Spring football practices around the country wrap up this weekend. While most practice reports are centered around veterans and offseason additions via the transfer portal, there are still plenty of youngsters that made splashes in one way or another.
Last year, it was five-star safety Caleb Downs who broke through at Alabama during the spring months. His remarkable freshman season might have come as a surprise to some, but not to those that had been scouting and evaluating him since his days in high school. The same goes for other instant impact blue-chip recruits like Alabama offensive tackle Kaydn Proctor, Texas linebacker Anthony Hill and Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa.
So, whose ranking are we feeling good about coming out of spring practices? Below, we highlight ten freshmen that lived up to the hype. The group includes nine true freshmen along with one very famous redshirt freshman.
We had little concern at 247Sports about ranking Jeremiah Smith as our No. 1 overall prospect in the class of 2024 after a dominant senior season, but we’re sleeping a little bit better after seeing all the footage out of Ohio State.
Smith became the fastest player ever to lose their black stripe with the Buckeyes and was recognized as an “official member” of the team after just four spring practices. Ohio State has recruited and developed wide receivers at an astonishing level in recent years under the direction of assistant Brian Hartline. None created the buzz Smith has, especially this early.
It’s rare for a wide receiver that has yet to play in a collegiate game to draw so much hype, but Smith absolutely deserves the attention. He’s got ready-to-play size to go along with top-flight athleticism and an advanced feel for the position….
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