Sports Illustrated’s 2026 College Football Midseason All-Americans

As we hit mid-October, these 54 college stars stand above the rest.

The Miami duo of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney is one of college football’s most dynamic. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

We’re roughly halfway through the 2026 college football season, and we’ve already seen our fair share of brilliant endings, stunning upsets and sensational performances. It’s the last of which perhaps deserves a closer look as we hit the middle of the season, a logical checkpoint for various evaluations. 

Before Week Zero, we put together Sports Illustrated’s preseason college football All-Americans. Now, given the ebbs and flows that have come with six weeks of football, we’ve reprised the exercise. 

First-Team Offense

QB Darian Mensah, Miami

If you’re wondering how Mensah’s season in Miami has gone, consider that until Oct. 3 against Clemson, he had more touchdown passes than incompletions. The Duke transfer and offensive coordinator Shannon Dawson’s offense go together like peanut butter and jelly, and Mensah is already making a Cam Ward–style leap up NFL draft boards. — Tim Capurso

RB Nate Sheppard, Duke

With the aforementioned Mensah thriving in Coral Gables, Fla., Sheppard has become the engine of the Duke offense and headlines the second-best rushing attack in the conference. Sheppard has handled 20-plus touches and exceeded 100-plus rushing yards in four of five games, has scored in every contest and even flashed plus-receiving chops out of the backfield. —T.C. 

RB Jamal Roberts, Missouri

To say Roberts has picked up the slack for the injured Ahmad Hardy would be the understatement of the season. Roberts, taking on the lead back role with Hardy still sidelined after being shot at a concert this offseason, has been an unstoppable force in Missouri’s outside zone scheme, tallying a pair of 200-plus yard, multi-touchdown games while amassing the second-most rushing yards in the country. —T.C. 

With Ahmad Hardy out to start the season for Missouri, Jamal Roberts has been one of the nation’s best running backs. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

Pound-for-pound the best player in college football, Smith is in the midst of authoring what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most dominant seasons by a wide receiver in the history of college football. A weekly terror for opposing secondaries, Smith is averaging a ridiculous 152.7 receiving yards per game and, amazingly, has already amassed more receiving yards than the entire Michigan football team. —T.C. 

WR Malachi Toney, Miami

If Smith is the best wide receiver in college football, Toney is a close second. As reliable as he’s explosive, Toney has headlined one of the best passing attacks in the country, has yet to drop a pass in 21 career games and has been both a yards-after-the-catch machine, as well as an impossible cover in man coverage. —T.C. 

WR Jesse Legree, Oregon State

Legree is leading college football in receiving yards as a true freshman for an Oregon State offense that has been one of the most pleasant surprises in the country. Whether it’s a deep post taking the top off of a defense or a crosser over the middle of the field he takes to the house, Legree, who has done much of his damage from the slot, has excelled. —T.C. 

Oregon State breakout star Jesse Legree passed Jeremiah Smith in receiving yardage and touchdowns in Week 6. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

TE Luke Reynolds, Virginia Tech

Reynolds is one of the most dangerous tight ends after the catch in the country, as well as a reliable safety blanket for Virginia Tech quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer. Reynolds leads the Hokies in receptions and touchdown receptions. —T.C. 

OL Trevor Goosby, Texas

The Texas passing offense has waxed and waned this season, but Goosby has been a steadying presence on the offensive line, having allowed just seven total pressures and no sacks in five games played. —T.C. 

OL Cayden Green, Missouri

Green is not only one of the very best pass protectors in the country, but also tough as nails. The senior offensive tackle has played through injury multiple times this season, helping the Tigers field the seventh-best offense in the SEC in terms of total yards per game. —T.C. 

Cayden Green has been a rock up front for one of college football’s emergent offenses at Mizzou. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

OL Kade Pieper, Iowa

Iowa fields the fifth-best rushing offense in the Big Ten, and Pieper, one of the more well-rounded offensive lineman in the country, is one of the biggest reasons why. Pieper is equally adept at both pass and run blocking, and the anchor of the Hawkeyes’ line. —T.C. 

OL Greg Johnson, Minnesota

Johnson has been a godsend for Minnesota this season, having made starts at both left guard and center as the Golden Gophers’ offensive line has succumbed to injuries. It’s both a feather in his cap now and for his 2027 NFL draft prospects. —T.C. 

