It is far from uncommon in the transfer portal era for the best players on a given college football roster to seek opportunities at other schools. That makes multi-year starters at the same program all the more rewarding. With the roster turnover that occurs as a result of the portal, NFL Draft and expiring eligibility clocks, many of the top teams in college football have to turn to new faces at key positions on an annual basis.
The majority of the most exciting players for the 2024 season, however, are back on the teams with which they thrived last fall. Heisman Trophy-hopeful quarterbacks like Carson Beck and Quinn Ewers are now veterans with Georgia and Texas, and some of the top defensive players — like Michigan's Mason Graham and Tennessee's James Pearce Jr. — are multi-year contributors at the schools with which they signed as high school recruits.
Consistency in one scheme and the advantages that come with working with the same coaching staff for multiple years often gives returning players a leg up on newcomers.
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Here are the top 25 returning players for the 2024 college football season:
