5 five-star freshmen who will have the biggest impact in 2024

With spring practice about to commence across the entire country, let's try to shift our brains just a bit. Nick Saban has retired, Bill O'Brien is at Boston College and Chip Kelly left UCLA to become the next offensive coordinator at Ohio State. Okay, got it? Cool. Now that we have somehow made our way through the coaching carousel, it is time to turn our attention to next college football season.

When looking at all the five-stars coming in from the 247Sports Composite, some are going to live up to expectations, while others may fall way short of them. It is getting harder and harder to evaluate talent coming out of high school, but there has never been a better time to be a true freshman in college sports. Many of these guys enroll early so that they will have a shot at playing right away.

What you have to remember about the five-star designation is that these former high school stars project to be first-round picks in future NFL Drafts. Obviously, not all are going to do that, but the upside with many of these kids is absolutely tremendous. This is a marathon, not a sprint. But with that in mind, here are five freshmen five-stars I think are going to have great first seasons in 2024.

There were many players to choose from, but I like the fit and opportunity for these five the best.

5 five-star freshmen who will make the biggest impacts in 2024 season

5. Alabama WR Ryan Williams (No. 4 overall, Saraland, AL)

Ryan Williams initially debated leaving Alabama once Kalen DeBoer was hired, but I think he made a great decision for himself. He is from The Yellowhammer State, going to play for a new head coach who loves for his quarterback to throw the ball to his wide receivers. With Jalen Milroe returning and a Heisman Trophy season for him potentially on the horizon, it is so good to catch passes for Alabama.

There are not only opportunities to be had in the Alabama receiving corps, but going to play for a new coaching staff certainly levels the playing field. Most of the guys on the Crimson Tide roster committed to play for Nick Saban at Alabama, including Williams. To me, the fact he decided to stay true to his Alabama commitment bodes well for him having early success as a Crimson Tide receiver.

Of course, this is a major step up for new offensive coordinator Nick Sheridan. He had to answer the call of duty once Ryan Grubb decided to go back to the Pacific Northwest to coach the Seattle Seahawks. Had Grubb stayed on as Alabama's offensive coordinator, there is a pretty good chance I would have Williams higher than No. 5 on this list. Regardless, I love the opportunity he has right now.

This could totally blow up in my face, but I still think Alabama has too much talent to fall off a cliff.