Woulda, coulda, shoulda.
Well, not yet.
The gist of the feature story on ESPN.com’s college football home page on Thursday is actually very good, almost like the main course of a dinner planned around a think-tank with the 2025 season as the topic.
You know, kind of like what we all do here every day.
The concept is just this flat-out simple: they’ve gotten several of their best writers to throw out names from teams ranked in the preseason top 25, players that – if they live up to their potential, if things break the right way, if they step up at key moments in marquee games – might make all the difference in the world in getting their teams to the ultimate success in the coming season.
The link: Sleeper players for college football’s top 25 teams in 2025 – ESPN.
We love our cover choice. That’s senior defensive end Bryan Thomas Jr.
“Much of the attention within the Gamecocks’ pass-rush depth will be centered on sophomore phenom Dylan Stewart and Charlotte transfer Demon Clowney, cousin of former two-time All American Jadeveon Clowney. But as South Carolina works to replace the production of 2024 SEC sack leader Kyle Kennard, fourth-year edge Thomas will have an important role to play as well. The 6-foot-2, 247-pounder logged career highs in sacks (4.5) and total tackles (23) a year ago, and he’s poised to step into a starting role opposite Stewart this fall following Kennard’s jump to the NFL. If the Gamecocks are going to feature one of the nation’s fiercest pass rushes again in 2025, Thomas will have to be a big part of it.”
That’s the thoughts of ESPN’s Eli Lederman on Thomas, and the kind of insight throughout the entire article on each of these 25 players. Among them: wide receivers at Clemson (Tyler Brown) and Ohio State (Carnell Tate), a tight end transfer from Cal to Texas (Jack Endries), a running back at Georgia with the last name “Walker” (Bo Walker), and a safety at Alabama (Bray Hubbard) who stepped in due to an injury in front of him last year and wound up making three interceptions.
Lots of ESPN talent contributed to this story, including Chris Low, Dave Wilson, Mark Schlabach, Jake Trotter, Harry Lyles Jr., Adam Rittenberg, Andrea Adelson and others. And you’ll never, not ever, believe the player ranked at No. 1 – at least, his position.
It’s a great read. Check it out.
