College Football True Freshmen We're Most Intrigued to See in 2022 Spring Games

With the vast majority of the high school prospects locked into their programs now that national signing day has come and gone, it's time to look forward to spring practice.

For plenty of programs, that is going to be the first opportunity to get a look at some of their prized recruiting returns. It's always a big-time boost for high school prospects to enroll early and get 15 practices out of the way before fall battles go down.

From a handful of defenders to some of the elite quarterbacks, the 2022 spring practices around the college football world should have us scrambling for headline-makers.

Sure, there are plenty of redshirt freshmen we're looking forward to seeing (looking at you, Quinn Ewers), but this is all about the true freshmen who are seeing college ball for the first time.

Whether it's prospects who have the opportunity to be instant-impact stars or guys with limitless potential who could unseat starters and raise their teams' level of play, we'll have our eye on a few incoming first-year players this spring. Obviously, they have to be enrolled and ready to participate to make the list.

Let's take a look at some names who could become dudes this spring.

Penn State's elite recruiting class has plenty of guys we want to see suit up this spring, and if you're a Nittany Lions fan, there is no shame in hoping star running back prospect Nicholas Singleton or defensive lineman Dani Dennis-Sutton makes an impact right away.

The biggest name on campus in Happy Valley, though, is Drew Allar.

The nation's fourth-ranked quarterback in 247Sports' composite rankings (and first overall on 247) has everything you want in an offensive leader. He has the size (6'4½", 232 pounds), the arm strength, the athleticism and the game intelligence.

With Sean Clifford back for a final season, everybody expects him to keep the signal-caller job, and he very well may. But head coach James Franklin has to flip the narrative at Penn State, where the past two seasons have been flops. If you have a game-changer at quarterback, it goes a long way.

Whether or not Allar can seize the job this spring won't affect his sky-high potential, but if he is truly special and too good to keep off the field, it will change the program's trajectory right away.

Chris Hummer of 247Sports wrote Allar has "the limitless potential" to help the Nittany Lions take the next step, and it's true. PSU's quarterback room is loaded with impressive options, but nobody has the sheer athletic ability and potential of Allar. If he is the real deal, Franklin's fortunes could change.

We're about to see if the future is now for Allar and the Lions.

Picking one player from Alabama's always-loaded recruiting classes is always difficult. On one hand, you never really know who is going to develop quickly, but on the other, the Crimson Tide always have such quality depth in former elite prospects you've forgotten about that it's tough to project playing time.

That isn't the case this year.

With Jameson Williams, John Metchie III and Slade Bolden off to the NFL, Alabama is going to have snaps available at wide receiver. Of course, Georgia transfer Jermaine Burton and guys like Ja'Corey Brooks and JoJo Earle are capable of handling some of that workload.

But Tide fans should be excited to see Aaron Anderson.

The speedy, electrifying receiver parted ways from instate LSU when the program decided to part ways with Ed Orgeron, and Nick Saban used his long-standing relationships in the state (and, of course, the fact he competes for national titles every year) to swoop in and steal Anderson.

The 5'9", 185-pound prospect from New Orleans can do it all, and it wouldn't be surprising to see the Tide find ways to use him out of the backfield, on special teams and especially in the slot. His 247Sports profile even compares him to former Alabama standout Jaylen Waddle.

Saban has experience getting the ball in the hands of his best playmakers, and there's too much to like about Anderson's skill set for him not to get involved early.

Every eye in the nation is going to be on Ohio State transfer and redshirt freshman quarterback Quinn Ewers this spring, and rightfully so: Steve Sarkisian finally has his high-upside quarterback. The Longhorns are getting elite offensive linemen Kelvin Banks and Devon Campbell this summer, too.

But the true freshman to watch this spring is a guy who could help flip the switch on the other side of the ball. Cornerback Terrance Brooks is on campus and ready to participate in drills, and that's big news for Sark.

The 5'11", 190-pound prospect from Little Elm, Texas, had offers from all over the country and was hotly pursued by teams such as Alabama and Ohio State. The one-time Buckeyes commit flipped to the instate Longhorns, and despite a tumultuous season, they were able to keep him.

