Curt Cignetti probably doesn’t have time to catch the guy who brought him in on the ground floor of college football’s greatest modern dynasty 19 years ago.
But at this point, it would be foolish to rule anything out for Cignetti, Indiana’s third-year coach, reigning national champ and most interesting person in the sport in 2026. He’s 65. He needs six titles to match record holder Nick Saban, who won six of those at Alabama — the first with Cignetti on his staff, as he was from 2007-10. Cignetti may not sniff another one and might not even coach enough years to make the record possible.
Also, he might coach into his 100s, grabbing a title every third year to get into double digits, while concurrently serving two terms as the American president, solving college athletics’ issues to the satisfaction of all involved, bringing both parties together in harmony and turning the annual White House Correspondents’ Dinner into a roast of SEC football.
He might be Santa Claus. He might be the actual identity of world-traveling German soccer fan Freddy, which would be impressive considering the five-star recruits he had time to haul in this summer. He might turn out to be an AI coach sent from the future. Those long, squinty stares from the sideline? Reading opponents’ minds. Eat your heart out, Connor Stalions.
Is Indiana and Curt Cignetti the best story in college sports?
Scott Dochterman
There is no reason entering the 2026 season to dismiss any Cignetti mythology the imagination can manufacture. Because what he’s already done can’t be real.
Indiana, known two years ago as the sport’s biggest loser, now having claim to perhaps the most legitimate championship ever? Doing so largely on the strength of a transplant of coaches and key players from James Madison to IU? Encountering arguable disrespect at this moment with its preseason No. 6 ranking? The wonder of this story remains difficult to overstate.
So now we find out in 2026 if Cignetti keeps it rolling with TCU transfer Josh Hoover at quarterback, having spent a year with Fernando Mendoza and helping him earn a championship ring, Heisman Trophy and call from the Las Vegas Raiders at the top of the NFL Draft.
The preseason pollsters like Big Ten foes Ohio State and Oregon better. The growing legion of haters like the idea of a humbled Cignetti. The wise mind stays open to anything.
As for the other 24 most interesting people in college football, listed below in alphabetical order, we’re sticking to coaches and players this year. Commissioners, politicians, administrators, agents, judges and lawyers have occupied enough oxygen already. We don’t need any media types, either. Though I’d be willing to reconsider if a bold soul at ESPN would stand up and admit that Pat McAfee’s album made them question the value of music in society.
Bill Belichick, head coach, North Carolina
Look, catastrophes are interesting, whether you want to admit it or not. Most observers of the sport are fast-forwarding to when — bypassing “if” — it ends badly for Belichick in Chapel Hill. He’s on this list for the second straight year, and a lot of people would bet he won’t be on it next year because he won’t be coaching North Carolina anymore. But here’s a thought: What if human albatross Michael Lombardi’s absence lightens the mood in the building? What if Jordon Hudson stops trying to read every UNC staffer’s every email? What if Belichick can coach this team up and reach a bowl game, which at this point would have to be seen as a win? The thing about dysfunction and disappointment this dramatic is that the bar for acceptable achievement plummets.
Faizon Brandon, quarterback, Tennessee
The true freshman is in a battle with redshirt freshman George MacIntyre for the starting job, and though Brandon may have a higher ceiling, it is a true competition. If Brandon — the No. 10 prospect in the Class of 2026 in the 247Sports Composite — wins it as widely assumed, he will be Josh Heupel’s first freshman quarterback in Knoxville, in a critical sixth season for the coach. If the Vols again miss the College Football Playoff but appear to have a brighter future ahead as Brandon matures, that will keep the heat off Heupel. And if MacIntyre pulls the surprise and keeps the job, Brandon instantly becomes a discussion point in many other programs around the country, as a potential 2027 portal prize. Either way, it’s interesting.
CJ Carr, quarterback, Notre Dame
The grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr showed a ton of promise last season. He’s a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite for a loaded Notre Dame team that has a good chance of finishing the regular season 12-0. He’s an early mock-draft darling. If you’re still not convinced, he went No. 1 in The Athletic’s Heisman snake draft. It is fair to wonder how much it meant to have Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price in the backfield with him a year ago, and how much he’ll miss that pair of first-rounders this season. But he might be ND’s best quarterback since … Brady Quinn 20 years ago?
Trinidad Chambliss, quarterback, Ole Miss
The college football world already is gearing up in anticipation of Sept. 19, when Lane Kiffin brings LSU to Ole Miss for a primetime showdown against his former team and quarterback. But Chambliss is going to have to be sharp for the No. 9 Rebels right away, because No. 24 Louisville and its new quarterback — athletic Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz — await for a Week 1 game in Nashville. One of the few names on this list that was on no one’s radar a year ago, Chambliss showed in last year’s Playoff that when he’s at his best, he’s as good as anyone.
