Pat Forde: The 25 Most Intriguing College Football Non-QB Players for 2026

Back again by popular demand—or force of habit—we present the college football Most Intriguing Lists for 2026. We’ve done the Most Intriguing Coaches and Most Intriguing Quarterbacks. To finish: Most Intriguing Non-Quarterbacks.

1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State

The Buckeyes are on an unprecedented five-year streak having a wide receiver taken in the first round of the NFL draft. Unless something unforeseen and unfortunate happens between now and next spring, Smith will extend that streak—and could be the highest selection of this amazing run. Possibly No. 1 overall. Program insiders say Smith has the hardest edge of all the recent Buckeye greats, a desire to be exceptional that has burned since his youth in South Florida. With 163 receptions for 2,558 yards and 27 touchdowns, he’s one more huge season away from all-time great status—but he’s working with his third offensive coordinator in three seasons.

2. Cam Coleman, WR, Texas

If all goes as hoped on the Forty Acres, Coleman will be the key to unlocking Arch Manning and elevating the Longhorns’ passing game to an elite level. The long, twitchy Auburn transfer labored in a lousy offense for two seasons before becoming the most sought-after receiver in the portal. Preseason camp reviews have been effusive, including a viral one-handed catch that set burnt orange hearts fluttering. Coleman is the biggest piece in a huge (and expensive) overhaul of Texas’s skill positions via the portal. All that remains is for Manning to feed the studs the ball.

The catch radius is insane

Cam Coleman 🤯 pic.twitter.com/yyKGbWetBP
— Texas Football (@TexasFootball) August 8, 2026

3. John Henry Daley, DE, Michigan

He was a BYU legacy kid who did a two-year Mormon mission, played one year for the Cougars in 2023, transferred to Utah and had little to show for his college career prior to last season. Then he blew up in Year 2 with the Utes, ranking second in the nation in sacks per game (1.05) and third in tackles for loss per game (1.59). Daley followed coach Kyle Whittingham to Ann Arbor, a big win for the Wolverines and a tough loss for Utah. Daley touts himself as an “Uno champion” on Instagram.

4. Malachi Toney, WR, Miami

“Baby Jesus” reclassified into the Class of 2025 and immediately became the best true freshman in college football, with more than 1,200 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns. As a 17-year-old, he carved up Notre Dame in his first college game and kept on going, recording five 100-yard receiving games. That included 122 yards and a touchdown in the national championship game against Indiana, the final validation of Toney’s impact. He’s the master of small spaces, sharp cuts and elusive moves, with elite quickness and mature-beyond-his-years route running. Toney is also a dangerous punt returner when used in that capacity, with three returns longer than 40 yards.

5. DJ Pickett, CB, LSU

Did I put him at No. 5 for a reason? Noooo. Pure coincidence. The guy who took Jayden Daniels’s number, sparking a remarkable hissy fit from the Heisman Trophy winner and current NFL QB, wanted the number coming out of high school but was denied by then-coach Brian Kelly out of deference to Daniels. Current coach Lane Kiffin, who would give away Billy Cannon’s Heisman Trophy if it helped him get a recruit, awarded Pickett the jersey number for a reason. The sophomore is a 6'5" velociraptor, far taller than the average corner, earning freshman All-American and All-SEC honors last season while making 37 tackles and three interceptions. LSU is leaning into the controversy on the side of Pickett, unapologetically trolling Daniels with practice clips on social media.

He just keeps making plays pic.twitter.com/kzKDdwMQ3i
— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) August 17, 2026

6. Leonard Moore, CB, Notre Dame

Who is the best player on the nation’s best defense? That would be Moore, who could be a top-10 NFL draft pick and the first corner off the board in the spring after three seasons of college. He earned the highest Pro Football Focus grade of anyone at his position last year, at 91.6, and that’s after a stellar 88.4 grade as a freshman on the national runner-up team. The Round Rock, Texas, product is long (6'2"), strong (195 pounds) and savvy (seven interceptions and 18 passes broken up in 26 college games). Throw at him at your own risk, opposing QBs.

7. Charlie Becker, WR, Indiana

On a team full of revelatory stars, nobody was a bigger surprise last year than Becker. Playing behind NFL-caliber receivers in Omar Cooper Jr. and Elijah Sarratt, Becker was primarily a special teams player until an injury opened the door for him in the eighth game of the season. Over the final nine games, the high school track standout became a monster—he had three 100-yard games, becoming the king of the downfield contested catch. The roommate of Fernando and Alberto Mendoza had receptions of 52 yards against Maryland, 53 against Penn State, 48 against Wisconsin, 51 against Ohio State, 30 against Alabama and 36 against Oregon. This season, he should be the first option in the Indiana passing game.