Brooks is a top-100 prospect who is sometimes overshadowed by some of the other big-name players in Texas' brilliant fifth-ranked recruiting class, but he shouldn't be. He has the potential to be one of the high-end corners in this class.

On film, Brooks looks fluid in the open field, can lock down receivers in man coverage and has the awareness to be effective in zone coverage, too. There is a reason why a lot of the top teams wanted him. He has plenty of elite, moldable traits.

Brooks is a guy who can step right in and help elevate a pass defense that was ranked 62nd nationally a season ago. The Horns need him to be good right now, and everybody should pay attention to him this spring.

Nobody has created as much buzz around his new program as USC coach Lincoln Riley, who is already off to a brilliant recruiting start in the 2023 class and got a major boost when former Oklahoma quarterback Caleb Williams decided to follow him west.

But the Trojans need a lot of help in a lot of places, and a recruiting class that is ranked 65th nationally in this cycle doesn't have a ton of answers.

There are, however, a couple of important ones. While defensive back Domani Jackson is the jewel of the class and could step in and start right away, the guy we're most excited about watching this spring is Raleek Brown.

The Mater Dei product elected to stay in California, flipping from the Sooners and joining Riley with the Trojans. The 5'8", 185-pound running back is a dynamo who can be used in a lot of different places. While Riley secured transfers Travis Dye (Oregon) and Austin Jones (Stanford) from the portal, Brown still has a place in this offense.

He can do other things besides run the ball, like catch it out of the backfield, and he may even be a weapon on special teams. Once Brown gets past defenders in the open field, he is gone.

Don't forget about Brown just because he has some veterans now in front of him. Riley has a long history of utilizing weapons, putting guys in space and getting chunk yards.

Brown may not be an every-down back right away, but he will be an important part of this unit.

Coach Jimbo Fisher's historic Texas A&M recruiting class features seven 5-star prospects and elite potential on both sides of the ball.

While Fisher has always been a terrific recruiter, the 2022 haul in College Station is something we're only used to seeing from Nick Saban and Kirby Smart in recent years. But this is the type of group that can propel the Aggies into the national conversation. Picking one guy to watch is hard.

On offense, it would be electrifying receiver Evan Stewart, but since the defensive group is so special, we decided to go with defensive tackle Gabriel Brownlow-Dindy.

New defensive coordinator D.J. Durkin is walking into a gold mine with all this talent, and while guys like Walter Nolen, Shemar Stewart and Enai White will arrive this spring, Brownlow-Dindy and Anthony Lucas are on campus now. This defensive line group is elite.

Brownlow-Dindy may be the most college-ready of any of them. The 6'3", 280-pound 5-star recruit from Lakeland, Florida, doesn't carry any bad weight, and he is an explosive lineman who can get after quarterbacks from the edge but will most likely project inside.

There are a lot of ways he can impact a game, and it was a huge deal when Fisher flipped him from the Oklahoma Sooners. With spring practices under his belt, Brownlow-Dindy should be able to get a head start on some of his elite teammates who aren't arriving until later. He is a potential game-changer.

Much like the situation at Penn State, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney will be in an envious position this spring if things shake out the way a lot of people think.

Unlike the Nittany Lions, though, the Tigers have a high-upside quarterback already on campus in DJ Uiagalelei; he just needs to live up to his potential and play up to his former 5-star ranking. If he doesn't, Swinney (like Franklin) hopes to have another quality option.

Clemson's answer could be Cade Klubnik, a Texas product who is the nation's top-ranked quarterback in 247Sports' composite rankings.

The 6'2½", 186-pound signal-caller is a tall, athletic quarterback who is one of the most accurate passers in the class. He could elevate the team's play if he shows the same poise in college action he did as a prospect. That would be big news for the Tigers, who need an upgrade. 

Simply put, Uiagalelei's uneven 2021 season wasn't good enough. There were playmaking issues all around him, but the sophomore who showed so much promise filling in for Trevor Lawrence as a freshman didn't develop in Year 2 the way he was expected to, and the offense suffered as a result.

Uiagalelei needs to be pushed, and that's exactly what Klubnik can do. At the very least, the incoming freshman needs to show he is a viable option who has a bright future and can be the type of prospect experts expect. At best, he may be just too good and seize the job.

