Top Sophomore at Each Position Heading into the 2026 CFB Season
If you want to get right down to it, ranking the top sophomores in 2026 college football is extremely difficult, largely because so many great players have already flashed big-time production.
Of course, there could be a few names who explode onto the scene this year and make me look silly, but you at least have to take into consideration players who have proved they can produce or star talents with clear paths to playing time.
Some of the guys on this list are prime examples of elite potential meets opportunity, while others are here simply because they're going to shine where possibly more talented players on better teams are still waiting their turns.
This time of year, before spring practice begins, is all about projection. That's why we have to sprinkle some guys on the list who maybe don't have the numbers yet, but the upside is through the roof.
Here are the true or redshirt sophomores we think are going to burst onto your radar the next time the CFB lights come on for real.
Defensive End/Edge: Chaz Coleman, Tennessee Volunteers
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If Chaz Coleman ultimately crashes and burns in 2026, he's going to make a lot of national pundits look dumb. Literally everybody has him on the top players list for next year and placed the former Penn State edge-rusher near the top of the transfer portal rankings.
The 6'4", 240-pound defender played in just five games for the Nittany Lions in '25, but he's stepping into a must-produce role for the Vols this year.
The rising sophomore finished with just eight tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble, but his 22.1 percent pass-rush win rate was elite, ranking 13th nationally. He recorded 15 pressures, routinely getting after quarterbacks and generally wreaking havoc.
"Chaz is explosive, and he is difficult to block," Knowles said, according to the Chattanooga Times-Free Press' David Paschall. "He has a little bit of an invisible cloak, where he can twist and turn and beat guys one-on-one. He has great initial quickness off the ball.
Revamping its defense completely under new, veteran coordinator Jim Knowles, the Vols are relying on Coleman to be special in his sophomore season. The coaching staff isn't doing anything to douse those fires before spring practice, either.
Other second-year defenders have better numbers than Coleman, but his skill set, coupled with Tennessee's need, could make him one of the biggest portal finds. That's why everybody wanted him.
Honorable Mention: Sidney Stewart, Maryland Terrapins
Defensive Tackle: Jahkeem Stewart, USC Trojans
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Considering Jahkeem Stewart played much of his freshman season with a stress fracture in his foot, we've come nowhere near seeing what he can do.
The 6'5", 290-pound jumbo athlete was a massive coup for coach Lincoln Riley in the 2025 class after reclassifying from the '26 cycle. Yes, he was supposed to be a high school senior a season ago, and instead, he was flashing brilliance in the Big Ten.
Now, if he's healthy as a sophomore, the lineman who has edge-rusher skills but lines up inside could break out and become one of college football's biggest stars. The Louisiana product is that good.
Putting him over Georgia's former superstar prospect Elijah Griffin was a very tough call, considering both have massive potential. But Stewart looks like a generational talent who is much more skilled than his 18 tackles, 1.5 sacks, fumble recovery, and interception from a year ago indicate.
He was only beginning to learn the position at 18 years old, and after a year in the weight room and the system, he could be a consistent, disruptive force for new coordinator Pete Kwiatkowski.
Offensive coordinators everywhere will be scheming around a defender who could be among the Big Ten's best.
Honorable Mention: Elijah Griffin, Georgia Bulldogs
Linebacker: Mason Posa, Wisconsin Badgers
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Linebacker: Mason Posa, Wisconsin Badgers
If this list were only about elite potential or if he had a clear path to starting snaps, Ohio State's Riley Pettijohn would be on this list, but a guy we already know will play has proven he has mass-producer potential.
That's rising Wisconsin sophomore second-level defender Mason Posa, a 4-star prospect and top-200 player from New Mexico who chose Wisconsin, a program known for churning out linebackers.
Now, the Badgers need Posa to have a huge second season to help Luke Fickell keep his job.
A season ago, Posa registered 58 tackles, four sacks, forced two fumbles, and recorded one, proving he has the chops to be an instant-impact Big Ten defender. At 6'3", 231 pounds, Posa is an elite run-stuffer, but that's not his only attribute.
The best thing about him is that he saves his biggest games for the biggest moments. In his first career start on October 25, he had 13 tackles against Oregon.
Two weeks later, he had his biggest game in a huge win over Washington, getting 11 stops, 2.5 sacks, and making a game-winning stop on the Huskies' final drive. That performance earned him Big Ten Freshman of the Week honors.
Posa also had 12 tackles and a sack against national champion Indiana. So, yes, the kid's got a knack for the brightest lights.
Honorable Mention: Riley Pettijohn, Ohio State Buckeyes
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Safety: Tae Johnson, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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The Notre Dame Fighting Irish return the nation's best, most dynamic defensive backfield in 2026, and there are just future NFL playmakers all over the place.
Leonard Moore gets most of the headlines, and there's nothing wrong with that since he's an All-American. But rising redshirt sophomore Tae Johnson is a star-in-the-making in his own right.
