College football in 2022 is going to be full of superb sophomores.
Trying to determine just who is going to be the best is a tall task.
Of course, the skill-position players get most of the attention, and there are always going to be young guys not yet on the radar who burst onto the scene. But the sport has already produced some up-and-coming players who are entering their sophomore seasons.
Some of them are going to be true second-year players. Others have redshirted. So this list of the top sophomores factored in each player's body of work on the field, breakout potential, elite ceiling and pro potential.
At least 30 more players had legitimate arguments for inclusion, but the top five who just missed this list were Clemson running back Will Shipley, Coastal Carolina edge Josaiah Stewart, USC wide receiver Mario Williams, Oklahoma State edge Collin Oliver and Notre Dame offensive tackle Joe Alt.
Somebody like Central Michigan running back Lew Nichols III, who led the FBS in rushing in 2021, is on the list, but he isn't as high as he would be if he were dominating Power Five competition. Then there is the chore of comparing Player A at one position to Player B at another.
In the end, of course, anybody's list would have subjectivity built in, but here is B/R's list of top sophomores entering the 2022 season.
12. Lew Nichols III, Central Michigan Running Back
If this were a ranking of the most productive sophomores heading into the '22 season, Central Michigan's Lew Nichols III would be much higher.
But the question remains, for better or worse, if the redshirt sophomore can come even close to replicating what he did for the Chippewas a season ago.
Listen: There was nothing fluky about his incredible campaign. Head coach Jim McElwain inserted him into the starting lineup when Kobe Lewis got injured in preseason drills and was lost for the year, and the rest is history.
Nichols was an unstoppable force for the MAC team, gaining an FBS-leading 1,848 rushing yards along with 16 touchdowns.
He was a workhorse, carrying the ball 341 times for 42 more carries than anybody else in the nation. Still, he averaged more than 5.0 yards per carry, was difficult to bring down and displayed the type of burst you want from an every-down runner.
Is he elite? That's debatable. It's going to be interesting to see how Nichols translates to the pros. Also, with CMU getting Lewis back this year, Nichols should see his numbers trimmed a bit.
He made this list based more on his production than his ceiling, but ball don't lie. He could prove plenty of doubters wrong again in 2022.
11. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss Quarterback
It's tantalizing to think of Jaxson Dart's elite potential being coached by Lane Kiffin in Oxford.
While he has enjoyed some terrific talent at the position, including as the offensive coordinator at Alabama, the Rebels head coach has perhaps his most physically gifted player in Dart, a rising sophomore who looked terrific a year ago for USC, even if he was raw.
Dart wound up completing 61.9 percent of his passes for 1,353 yards, nine touchdowns and five interceptions in six games. While he needs some work on his decision-making, he has a lot of moldable skills, and he is mired in a quarterback battle with Luke Altmyer this spring after Matt Corral declared for the NFL draft.
When Dart entered the transfer portal, he was a 5-star, and he may have more upside than anybody who transferred this season, including Caleb Williams and Quinn Ewers. That is high praise, but he has special arm talent.
There isn't a huge sample size to judge Dart's ability, and he is making this list over some players who have proved more already on the field.
But when it comes to his ceiling, Dart's is sky-high. He is somebody who, as we look back, could wind up being ranked silly low.