Ryan Coleman-Williams, receiver, Alabama
A year ago, we were wondering if Coleman-Williams — then known as Ryan Williams — or Jeremiah Smith deserved to be called the No. 1 receiver in college football. That was before a disappointing sophomore season in which Coleman-Williams dropped a nation-high 14 passes and finished with a single 100-yard game despite playing with a first-round quarterback. He got to work in the offseason. He added the “Coleman” to honor his mother’s family. He changed to jersey No. 1. He is said to look tremendous in camp. And that should be no big surprise, because 2024 wasn’t a mirage.
Jared Curtis, quarterback, Vanderbilt
No, this is not going to be a rehash of our Quarterback Tiers — there are players at other positions who are very interesting as well. But the five-star true freshman makes it four out of five, in part because he went back on his commitment to blue-blood Georgia to stay home and play for Clark Lea and the Commodores. That just doesn’t happen. Or didn’t happen. It’s a new world, Diego Pavia chipped in on the recruitment and Curtis is fighting to start right away. Can he handle SEC defenses as a frosh? There’s one in Athens, Ga., that would like to see him on Oct. 3.
Pat Fitzgerald, head coach, Michigan State
Fitzgerald’s style of coaching could be even more valuable in the player movement era. It’s harder to maintain cultural continuity, but he stresses the intangibles daily that get teams to play above their talent level. He’s also been out of the game for three seasons after a hazing scandal cost him his job at Northwestern. He was 4-20 in his last two seasons with the Wildcats. He takes over a Spartans program that has plummeted in the last decade and has little juice. It’s a huge job, but Fitz seems to be winning over players and fans in the honeymoon period.
James Franklin, head coach, Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech hasn’t had this much momentum since the Frank Beamer era started to fade about 15 years ago. Few people in Franklin’s profession are as effective as he is at generating enthusiasm, getting the things he needs done to make his program as competitive as possible and turning that into recruiting wins. It’s all happening in Blacksburg. That doesn’t necessarily mean instant success on the field — he didn’t win big at Penn State until his third season, which of course came at a time when roster quick-fixing was more difficult. The Hokies are must-see again.
Will Hammond, quarterback, Texas Tech
Even after Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby’s gambling scandal saga, which ended in Sorsby unable to play and Texas Tech leadership smudged, the Red Raiders are favored to win the Big 12. Hammond, whose ACL tear last season made it more urgent for Texas Tech to get Sorsby, is a key reason. Is he healthy enough? Is he good enough? Is there another Power 4 starting quarterback who can claim to be an Eagle Scout and not have a TV in his room? One thing Hammond shouldn’t bring this fall: controversy.
Ahmad Hardy, running back, Missouri
The Athletic’s Dane Brugler projected Hardy as a first-round pick in his early 2027 mock draft, after Hardy ran for 1,649 yards, 6.4 per carry, last season for the Tigers. That was before Hardy was shot in the upper leg in May at a concert in Mississippi, the bullet striking a bone and requiring emergency surgery. There’s no question he’ll play this season, though there are questions about the start of the season. If he’s all the way back, can manage similar production and the Tigers can have better luck in close games, this could be an irresistible Heisman recipe.
Ahmad Hardy led all Power 4 backs with 1,649 rushing yards in 2025. (Travis Register / Imagn Images)
Lane Kiffin, head coach, LSU
In case things weren’t hot enough around Kiffin in the early stages of his new job — at which he merely needs to win a national championship as quickly as possible — then another thing happened. He’s caught in the middle of Jayden Daniels’ off-putting tantrum over the No. 5 jersey. But Kiffin is used to people screaming at him and will have plenty more of it this fall. He is college football’s top villain after the way he left Ole Miss and acted about his stolen coaches helping his abandoned players. Kiffin is a proven, very good coach. But greatness is the only thing that will do.
Arch Manning, quarterback, Texas
A year ago, the hype for Manning went way overboard. Now it has settled down — he’s merely Brugler’s projected No. 1 pick in 2027 and a presumed Heisman contender playing for perhaps the most talented team in the nation, representing football’s famous family. But seriously, that’s a significant step down from 2025, when I think I recall people wondering if a college sophomore had ever been fast-tracked to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. With the ups and downs of that season under his belt and Cam Coleman catching his passes, Manning should be terrific.
Darian Mensah, quarterback, Miami (Fla.)
Sorry, the signal callers are dominating and could fill a full top-25 list and then some. But Mensah has to be on here after entering the transfer portal at the last moment, despite still being under contract with Duke, getting sued by Duke, then settling and grabbing the opportunity to lead the national runner-up Hurricanes while cashing in like few have in the early stages of this era. He’s an electric talent who will be throwing to Malachi Toney, one of the top receivers in the sport. And he’ll probably have more than jilted Duke fans rooting against him.
