One of the old college football adages says that great players normally make their largest leaps between their first and second seasons on the gridiron.

But what happens if you're already a star? Well, you just turn into a superstar, right?

Several sophomores heading into the 2024 season are among the sport's most exciting up-and-comers. There are great players at every position who could materialize into the best players in the nation this season.

Being a Freshman All-American is nice, but when you're a true All-American, that's when the impact is really felt. Some of these guys have already proved themselves in a big way and all of them already have some sort of on-field resume.

Then there is a pair of non-Power Five players who seized their spots at a loaded position, too.

Who made the list? Who should have who didn't? Let's take a look at the top sophomores at every position heading into the '24 season.

DE/Edge: Rueben Bain Jr., Miami

Used to be, one of the most difficult places to make an impact right away was along the defensive front, but some of the biggest star prospects from high school recently are proving those days are gone.

The pass-rushing spot was deep and talented a season ago. But the player who stood out was Miami's Rueben Bain Jr., who was flat-out unblockable at times. He was far and away the winner on this list, even though Clemson's TJ Parker was outstanding too.

The 6'3", 275-pound versatile edge-rusher wasn't even a top-50 recruit in the '23 class, but he was among the best four or five freshmen regardless of position nationally. In a rebuilding season in Coral Gables, Bain showed he'd be a cornerstone of those efforts.

He wound up with 44 tackles, including 12.5 for a loss, 7.5 sacks and three forced fumbles. He was all over the place and never really hit a freshman wall.

ESPN.com rates Bain the No. 5 overall pass-rusher heading into the '24 season, calling him a "force of nature," and that may be too low.

He's special, and considering how he bounced around at positions across the defensive front a year ago, he's probably just scraping the surface of what he can be.

Honorable Mention: T.J. Parker, Clemson

DT: Peter Woods, Clemson

The future is extremely bright for a school that could be considered "D-Line U" for the stars the Clemson Tigers have churned out over the past decade-plus.

Even when they weren't dominant in the win-loss column the past few years, Clemson routinely put defensive linemen in the NFL, and they recruited an incredible class a year ago that included T.J. Parker, Vic Burley and Peter Woods.

Parker probably had the biggest impact, but Woods—a 6'2", 315-pound playmaker from Alabaster, Alabama—looks like he will carry on the tradition of Clemson getting stars from the Yellow Hammer State. In case you're keeping score at home, Parker is from Alabama, too.

Woods finished with 26 tackles, including 2.5 for a loss and a forced fumble.

It's hard to choose an upside between Woods and Auburn's Keldric Faulk, who is (yet again) from Alabama. While both should have incredible careers, Woods looks like the biggest star of the bunch. And he has attacked the offseason and looks terrific this spring.

"Complacency isn't in my vocabulary," Woods told Clemson Sports Talk's Tyreese Ingram this spring, after reporting in better shape than a season ago and showing out.

Kids who are driven like Woods normally keep on getting better and better.

Honorable Mention: Keldric Faulk, Auburn

LB: Anthony Hill Jr., Texas

The player with the most upside on this entire list is Texas' budding megastar linebacker Anthony Hill Jr., who lined up pretty much everywhere on the second level a season ago.

He played a hybrid weak-side linebacker and edge-rusher for defensive coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski's unit and was a huge reason the Longhorns made the College Football Playoff. After the defense let them down year after year, Texas trotted out a stellar group a season ago.

Elite recruiting wins like Hill are the reason. He finished with 67 tackles, including eight for a loss and five sacks. All this while he was just a part-time starter. It didn't matter, though. He may not have started every game, but he finished most.

Hill flies around the field chasing down running backs, holds his own in pass coverage and gets after quarterbacks as well as anybody. With Trey Moore lining up and rushing the passer this year, Hill should shine.

But considering his value as a linebacker, the 'Horns may just let him grow and develop there. Much like LSU's Harold Perkins Jr., he excels no matter where you put him.

Everyone will know his name soon. He has all the ability in the world, and NFL teams are just counting down to when they can draft him.

Honorable Mention: Taurean York, Texas A&M

S: Dillon Thieneman, Purdue

When you beat out Caleb Downs for the best player at your position, you know you're accomplishing big things.

Purdue's Dillon Thieneman didn't just post better numbers than the former Alabama safety who transferred to Ohio State; he also provided a bigger impact.

