Ranking college football's top 25 freshmen - ESPN

We're more than a month into the college football season, giving us our first real opportunity to assess which true freshmen are making an immediate impact and how our preseason predictions fared.

From five-star quarterbacks Faizon Brandon and Jared Curtis playing for in-state SEC rivals to breakout stars like Oregon State receiver Jesse Legree, here are the 25 freshmen who have impressed us most so far.

An undersized three-star out of Baltimore, Legree wasn't even a full-time receiver until his senior year at St. Frances Academy and drew minimal Power 4 interest. There are a lot of programs regretting that now. OSU coach JaMarcus Shephard spotted Legree's talent while recruiting national power St. Frances as Alabama's receivers coach and brought him along to Corvallis. Legree has topped 100 yards in every game and ranks second nationally with 741 receiving yards, trailing only Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith. He torched then-No. 13 Texas Tech for eight catches, 240 yards and two touchdowns. His verified 4.39 speed has translated vertically, and he has also shown a good feel for finding open space in coverage.

While he wasn't LSU's highest-rated defensive line recruit — that belonged to No. 1 recruit Lamar Brown — Geralds still ranked No. 40 in the nation, and we tabbed him as a ready-made Day 1 contributor because of his explosiveness despite a smaller 6-1, 280-pound frame. He has lived up to expectations, earning a role immediately along a talented Tigers defensive front. Geralds' five sacks are tied for eighth nationally, and he even ran for a touchdown in a blowout against McNeese. Geralds has the strength to hold up against the run with a motor that keeps him around the football.

Helton has started every game for the