2026 CFB Player Rank: What our top 100 list got right and wrong

ESPN's college football Player Rank is live with the top 100 playersahead of the season.

This year's panel (Bill Connelly, David Hale, Adam Rittenberg and Paolo Uggetti) went quarterback-heavy -- there are five QBs ranked in the top 11, and there are 18 overall in the entire ranking. However, a QB doesn't occupy the top spot, nor the following three, asTrinidad Chamblissis the highest listed QB at No. 5.

Oregonhas the most players ranked with eight, however, the Ducks' playcaller and preseason Heisman Trophy contenderDante Mooremight be ranked a little too low for some people's liking.

So, which players got snubbed? And what should we expect as the season goes on? Our college football reporters weigh in on what the committee might have missed in this year's preseason ranking.

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Surprises|Top-10 worthy

Top-50 worthy|Who's missing?

Midseason predictions

1. What was the biggest surprise from the preseason list?

Jake Trotter: Maybe it shouldn't be too surprising, but 10 of the top 50 players, including five of the top 11, are quarterbacks. On top of that, neither Dante Moore nor Arch Manning, who could vie to be the No. 1 pick in the next NFL draft, are in the top 10. That underscores the overall talent of the position going into the season.

Andrea Adelson: I was surprised to see Manning in the top 15 after a season that was most noteworthy for what he didn't do. Manning absolutely got better as the season went on and he got more comfortable as the starter, but I looked up QBR just to refresh my memory -- he ranked No. 34. There are quarterbacks on this list who have been far more productive who are ranked lower.

Mark Schlabach: I was kind of surprised that the SEC had nearly half (seven) of the top 15 players. After listening to the Big Ten's bluster this summer -- and its teams have more than earned the right to brag after winning three straight CFP national titles -- I was under the assumption that the SEC didn't have any good players left. I know one thing: Texascoach Steve Sarkisian better deliver, because his team is absolutely loaded, according to our rankings. There are four Longhorns in the top 15.

Dave Wilson: The Big 12, traditionally home to wild offensive shootouts and explosive playmakers, has just 12 players on the list, with six of them from Texas Tech, five of whom are defenders. Other than the Red Raiders, only Oklahoma Statehad more than one player make the top 100, and both of the Cowboys' stars are transfers, QB Drew Mestemaker and RB Caleb Hawkins, who arrived with coach Eric Morris from North Texas. Only Mestemaker, a former walk-on who has blossomed into one of the best stories in college football, is a Big 12 offensive player in the top 50.

Heather Dinich: This should be an early blueprint for Heisman voters, because, for all of the hype about this year's quarterback class, there's only one in the top five -- Trinidad Chambliss -- and that's how it should be. Ohio StateWR Jeremiah Smith enters this season as the best player in the country, and if he continues to have the same kind of success he has had to this point, he should win the Heisman Trophy. CB Leonard Moore, DL Colin Simmons and WR Malachi Toney should also be considered -- and none of them are quarterbacks. That's also what makes each of those teams national title contenders -- they have Heisman Trophy-caliber quarterbacks who aren't even the best players on their teams.

Eli Lederman: That players from the Big Ten and SEC account for 65% of the names on this list and that Miami checks in with an ACC-best five preseason selections should surprise no one in 2026. But the ACC's non-Miami representation -- 12 players spanning nine schools -- speaks to the distribution of star power within a conference eyeing multiple playoff bids this fall. FromCal'sJaron-Keawe Sagapolutele to Clemson's Sammy Brown and Isaac Brown and Clev Lubin at Louisville, there's elite talent driving the CFP contenders, underdogs and potential spoilers across the ACC.

Kyle Bonagura: Perhaps this is a sign of the times, but this list has next to no representation from outside the Power 4. New Mexico's Jaxton Eck seems to be the token representation and does so at No. 100 -- like an acknowledgment that there probably should be someone, so he was tossed in at the end. It's not so different than how the NFL draft's first three rounds played out, though, which had just three non-Power 4 players in the top 100 picks.

Adam Rittenberg: We were admittedly QB-heavy this year, and I didn't expect Moore to be outside the top 10 when we began sorting names. Another surprise is only one Big 12 player (Texas Tech DTAJ Holmes) in the top 25. Texas Tech and other Big 12 teams lost very good players to the NFL and/or the transfer portal, but I would expect teams like BYUto be better represented on the postseason list.

2. Who should've been in the top 10?

Trotter: I don't know if he warrants a spot in the top 10 yet, but it's hard to believe Texas WR Cam Coleman won't end up there by the end of the season. After Ohio State's Smith, there isn't a playmaker more electrifying in the country. Coleman didn't have a big year statistically last season at Auburn. But with Manning now throwing him the ball, Coleman is going to have a monster 2026.

Adelson: Moore should have been in the top 10. A preseason Heisman contender with a chance to play his way into being the No. 1 pick, Moore should be the best he has ever been, and has plenty of motivation given the way the season ended for him and the Ducks.