Clemson is used to competing for championships, and Klubnik could hold that key. We'll get our first glimpse this spring.

The LSU Tigers may not need 4-star quarterback Walker Howard to be a superstar right away, but it certainly would be a big deal if he was.

The 6'1", 195-pound prospect was a 5-star at one point before a late drop, but there's no question of his ability no matter his ranking. When the Lafayette, Louisiana, native and Bayou Bengals legacy was looking around late in the game before the coaching search was settled, he had plenty of suitors.

One of the places he visited was Notre Dame when Brian Kelly was still in South Bend. Once Kelly was lured to the bayou, it was a no-brainer for Howard to stick around. With Kelly flipping the roster and doing his thing with his players right away, Howard could be a big part of it.

The best thing for Kelly is he has options with Myles Brennan coming out of the portal to return to LSU for a final season and redshirt freshman Garrett Nussmeier looking like he has a bright future, too. But Howard has more upside than either.

It wouldn't be out of the realm of possibility for Kelly to do with Howard what he did this past season with Tyler Buchner while he was coaching the Fighting Irish. Graduate transfer Jack Coan was the primary guy, but Buchner got reps, too. Now, Buchner is more prepared to lead Notre Dame.

If Howard shows that type of ability this spring, it not only would help LSU this season but also give the Tigers their leader of the future. It's going to be him or Nussmeier, and after a huge recruiting victory to keep him home, Howard's immediate development is a story worth watching.

There has been plenty of offseason drama swirling around the Michigan program since the Wolverines' playoff run.

A year after coach Jim Harbaugh restructured his contract, it looked for a while like he may leave Ann Arbor, flirting with the NFL after his name was linked to jobs at Las Vegas and especially with the Minnesota Vikings, a courtship that got serious this past week.

Now that that's settled and Harbaugh is sticking around, he needs playmakers as the Wolverines look to make a repeat run with a much younger, more inexperienced team. 

The secondary could be a bright spot, though, even though the Wolverines are going to have to replace Daxton Hill, Brad Hawkins and Vincent Gray. One guy who looks ready to step into Gray's vacant cornerback role is 5-star Will Johnson, who enrolled early and is ready to go.

Safety Kody Jones and defensive end Derrick Moore are strong candidates for early breakouts, too, but Johnson is the most college-ready player on paper. Even though the Wolverines have dependable cornerbacks returning in DJ Turner and Gemon Green, Johnson fills a need.

The 6'3", 190-pound defensive back is extremely fluid for a guy his size and looks like a lockdown corner. He is a Michigan legacy who stayed true to an early commitment despite heavy pursuit by USC and Alabama, but he ultimately decided to be part of the program he grew up rooting for.

Now Johnson is going to be a star. Whether it happens this spring is another story, but he definitely has the potential to make it a reality.

It's difficult to gauge just how coach Brent Venables' program is going to look after years of being a defensive coordinator, but one thing you can probably expect is the Sooners are going to be much tougher on the defensive side of the ball.

That would be a change from the Lincoln Riley era of pinball offense. But former defensive coordinator Alex Grinch had them trending in the right direction the past couple of years, so things are set up well for Venables despite the roster turnover.

The way Venables rallied the class is impressive, and a couple of his biggest win could find the field early. While keeping linebacker Kobie McKinzie in the fold and away from the Longhorns was a big deal, perhaps the biggest get of the entire class was flipping athlete Jaren Kanak.

Once committed to Clemson, the Kansas native followed Venables to OU and is staying closer to home in the process. While he can play a lot of positions thanks to his incredible athleticism, Kanak looks like he'll begin his career on defense and likely at linebacker.

At 6'2", 210 pounds, Kanak needs to add some weight to play on the second level, but getting in a college strength program will certainly help. He is fast, aggressive, a big hitter and a sure tackler. His skill set looks like it will translate nicely into a coverage linebacker or getting to quarterbacks off the edge.

It's up in the air whether Kanak can add the necessary weight to be a guy who can be depended on right away, but the guess here is he can. With him enrolling early, having a knack for the ball and being flexible in how he can translate to a lot of different positions, it's going to be fun to watch what Venables does with him.

