Take a look at the former freshman phenoms who have their eyes set on stardom as they enter their sophomore seasons in the Big 10. Each of these players have previously received the distinction of being named to one (or more) of my weekly Freshman-15 lists, which highlighted the top freshmen throughout the 2024 season.

Antwan Raymond

So. RB - Rutgers

After a promising freshman campaign, Raymond will be tasked with replacing Kyle Monangai, who rushed for the second-most yards in school history. It may be a tall task for the rising sophomore, but Raymond has already shown that he can produce in large quantities when given a high snap count.

While it was his Weeks 1 and 2 performances against Howard and Akron that caught my attention during the season, Raymond’s performance against Kansas State in the Rate Bowl was an exciting preview of what Raymond’s future holds. Raymond logged 18 carries and rushed for 113 yards, finding the end zone three times on the ground. Raymond’s explosiveness was on full display on his 65-yard touchdown run in the Rate Bowl, and we should be seeing more runs like it during the upcoming season.

Raymond will face some competition for the top spot on the depth chart, with talented FAU transfer and 2024 Third Team All AAC running back CJ Campbell Jr. arriving on campus through the transfer portal. I think Raymond has the capacity to develop into a top running back but his emergence may have to wait another year due to the arrival of Campbell. With that being said, Raymond will still contribute and I think that the talented Canadian is someone worth keeping an eye on in the future.

Danny O’Neil

So. QB - Wisconsin

In a move that provides Wisconsin with plenty of depth at the quarterback position, O’Neil transferred to Wisconsin along with former Maryland quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. Edwards has seemingly locked up the starting job already, but O’Neil is the future for the Badgers after starting 11 games for San Diego State.

O’Neil is a talented thrower of the football with a live arm. He lives by the deep ball, with 7 of his 12 touchdowns coming from passes over 20 yards downfield. O’Neil impressed me with his willingness to step up in the pocket and he stands tall under pressure. For a young quarterback he makes plays where he looks like a veteran.

Reports out of Madison rave about his arm strength, but O’Neil is dealing with the ups and downs of transferring to a Power 4 program. It was noted that his processing speed and anticipation have to improve, but when the ball does come out good things happen.

The good news is O’Neil has time to sit and learn behind Edwards throughout 2025. While he may be small for a quarterback, he showed flashes of his potential in the Mountain West, with hopes that he can reach that potential with Wisconsin in 2026. We may not hear much about O’Neil this season with Edwards penned in as the starter, but Wisconsin can rest assured that the quarterback position is in good hands for the next 3 seasons.

Decker DeGraaf

So. TE - Washington

It can be rare for freshman tight ends to make a real impact on a team, but DeGraaf flashed the most potential throughout his freshman campaign. With only one drop on the season, DeGraaf proved to be very reliable as well.

While his playing time was limited, DeGraaf is in for a larger role in 2025. Former starter Keleki Latu declared for the NFL Draft, leaving 48 targets available from this past season. DeGraaf saw 19 passes come his way in 2024 and that figure is sure to increase. DeGraaf led the Huskies in yards per reception, and brings explosiveness while being a safety blanket for Demond Williams Jr., the presumed starter at quarterback for Washington in 2025.

It is worth noting that DeGraaf was listed at 230 lbs as a high school recruit, and got up to 240 lbs as a freshman. That added weight served as proof that DeGraaf is still growing into his frame and has benefitted from a Power 4 strength and conditioning program. What is even more impressive is that DeGraaf is even bigger now, being listed at 245 lbs on the 2025 spring roster. I am curious to see if DeGraaf will retain his explosiveness while adding weight.

I believe DeGraaf is in for a big year in 2025 and could be talked about as one of the top tight ends in the 2027 NFL Draft class. As a starter he will have the opportunities to showcase his talent and I believe DeGraaf is an emerging star in the present. There is no waiting for playing time here, only production from a star tight end in Seattle.

Dylan Raiola

So. QB - Nebraska

Raiola has gone viral on social media platforms on many occasions due to his uncanny resemblance to Patrick Mahomes. This primarily stems from his haircut, pregame rituals and wearing No. 15, but Raiola’s arm talent can also be reminiscent of Chiefs’ starting quarterback.

