The transfer portal and the free COVID year of 2020 created older teams and fewer opportunities for true freshmen to contribute in Year 1. College football should experience a youth movement across the board this season as the top of rosters stay put, thanks to revenue sharing and fewer sixth- and seventh-year seniors occupying roster spots, especially at Power Four programs. 

The state of Texas is no different. The seven P4 programs in the Lone Star State should see a handful of true freshmen compete right away in 2025. Here are 10 players that coaches and upperclassmen mentioned as potential breakout candidates while we were on the 2025 summer magazine tour. 

1. Texas WR Kaliq Lockett

The Longhorns need new faces at wide receiver and tight end to replace the likes of Matthew Golden, Isaiah Bond, and Gunnar Helm. Texas signed an elite crop of wide receivers in the 2025 cycle and the best of the bunch might be Lockett, a productive prospect from Sachse who earned five-star status at 247Sports. He was the ninth-best player in the 2025 DCTF Top 100. He’ll earn snaps alongside DeAndre Moore, Ryan Wingo, and Parker Livingstone. Fellow true freshmen wide outs Jaime Ffrench and Daylan McCutcheon could also earn early snaps for the Horns. 

2. Texas A&M WR Jerome Myles 

Texas A&M needed to improve its wide receiver room to give quarterback Marcel Reed any chance of improving the vertical passing game in 2025. The Aggies hit the portal for KC Concepcion and Mario Carver, but Myles, a five-star from Utah who late in the cycle, could also be a weapon for Reed. He did tear his ACL early in his senior season and didn’t participate in spring ball. Still, he’s a freak athlete who could carve out a role like what Terry Bussey did last year in College Station. 

3. SMU WR Jalen Cooper

Another wide receiver poised for a breakout campaign in Year 1 on campus. The Cibolo Steele export was one of four wide receivers signed by the Ponies in the 2025 cycle. Cooper excelled in spring ball and could start in Week 1 with a strong summer and fall camp. He was ranked 50th on the DCTF Top 100 and was a consensus four-star prospect. SMU lost multiple top receivers from last year, so the opportunity for snaps is there. 

4. Baylor DE Kamauryn Morgan

The South Oak Cliff product was the 38th-ranked player on the DCTF Top 100 and could carve out a niche as a pass rusher early in his career at Baylor. Pass rush is probably the biggest question mark for a Baylor squad poised for a Big 12 title run. Morgan was the top-rated player in the Bears’ class and will get every opportunity to play right away. Maybe not as an every down edge player just yet, but as a third down specialist. 

5. TCU DE Chad Woodfork 

The 6-4, 220-pound defensive end was a terror at Summer Creek and was ranked as the 20th-best player on the DCTF Top 100. The Frogs aren’t short for playmakers off the edge with the likes of Devean Deal on the roster, but there is no such thing as too many pass rushers in modern college football. Don’t expect Woodfork to start, but do expect him to play early on in his college career. 

6. Houston DL DK Mays

Mays didn’t arrive until the summer but the new defensive staff at Houston was already singing his praises and saying he could be the best prospect out of the six defensive linemen the Cougars signed in the 2025 cycle. That’s lofty praise in a class that also includes Reshad Sterling, Carmello Brooks, and Sheldon Rice. Mays is a 6-4, 250-pound monster from Baton Rouge. 

7. Texas A&M DE Marco Jones 

New playmakers must emerge off the edge for the Wrecking Crew after Nic Scourton and Shemar Stewart departed for the NFL. The Aggies did well in the transfer portal and bring back Cashius Howell, but Jones could push for playing time early. The 6-5, 250-pound four-star from California was a national Top 200 prospect. 

8. SMU DB Tyren Polley 

The Mustangs lost a lot from the 2024 defense that helped the Ponies reach the ACC championship game and the College Football Playoff. Polley represents a level of high school recruit that SMU can now sign due to the Power Four status. He is a three-star from Duncanville that will play important snaps in the secondary. 

9. TCU RB Jon Denman 

The Horned Frogs ranked 103rd nationally in rushing yards per attempt at 3.7 and 113th in rushing yards per game with 113.92. That must improve for TCU to challenge in a crowded Big 12. Quarterback Josh Hoover is awesome, but he can’t do it himself for 12 regular-season games. Denman is a three-star prospect from Palestine that the coaching staff was high on in the spring. If the other backs don’t step up, the true freshman could get some burn. 

10. Texas DT Justus Terry 

Find the social media photos of Terry for evidence as to why he’ll be an able body as a true freshman. The Longhorns have lost six defensive tackles to the NFL over the last three offseasons and while they added a handful of experienced big men to lead the way in the trenches, Terry is probably too talented not to earn some snaps in 2025.