College football's dynamic duos: Penn State, Texas tandems set to define 2025 national championship race

The only thing more unstoppable than one star player is two star players. That is even more true when those weapons work in tandem, like in Penn State's running back room where Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are about to embark on their fourth year together in college football's most productive backfield timeshare. That dynamic duo is just one example of a one-two punch that will define the race to the College Football Playoff and national championship.

Some pairings work across positional lines. There are few factors more difficult to contain in modern college football than a prolific quarterback-receiver combination, and the sport features a number of them in 2025. Some are more difficult to predict than others, though, with the immense amount of turnover at the quarterback spot across the top national title-contending programs.

The best duos are often the ones whose components set each other up for success. At Texas, for example, opposing offensive lines cannot focus too much on blocking young edge rusher Colin Simmons, or else Anthony Hill Jr. will storm in and disrupt the pocket from the linebacker spot.

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Here are college football's top dynamic duos for the 2025 season:

The Penn State running backs have been the definition of a dynamic duo since they signed together as blue-chip recruits in the 2022 class. Singleton and Allen split the ballcarrying duties from their freshman year onward, and their return for a fourth year in the best running back group in the country is one of the primary reasons why this might be the year the Nittany Lions break through for a national championship.

Neither Singleton nor Allen has ever rushed for fewer than 752 yards or six touchdowns in a single year. Last season was the first time they both crossed the 1,000-yard mark, and they combined to find the end zone 20 times on the ground and seven times through the air. They carried the Penn State offense at times throughout the run to the CFP semifinals and could face lighter boxes in 2025 with Drew Allar and the passing game likely to take a leap forward.

No tandem is as fearsome in the pass rush than Anthony Hill Jr. and Colin Simmons, both of whom hauled in All-American honors last season as disruptors on the Texas defensive front. Hill is back as college football's most heralded linebacker, fresh off a campaign in which he led the SEC in tackles for loss (17) and forced fumbles (four) and Simmons returns as one of the nation's top young defenders after a nine-sack true freshman campaign.

Simmons does his work off the edge while Hill mans the middle of the Longhorns defense as a do-it-all linebacker. They are just as formidable in run defense as they are at rushing the quarterback, and that they are back in the lineup this year is a key development for a Texas unit that lost a pair of stalwarts from last season's defensive front to the NFL.

Jeremiah Smith was arguably the best wide receiver in college football as a true freshman. Imagine what he can do with a full year of experience under his belt. The Ohio State superstar enjoyed one of the most prolific freshman seasons the sport has seen in some time with his Big Ten-best 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns, which more than delivered on the insane expectations he generated ahead of his Buckeyes debut. The only uncertainty around his 2025 ceiling stems from the quarterback spot, where a new starter will rise to the top of the depth chart, most likely in the form of Julian Sayin.

The Ohio State receiving corps was far from a one-man show in last year's national championship run, though, and it will not be in 2025, either. Carnell Tate was a terrific third option in Year 2 with the program and looks poised to flirt with the 1,000-yard threshold himself as he picks up a greater share of the target load. After all, he managed to accumulate 733 yards in a room that featured high-volume weapons in Smith and Emeka Egbuka.

The Clemson defense took its lumps in 2024 but looks poised for a potentially dominant season with Tom Allen stepping into the coordinator role. He inherited an uncanny amount of returning production, and it all starts up front with perhaps the nation's top returning defensive lineman in Peter Woods and an unstoppable edge rusher in T.J. Parker. That pair was already monstrous in the trenches but could take its production to an even higher level under Allen's guidance.

Parker was absurd as a sophomore with his ACC-best six forced fumbles, 20 tackles for loss and 11 sacks. He is an early first-round talent in the making who could very well average a sack per game in what will almost certainly be his last year with the Tigers. Woods, meanwhile, is a 315-pound force who is at his best when he mans the interior defensive line, and he should be the first defensive tackle taken in next year's draft if all goes according to plan.

The top returning quarterback-receiver tandem in college football resides in the desert. Sam Leavitt and Jordyn Tyson took the nation by surprise last year when they fueled Arizona State's stunning climb to the top of the Big 12 and into the College Football Playoff, and their familiarity with each other and the Sun Devils offense lends itself to lofty expectations for the second go-around.

Tyson missed the conference title game and CFP quarterfinals with an injury but will be back at full strength to start the 2025 campaign. He racked up at least 125 yards in each of his final three outings before he broke his collarbone. With his top weapon back in the lineup, Leavitt projects as a Heisman Trophy contender in his second year at Arizona State. He flew under the radar to an extent when he moved from Michigan State as a four-star transfer but delivered on his former blue-chip recruit pedigree and gave reason to believe he could be a Day 1 pick in next year's draft.

Clemson's abundance of riches features a second dynamic duo, this one on the offensive side of the ball. Quarterback Cade Klubnik might have the best receiving unit in the nation at his disposal, and Antonio Williams and Bryant Wesco Jr. lead the group.

If not for the star at Ohio State, Ryan Williams would have been the face of last year's freshman class. He can be a 1,000-yard star for Alabama so long as the quarterback situation allows. Germie Bernard actually outpaced Williams in catches after he transferred over from Washington, and his old offensive coordinator, Ryan Grubb, should know how to get the most out of him now that they are reunited.

The other half of the Iron Bowl rivalry features an outstanding receiving tandem, too. Cam Coleman is about as exciting of a young talent as his sophomore classmate at Alabama, and Eric Singleton Jr. raises the Auburn offense's ceiling as the top-ranked receiver in the 2025 transfer portal cycle.