Five high school prospects who could be college football breakout stars in 2026

The 2025 college football season has seen true freshmen like Tennessee offensive tackle David Sanders Jr., Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood and Ohio State running back Bo Jackson break out as young stars on their respective teams.

The ability to impact as a true freshman at the collegiate level requires a combination of talent, readiness and opportunity. With senior seasons winding down across the country for the nation’s top high school football prospects, these five stand out as potential breakout stars for the 2026 college football season.

Faizon Brandon, QB, Tennessee

Tennessee 5⭐️ QB commit Faizon Brandon is back in Knoxville.

➡️ https://t.co/SOY8PkEcLZ pic.twitter.com/xxe6M7bD6U
— Tennessee Volunteers on SI (@VolsOnSI) June 14, 2025

Current Tennessee starting quarterback Joey Aguilar is a fifth-year senior, but thanks to the Diego Pavia ruling that grants additional eligibility for junior college transfers, Aguilar could play another year for the Volunteers. That is a distinct possibility, with Aguilar only projected as a late-round NFL Draft pick were he to come out after this season, but the Volunteers do have Aguilar’s heir apparent arriving in the 2026 class.

Faizon Brandon is a 6-foot-4, 210-pound passer out of Grimsley High in Greensboro, N.C. He is the top-ranked overall prospect in 247Sport’s class of 2026 rankings, and committed to Tennessee prior to his junior season. A tall, athletic quarterback, Brandon prefers to sit in the pocket and rifle the football to his receivers, but he also has the quickness and agility to make things happen with his feet if the pocket breaks down.

The Volunteers do have other young arms on their roster, including former four-stars George MacIntyre and Jake Merklinger. But, as we saw with Michigan this season, when you have a generational talent enter your quarterback room, the preference is to get them on the field as soon as possible.

Lamar Brown, DL, LSU

Baton Rouge (La.) University Lab 5-star ATH Lamar Brown revealed a commitment to the LSU Tigers in July after pledging to the hometown program over the Texas A&M Aggies and Miami Hurricanes.

One Texas A&M pledge is pushing for Brown...

More: https://t.co/FUa7z6fKBb pic.twitter.com/2pzsdiy9Wq
— LSU Tigers On SI (@LSUTigersSI) October 21, 2025

The consensus No. 1 player in both 247Sports’ and Rivals’ composite industry rankings is five-star defensive lineman Lamar Brown out of University Lab School in Baton Rouge, La. When the top-ranked high school prospect in the country is in their backyard, you know Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers are not going to let him get away, and they succeeded in grabbing Brown’s commitment this past summer.

One of the reasons Brown is ranked so high is because he is uniquely versatile, a potential impact player on either side of the football as an offensive guard or defensive lineman. The defensive line is where the 6-foot-4, 285-pound Brown shows the highest upside potential, however. His athleticism and size combination allows him to line up anywhere from edge to defensive tackle and wreak havoc.

LSU will graduate a lot of talent off of its defensive line following the 2025 season, but even if their stable was full at the position, Brown has the unique ability and versatility to see the field as a true freshman.

Keisean Henderson, QB, Houston

The Houston Cougars are not generally major players for five-star prospects, but they boxed out the entire country to keep quarterback Keisean Henderson out of Legacy School of Sport Sciences in nearby Spring, Tex., from leaving the area. Henderson is ranked as the No. 2 overall prospect in the entire 2026 class by 247Sports, and has already made a name for himself on the national stage, being named MVP of the Navy All-American Bowl last January after throwing for 146 yards and a touchdown.

Houston head coach Willie Fritz did not beat out the likes of Alabama, LSU and Texas to have Henderson ride the bench his first few seasons in a Cougar uniform. One of the reasons Fritz was able to secure a commitment from the five-star is because he committed to Hendersopn playing the quarterback position early on, whereas other schools projected him as an athlete.

Current starter Conner Weigman does have another year of collegiate eligibility if he wants it, but even if Weigman stays, expect Henderson to see the field next fall to at least give defenses a different look and spark some explosive plays.

Brandon Arrington, DB, Texas A&M

One position that has seen a high number of impact true freshmen in 2025 is cornerback, with Oklahoma’s Courtland Guillory and Florida’s J’Vari Flowers among those emerging in their first seasons. Among the class of 2026, Texas A&M commit Brandon Arrington out of Mount Miguel High School in Spring Valley, Calif., is one of the most likely early-impact prospects at that position.

A key factor to playing as a true freshman is opportunity, and Arrington walks into a defensive backfield at Texas A&M that currently has three seniors starting. At nearly 6-foot-3 and 185 pounds, Arrington is almost the size of a linebacker, but his skill set projects him to the defensive backfield in college, where he could line up at cornerback, nickel or possibly even safety.

Considering his size, wide receivers will have trouble getting off Arrington’s jam at the line of scrimmage, and he is also a long-strider with the speed to run with the SEC’s fastest receivers. That combination of size, speed, agility and the Aggies’ need next season make a nice recipe for instant impact.

Highest Graded True Freshman from Week 8⭐️ pic.twitter.com/owP6kJ8GaM
— PFF College (@PFF_College) October 21, 2025

Zion Elee, DE, Maryland

Maryland has shown no hesitancy to put their best players on the field under head coach Mike Locksley, even if those players are true freshmen. The Terrapins are being led this season by true freshman quarterback Malik Washington, who has thrown for 1,716 yards and 11 touchdowns en route to a 4-3 record.

Zion Elee is a five-star edge rusher out of St. Frances Academy in Baltimore, who will be the highest-ranked prospect to sign with Maryland since Stefon Diggs in the class of 2012.The 6-foot-5, 235-pounder was built to terrorize quarterbacks, with a combination of length, speed and quickness. While he will need some physical development before he is ready to be an every-down player on the Terrapins’ defense, Elee should be able to step in as a situational pass rusher from Day 1.