College football 2024 preseason player sleeper picks - ESPN

Every college football season produces a group of surprise stars.

While we ranked the top 100 players going into the season, there are still more players whose talents and potential are known within their programs, or even their immediate areas, but have yet to display them consistently on bigger stages. Most have been backups or shared starting roles, and some are transfers who have impressed their new coaches and teammates during the past few months. Some might even be starters who have yet to earn league or national recognition.

Notre Dame safety Xavier Watts, for example, started four games in 2022 and had some promising moments. But few outside of South Bend would have pegged him to win the Bronko Nagurski Award last fall as the nation's top defender, after he led the FBS with seven interceptions and earned unanimous All-America honors.

Every team has players generating behind-the-scenes buzz. I asked coaches around the country to identify them and tell me why. My goal was to include a healthy cross section of teams, positions and player types (returnees, transfers — even a freshman).

The time has come to get smart about the 2024 season. Here are 32 sleepers to track from around college football when the games begin later this month.

Class: Junior

Height/weight: 6-foot-6, 247 pounds

2023 stats: 10 games played, mostly on special teams, 1 reception for 8 yards

ESPN recruiting snapshot: Three stars, No. 18 tight end, No. 80 in Georgia

Primary tight end Colston Loveland is a national name, arguably the front-runner for the Mackey Award, and a potential NFL first-round draft pick in 2025. But Michigan also expects big things from Klein, a native of Germany who grew up playing soccer and only began football in 2017,