Some players have become full-blown stars in college football despite not yet winning at the highest level. Think of quarterbacks like Texas’ Arch Manning, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, and Oregon’s Dante Moore. Everyone knows who those players are.
But who are the players — some known, some less so — who have a chance to break out as stars recognized from coast to coast during the 2026 season? Let’s take a crack at it.
Last season at Auburn, Coleman had 56 receptions for 708 yards and five touchdowns. He’s a semi-established player, but was certainly hurt by inconsistent quarterback play while he was a Tiger. What most of the country doesn’t realize is that the former five-star prospect has the athletic profile of an NFL Draft first-round pick and has yet to reach his ceiling. Now he’s teaming up with Manning at Texas behind a wizard of an offensive play-caller in Steve Sarkisian. He has the potential to go to the moon in the fall.
Before starting at North Texas last season, Mestemaker’s last full-time starting quarterback job was as a high school freshman. It wasn’t varsity. That’s what made his rise to prominence so amazing last season. He threw for 4.379 yards and 34 touchdowns for Eric Morris and the Mean Green, showing off one of the purest throwing strokes you’ll find in the sport. In the offseason, he followed Morris to Oklahoma State, where he’ll try to take his experience — or lack thereof — and translate it to Big 12 play. Maybe Mestemaker is another year away, but he has huge potential and will be playing on a much larger stage this season.
This wouldn’t be a list about potential if there wasn’t a Florida player on it, right? Well, the Gators have turned the page to the Jon Sumrall era. Like his predecessors, Sumrall’s job is to get Florida back into College Football Playoff contention. That may take some time, but Mays, a transfer from Wake Forest, may expedite the process. Maybe this is an overreaction to his spring game performance over the weekend — he had four receptions for 122 yards and a touchdown — but the 6-foot-1, 195-pounder has been a consistent standout throughout spring practice. Dallas Wilson, who also could be on this list, has missed time, and Mays has capitalized on it this spring. The Gators also have Georgia Tech transfer Eric Singleton on their roster. What if Florida has one of the best receiver rooms in the country this year?
Everyone is familiar with former Oregon tight end Kenyon Sadiq, who has been the talk of the pre-NFL Draft buzz for the past six weeks. You could make the case that Sadiq was the biggest freak on Oregon’s team last year. Guess what? Oregon has another freak in the tight end room in Johnson, who was almost as productive as Sadiq last season. Johnson, a 6-foot-5, 270-pound specimen who played quarterback in high school, had 32 receptions for 510 yards and three touchdowns last year. After starting his career at Louisville, he is now entering his second year in Eugene. He is going to be a massive — pun intended — target for Moore in the fall.
What stands out about Texas’ 2025 season? It’s the offensive line struggles. But guess who didn’t struggle? Goosby. The 6-foot-7, 312-pounder was a former three-star prospect from Melissa (Texas) High in the 2023 class, and his development is likely part of why the Longhorns weren’t as aggressive as they needed to be in the portal for offensive linemen last offseason. When it comes to Texas, it’s easy to fall in love with Manning, Coleman and Colin Simmons, but having a stud tackle will be make-or-break for the Longhorns in 2026. Goosby could be that guy.
What was the first thing Tosh Lupoi did after his introductory news conference following his hiring at Cal? He got on an airplane — wearing the same suit — and flew to Hawaii to make a sales pitch to JKS to persuade him not to transfer. Lupoi was successful, and the Golden Bears have a shot to build on his growth. Last season, JKS threw for 3,454 yards, the 12th most among returning FBS starters. New offensive coordinator Jordan Somerville has an important piece to build around in 2026 and beyond. Nobody in college football throws a laser quite like Sagapolutele.
You won’t believe this, but Ohio State has another true freshman receiver who will be a star in this sport. While there has been a ton of buzz about receiver Brock Boyd — White Lightning — this spring in Columbus, there is a 6-foot-5, 200-pound freak who joined the team this offseason. That would be Henry, the former five-star prospect and son of former NFL receiver Chris Henry. Ohio State’s receiver room is loaded even after losing Carnell Tate to the NFL. Don’t be surprised if Henry starts alongside Jeremiah Smith this fall. Picturing how teams will stop the Buckeyes is a tough proposition.
Lane Kiffin mania was a sight to behold, but once the dust settled on the freak show that was his departure from Ole Miss, he set out to reshape the Tigers roster. And while it’s easy to fall in love with portal additions like quarterback Sam Leavitt and offensive tackle Jordan Seaton, the Tigers picked up a ton of pieces that could turn them into a CFP contender in year one. One of those additions was Benefield, who transferred in from Boise State. He has insane range and is coming to Baton Rouge with 41 career appearances totaling 235 tackles (18 for loss), 16 pass breakups and five interceptions.
Texas Tech has built a strong program in large part because oil billionaire Cody Campbell has invested heavily in its NIL efforts. But Texas Tech isn’t just money-whipping people. The Red Raiders know that building things in the trenches will get them over the top. That’s what they did last year with Romello Height and David Bailey, both of whom had their most productive seasons in Lubbock. Texas Tech was at it again with White, an incoming transfer from San Diego State. White totaled 31 tackles and 19 sacks over two seasons for San Diego State, and now he’s hoping his talents will translate into stardom.
It feels like we’re in a perpetual cycle where Lincoln Riley is in a “do-or-die” season. The 2026 campaign for USC once again fits that mold for the head coach. But there are plenty of reasons to be excited about the Trojans heading into the fall. One of the biggest reasons for hope? Wafle, a true freshman edge rusher who ranked as the No. 5 overall player in the Rivals Industry Rankings for the 2026 class. He’s a 6-foot-6, 260-pound freak of nature coming off the edge, someone who figures to be an instant contributor for USC. Though it takes time for players to adjust to the physicality in the trenches at the college level, Wafle has made an immediate impact this spring and will see the field this season.