Some schools, like Clemson, have entrusted true freshmen with the most important role on the team. Others, like Washington, have barely played any. But across the country, true freshmen are contributing at high levels to the nation's top teams.
Here are the top true freshmen for each Top 25 team:
No. 1 Alabama: WR Jaylen Waddle
Not that Alabama needed another weapon at receiver with Jerry Jeudy, DeVonta Smith and Henry Ruggs III, but it got one. Waddle has made an immediate impact, catching 15 passes for 315 yards and 2 touchdowns. On a team full of speedy, athletic players, he stands apart. He's returned one punt for a touchdown and is averaging 19.9 yards per return. -- Alex Scarborough
No. 2 Georgia: QB Justin Fields
He may not have the snap-to-snap impact of other true freshmen on the team, but Fields is in a bit of a different situation. He's more than just the understudy to quarterback Jake Fromm. The former No. 1 overall prospect in the Class of 2018 is a weapon in the Bulldogs' offense, and you can see his role expanding as the season goes on. Thus far, he's completed 18-of-25 pass attempts for 200 yards, 2 touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's also rushed for 140 yards and 3 touchdowns on 17 carries. -- Scarborough
No. 3 Ohio State: DT Tommy Togiai
The Buckeyes had a really young team last season after a few players left for the NFL, which has translated to very few open spots this season. Those young players in 2017 have turned into experienced players in 2018 and there hasn't been much room for any true freshmen to make a big impact. It's difficult to call any one freshman the most valuable, because none has significant stats. If you were to pick one, Togiai has six total tackles with one tackle for loss in the middle of the defensive line. Togiai was a highly regarded defensive lineman out of high school and should be a big help for the Buckeyes once his number is truly called. -- Tom VanHaaren
No. 4 Clemson: QB Trevor Lawrence
Need an idea of how valuable Lawrence is to Clemson? Just look at the response when he went down with an injury against Syracuse. Outright panic. Lawrence is still growing into the job after being named the Tigers' starting QB two weeks ago, but he's off to a fine start, and there's hope that, by year's end, he'll have developed into one of the nation's top passers. Regardless, there's perhaps no freshman in America quite as essential to his team's future right now as Lawrence is to Clemson's. -- David M. Hale
No. 5 Notre Dame: DB Houston Griffith
The Irish haven't had to rely much on its newest crop of players during its 6-0 start to the season. Griffith leads his class with nine tackles and a pass break-up so far this fall. Head coach Brian Kelly said the Chicago-area native has grown each week as he gets worked into a deep rotation in Notre Dame's secondary. That showed up with his four solo tackles in a win at Virginia Tech last week. -- Dan Murphy
No. 6 West Virginia: RB Leddie Brown
With the early-season injury to Alec Sinkfield, Brown has carved out a major role in the West Virginia backfield alongside veterans Kennedy McKoy and Martell Pettaway. Brown rushed for 107 yards and scored two touchdowns in a win over Kansas last weekend. Even when Sinkfield returns, Brown figures to keep a major role in West Virginia's explosive attack. -- Jake Trotter
No. 7 Washington: Trio of linebackers
Coach Chris Petersen isn't relying on any true freshmen to play meaningful roles this season. Only four -- defensive lineman Tuli Letuligasenoa and linebackers Jackson Sirmon, MJ Tafisi and Zion Tupuola-Fetui -- have played at all and each of them has just a single appearance (all against FCS North Dakota). The last time UW didn't play a true freshman in its season opener was 1995. It seems possible that Petersen is allowing them to develop during the season in order to use them at the end, when they'll be more ready, the team will undoubtedly be more banged up and playing them won't cost them their redshirt seasons. -- Kyle Bonagura
No. 8 Penn State: LB Micah Parsons
The Nittany Lions did not have to wait long to get a taste of the athleticism that made Parsons the top linebacker prospect in the country in last year's recruiting class. The 6-foot-3, 240-pounder immediately earned a spot in the rotation in the middle of Penn State's defense. He led the team with seven tackles against Pitt and currently sits fifth on the roster with 23 total tackles and a half of a sack. -- Murphy
No. 9 Texas: S Caden Sterns
Sterns has headlined a crop of talented Texas true freshmen. Nicknamed "the Wolf," Sterns is tied for the Big 12 lead with three interceptions, to go along with 25 tackles and a blocked field goal. He has positioned himself as one of the elite defensive freshmen in college football. -- Trotter
No. 10 UCF: DE Randy Charlton
The Knights knew they would need to rely on newcomers to help fill out their defensive line rotation this season after losing several senior starters and switching to more 4-3 schemes under new coordinator Randy Shannon. Enter Charlton. The 6-foot-3, 258-pound Charlton started the season opener and has since rotated in behind Brendon Hayes. Charlton has one sack and 11 total tackles on the season. -- Andrea Adelson
No. 11 Oklahoma: DB Brendan Radley-Hiles
Radley-Hiles, the preseason Big 12 Newcomer of the Year, has started at nickelback since Week 1 for OU. And though Radley-Hiles hasn't quite had the immediate impact the Sooners were hoping for, he's still seventh on the team with 28 tackles. -- Trotter
No. 12 Michigan: WR Ronnie Bell
The former basketball standout has only three career catches thus far, but two of them have gone for touchdowns. His full-extension grab while weaving through the middle of Maryland's defense last Saturday caught the attention of head coach Jim Harbaugh, who has been singing Bell's praises since National Signing Day. Bell's role could continue to grow as the year continues. -- Murphy
No. 13 LSU: WR Ja'Marr Chase
Freshmen are regular contributors at LSU and this year is no different. Chase has already flashed some big-play ability for the Tigers, catching two touchdown passes this season. On special teams, kickoff specialist Avery Atkins has been important, netting touchbacks on 86.8 percent of his kickoffs (33-of-38), the second-highest percentage in the SEC. -- Khan Jr.
