Survey of papers doing XXX Write a compiler for a new language to demonstrate some principles of interest. Write code for a company over the summer and hand it in. Then go talk with the suggested person. While taking a course that you like, approach the teacher toward the end of it to ask about doing a project. Just walk in to a professors office and talk.
Sophomore year is a good time to look around.
You want to have at least a year to do your project, and if you start as a sophomore then you can prepare yourself with courses and reading as well. If you are a more advanced Freshman, then starting even then would be okay. In all unusual cases we are pretty flexible except that we insist on evidence of intellectual content. That advisor might be less involved that usual, but will act as a quality control. Those students working on projects can share their experiences with the others.