10 Volusia-Flagler standouts during 2025 college football season

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The national championship will finally be settled over the next month. College football‘s conference champions and elite at-larges take aim at the trophy beginning Friday, Dec. 19.

The Volusia-Flagler area will have some representation in the postseason, too. Alabama and Tulane, both of whom competed this weekend in the first round of the 12-team tournament, have one local player apiece in their respective secondaries.

Before the CFP and bowl season gets going, let’s take a look at 10 Volusia-Flagler players who have starred across Division I during the 2025 campaign.

Maverick Baranowski, Minnesota

A two-sport standout during his days at Spruce Creek, both in football and volleyball, Baranowski captained the Golden Gophers‘ defense this fall and earned his second All-Big Ten honorable mention.

Baranowski started all 12 games and collected a team-high 86 tackles. He finished second among Minnesota’s defenders with eight TFLs, adding three QB hurries, one pass breakup and one forced fumble.

Pro Football Focus issued Baranowski strong grades across the board, particularly in run defense (78.2), tackling (75.6) and coverage (71.1).

Minnesota, which went 7-0 at home but 0-5 on the road this season, will meet New Mexico in Phoenix for the Rate Bowl at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 26.

Eli Campbell, Wofford

Wofford tripled down on recruiting Volusia County defensive linemen in 2023, signing Mainland’s Ramon McCollough Jr. and the DeLand duo of Marion Smokes Jr. and Caleb Oliver. All three players logged over 300 snaps for the Terriers, who won six of their last seven games after an 0-5 start.

However, Wofford’s top contributor from this area plays in the secondary — former Seabreeze standout Campbell. He recorded 67 tackles, broke up five passes and snagged four interceptions, including a pair against FCS playoff qualifier Mercer.

Campbell posted a stellar 90.4 PFF grade against the run and limited quarterbacks to an NFL passer rating of 39.1 when throwing into his coverage. He should be a sought-after player in the transfer portal, announcing plans to enter Dec. 2.

Mac Chiumento, Florida State

Seabreeze grad Chiumento waited his turn in Tallahassee, and won the job as the Seminoles’ starting punter after handling kickoff and placeholding duties in seven games between the 2022-24 seasons.

Chiumento ranked eighth among ACC punters with an average of 44 yards per kick. Sixteen of his 27 punts resulted in a fair catch, and 13 landed inside the opponents’ 20-yard line.

Lemondre Joe, Colorado State

Joe, a 6-foot, 180-pound Mainland grad, transferred to Colorado State after making 35 appearances across four seasons at Missouri State. He logged the most snaps (775) among the Rams’ defenders, adding 56 tackles (33 solo), 4½ TFLs, two forced fumbles, 13 pass breakups and four QB hurries.

Joe held opposing quarterbacks to a 49% completion rate when targeted, per PFF. He had three PBUs apiece against Northern Colorado, UTSA and Fresno State.

Jared Lloyd, Missouri State

Missouri State’s first Football Bowl Subdivision campaign proved memorable as the Bears went 7-5 and booked a trip to the inaugural Xbox Bowl in Frisco, Texas, Thursday. Lloyd, a Mainland grad, played a big part in that success in his return to football after missing the entire 2024 season due to a ruptured patella sustained in a crash with an RV.

Lloyd registered a career-high 73 tackles with 4½ TFLs and 1½ sacks, and he was Missouri State’s top run defender per PFF metrics (80.4). He surpassed double digits in tackles in each of his team’s final two regular-season games, including a Nov. 22 loss to eventual Conference USA champion Kennesaw State.

Zavier Mincey, Alabama

The first of two former Mainland defensive backs in the College Football Playoff, Mincey played just about half of his 203 regular-season snaps for the Crimson Tide at free safety. He made 18 tackles, including nine solo stops, while adding two quarterback hurries and one pass breakup.

According to PFF, Mincey has been targeted seven times in coverage, allowing four receptions for 91 yards.

Alabama earned the No. 9 seed for the CFP, making a first-round trip to Oklahoma on Dec. 19. The winner draws undefeated Indiana in the Rose Bowl.

Dennis Murray Jr., Georgia State

Mainland’s state champion quarterback found a new role in Georgia State’s offense as a redshirt freshman. The 5-foot-9, 175-pounder switched to running back and scored his first college touchdown, a 52-yard reception against South Alabama.

Murray played nine games before his season was cut short due to injury. He ran 13 times for 53 yards, and caught 13 balls for 99 yards.

Javon Ross, Bethune-Cookman

Bethune-Cookman enjoyed a huge turnaround in 2025, winning six of its final nine games and toppling Florida A&M for the first time in six years.

Part of the Wildcats’ success can be attributed to its willingness to recruit locally. Khamani Robinson, a state champ at Mainland who finished his prep career at Seminole, rushed for a team-high 544 yards. Laron Davis had 18 tackles with 3½ for loss, and Cole Hash was named an All-SWAC first-team long snapper.

DeLand ironman Ross, however, starred on both offense and special teams. He caught 52 balls for 685 yards and four touchdowns, and led the Football Championship Subdivision in kickoff returns (33.7-yard average) with two scores — including a 98-yarder at Jackson State. BOXTOROW named Ross its HBCU Co-Specialist of the Year.

Ross declared Dec. 1 that he intends to enter the transfer portal after two seasons with the Wildcats.

E’Zaiah Shine, Tulane

Mainland grad Shine redshirted his freshman year at Tulane, but became an every-game starter for the American Conference champions this fall.

Shine has totaled 38 tackles, two TFLs, seven pass breakups and one fumble recovery. Four of those PBUs came in the Green Wave‘s 26-19 home win over East Carolina, in which Shine earned a career-high 86.7 coverage grade from PFF.

Jon Sumrall, hired Nov. 30 as Florida’s next head coach, will lead Tulane for the entirety of its CFP run. The Green Wave got a second chance against Ole Miss on Dec. 20, to whom it lost 45-10 three months earlier.

Braden Sullivan, Eastern Kentucky

Rounding out the list is another FCS standout who is set for a new home in 2026.

New Smyrna Beach native Sullivan started 23 of his 25 games with Eastern Kentucky after arriving from Highland (Kan.) Community College. He had 79 tackles, second on his team, while doubling his TFL output (five) and adding 2½ sacks, three pass breakups and two forced fumbles.

A preseason All-United Athletic Conference selection, Sullivan logged 1,442 defensive snaps for the Colonels. He announced plans to enter the transfer portal on Dec. 8.

This article originally appeared on The Daytona Beach News-Journal: 10 Volusia-Flagler college football players who shined in 2025 season

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