10 Dallas-area players to watch in the College Football Playoff: Ashton Jeanty and more

An expanded College Football Playoff field means we’ll get a chance to see more Dallas-area standouts represent their teams.

By now, most college football fans know the origin stories of names like Ashton Jeanty and Quinn Ewers. They won’t be the only North Texas products hunting for a national title over the next few weeks.

Here’s a look at a few players with Dallas-area ties to watch in this year’s CFP:

1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB

High school: Frisco Lone Star

The Heisman finalist has been key in Boise State’s run to the College Football Playoff. Jeanty has maintained a consistently high level of play throughout the 2024 season, rushing for 2,497 yards and 29 touchdowns.

Jeanty finished second in voting for the Heisman Trophy, earning 309 first-place votes and 2,017 points. Before landing at Boise State, Jeanty worked his way up at Frisco Lone Star. His first season at the school came in 2019 after his family relocated to North Texas from Italy.

The running back had an explosive senior year, rushing for 1,835 yards and 31 touchdowns while catching 41 passes for 810 yards and 10 touchdowns. Although he didn’t win the Heisman, Jeanty did receive national recognition this year by winning the Maxwell and Doak Walker awards.

2. Quinn Ewers, Texas QB

High school: Southlake Carroll

Once the kid with the mullet who reclassified his graduating class so he could get to Ohio State early, Ewers now leads the Longhorns’ attempt to go where they haven’t gone since 2010. He’s spent three seasons as the Longhorns starter and is making his second appearance in the College Football Playoff.

Ewers, who took Southlake Carroll to a state championship appearance in 2020, will perhaps get to slay an old demon in the Longhorns’ first-round matchup: Texas will face off against Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik, who led the Austin Westlake team that beat Carroll in the 2020 state title game.

3. Kevin Jennings, SMU QB

High school: South Oak Cliff

The Mustangs’ quarterback is quite the story.

He came out of SOC as a 3-star recruit with SMU being the only major program to extend an official offer. He was ranked by 247Sports as the No. 95 quarterback in the class.

Fast forward to 2024, when Jennings took the Mustangs’ starting QB job from Preston Stone and hasn’t looked back.

Jennings has passed for over 3,000 yards in 2024 with 22 touchdowns and eight interceptions. And he’s done it all while playing injured.

Jennings earned All-ACC third-team honors in his first season as SMU’s starter, and will lead the Mustangs into Happy Valley in the first round vs. Penn State.

4. Anthony Hill, Texas LB

High school: Denton Ryan

Unlike the previous entrant, Hill was anything but an under-the-radar recruit.

Named as The Dallas Morning News No. 1 area player in 2022, Hill was a unanimous 5-star prospect who was sought after by virtually every blue-chip program in the country.

And he’s lived up to the hype for the Horns.

It’s early, but the sophomore linebacker looks the part of a 2026 NFL first-round pick. He’s compiled 90 tackles and 7.5 sacks for Texas, the third-ranked defense in the country by yards allowed per game. He’s forced four fumbles, recovered one, and picked off a pass for good measure.

5. Colin Simmons, Texas LB

High school: Duncanville

Hill, and Simmons, too. An embarrassment of riches for the Longhorns’ young defense.

Simmons was DMN’s Defensive Player of the Year his junior season after an incredible stat line of 22.5 sacks, 33 tackles for loss and 45 QB hurries. He helped lead Duncanville to back-to-back state championships.

Now a freshman for Texas, Simmons picked up where he left off. He’s totaled eight sacks and three forced fumbles for the Longhorns’ formidable defense, which has a pass rush anchored on both sides by future stars Simmons and Hill.

5. Roderick Daniels, SMU WR

High school: Duncanville

Another former Duncanville star who was committed to Baylor at one point, Daniels has been a Swiss army knife for Rhett Lashlee and the Mustangs. He’s played a role as both wide receiver and running back as well as on special teams.

He’s caught 38 passes for 599 yards this season, both of which lead the team, and he’s added another 163 yards on the ground. He’s totaled six touchdowns.

“He’s just a winner, man, and that’s what he’s been these last three years here for us,” Lashlee said of his versatile receiver.

7. Isaiah Nwokobia, SMU safety

High school: Skyline

Once one of the highest-rated recruits ever landed by SMU, the Skyline grad led the Mustangs in interceptions his freshman season and has helped anchor the SMU defensive backfield since.

His merits don’t stop inside the lines, though. Nwokobia is said to be one of the team’s leaders who helps “hold guys to a standard.” That’s why he’s been honored with jersey No. 23 each of the past two seasons. It’s the number given each year to the SMU player that best exemplifies the leadership and courage displayed by Jerry LeVias, the first Black football player at SMU.

8. Bryant Wesco Jr., Clemson WR

High school: Midlothian

SMU fans may already know all about Mr. Wesco.

The true freshman has already starred for the Tigers in his debut season, including in Clemson’s ACC Championship win over the Mustangs. Wesco caught eight passes for 143 yards and two touchdowns, all career-highs.

The 6-2, 180-pound receiver was a star at Midlothian as well, the top WR recruit among 5A teams who picked Clemson over offers from Oklahoma, TCU and Texas Tech.

9. Andrej Karic, Tennessee OL

High school: Southlake Carroll

Karic, a native of Southlake, spent the first three seasons of his college career with Texas before transferring to Tennessee. After struggling to get on the field for the Horns (he was mostly used as a blocking tight end in his final season in Austin) he appears to have made a good decision by swapping to the Vols.

The senior has started all 12 games for Tennessee in 2024, and he’s allowed just two sacks in 699 offensive snaps, according to ProFootballFocus. Scouts project the 6-6, 314-pound Karic as a mid-round pick in the 2025 NFL draft.

10. Nicolas Radicic, Indiana K

High school: Coppell

Originally born in Croatia before moving to the U.S. in 2016, Radicic landed at Coppell where he’d become one of the best high school kicking recruits in the country. He signed with Indiana as the No. 5 kicking recruit in his class.

The true freshman has been more than solid for the Hoosiers during their historic run to the Playoff, Radicic missing only one kick all season. He’s 9-of-10 from field goal range in 2024 and has hit 69 of 69 extra points attempted.

More DFW players to keep an eye on in the CFP…

Quintrevion Wisner, Texas RB — DeSoto

Malik Muhammad, Texas DB — South Oak Cliff

Bert Auburn, Texas K — Flower Mound

Jordan Hudson, SMU WR — Garland

Savion Byrd, SMU OL — Duncanville

Keith Abney, Arizona State CB — Waxahachie

Myles Price, Indiana WR — The Colony

R.J. Mickens, Clemson safety — Southlake Carroll

Jabbar Muhammad, Oregon DB — DeSoto

Jordan Crook, Arizona State LB — Duncanville

Prince Dorbah, Arizona State DL — Highland Park

Payton Pierce, Ohio State LB — Lovejoy

Calvin Simpson-Hunt, Ohio State CB — Waxahachie

Find more SMU coverage from The Dallas Morning News here. Find more Texas coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.