C Anthony Boswell, Houston

A key piece of Houston’s transfer portal–infused offensive line, Boswell has arguably been the best center in the country and a driving force behind the country’s 14th-ranked rushing attack in terms of yards per game. —T.C. 

Anthony Boswell, a transfer from Toledo who began his career at Purdue, has been crucial to Houston’s success on offense. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

First-Team Defense

DE Colin Simmons, Texas

For Simmons, it’s been the full body of work, for he has a sack in all but one game this season. But his magnum opus thus far—besides the juvenile penalty—was his 5.5 sacks in a road win over No. 14 Tennessee. Rushing from the inside or the outside, Simmons lived in the Volunteers’ backfield and broke the game. —T.C. 

DE Princewill Umanmielen, LSU

So far, Umanmielen has shown why the Tigers were so eager to lure him from Ole Miss in the transfer portal. He’s a sack away from tying his career high of nine, and it’s not a coincidence that LSU lost to Kentucky on Saturday in the only game this season where Umanmielen didn’t add to that category. —Patrick Andres

DT Xavier Gilliam, Tennessee

Defense is driving the bus for the Volunteers in 2026, and Gilliam—a transfer from ex-Penn State coach James Franklin’s last Nittany Lions team—is a big reason why. His 10 tackles for loss rank third in FBS behind Simmons and Umanmielen. —P.A.

Xavier Gilliam has been a force on the inside for a very good Tennessee defense. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

DT A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech

Good in 2025 but overshadowed by linebackers David Bailey and Jacob Rodriguez, Holmes has broken out this season even as the Red Raiders’ defense has regressed a bit. He should sail well past his ’25 sack total of 4.5, even if he’s not one to stuff the stat sheet. —P.A.

LB Sammy Omosigho, UCLA

Omosigho—one of a slew of inspired offseason transfer finds for the Bruins—is one of two FBS players to force four fumbles this season. A pair of those came against Purdue on Sept. 19, in a game where he piled up 11 solo tackles in a 52–38 victory. —P.A.

LB Chris Cole, Georgia

The Bulldogs’ annual token game-wrecker—nicknamed the “Tarantula”—burned Alabama on Saturday to the tune of eight total tackles (2.5 for a loss) and a sack. His recovery and subsequent housing of Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer’s bizarre fumble on Sept. 26 is one of college football’s defensive highlights of the season. —P.A.

CHRIS COLE HOUSE CALL 🏠

📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/wNOacZCjqI

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 26, 2026

LB Austin Romaine, Texas Tech

If you know Romaine for anything, it’s probably for the off-the-wall feat he accomplished in a 49–14 win over Sam Houston on Sept. 26: returning interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive plays. The Kansas State transfer ballhawk is also sixth in the Big 12 in total tackles, amassing 30 in his last four games. —P.A.

CB Andrew Marshall, Nebraska

Teams have been reluctant to target Marshall, an Idaho transfer whose quiet statistical record belies his contribution to the Cornhuskers’ best scoring defense since 2009. When teams do target Marshall, he invariably makes them pay, intercepting a pass against Michigan State and breaking one up against Indiana on Saturday. —P.A.

CB Audavion Collins, Penn State

A holdover from the Franklin years, Collins’s faith in the Nittany Lions has been rewarded with a huge year for the nation’s second-best pass defense. He leads the Big Ten in pass breakups with eight, including three against Wisconsin. —P.A.

Despite Penn State’s recent struggles, the team has defended the pass well thanks to an excellent first half for Audavion Collins. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

S Kingston Lopa, Cal

Lopa, lured from Oregon by new Golden Bears coach Tosh Lupoi, has prevented his team’s season from going completely off the tracks. His five interceptions lead FBS, and his three picks against Syracuse on Sept. 12 were one shy of tying the program record. —P.A.

S Peyton Bowen, Oklahoma

Need recent proof of Bowen’s importance to coach Brent Venables’s Sooners? Look no further than Oklahoma’s upset of Texas on Saturday—a game the Texas-raised defensive back turned by returning an interception 42 yards for a touchdown. —P.A.

SOONER MAGIC pic.twitter.com/K1cEqn0kPI

— Oklahoma Football (@OU_Football) October 10, 2026

First-Team Special Teams

K David Olano, Texas A&M

Olano, who spent the last three years with Illinois, has made all nine field goals he’s attempted this year. He’s the fifth-most accurate kicker in the history of FBS, tied with Florida State’s Roberto Aguayo, who is generally considered one of the best kickers in college football history. —P.A.