Playing for noted developer of defensive back talent in head coach Ryan Walters, Thieneman should continue to improve.

A season ago, he showed out despite playing for a bad Boilermakers team, compiling 106 total tackles, including two for a loss and forcing a pair of fumbles. He also was tied for third nationally with six interceptions, just one off the national lead.

Considering the Big Ten Freshman of the Year was an unheralded 3-star prospect from nearby Westfield, Indiana, his emergence was even more impressive.

"You've got a freshman from right down the street who stays home and accomplishes what he accomplishes," Walters told the Indianapolis Star's Sam King. "For him to be a freshman and carry himself the way he does, his legacy will now be etched in Purdue history forever. For him to do that in year one is remarkable. The scary thing is he's only going to get better."

Compare Thieneman's numbers with Downs' 107 tackles and two picks, and it's possible that the nation's top two freshmen from a season ago play the same position.

Honorable Mention: Caleb Downs, Ohio State (formerly Alabama)

CB: D'Angelo Ponds, James Madison

In a day and age when players step into the transfer portal like it's a revolving door, it's a little bit of a shock when James Madison cornerback D'Angelo Ponds elected to stick around and play for the Dukes.

Whether he can continue to dominate the way he did as a first-year player remains to be seen, but he earned his spot on this list over players from some of the top teams in the country.

Last year, James Madison was a breakout team under then-coach Curt Cignetti, who left for Indiana following a terrific year. Players like Ponds were a big reason for the success.

As much as you want to put blue-blood prospects and former highly rated players on this list because of their upside, production like Ponds' can't be ignored. He finished his first year with 50 tackles and a pair of interceptions.

He also led all true freshman cornerbacks with 13 passes defended, and according to 247Sports' Chris Hummer, passers completed just 46.5 percent of passes in his direction last season. The Florida native also recovered a blocked punt for a touchdown against Virginia.

No matter the competition, Ponds rose to the occasion, and he should only get better. The 5'9", 162-pound former 3-star prospect from heralded Chaminade-Madonna Preparatory School isn't the biggest star, but he makes a massive splash.

Honorable Mention: Jermaine Matthews Jr., Ohio State

OL: Francis Mauigoa, Miami

The second Miami Hurricane on this list made just as big of a tidal wave on the national radar on one line of scrimmage as Rueben Bain Jr. did on the other.

Already, The U is seeing the fruits of how terrific of a recruiter coach Mario Cristobal is, even though he's been under fire for some of his coaching decisions during his first two seasons at his alma mater.

Former 5-star offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa is a perfect example. He is an elite force who was plugged in along the offensive front pretty much from the beginning of his career and got better as the year progressed.

Even though he had some early-season hiccups, Mauigoa became dominant. He will team with fellow former 5-star Samuel Okunlola to give the 'Canes a great duo for the future.

In a year when there were great first-year offensive linemen like Georgia's Earnest Greene III and Alabama's Kadyn Proctor, none of them was as consistently dominant as Mauigoa, the former top-10 ranked recruit proved to everybody he was worthy of that ranking.

According to Canes Warning's Alan Rubenstein, Miami went from 100th nationally in '22 allowing three sacks a game to 17th in '23, allowing just 1.23. They also went from 95th nationally in '22 averaging 3.74 yards per rush to 16th in '23 at 5.12 yards. Mauigoa was a big reason.

He is a star who is just breaking the surface of his talent.

Honorable Mention: Earnest Greene III

TE: Benjamin Brahmer, Iowa State

Last year was a youth movement in Ames for coach Matt Campbell, and the Iowa State Cyclones have a bright future after a couple of down cycles because of it.

One of those talented playmakers was tight end Benjamin Brahmer, who, like a couple of other big-name guys on this list, proved you don't have to be a superstar prospect to wind up being a stellar college player.

The tight end position is notoriously difficult to project, and it's a lot of times the right guy for the right system who winds up being a force. Brahmer was definitely that guy a season ago, emerging as a top target for quarterback Rocco Becht.

At 6'7", 240 pounds, Brahmer was physically ready to play right away out of Pierce, Nebraska, and broke the school record for most receptions as a freshman tight end with 28. Those catches produced 352 yards and a couple of touchdowns.

It was the little things he did that made him a no-brainer for this list, though. He was an exceptional blocker, which is extremely difficult for first-year tight ends across the nation. He also didn't care to get the tough yards going across the middle.