No. 14 Florida: K Evan McPherson
The Gators went into the season having to replace reliable kicker Eddy Pineiro, who led FBS in field goal percentage last season. They have turned to McPherson, who has been just as reliable through the first six games. McPherson is 8-for-9 on his field goal attempts this season, with a long of 48 yards. He also has made all his extra-point attempts. McPherson has attempted only one field goal in the 40-yard range, so he is sure to get tested more as the season goes on. -- Adelson
No. 15 Wisconsin: WR Aron Cruickshank
Wisconsin has had only a few true freshmen play in more than four games this season, so it's tough to say that there's truly an MVP from the first-year players. Linebacker Jack Sanborn has done a nice job filling in for injured Griffin Grady and corner Rachad Wildgoose filled in for an injury as well, but Cruickshank has played in five games so far this season. His impact has mainly been on special teams, with 12 kick returns for 278 yards, which leads the team. Kendric Pryor is the only other player on the team to field a kickoff and Cruickshank's 23.17 yards per return puts him at No. 33 overall for all FBS players.-- VanHaaren
No. 16 Miami: TE Brevin Jordan
Jordan came into school with plenty of hype, as the No. 20 player in the ESPN 300, and so far he has lived up to it. Jordan has started five games this season and has emerged as a force both as a receiver and a blocker. Jordan is tied for second on the team with 15 receptions, for 174 yards and 4 touchdowns. His 41-yard touchdown reception against Florida State was the winner, and his blocking on defensive end Brian Burns was instrumental in Jeff Thomas' touchdown catch earlier in the game. -- Adelson
No. 17 Oregon: LT Penei Sewell
A 6-foot-6, 345-pound left tackle, Sewell's transition to major college football has been relatively seamless. He became the first freshman offensive lineman to start on the offensive line for the Ducks in over 20 years and is responsible for the blind-side protection of Justin Herbert, who is viewed as one of the top draft-eligible quarterbacks. -- Bonagura
No. 18 Kentucky: LB Chris Oats
The Wildcats' 5-1 start has been underscored by solid defensive play and Oats has been a key contributor to that unit. He made his first career start on Saturday against Texas A&M and finished with 4 tackles, 1 sack and 1.5 tackles for loss. The 6-foot-3, 228-pound player was a big signee for Kentucky in its 2018 recruiting class. -- Khan Jr.
No. 19 Colorado: DL Israel Antwine
A starter on the defensive line, Antwine has played the 10th-most defensive snaps for the Buffaloes. His ability to get into the starting lineup from Day 1 indicates a bright future, but he has yet to make much of a statistical impact with just six tackles to his credit. -- Trotter
No. 20 NC State: RB Ricky Person Jr.
The ground game remains a work in progress for NC State, but the effectiveness of Person Jr. the past few weeks has given the Wolfpack ample reason for optimism. After missing the bulk of the first three games of the season, Person has developed into NC State's most explosive runner, racking up 200 yards on 31 carries in the past two weeks. Combined with the red zone efficiency of Reggie Gallaspy II, Dave Doeren's crew thinks it has an answer to its rushing concerns. -- Hale
No. 21 Auburn: WR Anthony Schwartz
The Tigers needed some additional threats on offense, and in Schwartz they found one. He's not necessarily tall at 6-foot, but the former four-star from Plantation, Florida, has shown flashes of being a difference-maker with the ball in his hands. He's appeared in all six games, catching 8 passes for 163 yards and 1 touchdown. He's also fourth on the team in rushing yards with 84 yards and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries. -- Scarborough
No. 22 Texas A&M: RB Jashaun Corbin
Jimbo Fisher loves to run the ball and while he has a more-than-capable, All-SEC caliber back in Trayveon Williams, the Aggies have enjoyed the emergence of Corbin. He's second to Williams in carries among the team's running backs, catches passes and has also been a key special-teams contributor: His game-opening, 100-yard kickoff return for a touchdown against Arkansas proved to be a difference-maker in a seven-point A&M win on Sept. 29. -- Khan Jr.
No. 23 South Florida: WR Terrence Horne
Even though Horne is out for the season with a torn ACL, he deserves a nod for his performance against Georgia Tech alone, when he tied an NCAA record with two kickoff returns for touchdowns (98, 97 yards) and also added a 3-yard touchdown catch. He tore his ACL a few weeks later. No true freshman has had the same impact, though running back Johnny Ford is starting to emerge. He had 77 yards and two touchdowns last week against UMass and ranks second on the team in rushing. Coach Charlie Strong raved about Ford's potential in the preseason. -- Adelson
No. 24 Mississippi State: K Scott Goodman
The Bulldogs' depth chart has been light on true freshmen, but one of them has a starting gig right now: kickoff specialist Goodman. The walk-on has handled all of their kickoffs, averaging 62.8 yards per kick and hitting 15 touchbacks on 35 kickoffs, including 3 touchbacks on 5 kickoffs vs. Auburn. -- Khan Jr.
No. 25 Cincinnati: RB Tavion Thomas
The Bearcats are off to a 6-0 start and have had a lot of help from young players on the team, but most have been sophomores. Thomas, however, has been one true freshman who has contributed in a big way for the Bearcats. Thomas has played in four games, rushing for 259 yards on 37 carries and 4 touchdowns. He is tied for second-most rushing touchdowns on the team and has given Cincinnati some help in the run game behind Michael Warren II. Thomas could prove valuable down the stretch if he can take some of the load off of Warren II. -- VanHaaren