalize on freshmen turning heads and getting called out by name. If an 18-year-old is doing enough to get mentioned by beat writers, they likely have “it” and a bright future.
The following freshmen are all getting hype early in camp and have risen up my own rankings this summer. However, some profiles are more sturdy than others. Find out who’s legit and who is a mirage.
Quarterbacks
Dylan Raiola, QB, Nebraska – Raiola opened the 2024 class cycle as the QB1 for most services. He committed to then-reigning national champion UGA, and all was right with the world. Then, Raiola even transferred from his Arizona high school to a Georgia powerhouse school and struggled early. Although he righted the ship eventually, his senior year left a bit to be desired.
Eventually, Raiola flipped his commitment to his dad’s alma mater, Nebraska, and due to a pathetic depth chart, he’s now in line to start as a true freshman. While his athleticism leaves some to be desired and could cap his ultimate NFL future, he’s currently drawing Mahomes comps in Lincoln. It seems Raiola will start Day 1 and should wow people with his arm talent. He is a rare case of a true freshman quarterback in the Power 4 making noise. This author is bearish on his ultimate potential, but he’s a fine choice and should be a reasonably high pick in any freshman draft this year.
Demond Williams, QB, Washington – Williams’ big issue is his slight frame (5’10”, 180 lbs.) and overall strength. He’s a twitched-up athlete who should be fun and will likely score quite a few fantasy points in college. Williams has received positive reviews so far in fall camp, and there have even been whispers of “battling” with sixth-year super senior Will Rogers. The fact that the true freshman is even in the conversation makes the future seem very bright. Investing in Williams is a fine choice, but a middling throw velocity of 51 MPH could limit his ultimate upside.
C.J. Bailey, QB, NC State – Ranked around QB25 for most services, Bailey has apparently been turning heads in Raleigh since spring. The Wolfpack brought Greyson McCall to run the offense, but many say Bailey is looking great right out of the gate. The crew at The Official is generally low on Bailey, who clocks in with a fourth percentile athleticism score, a composite of multiple inputs that project future NFL potential. For reference, most NFL QBs are above an 85th percentile score in the same metric. It’s great Bailey is making noise now, but banking on this profile is probably fool’s gold.
Running Backs
Taylor Tatum, RB, Oklahoma – This should not be a surprise, as Tatum was the RB1 for most services. He checked into Norman at 5’10” and 205 lbs. and has been clocked over 21.5 mph. Tatum is already getting run with Jackson Arnold and the first team unit despite enrolling over the summer. He is a quality, well-rounded running back who could profile as a three-down workhorse in college. This isn’t too difficult, folks: the top running back for most recruiting services is already getting first-team reps. Draft Tatum with confidence in C2C leagues.
Nate Frazier, RB, Georgia – If not Tatum, Frazier was the favorite running back in this class according to most services. His highlights were electric out of California’s Mater Dei High School, and at his best, he appears to be one of the most dynamic backfield weapons out there. Frazier hits nearly 22 MPH and is already up to 210 pounds per the UGA website, so both those items are promising.
Additionally, he’s showing out at camp early and often while bringing a unique element to the UGA backfield. The major flaw in his profile was that he never took control of his high school backfield, sometimes not even earning the lion’s share of reps. Players like that usually do not turn out to be college or NFL difference-makers. That being said, I am slowly accepting that Frazier could be an outlier. With a fairly uninspiring 2024 running back class, I could be interested in adding him to some rosters at his ADP.
Cameron Dickey, RB, Texas Tech – Despite being the consensus RB47 in the recruiting services, Dickey is the most athletically gifted RB in the 2024 class, according to our database. He has a 97th percentile athleticism score at 215 pounds. He may have fallen through the cracks in the recruiting process since he primarily played quarterback in high school. One beat writer for TTU has gone so far as to say, “This kid isn’t just going to be a stud one day down the road. He is right now.” The Texas Tech staff handed the ball off a whopping 290 times to Tahj Brooks in 2023, so having the bellcow for the Red Raiders is a no-brainer in college fantasy football.