Schlabach: I don't think there's any question that Ole Miss' Kewan Lacy is the best running back in America, but you might be able to make the argument that Florida's Jadan Baugh deserves to be in the top 10, or at least ranked higher than 19th. He ran for 1,170 yards with eight touchdowns last season. He had 266 yards with two touchdowns in his last game, a 40-21 victory against rival Florida State. There's a reason new Florida coach Jon Sumrall visited Baugh at his grandmother's house during the Christmas holidays. He didn't want to lose him.

Dinich: ESPN's Jordan Reid wrote that NFL scouts believe South Carolinaedge Dylan Stewart is a better prospect than Jadeveon Clowneywas with an even higher ceiling. Read that again. Stewart is poised for an elite season after starting 22 games and racking up 22.5 TFLs, 11 sacks and 56 career tackles with a dozen quarterback hurries in 24 games. He has tremendous upside, a strong lower body and can disrupt games. If he's not top-10 now, he should be by November.

Bonagura: This feels like low-hanging fruit, but Moore and Manning are the consensus top two players for the 2026 draft, leading national-title-or-bust teams and neither is a top-10 player? Sure, they are just outside the top 10, but this feels like we're trying too hard to make a statement.

Lederman: Don't sleep on Oregon'sA'Mauri Washington. The Ducks' 6-foot-3, 330-pound defensive tackle emerged as one of the nation's most explosive and disruptive interior forces last fall, logging 15 pressures and eight pass breakups that led all Big Ten defensive linemen. Washington is already being discussed as an early first-round NFL draft selection, and his status within next year's draft class could balloon further with another season at the heart of Oregon's veteran defensive line.

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Rittenberg: MichiganDE John Henry Daley is coming off of an Achilles' repair, a significant surgery that can produce different outcomes. The injury is the only reason Daley fell outside the top 10 after a season in which he wrecked opposing backfields for Utah. Daley had 11.5 sacks, 17.5 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 11 games for the Utes, and still tied for seventh nationally in sacks despite missing the end of the season. If he recaptures his form from 2025, he could be arguably the top defensive transfer in the country.

3. Who should've been in the top 50?

Trotter: Probably in part because he plays at Minnesota, Anthony Smith is getting overlooked at No. 78. He was third nationally with 12.5 sacks and fifth with 17.5 tackles for loss. Smith is one of the biggest reasons the Gophers could be an underdog to watch in the Big Ten.

Adelson: I had to do a double take when I saw SMUquarterback Kevin Jennings listed at 73. Headed into his third year as a starter, Jennings has done it all for the Mustangs -- including leading them to a College Football Playoff appearance in 2024. Clearly he is getting dinged for his turnovers, but keep in mind Jennings was not completely healthy a season ago and still threw for a career-high 3,614 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Schlabach: I know there are a lot of good quarterbacks in the Power 4 leagues this year, but Washington's Demond Williams Jr. (No. 64) is probably a top-50 player. He threw for 3,065 yards with 25 touchdowns and eight interceptions in 2025. He was the Huskies' second-leading rusher with 611 yards and six scores. Williams caused a firestorm when he tried to enter the transfer portal after signing an NIL deal to return to UW. He ended up coming back after the school threatened legal action. He needs to cut down his turnovers -- he had three touchdowns and six interceptions in the Huskies' four losses last year -- but he's one of the best dual-threat passers in the FBS.

Dinich: Does Indianacount as an answer? How about No. 53 Nick Marsh, a transfer WR for the Hoosiers, and No. 55 Josh Hoover, his new QB? Both of these players are experienced and ranked in the top 15 of ESPN's transfer portal rankings from the 2026 cycle. Marsh was No. 12 overall and No. 3 among receivers, and Hoover was No. 15 overall and No. 5 among quarterbacks. IU coach Curt Cignetti is going to give Hoover the support he needs in the running game and on defense, so there won't be so much pressure to win by passing 60% of the time. That should naturally cut down on his turnovers, and together with Marsh that passing game should flourish.

Lederman: Buried beneath all the uncertainty at Florida Statein 2026 is one of the nation's most dangerous pass catchers in wide receiver Duce Robinson(No. 59). ACC personnel staffers spent the offseason gushing over the 6-foot-6, 230-pound senior after Robinson tallied 56 catches for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns last fall, including 12 receptions of 30-plus yards that ranked tied for most in the Power 4. Robinson knows how to operate in traffic -- his 19 contested catches ranked fifth nationally in 2025 -- and carries the size and playmaking ability that make him a week-in, week-out nightmare for opposing secondaries, no matter how things go for Florida State this fall.

Rittenberg: BYU running back LJ Martin (No. 58) is coming off of shoulder surgery, but he's a proven, productive player who earned Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2025 with 1,305 rushing yards and 12 scores. Two pass rushers also could rise up, Louisville's Clev Lubin (No. 60) and Oklahoma's Taylor Wein (No. 75). Lubin has 18 sacks the past two seasons, while Wein had seven sacks and 15 tackles for loss in his first year as a major contributor for OU.