At his size, Brahmer is an enforcer who could play at 260 pounds and not lose a step. Had he played for a higher-profile team, you'd already know his name. Instead, the former 3-star who was the No. 117-ranked wide receiver in the '23 class is carving his own path.

Learn the name.

Honorable Mention: Arlis Boardingham, Florida

WR: Kevin Concepcion, North Carolina State

In a year when there were waves of big-name wide receiver prospects expected to take the college football world by storm, yet another former 3-star stole the show.

Kevin "K.C." Concepcion was a 5'11", 173-pound prospect from Charlotte, North Carolina, who wasn't very highly thought of at all as the No. 82-ranked pass-catcher. Yet, from the time he stepped onto North Carolina State's campus last spring, he brought the buzz.

The Wolfpack knew what they had on their hands, and even though there were tons of players the recruiting services loved more than Concepcion, he showed right away he was a gamer.

No matter who the quarterback was, Concepcion produced. Now, with Grayson McCall throwing him the ball in Raleigh and with the Pack getting a few guys surrounding him such as Ohio State transfer Noah Rogers, it's time for him to become a star.

Isn't he already? A season ago as a true freshman, Concepcion was a Day 1 starter, and he finished the year with 71 catches for 839 yards and 10 scores. The catches and yards are impressive, sure, but to find the end zone double-digit times as a first-year player? That's special.

He has a knack for the goal line, and even though he isn't the biggest receiver in the nation who will scare you getting off the bus, he will send defensive backs everywhere home on one with L's.

Honorable Mention: Elic Ayomanor

RB: Makhi Hughes, Tulane

This was an extremely tough decision, because if you'll notice, the two players who made honorable mention (West Virginia's Jahiem White and Texas' CJ Baxter) played for high-profile programs that had strong years.

Baxter, especially, was a key part of the Longhorns' College Football Playoff run after Jonathan Brooks' season was shut down by injury. He could wind up one of the biggest stars at the position in college football this year.

But Tulane's Makhi Hughes had a better year, and he is going to be the offensive centerpiece for the Green Wave in 2024 under new head coach Jon Sumrall.

You can't ignore his numbers and sheer production.

The former 3-star running back from Huffman High School in Birmingham, Alabama, continues the trend of little-loved prospects who became playmakers. Baxter was a 5-star, but on the flip side, Hughes was the nation's No. 1,150th-ranked player. Yeah, that's low.

When you take into consideration Tulane was trying to replace Tyjae Spears, who was a do-it-all playmaker at running back who led the Green Wave to a stunning bowl win over USC in 2022 before getting drafted by the Tennessee Titans, the cleats were massive to fill.

Hughes was more than up to the task, running 258 times for 1,378 yards and scoring seven times on a 5.3-yard average. He may not play for a major-conference team, and you maybe didn't circle his name in recruiting circles a year ago, but Hughes is going to be a college star.

Honorable Mention: Jahiem White, West Virginia; CJ Baxter, Texas

QB: Noah Fifita, Arizona

Plenty of the guys from the 2023 quarterback recruiting class could make their way onto a future iteration of this list with standout seasons.

Players such as Tennessee's Nico Iamaleava and Oklahoma's Jackson Arnold are primed to break out, while Oregon's Dante Moore, Texas' Arch Manning and Boise State's Malachi Nelson could surge, too.

But this was the easiest pick on the board, even if Arizona's Noah Fifita wasn't part of that stellar class. Instead, the '22 class signal-caller redshirted and then took the field last year as a second-year quarterback.

Once he got on the field, you couldn't take him off.

The former 3-star recruit from Servite (California) High School isn't a prototypical quarterback at 5'11", 194 pounds, but he's a winner and a gamer, and he makes a ton of plays. Team him with high school teammate Tetairoa McMillan, and you've got a dynamic duo.

When Jayden de Laura went down with an injury last year, then-coach Jedd Fisch replaced him with Fifita, and the quarterback completed a remarkable 72.4 percent of his passes for 2,869 yards, 25 touchdowns and six interceptions.

Most importantly, Arizona became one of college football's top stories, going 10-3 and beating the Sooners in the Alamo Bowl. Now, with Fifita at the helm for his redshirt sophomore season, new coach Brent Brennan may have the top team in the new-look Big 12.

Fifita is one of the most exciting players in all of college football.

Honorable Mention: Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee

Recruit rankings via 247Sports' composite list.