P Daniel Sparks, Virginia

A 2020 debutant with Louisiana-Monroe, Sparks is creeping up the all-time FBS punting yards leaderboard. This season, he’s averaging a career-best 49.9 yards per punt—peaking with an astounding 56.7 average in a 38–7 Oct. 3 loss to Florida State. —P.A.

KR Jaylon Hawkins, San Diego State

This wide receiver—little used at his primary position—has run three kicks back for touchdowns this season, a feat that has occurred only 39 times in FBS history, per College Football Reference. He’s done it in back-to-back games, too, burning Texas State on Oct. 3 and Oregon State last Saturday. —P.A.

PR Javon Tracy, Minnesota

His pair of punt-return touchdowns (both against Eastern Illinois on Sept. 3) lead the nation, and his 17.6 punt-return average leads the Big Ten. He’s also a capable wide receiver, exceeding 75 yards against the Panthers, Akron and Purdue. —P.A.

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Second-Team Offense

QB Keelon Russell, Alabama

With 10 touchdowns during a three-week tear through Mississippi State, South Carolina and Florida State, Russell established himself as a Heisman candidate. —P.A.

RB Cam Cook, West Virginia

Last year’s FBS rushing champion at Jacksonville State has adjusted to Big 12 life with spectacular aplomb, actually averaging more yards per game (132.2) than his 127.6 a year ago. —P.A.

RB Dylan Riley, Boise State

FBS’s current rushing leader is bidding to become the second Bronco to claim that crown in three seasons, after 2024 Heisman runner-up Ashton Jeanty. —P.A.

Dylan Riley is the FBS rushing leader, and combines with Boise State teammate Sire Gaines to make up one of the most explosive rushing attacks in the nation. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

WR Carlos Hernandez, Wake Forest

An important piece for a well-rounded Demon Deacons team (and the FBS receptions leader), Hernandez burned Louisville for 194 receiving yards on nine catches on Sept. 26. —P.A.

WR KJ Duff, Rutgers

Duff—the Troy Davis of 2026, a superb talent on a bad team—is averaging 125.6 receiving yards per game for a program pacing for its lowest winning percentage since 2019. —P.A.

WR Charlie Becker, Indiana

The Big Ten’s reigning yards-per-catch champ is still a force; he’s more than doubled his 2025 yards-per-game output (42.4 to 88.2). —P.A.

Charlie Becker is a touchdown machine for Indiana after breaking out late in the Hoosiers’ run to the national title last season. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

TE Matt Wagner, Boise State

A holdover from the 2024 Fiesta Bowl team, Wagner exploded for 94 receiving yards and two touchdowns on seven catches in a 32–7 win over Western Michigan on Sept. 26. —P.A.

OL Trevor Lauck, Iowa

Lauck, a leader for the Hawkeyes’ most productive scoring offense in six years, has helped limit Iowa’s opponents to just five sacks through six games. —P.A.

OL Monroe Mills, Virginia

It’s not easy to break out in your sixth FBS season (and for your fourth FBS program), but Mills’s aggressive pass protection laid the foundation for the Cavaliers to blow out NC State on Aug. 29, and he’s been a bright spot on a mildly disappointing Virginia team. —P.A.

Monroe Mills, playing for his fourth Power 4 program, has been a bright spot for Virginia. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

OL Shadre Hurst, Houston

Reunited with coach Willie Fritz after starting his career at Tulane, the preternaturally strong Georgia native has helped the Cougars post the third-most yards per game (481.8) in the conference. —P.A.

OL Roger Carreon, Boise State

Boise State not only possesses one of the better offenses in the Pac-12, but one of the more physical units, thanks to the work of Carreon, a stalwart and leader on what has been a strong Broncos’ offensive line. —T.C. 

C Coleton Price, Kentucky

Arguably no offensive line has been more improved than Kentucky’s and Price, one of multiple transfers, has helped lead the charge. Price is a stout pass protector and is able to get downfield in the running game, making him one of the more valuable centers in the country. —T.C. 

