CFB 25: The most important names to know for the season

After another offseason filled with chatter around college football playoff expansion, conference realignment, and TV contracts, it's finally time to get back to the actual games.

With a number of top programs trotting out first-time starters at quarterback, the 2025 campaign promises to be volatile as a whole host of squads make a run toward the 12-team playoff.

To get you primed for kickoff, here are 25 of the most important names to know for this season.

Arch Manning

You can't get five seconds into a college football conversation without Manning's name entering the picture. The most talked about college player since Johnny Manziel finally gets his full shot as QB1 for Texas with Quinn Ewers now gone. He flashed plenty of moxie and talent in his limited action last year, throwing nine touchdowns against two interceptions. He was also a major threat on the ground, running for four touchdowns and shocking everyone that a quarterback named Manning could move. Steve Sarkisian's brilliant offensive game-planning can produce a successful signal-caller from just about anybody with a functioning arm. Add someone with Manning's talent to that, and Texas might need to add space for a Heisman in the trophy case.

Caleb Downs

Two key returning players will ensure Ohio State is just fine in 2025 despite a mass exodus following its national championship run. The first is Downs, an all-world defender who can also ruin games with his return abilities (just ask Indiana). Opposing teams have to account for Downs like NFL offenses did for Ed Reed, and it would be stunning if he weren't a top-10 pick in next year's draft.

Jeremiah Smith

The second Ohio State star needs no introduction after torching anybody in his way during an outrageous freshman season with the Buckeyes. It seems criminal that Smith has to play not one, but two more years of college football when he's already arguably the most dominant player in the sport. However, Ohio State fans won't mind, as Smith gets two more campaigns to dominate in Columbus before becoming the next - and probably best - Buckeyes wide receiver to be a first-round pick.

Kalen DeBoer

The last time we saw DeBoer's Alabama on the field, the Crimson Tide were getting worked by a Michigan team filled with mostly backups. The honeymoon in Tuscaloosa is over, and the pressure is firmly on DeBoer to get the program back to the Saban standard. To help with that, DeBoer reunited with Ryan Grubb, his former offensive coordinator at Washington, who spent last year in the NFL. Grubb will look to turn around an Alabama attack that sputtered down the stretch, averaging 14 points per game over the final three contests. With road trips to Florida State and Georgia before the end of September, you can bet the radio call-in shows will be buzzing early one way or another in Tuscaloosa.

Lincoln Riley

Year 1 in Los Angeles was a Hollywood dream for Riley with an 11-3 record in his first campaign at USC. It's been a horror movie since, with the Trojans stumbling to a mediocre 15-11 mark across the past two seasons. While that's still above .500, USC didn't give Riley over $100 million to be in the mid-tier of the Big Ten. But there's a new face on campus to help Riley's 87th-ranked defense in the form of Rob Ryan ... yes, that Rob Ryan. Hopefully, that pays dividends, because another middling defense dragging this team down won't be good for Riley's long-term future.

Harold Perkins Jr.

Perkins was an absolute menace as a freshman, but two turbulent seasons featuring a position change and a torn ACL have all but ended the hype around the LSU defender. He'll look to change that in his final collegiate season, reminding NFL scouts about why his skill set initially had them drooling while trying to right the ship of last season's 89th-ranked defense in the nation.

Garrett Nussmeier

There isn't a throw in the world that Nussmeier won't try. That mindset produces plenty of "wow" highlights, but it also sprinkles in the odd "WTF" moments. Nussmeier's arm talent is elite, and he's poised to put up outrageous numbers and be a Heisman favorite in LSU's pass-happy offense. It also might land him another quarterbacking job in Louisiana, as the New Orleans Saints are expected to have a high pick in next year's draft.

Jeremiyah Love

Love might be the most electrifying player in the nation who isn't named Jeremiah Smith. The Notre Dame speedster averaged 6.9 yards per carry last year and scored 17 touchdowns on the ground. And all that was on just 10 carries per game. Add a much bigger role this time around, and it's scary to think what Love could accomplish in South Bend.

Kyron Hudson, Trebor Pena, Devonte Ross

What was your favorite catch by a Penn State wide receiver in last year's playoff loss to Notre Dame? Trick question: there wasn't one. Drew Allar completed just 12 of 23 passes in the contest: six to tight end Tyler Warren and six more to a combination of running backs and backup tight ends. That's not all on Allar, as his wideout group proved time and again last year that they weren't on a championship level. With Warren now in the NFL, it's this trio of transfer receivers who will attempt to finally get Penn State over the hump. Hudson and Pena have especially impressed in fall camp and will be vital in both Allar's development and the Nittany Lions' title hopes.

Cade Klubnik

It seems so long ago that disgruntled Clemson fans were calling for Klubnik to be benched. Dabo Swinney stood by his quarterback and got rewarded in a big way. Klubnik starred down the stretch last season, with his improved decision-making under pressure standing out most. He threw just six interceptions against 37 touchdown passes, a strong indication of his growing poise and command. Expect more of that in 2025.

LaNorris Sellers

With a blend of electric playmaking ability and raw talent, Sellers might be the most fun quarterback in the country to watch. That is, unless, of course, you're the Clemson defense.

NFL scouts have already taken notice, and another season developing as a passer should have him flying up draft boards.

