College Football Players Poised for Bounce-Back Years in 2025

When a college football player emerges as a core contributor, expectations for the future, naturally, only get higher.

Gameday is not always so kind, however.

The unfortunate truth is that development is more like a roller coaster than a gradual, steady or sharp ascent. There are high highs, low lows and everything in between—and that's just one month of the season.

Looking ahead to the 2025 campaign, there are many bounce-back candidates around the country. The following picks are subjective but highlight some talented players who fell short of expectations in 2024.

As a first-time starter with Georgia in 2023, Carson Beck put together a terrific year. He posted a 72.4 completion percentage and 9.5 yards per attempt, throwing for 3,941 yards and 24 touchdowns to six interceptions.

Only a controversial decision from the CFP selection committee kept UGA out of the final four-team Playoff. Georgia was very good, and Beck was too.

Last season? Not so much.

Beck struggled in marquee games, tossing three interceptions in losses to Alabama and Texas. He also threw a trio of picks against Florida, mustered just 186 yards in a loss to Ole Miss and had a subpar half opposite Texas in the SEC Championship Game before an elbow injury ended his season.

Now at Miami, Beck has an opportunity to command a run-heavy offense—one with a potentially elite blocking group.

As long as a revamped pass-catching unit meshes well, Beck can provide the 'Canes with a stable, experienced option in their pursuit of a CFP trip.

This is, admittedly, a bit of a stretch. Miller Moss wasn't exactly a core contributor for USC prior to the 2024 campaign.

But he also wasn't a nobody, either.

To close the 2023 season, Moss broke a Holiday Bowl record with six touchdown passes. He became the undoubted heir to Caleb Williams as the program moved from the Pac-12 to the Big Ten, opening the year ranked 23rd.

After the Trojans went 4-5, however, Moss found himself benched—and soon entered the portal, transferring to Louisville.

Not only is UL coach Jeff Brohm is a great offensive (and QB) mind, the team returns wide receivers Chris Bell and Caullin Lacy—a bounce-back possibility in his own right. Louisville is a great spot for Moss to chase his potential.

Malik Sherrod was a familiar face at Fresno State by 2023, yet he truly emerged that season. He rushed for 966 yards and nine scores, caught 44 passes for 260 yards and a touchdown and took a kickoff to the end zone, too.

That level of production was absent in 2024.

Even before an injury limited him to four contests, Sherrod posted 3.2 yards per carry. He played well against New Mexico State—and still scored four times on 60 carries—but lacked the previous year's efficiency.

Sherrod hit the portal and landed at Boise State, impressing in spring practice to stay on track as Ashton Jeanty's primary replacement.

Boise's pursuit of a third straight Mountain West crown—and potentially a spot in the CFP—will likely lean noticeably on Sherrod.

KC Concepcion already has an interesting journey.

During the 2023 season, he was a breakout star at North Carolina State. The freshman showed off his versatility with 71 catches for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns, adding 320 rushing yards at 7.8 per carry and throwing a 17-yard score. All of that production made him a second-team All-ACC selection.

But as NC State dipped from 9-4 to 6-7 last season, so did Concepcion's numbers. He reeled in 53 passes for 460 yards and six touchdowns, managing only 36 yards (and two scores) on 19 carries.

Concepcion has since transferred to Texas A&M, where he's the veteran of the receiving unit and should be Marcel Reed's top target in 2025.

In all likelihood, you won't be reading much about Kenard Snyder this season. Such is life for players at a majority of non-power programs.

Nevertheless, he's a prime example in this category.

Snyder collected 61 tackles (10.5 for loss) as a freshman with Louisiana-Monroe in 2022. The next season, he posted 60 stops (14.5 for loss with 5.5 sacks) and forced three fumbles to earn honorable mention All-Sun Belt recognition.

The hope of parlaying that success into a power-conference leap at Iowa State didn't go well. He totaled eight tackles with two sacks.

However, a return to the Sun Belt may be ideal for Snyder needs to regain his previous form—and, this time around, elevate Texas State.

No, "star" is not simply a reference to Harold Perkins Jr. and his ability. That's the name of his new position for LSU in 2025.

Hopefully, it unleashes the talented defender, too.

Perkins dazzled as a true freshman in 2022, notching 73 tackles with 14.0 for loss and 8.5 sacks. He tallied 75 stops with 13.0 for loss and 5.5 sacks in 2023, as well. Both years, Perkins garnered second-team All-SEC recognition.

Last season, however, the Tigers struggled to settle on a position for Perkins—and then a torn ACL ended his season in September anyway.

The hybrid linebacker/defensive back role, in theory, will allow LSU to give Perkins more freedom as a roaming playmaker and make it difficult for opponents to use a lineman to block him instead of a receiver or tight end.

Reunited and it feels... like a bounce-back season?

That's the hope for Tacario Davis, an honorable mention All-Pac-12 choice on a Jedd Fisch-led Arizona team in 2023. He yielded just 5.4 yards per target in coverage, according to Pro Football Focus.

Fisch bolted for Washington, though, and Davis—along with Arizona as a whole—had a down season. He gave up 9.3 yards per target.

Davis entered the portal after the campaign and went to UW, rejoining Fisch and secondary coach John Richardson. There's no question they have a plan to maximize the impact of Davis, an imposing 6'4" corner.

After all, they've done it once already.