He is one of the most exciting players for us to watch blossom and see just how he fits in Norman.

There was no bigger surprise in this entire recruiting cycle than the job Jedd Fisch did at Arizona.

Honestly, the program looked to be in shambles and essentially left for dead not long ago. The Kevin Sumlin era flopped, and the Wildcats were winless in a five-game 2020 season. There were even harder times as Fisch rebuilt the team in 2021, with Arizona going 1-11.

However, recruits are buying what he's building.

Not only have the Wildcats gotten their quarterback of the future in Washington State transfer Jayden de Laura as well as wide receiver Jacob Cowing, who starred at UTEP, but they also shockingly put together the second-ranked class in the Pac-12. The class is good for 22nd nationally.

The biggest potential star of the group is rangy wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan, a 6'4", 185-pound prospect from Anaheim, California, who had tons of offers out west and ultimately chose the Wildcats over Oregon and others. He's the kind of living room win Fisch has to have to thrive.

If McMillan doesn't work out on offense, he's got a ton of upside on defense, too, but he looks like a prime prospect who needs the ball in his hands. As a matter of fact, Rivals' Adam Gorney believes McMillan is the top-ranked receiver in the entire class.

"The physical traits of McMillan don't come around often," Gorney wrote. "He's super competitive, one of the best pass-catchers I've seen in a long time, and a multi-sport athlete who has unique jumping ability that sets him apart in this class." As is, McMillan is ranked as Rivals' No. 2 receiver in the nation.

Regardless, kids like him haven't been going to Arizona recently. Look for him to stand out early.

During the past couple years at North Carolina, the Tar Heels could score points with basically anybody. But the defense has been so awful, it often hasn't mattered.

There has just been too much pressure on the offensive guys to win the number of games that match the talent head coach Mack Brown has piled up in his return to Chapel Hill. All that has to change for the program to take a step forward.

Without quarterback Sam Howell, the Tar Heels don't know what the next stage of the offense looks like, so the defense has to get a lot better in a hurry. Again, the prospects are there rankings-wise; they just need to develop and play up to their potential.

One guy who can help turn the fortunes against the run is already on campus and looking to make an early impact. Five-star defensive lineman Travis Shaw was a massive recruiting victory for the Heels, who beat out Georgia, Alabama, Clemson and others for his signature.

The 6'5", 310-pound prospect can plug run lanes, and he's also aggressive and athletic enough to get after quarterbacks as an interior pass-rusher. While the Heels have recruited a lot of good-looking defenders the past three years, Shaw looks like the best.

Simply put, he has to be the guy they recruited, step into the starting lineup or at least in the two-deep and slow down the porous rush defense from the past couple of seasons. There may not be a more important player in UNC's loaded class.

If you haven't realized by now, this writer loves Jaylen Sneed. He looks like the nation's best linebacker prospect, even if C.J. Hicks (Ohio State) and Harold Perkins (LSU) are both ahead of him in 247Sports' composite rankings.

Sneed is still a 5-star prospect, and at 6'2", 210 pounds, he's the kind of fast, bouncy athlete who can flash no matter where he is on the field. He can line up and get after quarterbacks, is strong enough to stop the run and is fast enough to go out in coverage.

Sneed is going to thrive under coach Marcus Freeman, and it's a shocker he decided to head to South Bend rather than play for a school closer to his Hilton Head, South Carolina, home.

The majority of the Fighting Irish's young defensive stars are already in school, and they will have every opportunity to shine with Freeman at the helm. This spring is an audition to see who belongs on the field, and a player like Sneed is just too flashy to keep off it.

Just the words of his 247Sports scouting report stand out: "flat-out football player " and "screams downhill when locked on a target," according to Gabe Brooks.

Notre Dame is no stranger to churning out quality linebackers, but Sneed is a next-level athlete who'd probably be a high draft pick if he was heading to the NFL right now based solely on athletic ability. He has that kind of ceiling.

Everybody should be ready to watch him this spring, because he's about to blow up and show out.

All stats courtesy of CFBStats and Sports Reference. Player and recruiting class rankings courtesy of 247Sports.

Follow Brad Shepard on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.