Top 25 college football players at midseason, 2026
ESPN's midseason Player Rank, published Oct. 23, 2026: ESPN's ranking of the top 25 players halfway through the 2026 season, compiled by its college football writers (Bill Connelly, David Hale, Max Olson, Adam Rittenberg and Paolo Uggetti). No. 1 is Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith, who was also No. 1 in the preseason.
| # | Player | Pos. | School | Class | 2026 notable stats (per ESPN, Oct. 23) | Preseason rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Jeremiah Smith | WR | Ohio State | junior | 52 receptions, 984 yards, 12 TDs | 1 |
| 2 | Colin Simmons | Edge | Texas | junior | 16 TFLs, 10.5 sacks, 2 FFs | 3 |
| 3 | Darian Mensah | QB | Miami | junior | 1,764 passing yards, 18 TDs, 89.4 Total QBR | 23 |
| 4 | Chris Cole | LB | Georgia | junior | 48 solo tackles, 2.5 sacks, 3 PDs | 42 |
| 5 | Jesse Legree | WR | Oregon State | freshman | 46 receptions, 1,040 yards, 14 TDs | NR |
| 6 | Xavier Gilliam | DL | Tennessee | sophomore | 9.5 TFLs, 5 sacks, 10 run stops | NR |
| 7 | Malachi Toney | WR | Miami | sophomore | 50 receptions, 758 yards, 8 TDs | 4 |
| 8 | Princewill Umanmielen | DE | LSU | senior | 15 solo tackles, 8 sacks, 11 TFLs | 80 |
| 9 | Sammy Omosigho | LB | UCLA | senior | 3 sacks, 5 FFs, 2 PDs | NR |
| 10 | CJ Carr | QB | Notre Dame | sophomore | 1,639 passing yards, 16 passing TDs, 1 INT | 7 |
| 11 | Trinidad Chambliss | QB | Ole Miss | senior | 1,676 passing yards, 14 passing TDs, 4 INTs | 5 |
| 12 | Nate Sheppard | RB | Duke | sophomore | 138 carries, 1,079 total yards, 12 total TDs | NR |
| 13 | Gunner Stockton | QB | Georgia | senior | 1,570 passing yards, 16 passing TDs, 4 INTs | 31 |
| 14 | Trevor Goosby | OL | Texas | junior | 0 pressures allowed | 12 |
| 15 | Tobi Osunsanmi | DL | Indiana | senior | 7 sacks, 1 FF, 11.5 TFLs | NR |
| 16 | Xavier Lewis | DL | North Carolina | sophomore | 21 pressures, 7 sacks, 10 TFLs | NR |
| 17 | KJ Duff | WR | Rutgers | junior | 42 receptions, 741 yards, 9 TDs | 22 |
| 18 | Jordan Seaton | OT | LSU | junior | 0 sacks allowed | 34 |
| 19 | Conner Weigman | QB | Houston | senior | 2,000 total yards, 26 total TDs, 2 INTs | NR |
| 20 | A.J. Holmes Jr. | DL | Texas Tech | senior | 29 pressures, 18 total tackles, 4 sacks | 25 |
| 21 | Bear Bachmeier | QB | BYU | sophomore | 16 total TDs, 1,257 passing yards, 82.5 Total QBR | NR |
| 22 | Charlie Becker | WR | Indiana | junior | 39 receptions, 694 yards, 8 TDs | 17 |
| 23 | Ashton Hampton | CB | Clemson | junior | 12 solo tackles, 1 INT, 9 PDs | NR |
| 24 | Kamario Taylor | QB | Mississippi State | sophomore | 1,609 total yards, 18 total TDs, 4 INTs | NR |
| 25 | Keelon Russell | QB | Alabama | sophomore | 1,746 passing yards, 12 passing TDs, 4 INTs | NR |
Preseason rank is ESPN's 2026 preseason Player Rank; NR = not ranked. Stats are as ESPN listed them on Oct. 23, 2026, and may have changed since.
Source
- ESPN: 2026 CFB Player Rank: The top 25 players at midseason (Oct. 23, 2026). The ranking is ESPN's; we have not re-ranked or added players.
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