College Football's Best Returning Players for 2026

It's not uncommon for there to be a wealth of college football talent returning, but 2026 seems a bit abnormal, even by lofty standards. With NIL making it worth upperclassmen's while to return, there's an uptick in returning talent.

The Heisman Trophy winner is gone, but there are still plenty of All-Americans, key contributors and rising stars ready to take Fernando Mendoza's baton and run with it.

As always, the SEC dominates the individual player talent market, but the Big Ten is top-heavy in terrific teams. Both of the nation's top conferences have plenty of representation here.

Everybody's list will be different, and while production is key, there's also some weight applied to those expected to do big things with either expanded roles or more experience. Regardless, there are plenty of reasons to be excited about those who made the list and heaping the hype on those who could play their way onto it.

Much of the talent may reside in the SEC, but the reason why the Big Ten could win a fourth straight national championship is a loaded crop of quarterbacks. When you've got proven field generals, you're halfway to winning the battle.

Nobody is more hyped than Oregon's Dante Moore , who spurned millions to return to Eugene. Perhaps his top competition for the Heisman Trophy will come from the same league in the form of Ohio State's Julian Sayin , who should take a massive leap in Year 2 under center for the Buckeyes.

The SEC counters with Texas junior Arch Manning , who belongs in the top-tier conversation alongside Moore and Sayin, as does Ole Miss' breakout star Trinidad Chambliss .

Rounding out the best of the bunch are Notre Dame's CJ Carr and Miami's Darian Mensah – who left Duke for the national runners-up late in the portal process.

If you want some names of Tier 2 signal-callers who could wedge their way in, Indiana's Josh Hoover , LSU's Sam Leavitt , South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers , USC's Jayden Maiava , Georgia's Gunner Stockton , Washington's Demond Williams , Arizona's Noah Fifita , Utah's Devon Dampier , SMU's Kevin Jennings , BYU's Bear Bachmeier and Oklahoma State's Drew Mestemaker aren't far behind.

The nation's top two runners reside in the SEC with Missouri's Ahmad Hardy and former Tiger (and current Ole Miss star) Kewan Lacy leading the way.

Hardy will have to wait to take the field as he recovers from a gunshot wound suffered this offseason.

He may not be the flashiest, but few meant more to his team in last year's College Football Playoff than Miami heart-and-soul star Mark Fletcher Jr. He and Louisville's Isaac Brown help the ACC enter the conversation, and BYU's LJ Martin is a volume back, too.

Some underappreciated mass-producers are Texas Tech's Cameron Dickey , Texas' Hollywood Smothers , Duke's Nate Sheppard and Florida's Jadan Baugh .

You know what you're getting from steady vets like Georgia Tech transfer Justice Haynes , Georgia's Nate Frazier , Michigan's Jordan Marshall and Tennessee senior Desean Bishop , and youngsters like Oregon's Dierre Hill Jr., Ohio State's Bo Jackson and Oklahoma State's Caleb Hawkins have the potential to be the nation's best backs, too.

We all love the playmakers with pizzazz, and you don't get that anywhere better than on the perimeter.

That's where Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith rules the day, holding down the top spot in many publications' player rankings, regardless of position. But there are others on his heels.

With Arch Manning throwing him the ball, Cam Coleman could finally show everybody his ridiculous talent as a junior. It's on the same physical level as Smith's, and now he's got a stage. There weren't many who took that stage and performed better than Miami's Malachi Toney as a true freshman a season ago. What's he have in store for an encore?

With KC Concepcion gone from Texas A&M, Mario Craver steps into the spotlight, and it's also time for Alabama's Ryan Coleman-Williams to match the hype he displayed as a freshman a couple of seasons ago. Oklahoma's Isaiah Sategna III makes the Sooners' offense tick.

Big-bodied pass-catchers KJ Duff (Rutgers), Duce Robinson (Florida State) and Deondre Johnson (Jacksonville State) are stars, as are Ryan Wingo (Texas) and Amare Thomas (Houston).

There are deadly combos elsewhere, too. Oregon ( Dakorien Moore / Evan Stewart ), Indiana ( Nick Marsh / Charlie Becker ), Tennessee ( Braylon Staley / Mike Matthews ) and Clemson ( Antonio Williams / Bryant Wesco Jr. / T.J. Moore ) have star-studded groups who could shine, too.

LSU already boasts one of the nation's top tight ends in Trey'Dez Green , and coach Lane Kiffin already has shown he knows how to use an elite player at the position.

That would be crazy, but what's also bonkers is the level of tight end talent this year.

Texas Tech's Terrance Carter Jr. and Oregon's Jamari Johnson are pro prospects who are primed for big-time seasons for national title contenders. Then in the Big Ten, you've got Penn State's Benjamin Brahmer and Iowa's DJ Vonnahme who are All-American candidates.

