With each passing year, another wave of up-and-coming athletes across the world of sports have breakout seasons, emerging into all-out stars.
In 2024, it was Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese making their first WNBA All-Star appearances as rookies. Paul Skenes making his MLB debut with the Pittsburgh Pirates. Or even Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels emerging as a fringe MVP candidate.
Now, who will be the breakout sports stars of 2025?
Here are 10 athletes that USA TODAY Sports staff writers identified as being poised for a big year in 2025 − including some up-and-comers who could become stars, and a few young phenoms who could ascend into superstardom.
Soon-to-be WNBA guard Paige Bueckers
On its face, it might seem like a bit of a stretch to include Bueckers on this list, given her track record of collegiate success and the fact that she already counts Gatorade and Nike among her commercial partners. But with UConn a strong contender to make another Final Four run, and Bueckers the heavy favorite to go No. 1 overall in the WNBA draft, 2025 could see her springboard into another level of stardom.
San Jose Sharks center Macklin Celebrini
Celebrini was just a few weeks past his 18th birthday when the San Jose Sharks selected him No. 1 overall in last summer’s NHL draft. Though he missed most of October with an injury, he has emerged as one of the team’s key playmakers − racking up 22 points in his first 22 games. More production, and a potential rookie of the year award, could follow in 2025.
Rutgers guard Dylan Harper
Figure skater Ilia Malinin
Malinin, 20, is already one of the biggest stars in his sport — the reigning world champion and only man in history to land the quadruple axel in international competition. But next year, as the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan approach and the excitement around Team USA starts to build, he will very likely start to become a household name.
Texas quarterback Arch Manning
After spending the better part of two seasons on the bench, Manning seems likely to take over as Texas’ starter in 2025. And, if his performances in spot duty this year are any indication, he could quickly establish himself as one of the elite quarterbacks in college football — and a potential Heisman Trophy candidate, to boot.
Soon-to-be MLB pitcher Rōki Sasaki
Every few years, a Japanese baseball star makes a ballyhooed move to MLB — and Sasaki is next in line. Over four seasons in Nippon Professional Baseball, he recorded a 2.02 ERA with nearly six strikeouts per walk, showing off a debilitating slider and a fastball that touches 100 mph. It remained unclear, as of Dec. 20, where Sasaki would land in MLB, though the New York Mets and Chicago Cubs have reportedly been among the teams interested.
Tennis player Ben Shelton
The former Florida Gator made a stunning run to the semifinals of the 2023 U.S. Open and climbed as high as No. 13 in the ATP world rankings earlier this year. But 2025 could be the year Shelton, who turned 22 in October, finally cracks the top 10 and begins to more regularly make deeper runs in major tournaments.
Soon-to-be NFL quarterback Cam Ward
This is in part a reflection of Ward’s sparkling performance in 2024 — when he finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting — and in part a guess as to where he might land in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. Some prognosticators have linked the Miami quarterback to the New York Giants, where he would likely start from Day 1 and be equipped with a solid group of receivers and backs, led by wideout Malik Nabers.
San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama
How could the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA draft and reigning rookie of the year possibly be on this list? Because, believe it or not, it still doesn’t feel like Wembanyama has ‘broken out’ just yet. In the early part of the 2024-25 season, he’s already shown improvement in key areas, including scoring and 3-point shooting. And by this time next year, he will almost certainly have made his first All-Star team.
Ajax and U.S. midfielder Lily Yohannes
Yohannes was just 16 years old when she received her first call-up to the U.S. women’s national team in March. And in November, at 17, she formally committed to representing the U.S. (over the Netherlands, where she plays for Ajax) on the international stage. Amid a spate of big-name retirements in recent years, Yohannes figures to be part of the young core that will lead the Americans through qualifying and into the 2027 World Cup.
Honorable mentions
Real Madrid striker Endrick; Duke forward Cooper Flagg; UConn guard Azzi Fudd; future NFL player Travis Hunter; skier Lauren Macuga; Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy; Philadelphia Flyers winger Matvei Michkov; Manchester United and U.S. women’s soccer goalkeeper Phallon Tullis-Joyce; Oklahoma City Thunder forward Jalen Williams; Washington Nationals outfielder James Wood
USA TODAY Sports writers Nancy Armour, Mike Brehm, Chris Bumbaca, Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz, Lorenzo Reyes, Jesse Yomtov and Jeff Zillgitt contributed to this report.