What’s next for six unlikely College Football Playoff stars

When Notre Dame’s team buses pull up to Hard Rock Stadium in South Florida on Aug. 31, wide receiver Jaden Greathouse will hop off with a smile on his face.

“I’ve definitely been excited to get back there, to get back in that stadium,” Greathouse told ESPN.

The opponent will be different as No. 6 Notre Dame opens the season at No. 10 Miami, but Greathouse has good memories at Hard Rock, where he changed the course of his career Jan. 9 against Penn State. Greathouse entered the College Football Playoff semifinal at the Orange Bowl with only six receptions for 49 yards in his previous five games. He had not eclipsed 66 receiving yards for the season and still sought his first 100-yard performance in a Notre Dame uniform.

Few pegged Greathouse to be Notre Dame’s top offensive performer that night, especially with a national championship berth on the line, but that’s what happened. He had a career-high 105 receiving yards, catching passes all seven times he was targeted in a 27-24 Fighting Irish victory.

Eleven days later, in the national championship against Ohio State, Greathouse set another career best with 128 receiving yards, and had his first multi-touchdown performance of the season, as the Irish fell 34-23. Just like that, Greathouse had changed the trajectory of his career.

“… Opportunity is just a moment away,” Greathouse said. “Luckily for me, it turned out to be in the two biggest games of the season.”

Greathouse and a group of other players capitalized on a bigger, longer playoff to elevate their play.

Here’s a look at six players who hope to use the CFP as a springboard for even bigger things during the 2025 season.

CFP highlights: Career-high 105 receiving yards and a game-tying 54-yard touchdown catch with 4:38 left in the fourth quarter against Penn State in national semifinal; caught passes on all seven…