Deion Sanders

It's must-watch TV whenever there's a microphone around Coach Prime. The gregarious Sanders appears to be back in good health after receiving treatment for bladder cancer in the offseason. He now enters a season at Colorado without the all-world talents of his son Shedeur and the electric Travis Hunter for the first time. How he navigates that situation will again turn plenty of eyes toward Boulder.

David Bailey Jr.

Can money take a middle-tier Big 12 program to the national spotlight in college football? Texas Tech seems hell-bent on finding out. The Red Raiders splashed a boatload of cash this offseason to procure a number of transfers - none more impactful than David Bailey from Stanford. The pass-rusher has 14.5 sacks in his career and led the ACC in pressure rate last season. He'll be a major help to a program that ranked 92nd in sacks in 2024. If Texas Tech is going to make a playoff push, it'll likely be based heavily on Bailey hounding opposing quarterbacks.

Nico Iamaleava

The face of one of college sports' first contract disputes has returned home to California and will be the highly scrutinized quarterback at UCLA. Iamaleava decided - or had it decided for him - that he was worth more to Tennessee than the NIL dollars he was being paid. The Volunteers disagreed, so he packed up and returned to the friendly setting of Los Angeles. One party will emerge from the 2025 season looking silly for how the whole saga unfolded. Will it be Tennessee for allowing a future first-round QB to leave over money, or will it be Iamaleava for thinking he was a significantly different level of player than the Volunteers saw?

Corey Hetherman

How does a team that leads the country in scoring at 44 points per game and has the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL draft fail to make the playoffs? Ladies and gentlemen, let me introduce you to the 2024 Miami defensive unit. The Hurricanes allowed at least 30 points in six of their last nine games to fall agonizingly short of a playoff bid. With Carson Beck now under center, the offense is surely set to thrive again. However, it's the new man running the defense who will likely decide the fate of Miami. Mario Cristobal brought in Hetherman from Minnesota in the offseason to fix that side of the ball.

Koi Perich

Goodbye, Travis Hunter, hello ... Koi Perich? Fresh off an incredible freshman season in which the Minnesota safety led the Big Ten in interceptions, both Perich and coach PJ Fleck have hinted at a dual-threat role in Year 2. Perich did just about everything on a football field in his elite high school career, and his performance as a freshman suggests he can repeat that at this level as well. Whether it's as a runner, passer, or receiver, Minnesota's potential plan for Perich makes them a must-watch program this year.

Bill Belichick

Do we really need to explain this one? Arguably the greatest NFL coach of all time is stepping into the college ranks at the age of 73 to try to tame the ACC with North Carolina. Oh, and he has his 24-year-old girlfriend in tow to handle his personal business side of things. If that's not enough to draw your interest to Chapel Hill, maybe college football isn't for you.

John Mateer

You can bet on Mateer being a huge upgrade at the quarterback position from the debacle at that spot for Oklahoma last year. The Washington State star followed his coordinator, Ben Arbuckle, to Norman, with head coach Brent Venables in desperate need of a strong season to calm the fervor surrounding his job status. If Mateer hits, Oklahoma could be a sneaky SEC title contender. If he fails to elevate the offense, Venables could be seeing a pink slip before the end of the season.

Bryce Underwood

The only teams worse than Michigan at passing the ball last year were Army, Navy, and Air Force - three service academies that purposely avoid throwing on offense. The Wolverines' solution to that issue comes in the form of highly touted freshman Bryce Underwood, a five-star local prospect who flipped his commitment from LSU in part due to significant financial support from Oracle founder Larry Ellison. Underwood looks poised to earn the rare distinction of being a starting quarterback as a true freshman, as the Wolverines aim to build on their stunning season-ending wins over Ohio State and Alabama.

Zachariah Branch, Noah Thomas

The Carson Beck era is officially over at Georgia, and it's Gunner Stockton who will try to lead the Bulldogs back to the national title game. To assist his new starting quarterback, Kirby Smart prioritized finding players who can catch the ball. After Georgia led the nation in drops last season, the program brought in the electric Zachariah Branch from USC and Noah Thomas from Texas A&M to make life easy for Stockton. While it's doubtful Smart will let Stockton cut loose from the pocket, the fresh weapons should give the Bulldogs plenty of bite in the passing attack.

Sam Leavitt

Leavitt shone as the starting quarterback on college football's biggest surprise last season. Nobody saw the Arizona State playoff charge coming, but Leavitt's dual-threat capabilities were a major reason for the Sun Devils' shocking success. The job this time out is made much tougher with the departure of perhaps 2024's most dangerous offensive weapon - the incredible Cam Skattebo. However, head coach Kenny Dillingham has proven his game-calling skills over the years and should have Leavitt primed for another outstanding season as the best quarterback in the Big 12.

Will Stein

Stein's a perfect 2-for-2 at Oregon in sending quarterbacks to the Heisman ceremony, with Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel getting invites to New York. If he pulls that off for a third straight year, it's safe to assume the coach won't be at Oregon come 2026. However, the task is tall this year with Dante Moore under center - a highly touted passer who started as a freshman at UCLA before transferring to the Ducks prior to last season. If Stein can get Moore anywhere near the level Nix and Gabriel played, Oregon's a legit national title threat in the Big Ten.