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ESPN Staff Writer- Eli Lederman covers college football and recruiting for ESPN.com. He joined ESPN in 2024 after covering the University of Oklahoma for Sellout Crowd and the Tulsa World.
Who are college football's most impactful newcomers for 2024? We gave our best guess in the preseason. Now we have some answers.
Back in August, we attempted to identify the top 100 newcomers of the 2024 season, based on intel from coaches and staffers throughout the sport on which new transfers and true freshmen were poised to make a significant impact. It's time for a redo.
Here's our midseason assessment of the top 50 newcomers of the 2024 season. We've made a ton of changes to the top of these rankings. Some highly touted transfers and freshmen have lived up to all the hype, but many more have made big moves on the list based on impressive play and production.
It wasn't difficult to decide who deserves to be No. 1, but it was tough to cut this list off at just 50 players. Many more transfers and freshmen have stood out in the first half of the season and deserve recognition. Here's who made the list.
1. QB Cam Ward
Transfer: Washington State to Miami
When Ward declared he was entering the NFL draft on New Year's Day, there was little certainty about where he'd end up getting selected. The feedback he received suggested he might be a second- or third-round pick, but perhaps that was too optimistic. Going pro meant betting he could impress at the NFL combine. There were no guarantees.
Thank goodness he changed his mind.
"At the end of the day, I think I'm a Day 1 quarterback," Ward said on Jan. 13. "I think coming back to college can solidify myself."
Ward added a new chapter to his wild journey from Incarnate Word to Washington State to joining a Miami team that was hungry to contend. The fifth-year senior has exceeded all expectations, becoming a genuine Heisman Trophy contender and the leading passer in FBS with 2,219 passing yards, 23 total touchdowns and 5 interceptions for a 6-0 Hurricanes squad that has climbed to No. 6 in the AP poll thanks to dramatic comeback wins over Virginia Tech and Cal. He's achieving his goal of playing his way into first-round hype and will have a chance to take this team to the College Football Playoff if he can keep this up.