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College football teams love a veteran-filled roster, but every program wants a few standout sophomores.

These young players bring on-field energy and off-field excitement, especially since a majority of them will remain at the school for another season beyond the current campaign.

We're ranking the 25 best heading into 2017 and exploring their debut, current outlook and best-case potential in the future.

Redshirt sophomores are included, so the list is not limited to second-year players who were on the field last year. Consequently, some of these talents will be draft-eligible after this season, so 2017 could be the final time we see several in college.

While projected 2017 role factored into the order, previous contributions had the largest impact.