After a wild high school recruitment that saw Raiola commit to Georgia and flirt with the Dawgs and Ohio State before signing with Nebraska, Raiola arrived in Lincoln with high expectations. With a strong arm, clean mechanics and the ability to make throws with multiple arm angles, Raiola established himself as QB1 as a true freshman, and will continue as the starter in 2025.

Raiola started the 2024 season strong, throwing 9 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions in his first five games. His Week 4 performance versus Illinois was his best game of the year, only a few yards shy of the 300-yard mark to go with 3 touchdowns in an overtime loss to the eventual 10-3 Fighting Illini.

The rest of Nebraska’s schedule was not nearly as forgiving, with Raiola throwing more touchdowns than interceptions in only one game in his final eight. Still, the sky is his limit and Raiola will only grow more comfortable commanding an offense and maneuvering the pocket. I think Raiola will clean up the TD:INT ratio and win Nebraska games by himself.

Jeremiah Smith

So. WR - Ohio State

Smith needs no introduction, as he is the best wide receiver in the country and possibly the best player across all positions. The freshman phenom led the Buckeyes to a national championship win, and Smith is only going to get better.

There are few adjectives that do justice to the impact Smith had on the field. “Dominant” is one of the words that comes to mind. Averaging over 17 yards per catch at the volume Smith saw is incredible, and the tape matches the numbers.

Smith’s combination of size and speed make him difficult to match up with one-on-one, and Smith has shown off great body control and strength to win contested catches down the field. Smith was reliable throughout the entire season, with his only drop coming in Week 1 against Akron, and earned the trust of QB Will Howard and offensive coordinator Chip Kelly.

I’m going to nitpick Smith here, but I want to see him make more guys miss, and continue to refine his route running. Don’t get me wrong, he is great after the catch (over 400 yards after the catch) and gets open, but I these are areas of his game that can help him transcend from elite to generational.

We could look back in 20 years and view Smith as one of the greatest wide receivers of all time. He’s that good.

Koi Perich

So. S - Minnesota

Many players like Perich have flown under the radar as of late, with the virality of Travis Hunter overshadowing the many iron-man athletes in college football. The Minnesota safety was involved in all three phases of the game, logging snaps in the secondary, at wide receiver and as a kick and punt returner.

Perich is exhibit A of head coach PJ Fleck’s initiative to retain the best high school players from Minnesota. Perich slowly worked his way into the starting lineup and showed no intentions of looking back. Perich led all freshmen in interceptions with five and boasted an excellent missed tackle rate of 9.6%.

Perich is also dynamic with the ball in his hands, logging 188 yards returning punts and 314 yards returning kicks, along with 63 yards returning interceptions. I think we will see plenty of Perich in 2025 on both sides of the ball as this coaching staff seeks to get the ball into the hands of their special playmaker.

Perich was named an All-Big10 First Team defensive back and Second Team return specialist, and yet still does not get talked about enough. If the talented sophomore safety can build upon his freshman campaign then he will undoubtedly be revered as one of the top safeties in the country.

Nick Marsh

So. WR - Michigan State

*Andrew Marsh*
*6’3 201 lbs*
*Detroit, Michigan*
*Projected place on depth chart: 1st*

A beacon of hope during a trying season, Marsh provided big plays all season during head coach Jonathan Smith’s first season in East Lansing. Marsh also had a first year starter at quarterback with Aidan Chiles taking the reigns for the Spartans after redshirting as a freshman at Oregon State.

Marsh’s 15.8 yards per reception ranked 10th among all Big 10 wide receivers in 2024, and he led the Spartans in receiving yards as a true freshman. Standing at 6’3 and over 200 lbs, Marsh still has the ability to take the top off the defense. His size also enables him to position himself well for contested catches, and had a pair of jaw-dropping snags on the sideline against Indiana.

