Top 7 College Football Players to Collect Before the Season
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College Football season kicks off this weekend, and while the college football market isn't as strong as the NFL market, we have seen huge sales from Bowman and Prizm NIL over the last 12-18 months. Even though the quarterback drafts haven't been as strong in 2025 and 2026, Fernando Mendoza has had several high five-figure sales.
With the quarterback class expected to be much better in 2027, as well as the potential for a historically good receiver class, we have the makings of some very good hobby months ahead for college football. So who are the top players to target before the season begins, and where are their markets?
7) QB Josh Hoover, Indiana
Top Sale: 2024 Bowman 1st Red Autograph /5 for $1,200
Why He's Worth Collecting Now: As the quarterback for Indiana, Hoover will have extremely lofty expectations to live up to after coming off the school's first national championship with Fernando Mendoza. However, head coach Curt Cignetti is a proven winner, and Hoover is stepping into a championship-caliber team that also added a potential first-round pick at receiver in Nick Marsh. Hoover, whose cards will feature him at TCU (and an unfortunate "Bleed Purple" inscription on some cards) will be at the helm of a top-five team and his market should go up should the team keep winning and he stays in the Heisman race.
6) WR Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama
Top Sale: 2024 Bowman 1st Red Refractor Auto /5 for $3,250
Why He's Worth Collecting Now: Ryan Coleman-Williams was one of the big chases of the 2024 Bowman Football product, and while he had a down year as a Sophomore in 2025, the talent is undeniable. Despite the disappointing 2025, he's still being mocked to go in the first round of the 2027 NFL Draft as the WR3 or WR4 behind Jeremiah Smith, Cam Coleman, and Nick Marsh. It's a risky proposition betting on a receiver, but Williams-Coleman has the pedigree to do well, and the Alabama market is already bought in on him.
5) QB Sam Leavitt, LSU
Top Sale: 2025 Bowman 1st Superfractor Auto for $4,000
Why He's Worth Collecting Now: Sam Leavitt is another player who had a disappointing 2025 after a stellar 2024. Leavitt led Arizona State to a win in the Big 12 Title Game and the College Football Playoffs before falling to Texas. Leavitt now heads to LSU where he'll takeover as the QB in a Lane Kiffin offense. LSU enters 2026 with high expectations and Leavitt should see a big spike in his market should things go as planned for LSU this year.
4) WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Top Sale: 2025 Prizm Draft Picks Gold Vinyl 1/1 PSA 10 for $8,500.
Why He's Worth Collecting Now: Listen, if this were based on talent, there's a pretty good chance Smith would have the biggest market of anyone in college football. Jeremiah Smith has been one of the most dominant players we've seen over the last two years in college football. There is a case, in the last two draft classes, he's likely the No. 1 prospect, and he may end up No. 1 even in a loaded QB class in 2027. He's about as safe a buy as there is right now, barring injury.
3) QB Dante Moore, Oregon
Top Sale: 2025 Bowman Superfractor Auto 1/1 for $7,000
Why He's Worth Collecting Now: Dante Moore's top sale being a Year 3 Oregon card is a testament to how good he was in his first year starting for the Ducks and also the collectability that comes with going to a major power like Oregon over UCLA. Moore was almost certainly going to be the No. 2 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft but decided to go back for another year. He's unlikely to be the top QB in the 2027 Draft, but he has a chance to land in a better spot than he would have in 2026.
2) QB Darian Mensah, Miami
Top Sale: 2025 Bowman 1st Superfractor Auto for $3,900.
Why He's Worth Collecting Now: The market is already starting to catch up to the fact that Darian Mensah, who is now at Miami, is taking over at the helm of a Miami program with National Championship aspirations. Three of his four biggest sales have been in the last 2+ months. Mensah started as a freshman at Tulane before transferring late to Duke last year. After another messy transfer saga, he sees himself at Miami with a chance to play for the National Championship and has played his way into a potential top-5 pick; and some mock drafters already have him as QB2 behind Arch Manning. More than anyone else on this list, except Josh Hoover's, his market is poised to explode thanks to his transfer.
1) QB Arch Manning, Texas
Top Sale: 2024 Panini Prizm Draft Picks Rated Prospect Gold Vinyl 1/1 PSA 10 for $34,160.
Why He's Worth Collecting Now: Arch Manning feels like he's locked into the No. 1 spot in the 2027 NFL Draft until someone can prove otherwise. After a rough start to the 2025 season, things picked up for Manning in a big way down the stretch. The addition of Cam Coleman to the receiver room should prove massive for Manning as he gets one of the top receivers in the country to pair with. Coleman looks like a potential top-10 pick himself, and the duo should put up big numbers for the Longhorns.
Guys Who Missed the Cut
A couple names that missed the cut at receiver were the aforementioned Cam Coleman and Nick Marsh, both don't have any Bowman or Panini cards to speak of and the market for Leaf is a bit tricky. Ryan Wingo, also at Texas, Bryant Wesco and T.J. Moore of Clemson, Charlie Becker of Indiana, and KJ Duff of Rutgers are also all considered borderline first-round picks in the preseason.
Meanwhile, quarterback Jayden Maiava of USC was close to making the cut ahead of Josh Hoover for me, but I think Indiana likely has a better season which broke the tie. Rising sophomores like Malik Washington of Maryland, CJ Carr of Notre Dame, and Jaron-Kaewe Sagapolutele of Cal didn't have any Bowman or Panini cards and all three will likely be on this list next summer.
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Brendan has worked for various platforms, including The Washington Post, SB Nation, NBC Sports Washington, and more, covering everything from college basketball to fantasy football and betting. An avid collector as a kid, he got back into collecting in 2021 and is a dedicated soccer, football, and basketball collector.
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