Is Indiana and Curt Cignetti the best story in college sports?<\/p>\n
Scott Dochterman<\/p>\n
There is no reason entering the 2026 season to dismiss any Cignetti mythology<\/a> the imagination can manufacture. Because what he\u2019s already done can\u2019t be real.<\/p>\n Indiana, known two years ago as the sport\u2019s biggest loser, now having claim to perhaps the most legitimate championship<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n As for the other 24 most interesting people in college football, listed below in alphabetical order, we\u2019re sticking to coaches and players this year. Commissioners, politicians, administrators, agents, judges and lawyers have occupied enough oxygen<\/a> already. We don\u2019t need any media types, either. Though I\u2019d be willing to reconsider if a bold soul at ESPN would stand up and admit that Pat McAfee\u2019s album made them question the value of music in society.<\/p>\n Bill Belichick, head coach, North Carolina<\/p>\n Look, catastrophes are interesting, whether you want to admit it or not. Most observers of the sport are fast-forwarding to when \u2014 bypassing \u201cif\u201d \u2014 it ends badly for Belichick in Chapel Hill. He\u2019s on this list for the second straight year, and a lot of people would bet he won\u2019t be on it next year because he won\u2019t be coaching North Carolina anymore. But here\u2019s a thought: What if human albatross Michael Lombardi\u2019s absence<\/a> lightens the mood in the building? What if Jordon Hudson stops trying to read every UNC staffer\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Faizon Brandon, quarterback, Tennessee<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 the No. 10 prospect in the Class of 2026 in the 247Sports Composite \u2014 wins it as widely assumed, he will be Josh Heupel\u2019s 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\u2019s interesting.<\/p>\n CJ Carr, quarterback, Notre Dame<\/p>\n The grandson of former Michigan coach Lloyd Carr showed a ton of promise last season. He\u2019s a preseason Heisman Trophy favorite for a loaded Notre Dame team that has a good chance of finishing the regular season 12-0. He\u2019s an early mock-draft darling. If you\u2019re still not convinced, he went No. 1 in The Athletic\u2019s Heisman snake draft<\/a>. 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\u2019ll miss that pair of first-rounders this season. But he might be ND\u2019s best quarterback since \u2026 Brady Quinn 20 years ago?<\/p>\n Trinidad Chambliss, quarterback, Ole Miss<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 athletic Ohio State transfer Lincoln Kienholz \u2014 await for a Week 1 game in Nashville. One of the few names on this list that was on no one\u2019s radar a year ago, Chambliss showed in last year\u2019s Playoff that when he\u2019s at his best, he\u2019s as good as anyone.<\/p>\n Ryan Coleman-Williams, receiver, Alabama<\/p>\n A year ago, we were wondering if Coleman-Williams \u2014 then known as Ryan Williams \u2014 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<\/a>\u00a0and finished with a single 100-yard game despite playing with a first-round quarterback. He got to work in the offseason. He added the \u201cColeman\u201d to honor his mother\u2019s 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\u2019t a mirage.<\/p>\n Jared Curtis, quarterback, Vanderbilt<\/p>\n No, this is not going to be a rehash of our Quarterback Tiers<\/a>\u00a0\u2014 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\u2019t happen. Or didn\u2019t happen. It\u2019s a new world, Diego Pavia chipped in on the recruitment<\/a> and Curtis is fighting to start right away. Can he handle SEC defenses as a frosh? There\u2019s one in Athens, Ga., that would like to see him on Oct. 3.<\/p>\n Pat Fitzgerald, head coach, Michigan State<\/p>\n Fitzgerald\u2019s style of coaching could be even more valuable in the player movement era. It\u2019s harder to maintain cultural continuity, but he stresses the intangibles daily that get teams to play above their talent level. He\u2019s 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\u2019s a huge job, but Fitz seems to be winning over players and fans in the honeymoon period.<\/p>\n James Franklin, head coach, Virginia Tech<\/p>\n Virginia Tech hasn\u2019t had this much momentum since the Frank Beamer era started to fade about 15 years ago. Few people in Franklin\u2019s 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\u2019s all happening in Blacksburg. That doesn\u2019t necessarily mean instant success on the field \u2014 he didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n Will Hammond, quarterback, Texas Tech<\/p>\n Even after Cincinnati transfer Brendan Sorsby\u2019s 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<\/a> and not have a TV in his room? One thing Hammond shouldn\u2019t bring this fall: controversy.