For College Football 25, the cover athletes were all experienced college ballers. Quinn Ewers was headed into his senior year with Texas, as was Michigan’s Donovan Edwards. Travis Hunter — the two-way extraordinaire — was the least experienced on the cover, and was about to be a junior with Colorado State. All three players declared for the 2025 NFL Draft and are pursuing pro football careers, which forced EA Sports to choose new cover athletes for College Football 26.
The players they chose? Ryan Williams of Alabama and Jeremiah Smith of Ohio State, both of whom are heading into their sophomore years with their respective programs.
But where do Williams and Smith rank not just among college football players heading into next season, but among all of their sophomore peers?
Jeremiah Smith Is One Of The Best College Football Players In The Country
Without question, Jeremiah Smith will be the top-ranked sophomore going into the 2025 CFB season. Not only that, but the Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver will be considered one of the best players in any program, regardless of experience.
A true freshman in 2024, Smith was electric in his first CFB season, amassing 76 receptions for over 1,300 yards and 15 touchdowns. At 6’3″ and 215 pounds, Smith is a freak athlete and seems to have all the tools to be a prototypical wide receiver, possessing elite athleticism, good hands, and great route running.
Despite being a college athlete for only one season at this point, many NFL pundits are expecting Smith to declare for the NFL Draft after the 2025 CFB campaign, meaning Smith will have something to prove heading into his Sophomore year with the Buckeyes.
Ryan Williams Isn’t As Good As Smith, But Is A Top-Rated Player Nonetheless
Is Alabama’s Ryan Williams as complete as Jeremiah Smith? Well, no. But they’re pretty darn close!
Despite being a late enrollee, Williams still tore it up for the Crimson Tide in 2024. Aged only 17 in his freshman year, Williams still managed 48 receptions for 865 yards, racking up 8 TDs as well. Being a 5-star recruit, Williams is expected to have a huge sophomore season with Alabama.
The Tide has changed a bit since last year, hiring Seattle Seahawks alum Ryan Grubb as offensive coordinator ahead of the 2025 CFB season back in February. Though Seattle didn’t make the playoffs last year, they did have one of the better pass offenses in the NFL, ranking 5th overall in terms of passing yards. If Grubb brings that kind of style to ‘Bama, then Williams will have every opportunity to take the next step in 2025.
Who Are The Top 10 Sophomores In College Football?
Judging college players and where they rank going into each year is a tough task. Every pundit has something different they’re looking for, and each player can be moved or down one (or several) places depending on even the most marginal of differences.
One thing is for sure: Jeremiah Smith is not only the top-ranked sophomore going into the 2025 CFB season, but also seems to be widely considered as the best player of any recruitment class. Ryan Williams isn’t far behind him either, and is easily the second-best sophomore in college football and among the best throughout the sport.
Here is a list of 10 college football sophomores widely considered to be the best among the sophomore class going into 2025:
- Jeremiah Smith – WR, Ohio State
- Ryan Williams – WR, Alabama
- Leonard Moore – CB, Notre Dame
- Bryce Underwood – QB, Michigan
- Sammy Brown – LB, Clemson
- John Walker – DT, UCF
- Nick Singelton – RB, Penn State
- LaNorris Sellers – QB, South Carolina
- Eli Bowen – CB, Oklahoma
- Dylan Sampson – RB, Tennessee