Drew Mestemaker, quarterback, Oklahoma State
(Last quarterback for a while, promise.) But he has to make it, right? The guy who wasn’t a starter in high school? The former North Texas walk-on who could be the first quarterback taken in the 2027 draft? He’s the most interesting player at Oklahoma State … in a minute. Mestemaker came north with coach Eric Morris and the nation’s No. 1 offense, and that includes running back Caleb Hawkins and his 1,434 rushing yards and 29 total touchdowns. After the way the (mostly successful) Mike Gundy era ended, they’re ready for Mestemaker and company in Stillwater.
Ahmad Moten Sr., defensive tackle, Miami (Fla.)
Another Hurricane? Well, Mensah and Moten are the keys on both sides of the ball to Miami getting back to the final night and perhaps finishing the job this time. The 6-foot-3, 300-pound fifth-year senior, who has been in the program his entire career, was overshadowed a year ago by pass-rushing stars (and eventual first-round picks) Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor. But as Brugler pointed out in projecting Moten to go in the top half of the first round in 2027, he was the standout in the national title game. Now he needs to dominate weekly.
Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator, Texas
Is college football ready for this dude to be all the way back in it? The fiery former Florida and South Carolina head coach, who has been a Georgia analyst for the last two seasons, will be as visible as he’s been since his 28-30 stint from 2016-20 with the Gamecocks. Muschamp has not had great success as a head coach, but he got those opportunities on the strength of his excellence at multiple stops as a defensive coordinator. Given the talent he inherits at Texas, he could be the Matt Patricia of 2026.
Koi Perich, safety, Oregon
Perich is a repeat member of this list, making it a year ago as a Minnesota Golden Gopher who had hopes of becoming “the next Travis Hunter.” His 98 yards from scrimmage and solid-not-spectacular season as a returner left that hype looking unwarranted, but he was a second-team All-Big Ten safety who had 82 tackles and a pick six. And now he’s on a much, much better team. That, along with his presumed improvement, could make him a Heisman dark horse if he makes big plays in the right moments.
Marcel Reed, quarterback, Texas A&M
It’s easy to forget how good Reed was as a sophomore for the Aggies because of the way the year ended for him — losses to rival Texas and Miami in the Playoff, with four interceptions and no touchdowns thrown, and a total of 20 points managed. That’s the kind of thing that drives someone. His late heroics to win at Notre Dame and his carving up of LSU and South Carolina should remind everyone how good he can be. He had 108 of his 493 rushing yards against LSU. Can he sprinkle that in a bit more and cut the mistakes? That’s how the Aggies become true contenders.
Kalani Sitake, head coach, BYU
Non-LSU fans abhor Kiffin. Franklin is generally unpopular. Cignetti has all the makings of a reviled college football figure. Who likes Belichick anymore? Patriots fans, sort of? On the flip side of all this, Sitake may be the most well-liked coach in the game. He’d be on a short list with Marcus Freeman, Clark Lea and a few others, at least. He’s also got a team that can win the Big 12 and a quarterback who is rich in name (Bear Bachmeier) and game. Sitake’s popularity with BYU fans would be off the charts if he follows up turning down Penn State with a Playoff berth.
Jeremiah Smith, receiver, Ohio State
The best player in college football is always interesting. And this is the best player in college football, though he did have to settle for second place on Bruce Feldman’s Freaks List this year behind South Carolina’s Nyck Harbor. Smith should benefit from quarterback Julian Sayin’s maturation, though he may miss Carnell Tate and Brian Hartline. The guess is new offensive coordinator Arthur Smith will find a way to get Smith the ball a lot — his two-year average is 82 catches for 1,279 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Dylan Stewart, edge, South Carolina
He could be the first defender taken in the next draft if he puts it all together as a junior. But back injuries can be tricky. Stewart is among several tremendously gifted players — Harbor, quarterback LaNorris Sellers, offensive tackle transfer Jacarrius Peak — with questions about performance or injuries or both. They’re collectively trying to get it done for the only SEC coach who should truly be on the hot seat, Shane Beamer.
Bryce Underwood, quarterback, and Kyle Whittingham, head coach, Michigan
The sophomore quarterback and his new coach both have taken criticism of late for not vowing an unhinged, unhealthy hatred toward Ohio State. That’s more a comment on the saturation of fanboy media in college football than anything else. Michigan fans will be happy in 2026 if Underwood learns and improves from a predictably uneven freshman season, and if Whittingham brings the maturity and excellence that has marked his coaching career. A gracious, gentlemanly road upset of Ohio State would be nice, too.
Demond Williams Jr., quarterback, Washington
And we finish with … a quarterback. That list goes to 11, if you’re keeping count. The gifted third-year player almost had a Mensah-like offseason, and then some — not only did he start the apparent process of bolting on his contract at Washington, but he was reportedly looking at Kiffin and LSU. Kiffin went with Arizona State’s Sam Leavitt, and Williams publicly changed course and stayed. Awkward? Perhaps. But the Huskies are saying the right things. It will all be fine if Williams takes another step as a player and the wins follow. Washington could be 10-0 entering the two-game finale against Indiana and Oregon.