Michigan State, along with Marsh, will go as far as Chiles takes them. His development as a signal caller will determine how big of a step forward the Spartans take on offense. That level of growth will also determine how Marsh’s involvement in the offense will grow. If Chiles takes the next step, so will Marsh. It’s a whole lot easier to take that step when you have a game changer like Marsh lined up out wide.

Marsh is clearly atop the Spartans depth chart at wide receiver despite the addition of Omari Kelly from Middle Tennessee State. Michigan State’s passing attack should take a step forward in 2025 with Marsh leading the charge.

Ryan Browne

RS So. QB - Purdue

It was a rough season in West Lafayette for Purdue, where the Boilermakers won their season opener against Indiana State before losing each game after that. It was not the swansong many expected for experienced quarterback Hudson Card, but Browne showed some flashes when he saw the field.

Browne’s big moment came on the road against rival Illinois, who were in the midst of one of their best seasons in recent memory. It was Browne’s first start of his young career, and the redshirt freshman willed Purdue to overtime against the Fighting Illini. While Purdue fell short 49-50, Browne led his team in both passing and rushing yards. He finished the game 18/26 with 297 passing yards and 3 touchdowns, along with 117 yards on the ground on 17 carries.

That game was enough for Browne to be named the starter the following week against Oregon, but Browne struggled against the eventual Big10 champs, completing 47.4% of his passes for only 98 yards. Despite the disappointing encore, Browne showed that he has tools that a coach can build around.

Browne’s future was not always certain, however, as he entered the transfer portal in December, 2024 and two weeks later committed to Bill Belichick and the University of North Carolina. This union was short lived, as Browne re-entered the transfer portal in mid-April and committed to Purdue two days later. Retaining Browne was a big win for newly appointed head coach Barry Odom, who brought in 29 transfers in his first offseason as a Boilermaker. With so much turnover, Browne has an opportunity to become a leader on a team that has plenty of new faces on the roster.

My projection for Browne being first on the depth chart is based on what I have seen from him along with his familiarity with the program. The fact that Purdue welcomed him with open arms after he initially left the program for a few months is also telling that Browne is highly coveted by this staff. However, the starting job won’t simply be handed to Browne just because he’s from around town. Odom brought in talented redshirt sophomore Malachi Singleton from Arkansas to compete for the starting job, and Singleton will at the very least push Browne for the top spot on the depth chart. Singleton is a dual-threat quarterback who scored the game-winning touchdown when the Razorbacks took down Tennessee in a late-night thriller. Needless to say Purdue has a true quarterback battle on their hands, but I expect Browne to come out on top.

Trech Kekahuna

RS So. WR - Wisconsin

Wisconsin is still only a few years removed from their archaic offense and Kekahuna is part of the Badgers’ offensive evolution. The Hawaiian slot receiver found his place in the offense during Big 10 play, and will look to build upon a few promising outings.

Kekahuna’s role as a slot receiver make him a mainstay in the Badgers receiver rotation, as he was third on the team in targets in 2024. With leading receiver Will Pauling departing for Notre Dame, more targets will be up for grabs in 2025 for Kekahuna.

Transfer quarterback Billy Edwards Jr. arrives from Wisconsin where he targeted his slot receivers more than Wisconsin did in 2024. Edwards also brings improved accuracy to the Badgers, which should benefit Kekahuna, who had a reception rate of 55.6%. Edwards had the benefit of two talented outside receivers including Tai Felton, who was drafted by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2025 NFL Draft. This leads me to believe that Edwards could look towards Kekahuna in the slot more often than he did at Maryland.

Kekahuna has been dealing with injuries during spring camp, but should be good to go later in the summer and in the fall, when he can begin to develop a rapport with Edwards. Some people are beginning to think head coach Luke Fickell could be on the hot seat, and the development of an explosive passing game would be a big step towards keeping his job. I expect Kekahuna to have a solid sophomore season but I have my reservations still about the Wisconsin offense as a whole.

The next article will cover the Big 12 and their rising sophomore stars, which include a star quarterback, a pair of explosive running backs and multiple instant-impact transfers. With the Big 12 title race seemingly wide open, these players could dictate the landscape of the entire conference.

Super Sophomores - Big 10