Salahadin Allah, RB, Oregon St – Once upon a time, the Beavers went down into Texas and snagged a low-ranked RB named Damien Martinez. Martinez immediately ran with the first team unit and went on to accumulate over 1,000 total yards in each of his first two seasons before transferring to Miami to be their bellcow in 2024.
Well, it could be Allah’s turn to take over as a young back in Corvallis. Hailing from Texas, Allah is the talk of camp and his athleticism score backs that up. He checks in just below 90th-percentile, with good strength numbers as well as a top-end speed of 21.4mph. His 3-sport skillset in high school as well as multi-position prowess on the gridiron hints at untapped potential at the college level. He’s already earned reps with the first unit this summer. A great last-round pick in any draft, Allah could return dividends in short order.
Wide Receivers
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio St – He’s the best receiver prospect in forever per the services. He is the player who lost his “black stripe” quickest at Ohio State. He has already been listed as a true freshman starter in a loaded WR room. I’m not even linking to a source here. Don’t overthink it. Freshman 1.01. Devy 1.01.
Cameron Coleman, WR, Auburn – Coleman was a very highly rated prospect and profiles as a true alpha X type receiver at 6’3” and 190 pounds. His length and body control is excellent. While he’s big and fast, the modern NFL doesn’t seem to value this type as much as they used to. Nonetheless, Coleman is making a ton of noise immediately and is the top candidate to lead Auburn in receiving as a true freshman. That’s good enough for this author.
Ryan Williams, WR, Alabama – Williams’ thin frame is somewhat concerning for his future NFL potential but he’s also very young for this freshman class after re-classifying from the 2025 group. With his twitched-up skill set and blazing downfield speed, he was one of the most productive receivers in Alabama prep history. And now, Coach DeBoer says he is “in awe” of the freshman who is he is tracking to be a starter for Alabama. Sometimes it aiin’t that hard.
Bryant Wesco & TJ Moore, WRs, Clemson – Both receivers were ranked in the top 15 at their position and have commanded the attention of the Tiger coaching staff this summer. Wesco profiles as more of a solid, possession guy and is flirting with a starting role while Moore has explosive traits. The Clemson receiver room has not lived up to the hype lately and these two freshman may inject life right away. The offense as a whole probably won’t support multiple fantasy relevant receivers, but the early reviews on both these guys tell me that they are worth a high draft pick. I would be thrilled to land them in C2C freshman drafts and even in deep devy leagues.
Ryan Wingo, WR, Texas – Oh look, another top receiver prospect showing out in camp. Wingo was around the WR10 for most, making him a popular target already in many drafts. He is a freaky athlete, tipping the scales at over 200 pounds and breaking 21mph on the ground. The recruiting team at C2C felt he was unrefined and raw as a receiver, which is usually ominous for early college production. However, I can’t deny that the buzz out of Austin is very positive. Texas writers are raving about how Wingo can do things no one else can do. This writer is still skeptical because it isn’t prudent to double-count Wingo’s athleticism. We all knew he was a superb jumbo athlete. In my mind, he’s still at risk of being a year-one zero in that receiver room. Although, for now he’s less risky than previously thought.
Mazeo Bennett, WR, South Carolina – The first receiver on this list that can be labeled a true diamond in the rough, Bennett was the industry WR50. However, most services overlooked his dawg factor. He is memorable in recruiting circles because his highlight tape featured blocking for not one, but the first few clips. However, he is also a great athlete with a 90th percentile score in our database. A Gamecock beat writer recently polled the coaching staff about players making a name this summer and Bennett was almost unanimously mentioned. The South Carolina receiving room hierarchy is very unclear with no established leaders. The way coaches are talking this early in his career, Bennett could take over in short order. With budding star LaNorris Sellers leading the offense and a non-existent ADP, feel free to draft Bennett late everywhere.