8. Ben Roberts, LB, Texas Tech

A three-star recruit who was a high school high jumper and into Rubik’s Cubes as a kid has solved the riddle of high-major linebacker play. He racked up three productive seasons (280 total tackles) before ending last year as a breakthrough playmaker. He had two interceptions against BYU in the Big 12 title game, then followed that up with 16 tackles and another pick in the CFP against Oregon. Now, after departed Red Raiders linebacker Jacob Rodriguez finished fifth in the Heisman voting, Roberts is the next mustachioed star in the middle of coordinator Shiel Wood’s elite defense.

9. Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri

Part of the intrigue here is when (or if) the nation’s No. 2 rusher in 2025 will take the field in ’26. Hardy has been recovering from a gunshot wound to his upper leg suffered at a concert at a biker bar in Laurel, Miss., in May. Mizzou coach Eli Drinkwitz said at SEC media days in July that Hardy was medically cleared and would begin returning to football activities. Heading into this week, he had not been an active participant in practices. The Tigers wouldn’t need Hardy to win their opener against Arkansas-Pine Bluff, but the competition steps up markedly in Week 2 against ancient rival Kansas. In two seasons of college ball, Hardy has rushed for exactly 3,000 yards and scored 29 touchdowns.

10. Owen Heinecke, LB, Oklahoma

There are circuitous routes to stardom, and then there is Heinecke’s path—the Tulsa product was a lacrosse player at Ohio State in the spring of 2022, then transferred home to walk on the Sooners’ football team. He made one tackle in one game in the fall of ’22, then added a total of 11 more tackles the next two seasons while toiling on special teams. Last year, Heinecke cracked the lineup and produced 74 tackles, including 12 for loss. In April, Heinecke won a preliminary injunction that has granted him a final year of eligibility this season.

11. Sahir West, DE, UCLA

Indiana brought a handful of instantly translatable defensive stars aboard from James Madison with coach Curt Cignetti. UCLA is hoping to repeat that formula with new coach Bob Chesney and, most prominently, under-the-radar standout West. He had 14 tackles for loss and seven sacks last year (three of them in the Sun Belt title game) at JMU, after playing in only two games and recording no stats as a true freshman in 2024. West was a zero-star recruit out of Baltimore who was 6'3" and 210 pounds in high school; he bulked up to 270 last season with the Dukes and is now listed at 279 at UCLA. The Bruins were last in the Big Ten in sacks with 10; West is important in improving that misery stat.

12. Kade Pieper, OG, Iowa

There is nothing more Iowa football than an offensive lineman who is a two-time winner of the Solon Beef Days hay bale toss. That’s Pieper, who won the title in 2024 (hoisting a hay bale over a bar 12'6" high) and ’25 (clearing 13 feet) but did not attempt the threepeat this summer. He’s the next in a long line of strong-quick Hawkeyes offensive linemen with NFL potential, able to squat 680 pounds while also recording a vertical jump of more than 37 inches.

13. Rasheem Biles, LB, Texas

If forced to name my favorite current player in college football, it would probably be Biles. He is a playmaking monster, disruptive in every facet of the game in three seasons at Pittsburgh: He blocked three kicks as a freshman; had 31.5 tackles for loss and 10 sacks the past two years; has scored four defensive touchdowns (including returning all three of his career interceptions for TDs); has forced three fumbles; and has broken up 13 passes. Putting Biles in the middle of an already talented defense is nightmare fuel for opposing quarterbacks. “He’s a problem,” says Longhorns coach Steve Sarkisian.

14. Kewan Lacy, RB, Mississippi

Some guys pile up stats against soft competition. Lacy led the SEC in rushing yards (1,010) and rushing touchdowns (14) in league games. His 98 yards on the ground against Georgia in the College Football Playoff were the most allowed by the Bulldogs since Georgia Tech’s Haynes King ran for 110 in eight overtimes in 2024. Like quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, Lacy endeared himself to Ole Miss fans for life by choosing to stay in Oxford instead of following a certain coach to Baton Rouge. A throwback workhorse, his 306 carries (in 15 games) led the nation last year.

15. A’Mauri Washington, DT, Oregon

This list is never complete without at least one thick man on the defensive interior. At 6'3", 325 pounds, Washington is that man, especially after checking in at No. 3 on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List.” The Detroit product is stout enough to clog the middle against the run and sudden enough to bat down eight passes last season, while also recording 4.5 tackles for loss. When Washington’s role increased in 2025 after two seasons of spot duty, the Ducks’ run defense improved from 4.14 yards allowed per carry to 3.42.

16. Isaac Brown, RB, Louisville

At his present career rate of 7.73 yards per rush over his first two seasons, Brown could land in the all-time FBS top five in most yards per carry. The junior from Homestead, Fla., is the most dangerous home run threat at the running back position in the country. Nobody had more runs for 50 yards or more last year than Brown’s six—and he did it in only nine games played. He had six 100-yard rushing outings last season despite never having more than 16 carries in a game. The concern is durability after missing four games in 2025 and being a limited participant in the early stages of the Cardinals’ preseason camp this August.