The ACC (Virginia Tech's Luke Reynolds ) and Big 12 (UCF's Dylan Wade ) enter the conversation for the top player at the position, too. This could be a year where quarterbacks are hitting the big men, not because they're safety valves but because they're home-run threats.

With five positions to cover, there are going to be several dudes on this list, but even though there may not be a lot of sure-fire early picks in the NFL draft, this is a deep, strong group.

At center, it's really a two-man race for the nation's best with Iowa's Kade Pieper shifting inside after Logan Jones left for the NFL and Georgia veteran Drew Bobo leading the way.

The guards may even get less love, but those road-graders are bountiful in college football's '26 crop, too. Notre Dame's Anthonie Knapp shifts inside to make room for Will Black , and he will be among the nation's top interior linemen.

Joining him on the list are Cincinnati's Evan Tengesdahl , Houston's Shadre Hurst , Ohio State's Luke Montgomery , Minnesota's Greg Johnson , Oregon's Iapani Lalolu and Dave Iuli , Alabama's Michael Carroll and Washington's John Mills .

At tackle, though, is where the pro prospects really stand out. Texas' Trevor Goosby dodged major injury news but still is dealing with a knee bone bruise to open the season. The Longhorns need one of the nation's best blind-side blockers back.

Indiana veteran Carter Smith , LSU transfer Jordan Seaton , Missouri's Cayden Green , Georgia's Earnest Greene III , Ohio State's Austin Siereveld and SMU's PJ Williams lead the top group. South Carolina's Jaccarius Peak , Iowa's Trevor Lauck and Michigan's Andrew Sprague are other potential maulers on the outside.

These days, the distinction between an edge-rusher, defensive end and outside linebacker can be blurry. But the nation's best players at those positions appear on the next two slides.

When it comes to guys who can get after the quarterback, this year's crop is deep, led by Texas' Colin Simmons , South Carolina's Dylan Stewart , Michigan's John Henry Daley , Oregon's Matayo Uiagalelei , Louisville's Clev Lubin and Minnesota's Anthony Smith .

Texas Tech loaded up on defensive linemen in the portal again, and former San Diego State star Trey White may be the best of the bunch. Elsewhere, Damon Wilson II (Missouri to Miami) and Princewill Umanmielen (Ole Miss to LSU) were also among the portal's marquee edge-rusher additions.

Others like Arkansas' Quincy Rhodes Jr. , Notre Dame's Boubacar Traore and Clemson's Will Heldt round out a deep group.

Then there's the beef in the middle. Oregon's A'Mauri Washington , Ole Miss' Will Echoles , Georgia's Elijah Griffin , Texas Tech's A.J. Holmes and Oklahoma's David Stone may be the best.

Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino give Indiana a stout tandem. Miami's Ahmad Moten Sr. , Kentucky's Tavion Gadson , Tennessee's Xavier Gilliam and USC's Jahkeem Stewart also stand out, with Stewart poised for a breakout season.

If a defense doesn't have a strong second level, it's nearly impossible to be effective. The linebacker position isn't quite as valued in the NFL as it used to be, but in the college game, there's nothing like a sideline-to-sideline star.

Much like at the edge position, Texas may have the best of the bunch in Pittsburgh transfer Rasheem Biles , who is primed for a monster season. But he's in a loaded SEC that also includes Auburn's Xavier Atkins , Ole Miss' Suntarine Perkins , the Georgia duo of Raylen Wilson and Chris Cole , Alabama's Yhonzae Pierre , Tennessee's Arion Carter and LSU's Whit Weeks .

We'll hear plenty from Notre Dame in the secondary slide, but linebacker Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is as good as any at his position, and Drayk Bowen will complement him nicely.

Ben Roberts takes the mantle from Jacob Rodriguez in Lubbock for Texas Tech, Sammy Brown is a stalwart at Clemson and Rolijah Hardy is an All-America candidate at Indiana.

Oregon's Tietum Tuioti and BYU transfer Cade Uluave belong in the conversation, too. A lot of these guys will be playing on Sundays very soon, but we'll have the treat of watching them on collegiate gridirons first.

The stoutest position in all of college football might just be the secondary, where there are waves of superstar players.

That may seem hard to believe, but there are too many ball hawks to mention across the sport.

None is better than Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore , who leads a stacked defensive backfield in South Bend that also includes Braunte Johnson, Adon Shuler, Tae Johnson and Christian Gray .

Other teams are loaded on the back end, too. Georgia ( KJ Bolden/Ellis Robinson IV ), Oregon ( Brandon Finney Jr./Koi Perich ), Alabama ( Bray Hubbard/Zabien Brown ), LSU ( Ty Benefield and DJ Pickett ) and Oklahoma ( Peyton and Eli Bowen ) have multiple stars.

Minnesota's John Nestor , Mississippi State's Kelley Jones , Indiana's Jamari Sharpe , Miami's Bryce Fitzgerald and Clemson's Amare Ferrell are potential All-Americans, too.

There's just a lot to love about this year's college football crop of stars.