4. Which unranked player should've made the list?

Wilson: It's obviously easy to remember the very unsatisfying end to Marcel Reed's season with six interceptions against South Carolina, Texas and Miamito close out Texas A&M's season, but he compares favorably to the 18 quarterbacks on the list. Among this group, Reed would rank ninth in total offense (3,662) after he was fourth in rushing yards (493), tied for sixth in rushing TDs (six), 11th in passing yards (3,169) and 10th in passing TDs (25) despite being 15th in pass attempts. Indeed, the 12 overall INTs were a massive issue (though they were one fewer than Jennings' or Hoover's, who made the list), and while his 62.1% completion rate was second lowest, he ranked ahead of Arch Manning (61.4%). Reed has a new offensive coordinator in Holmon Wiggins this year after Collin Klein's departure, but Mike Elko has raved about Reed's offseason.

Dinich: USCcornerback Jontez Williams, who transferred from Iowa Statein January, is an immediate upgrade for the Trojans' secondary, and it's stunning that there is only one player from USC on this entire list. While at Iowa State, Williams had 67 tackles, including 3.5 for a loss of 5 yards, 15 PBUs and five interceptions over 32 games with 29 starts.

Bonagura: Texas Statequarterback Brad Jackson has a case. Last year, his first as a starter, Jackson amassed 3,968 total yards with 39 total touchdowns. Those are numbers that put you in the Heisman conversation if you're at a blue-blood program, so they are certainly good enough to put you in the top 100 among returning players in the sport, even if he did it wearing a Texas State uniform.

Lederman: Who finished last season with more receiving yards than Jeremiah Smith (1,264), more yards per catch than Biletnikoff Award winner Makai Lemon (18.1) and as many receiving touchdowns as Malachi Toney (10)? Oklahoma State transfer Wyatt Young. The third-year pass catcher accounted for 21.5% of the 325 completions in the nation's No. 2 passing offense at North Texas a year ago before following Morris and Mestemaker to the Cowboys. Operating in the same system and catching passes from the same quarterback in 2026, Young belongs in the top-100 conversation.

Rittenberg: RutgersRB Antwan Raymond finished just outside the top 100, and I think we'll regret not including him. He's the Big Ten's returning leader in rushing yards (1,241), while scoring 13 touchdowns and logging 244 carries. As Rutgers sorts out its quarterback situation, Raymond should have plenty of opportunities to impact games as a junior.

5. Who could jump in the midseason rankings?

Trotter: Oklahoma QB John Mateer was the Heisman front-runner last year before injuring his throwing hand. He was never the same after that, even though he helped lead the Sooners into the playoff. Now, not only is Mateer healthy again, he has put on considerable muscle. If he regains the form he had early last season, he will find himself far higher on this list -- he's at 89 now -- and Oklahoma could find itself in the thick of the SEC title race.

Adelson: The obvious answer isSagapolutele, but given everything we have heard from Miami camp, there is a good chance Damon Wilson II jumps in the midseason rankings. He fills an obvious pass-rushing need the Hurricanes have after Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor left for the NFL draft. As it stands, Wilson had nine sacks at Missourilast year.

Schlabach: After watching Alabamareceiver Ryan Coleman-Williams in his first five games as a freshman, I would have guessed he'd have won a Heisman Trophy by now. He's the 99th-ranked player, which tells you how much he has, well, dropped over the past two seasons. Williams had 13 drops in 2025, and his 16.9% drop rate ranked among the worst in the FBS. He's still unbelievably talented. Crimson Tide offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb called him a "wonder" recently and said he has had an unbelievable preseason camp.

Wilson: Arizonais very high on Noah Fifita, who threw for 3,228 yards and 29 TDs in 2025, with the school launching a Heisman campaign for him. At No. 81 on the list, the Big 12's first-team quarterback could have a huge final season under Brent Brennan and offensive coordinator Seth Doege after turning down millions of dollars from other teams to stay at Arizona.

Dinich: Mateer is a Heisman Trophy contender when he's healthy -- and when he doesn't have to do everything by himself. With a better supporting cast, Mateer is special enough to lead the Sooners to another CFP appearance. With his grip strength back to its pre-injury form, Mateer should look like he did early in 2025, when he was a threat as a runner and a passer. If Mateer can beat Michigan in Week 2 in Ann Arbor, he will immediately start climbing this list.

Lederman: As Jake mentioned above, Coleman feels like an obvious riser. If Smith is 1A among the sport's most gifted pass catchers, then the coveted Auburn transfer is 1B. No longer toiling in the mess that was the Tigers' 2026 season under former coach Hugh Freeze, there's every reason to believe Coleman's production will finally match his otherworldly potential in Steve Sarkisian's offense with Manning under center. If so, Texas will have one of the sport's most dangerous downfield playmakers at the center of its 2026 CFP charge.

Rittenberg: I'll stick with the QB theme but look to the ACC with Cal's Sagapolutele (No. 46) and NC State's CJ Bailey (No. 68). Coaches are very high on both, with several saying they expect Sagapolutele to be an NFL first-round draft pick in 2028. He should have a more reliable supporting cast with new coach Tosh Lupoi. Bailey has excellent size (6-foot-6, 218 pounds) and made gains in all the key passing categories last season, while remaining a run threat with six rushing scores.

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