Given the popularity of the transfer portal, it has become more and more difficult for true freshmen to see the field.
This past season, 32.5% of all college football starters were transfers. That's compared to 10.6% in the 2020 season. Freshman quarterbacks particularly have been impacted, as just 2.8% of starters at the position were true freshmen in 2023 compared to 10.1% in 2019.
But it doesn't mean we haven't seen true freshmen make an impact altogether. In 2023, Alabama safety Caleb Downs started every game for the Tide and led the team in tackles with 107.