Second-Team Defense

DE Boubacar Traore, Notre Dame

Traore has been a beast for Notre Dame’s fearsome defense, tallying 3.5 sacks, a pair of forced fumbles and an interception. What makes the Boston native so special is his incredible combination of size and athleticism, which has allowed the Fighting Irish coaching staff to move him around the line, and even drop him back into coverage at times. —T.C. 

Boubacar Traore is a versatile weapon for Marcus Freeman’s elite Notre Dame defense. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

DE Langston Hardy, Wake Forest

Hardy is an immovable force against the run who has racked up nine tackles for loss, and a disruptive presence against the pass, having tallied 4.5 sacks for an underrated Wake Forest defense. —T.C. 

DT Donta Simpson, Missouri

Simpson has been a dominant force on the interior of the Missouri defensive line, racking up 5.5 sacks and saving some of his best performances for the Tigers’ biggest wins this season, against rival Kansas and No. 8 Florida back in Week 5. —T.C.

DT Deuce Geralds, LSU

While Geralds struggled a bit against a strong Kentucky offensive line, he’s also been undeniably dominant as a true freshman, and is just 2.5 sacks away from breaking the program record for sacks in a freshman season. Oh, and Geralds even added a rushing touchdown for good measure. —T.C. 

BIG MAN TOUCHDOWN @DeuceGeralds pic.twitter.com/qoFY8UjoLO

— LSU Football (@LSUfootball) October 4, 2026

LB Xavier Atkins, Auburn

At 6 feet and 210 pounds, Atkins is not your typical linebacker in terms of size. He also isn’t in terms of skill set, as the junior ‘backer excels as a gap blitzer and also has the ability to drop back in coverage. —T.C. 

LB Tony Rojas, Penn State

Speaking of jack-of-all trades linebackers, no one embodies that archetype better than Rojas, who has racked up 24 solo tackles, four sacks, two interceptions and a forced fumble for a Nittany Lions defense that has been one of the better units in the Big Ten. Having Rojas, who has six career interceptions, in the front seven is almost like having an extra safety on the field. —T.C. 

LB TJ Dottery, LSU

The Tigers are much improved against the run and the pass as a defense this season, and the rangy, speedy Dottery, LSU’s leading tackler, has played a large part in such a transformation. —T.C. 

CB Javan Robinson, Wisconsin

Robinson combines the range needed to aid in run stopping, the speed to recover if he does get beat in coverage, and a remarkable ability to make plays on the ball downfield, the last of which was on full display in Wisconsin’s final defensive stand in the upset victory over Penn State on Sept. 26. — T.C. 

CB Ashton Hampton, Clemson

No matter the side of the field he’s on, no matter the coverage, Hampton makes it a no-fly zone when opposing quarterbacks opt to test him. While the Miami wideout dealt with an injury during the win over Clemson, Hampton’s ability to slow down Toney, one of the best receivers in the sport, was a feather in his cap. —T.C. 

S Robert Fitzgerald, Northwestern

Fitzgerald, a playmaker and big hitter on the backend, leads the Wildcats in total tackles and interceptions and has scored a defensive touchdown this season. —T.C. 

S Ta’Shawn James, UCLA

The UCLA defense has been a takeaway machine this season, and the ball-hawking James and his four interceptions are a big reason why. —T.C. 

Ta’Shawn James has four interceptions for the opportunistic UCLA defense. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Second-Team Special Teams

K Luke Drzewiecki, Minnesota

Drzewiecki was Mr. Reliable for New Mexico last season, tying for first in the country with a 94.7% conversion rate on field goal kicks. He’s at it again in 2026 for Minnesota, as he has yet to miss a kick or an extra point and has connected on five field goals of 40 yards or longer. —T.C. 

P Tyler White, Texas A&M

White has boomed the sixth-longest punt in the country this season—a 72-yarder in the Aggies’ Week 6 loss to Missouri—has downed nine punts inside the 20 and boasts the fourth-largest average per punt in the country. — T.C. 

KR Leonard Farrow, FAU

Farrow is a good running back but an elite kick returner who has scored two touchdowns and amassed 271 return yards on just five attempts. —T.C. 

PR Michael Scott, James Madison

Scott, the only player to rank in the top five in the country in both punt- and kick-return yardage, has scored twice off of punt returns and is a legitimate special teams weapon for James Madison. —T.C. 

Sports Illustrated writers Pat Forde and Dan Lyons contributed to these All-American lists.

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