17. KJ Bolden, S, Georgia

Ten days before the Bulldogs crushed Florida State in the Orange Bowl to end the 2023 season, sending the Seminoles on a downward spiral from which they still have not recovered, Kirby Smart dealt Mike Norvell another huge blow—he got Bolden to flip his commitment to the Bulldogs. The No. 1 safety in the ’24 recruiting class has lived up to the hype ever since, recording 135 tackles and three interceptions in two seasons. The first player from the high school powerhouse in Buford, Ga., to come to play for Smart at Georgia has become a flag bearer for the coach’s culture. “If you don’t love football, don’t want to eat, sleep and breathe it, don’t come to Georgia,” Bolden said. “If you’re all about NIL, don’t come here.”

18. Caleb Hawkins, RB, Oklahoma State

New coach Eric Morris didn’t just bring star quarterback Drew Mestemaker with him from North Texas. He also brought a back who led FBS in scoring with 29 touchdowns, breaking the national freshman record in the process. It’s a homecoming for the product of Shawnee, Okla., who was a lightly recruited three-star prospect out of North Rock Creek High School. North Texas was his only FBS scholarship offer, which had to hurt a kid who grew up an Oklahoma State fan. Now it comes full circle for Hawkins, who will play in the same stadium where he once rooted on the Cowboys from the stands.

19. Jackson Cantwell, OT, Miami

It seems highly likely that no family in history has thrown steel orbs through the air better than the Cantwells. Eric Cantwell was a silver medalist in the shot put at the 2008 Olympics, and a five-time world champion. Teri (Steer) Cantwell won NCAA championships throwing the shot. Naturally, Jackson was an elite shot putter as well in high school. But he also was a top-10 prospect in the Class of 2026, recruited by everyone out of the small town of Nixa, Mo. Cantwell took himself out of his geographic comfort zone by choosing Miami, which plans to get the 6'8", 330-pounder on the field quickly as a freshman.

20. Trey’Dez Green, TE, LSU

He is a touchdown maker: 35% of LSU’s touchdown receptions last year were by Green, and 24% of his catches over his first two seasons of college ball have been touchdowns. The 6'7", 245-pound behemoth also played on the LSU basketball team as a freshman in 2024–25, appearing in six games before deciding to lock in on the gridiron. Green said he didn’t even know how to get into a three-point stance when he arrived in college, having just run go routes and catching passes over the top of defensive backs in high school. The natural red zone target should be put to good use by new LSU coach Lane Kiffin and new quarterback Sam Leavitt.

21. Stephen Daley, DE, Indiana

The Hoosiers have been the biggest winner of the summer court ruling that allowed Class of ’22 players another year of eligibility, and Daley is the biggest reason why. He’s the best of several Indiana players who have returned to campus for a final season (as long as the ruling holds). Daley led the Big Ten with 19 tackles for loss in just 13 games last season, missing the playoff run due to a knee injury suffered in the postgame celebration after beating Ohio State in the conference title game. Whenever Daley is ready to resume full training, he will give Indiana another talented, productive defensive lineman.

22. Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama

Coleman-Williams was a freshman sensation and a sophomore enigma. Dropped passes were part of his drop in production from 865 receiving yards to 689, in touchdowns from eight to four, and in catches of 40 yards or more from seven to three. This year, he’s switched up some things: He added “Coleman” to his surname in honor of his mother, Tiffany Coleman, and changed jerseys from No. 2 to No. 1. The smooth-gliding, super-fast wideout will be working with his third different starting quarterback in three college seasons, from Jalen Milroe to Ty Simpson to whoever starts this year.

23. Daniel Hughes, P, Florida State

With a mullet dyed gray-blonde, a dark mustache and a body full of tattoos, a 28-year-old punter has landed in Tallahassee after a stint at New Mexico and a season of junior college ball. He’s Australian, naturally, because where else would a punter come from these days? But Hughes is also a former carpenter who opened his own business and has 50,000 followers on Instagram. No fans really want to see their punter on the field, but Hughes will at least make it more interesting.

24. Da’Realyst Clark, KR/WR, Kent State

Dynamite can come in small packages from obscure places. The 5'10", 150-pound Clark, who previously played at Division III Defiance College and then at Butler Community College, last year had two kickoff return touchdowns, caught three passes for 108 yards and threw a pass for another TD for the Golden Flashes. That included a game-winning, 100-yard kickoff return against Merrimack in the season opener, a 91-yard TD return to open the game against UMass, and a game-winning TD pass against Bowling Green.

25. Gideon ESPN Lampron, LB, Colorado

Yes, the name is real. His middle name, bestowed upon him by his father, is pronounced “Ess-pen.” His game is also real—Lampron was a tackling machine at FCS Dayton, recording 150 tackles with 27.5 for loss in two seasons, then transferred to Bowling Green and made 119 more stops last year for the Falcons. After entering the transfer portal, Lampron saw Colorado coach Deion Sanders on a flight and told him he wanted to play for the Buffaloes. One thing led to another and Lampron is now expected to be a key part of a rebuilt Colorado defense. Maybe you’ll catch his highlights on ESPN this fall.

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