Week 1 of the college football season is only days away so today we release the Rivals Freshman All-America offensive team focused on only 2024 prospects.
Note: This 11-man team is comprised of a quarterback, one running back, four wide receivers, five offensive linemen and no tight ends.
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QB DYLAN RAIOLA
Raiola flipped from Georgia to Nebraska for this opportunity. The five-star quarterback and No. 2 prospect in the 2024 Rivals250 has been named the starter for the Huskers’ opener against UTEP this weekend and it’s really not a surprise.
The Buford, Ga., standout is physically ready and could provide an immediate spark to what was a woeful Nebraska offense last season. He’s the future in Lincoln and the future is now.
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RB JAMES PEOPLES
Ohio State’s leading rusher TreVeyon Henderson is back this season after going for 926 yards and 11 touchdowns last season. Ole Miss transfer Quinshon Judkins rushed for 2,725 yards and 31 scores in two seasons with the Rebels before coming to the Buckeyes.
Those two superstars will lead in Ohio State’s backfield but people close to the program believe Peoples will get a surprising amount of opportunities as well. The four-star from San Antonio (Texas) Veterans Memorial is a great mix of power and speed, and will contribute some this season before possibly coming the lead RB moving forward.
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WR JEREMIAH SMITH
Even though Ohio State’s receiving corps is still loaded, Smith is going to be a major focal point for the Buckeyes. He was not only the No. 1 player in the 2024 Rivals250 but was arguably the best high school receiver since Julio Jones in 2008.
The Hollywood (Fla.) Chaminade Madonna prospect has been a human highlight film since arriving in Columbus and he has all the physical tools to immediately be an elite receiver in college football.
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WR RYAN WILLIAMS
In any other recruiting class, Williams would have been No. 1 at wide receiver except Smith was so unbelievably special last year. The five-star Alabama signee, who flirted with others down the stretch but stuck with the Crimson Tide, is so smooth and so productive and solidified his No. 2 spot at receiver in the 2024 class after a dominant week at the Under Armour Game.
There are more physically impressive freshmen receivers but Williams is dynamite throughout his routes and with the ball in his hands. In coach Kalen DeBoer’s offense, Williams could be scary good.
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WR CAM COLEMAN
There was a real argument to make Coleman second at the position in 2024 but we gave Alabama’s Ryan Williams the edge. Still, we thought so highly of Coleman that not only was he a five-star but also finished No. 7 nationally since he has elite size, length, playmaking ability, athleticism, hands and everything else one looks for in a potential first-round receiver.
The Phenix City (Ala.) Central receiver, who flipped to Auburn from Texas A&M, has been phenomenal in fall camp and should be a massive boost for an offense that didn’t have any receiver catch 40 passes last season.
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WR MICAH HUDSON
The 2024 wide receiver class was so loaded – maybe one of the best ever in Rivals history dating back to 2002 – that four five-star receivers landed inside the top 10 with the Texas Tech signee finishing ninth overall.
Hudson not only looks like a million bucks but he is so smooth and such a phenomenal playmaker with the ball in his hands that someone with his ability hasn’t played in Lubbock in some time.
Coach Joey McGuire has talked up Hudson a lot and rightfully so: He could be an immediate game-changer for the Red Raiders.
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OL KEVIN HAYWOOD
A four-star prospect who finished as the eighth-best offensive tackle in the class, Heywood could see early playing time especially if Riley Mahlman is still banged up. Rarely is a true freshman ready to compete in the Big Ten, especially on an offensive line as dominant as the Badgers’ unit.
But the Royersford (Pa.) Pope John Paul II standout, who finished third in the Pennsylvania state rankings for the 2024 cycle, has impressed and could be ready to go early on.
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OL JORDAN SEATON
Colorado deftly utilized the transfer portal to restock and reload along the offensive line which was just an abysmal unit last season that basically forced the Buffaloes to stop running the football. Obviously, adding Seaton was a massive victory for coach Deion Sanders and his club.
The top-ranked offensive tackle in the 2024 class, Seaton should see immediate playing time as he has the physical tools, athleticism and toughness to be elite.
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OL JOSIAH THOMPSON
Injuries plagued the South Carolina offensive line last season and the Gamecocks just couldn’t run the ball as they relied on quarterback Spencer Rattler to move the offense. And he did – but now he’s gone. The addition of Thompson could be huge.
The four-star from Dillon, S.C., is now 6-foot-7 and 300 pounds, and could immediately become one of the best players along the Gamecocks’ offensive line. South Carolina was his first offer and it paid off.
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OL COOPER COUSINS
Cousins’ transition to center with veteran Nick Dawkins there could be slowed, but the top player in the Pennsylvania state rankings last season and the fifth-best offensive guard could see the field this season. Cousins was awesome at the All-American Bowl last year and at 6-foot-6 and 316 pounds, he has the frame and the toughness to be an early contributor.
Dawkins provides stability and institutional knowledge but Cousins might just be too good for Penn State to keep off the field for long.
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OL ANTHONIE KNAPP
The three-star offensive lineman from Roswell, Ga., was a big miss in the 2024 rankings since he was No. 69 at offensive guard but has now emerged as the expected starter at left tackle for the Irish in the season opener against Texas A&M.
That probably doesn’t happen if Charles Jagusah doesn’t go down with injury this preseason but Knapp has staked his claim, outdone his ranking and for a Notre Dame offensive line with some question marks heading into this season, Knapp has been one of the surprises so far in the 2024 class.
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