<\/p>\n Ahmad Hardy, running back, Missouri<\/p>\n The Athletic\u2019s Dane Brugler projected Hardy as a first-round pick in his early 2027 mock draft,<\/a> 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\u2019s no question he\u2019ll play this season, though there are questions about the start of the season. If he\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n \n Ahmad Hardy led all Power 4 backs with 1,649 rushing yards in 2025. (Travis Register \/ Imagn Images)<\/p>\n Lane Kiffin, head coach, LSU<\/p>\n In case things weren\u2019t hot enough around Kiffin in the early stages of his new job \u2014 at which he merely needs to win a national championship as quickly as possible \u2014 then another thing happened. He\u2019s caught in the middle of Jayden Daniels\u2019 off-putting tantrum<\/a> 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Arch Manning, quarterback, Texas<\/p>\n A year ago, the hype for Manning went way overboard<\/a>. Now it has settled down \u2014 he\u2019s merely Brugler\u2019s projected No. 1 pick in 2027 and a presumed Heisman contender playing for perhaps the most talented team in the nation, representing football\u2019s famous family. But seriously, that\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Darian Mensah, quarterback, Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n 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<\/a>, 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\u2019s an electric talent who will be throwing to Malachi Toney, one of the top receivers in the sport. And he\u2019ll probably have more than jilted Duke fans rooting against him.<\/p>\n Drew Mestemaker, quarterback, Oklahoma State<\/p>\n (Last quarterback for a while, promise.) But he has to make it, right? The guy who wasn\u2019t a starter<\/a> in high school? The former North Texas walk-on who could be the first quarterback taken in the 2027 draft? He\u2019s the most interesting player at Oklahoma State \u2026 in a minute. Mestemaker came north with coach Eric Morris and the nation\u2019s 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\u2019re ready for Mestemaker and company in Stillwater.<\/p>\n Ahmad Moten Sr., defensive tackle, Miami (Fla.)<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n Will Muschamp, defensive coordinator, Texas<\/p>\n 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Koi Perich, safety, Oregon<\/p>\n Perich is a repeat member of this list, making it a year ago as a Minnesota Golden Gopher who had hopes of becoming \u201cthe next Travis Hunter.\u201d 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n Marcel Reed, quarterback, Texas A&M<\/p>\n It\u2019s easy to forget how good Reed was as a sophomore for the Aggies because of the way the year ended for him \u2014 losses to rival Texas and Miami in the Playoff, with four interceptions and no touchdowns thrown, and a total of 20 points managed. That\u2019s 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\u2019s how the Aggies become true contenders.<\/p>\n Kalani Sitake, head coach, BYU<\/p>\n 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\u2019d be on a short list with Marcus Freeman, Clark Lea and a few others, at least. He\u2019s also got a team that can win the Big 12 and a quarterback who is rich in name (Bear Bachmeier) and game. Sitake\u2019s popularity with BYU fans would be off the charts if he follows up turning down Penn State with a Playoff berth.<\/p>\n Jeremiah Smith, receiver, Ohio State<\/p>\n 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\u2019s Freaks List<\/a> this year behind South Carolina\u2019s Nyck Harbor. Smith should benefit from quarterback Julian Sayin\u2019s 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 \u2014 his two-year average is 82 catches for 1,279 yards and 14 touchdowns.<\/p>\n Dylan Stewart, edge, South Carolina<\/p>\n 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 \u2014 Harbor, quarterback LaNorris Sellers, offensive tackle transfer Jacarrius Peak \u2014 with questions about performance or injuries or both. They\u2019re collectively trying to get it done for the only SEC coach who should truly be on the hot seat, Shane Beamer.<\/p>\n Bryce Underwood, quarterback, and Kyle Whittingham, head coach, Michigan<\/p>\n![\"Ahmad](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/2025-12-28T022324Z_1666899878_MT1USATODAY27891191_RTRMADP_3_NCAA-FOOTBALL-GATOR-BOWL-VIRGINIA-VS-MIS.jpeg\")
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