Even though Miami's Bryce Fitzgerald had an outstanding year, second nationally with six interceptions, including two against Texas A&M in the College Football Playoff, Johnson gets the nod over him because of consistency and elite production.
The best football playing days for the Fort Wayne, Indiana, native are ahead of him, too. In his first year starting in South Bend, the back-level defender registered 48 stops, intercepted four passes, and defended three more.
Teaming with Adon Shuler, Johnson has special skills, and it's going to be difficult for anybody to throw on the Irish in '26. The 6'2", 193-pound Johnson is just oozing with upside.
Honorable Mention: Bryce Fitzgerald, Miami Hurricanes
Cornerback: Brandon Finney Jr., Oregon Ducks
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Just like the safety position, you could put Brandon Finney Jr. or Ellis Robinson IV on this list, and nobody would balk.
At safety, we leaned in the direction of the redshirt freshman in Tae Johnson, but here at cornerback, we're going with the first-year skill set in Finney over the rising third-year player Robinson. You can't go wrong with either, as Robinson has top-shelf cover skills.
Finney, though, surged to the top of a dynamic defensive backfield in Eugene, flashing star potential in his first season despite not even being the top player at his position recruited to play for the Ducks.
Finney finished the season with 42 tackles, a sack, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery, three interceptions, and seven pass deflections. He was all over the field for a team that made it to the playoffs once again and should be the national title favorite in '26.
At 6'2", 203 pounds, the Maryland native is a big, physical cornerback who has the chops to shut down half the field, and he's only going to improve. He has top-of-the-first-round ceiling, and Dan Lanning will deploy him again to make massive plays for a natty-or-bust team.
Honorable Mention: Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia Bulldogs
Offensive Line: Dontrell Glover, Georgia Bulldogs
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Plenty of high-caliber freshmen had strong seasons like Alabama's Michael Carroll, Oklahoma's Michael Fasusi, and Tennessee's David Sanders Jr. But it was a former 3-star who had the best season of them all.
Leave it to Georgia coach Kirby Smart to identify elite talent, and even swimming in a sea of 5-stars in Athens, former 3-star offensive line recruit Dontrell Glover rose to the surface.
The 6'3", 320-pound guard from nearby Fairburn, Georgia, didn't even go through spring practices last year. But once he got to campus in the summer, it was obvious he wasn't going to have to wait to play for long.
Glover played in all 13 games for the College Football Playoff participant Bulldogs, starting 11 of them. He became a rock at right guard, helping protect Gunner Stockton for an offense that may have started in a transitional year but wound up being a strength.
Alongside fellow classmate Juan Gaston, Glover should be a cornerstone for the Dawgs along the front in '26 and for years to come. He is big, strong, and will only improve with a season in the weight room.
Honorable Mention: Michael Fasusi, Oklahoma Sooners
Tight End: DJ Vonnahme, Iowa Hawkeyes
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Unlike the other positions, it's extremely difficult to find a handful of tight ends who could contend for this list.
A guy like Northwestern transfer Luke Dehnicke, who came from Minnesota Duluth, where he was a Division II All-American with 61 catches for 1,119 yards and 14 touchdowns, received strong consideration. But you simply don't know how he'll perform at the highest level.
One guy who's shown he can cut it and be a major weapon despite being unheralded is Iowa's DJ Vonnahme.
The 6'4", 240-pound Carroll, Iowa, native was the nation's No. 284-ranked athlete and just a 2-star prospect in the '24 class. But after a redshirt year, he came on strong in 2025, becoming the Hawkeyes' leading receiver.
Vonnahme finished the year with 29 catches for 434 yards and three touchdowns and averaged 15 yards per catch, proving he can stretch the field and turn into a weapon for quarterback Mark Gronowski. Whoever wins the battle between Jeremy Hecklinski and Hank Brown will love to have Vonnahme to throw to.
Coach Kirk Ferentz is never going to be known for opening up the offense, but Vonnahme is going to be a huge part of what the Hawkeyes do for years to come.
Honorable Mention: Christian Bentancur, Clemson Tigers
Wide Receiver: Malachi Toney, Miami Hurricanes
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The most explosive player in college football wasn't one of the top recruits a season ago. But that didn't matter at all.
Once Malachi Toney got to Coral Gables, it was evident quickly that he was going to be quarterback Carson Beck's biggest weapon. Not only was the first-year player super-fast, he was the kind of slippery player who could make a house call at any time.
Forget 3-star. Every team in the nation wants Toney, and that's why he's the top returning playmaker at any offensive skill position in 2026.
In 2025, as a true freshman, the 5'11" hometown dynamo caught 109 passes for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns. He added 113 rushing yards and another score.
The Hurricanes' offense wasn't a big-play group throughout the '25 season, but Toney gave it a necessary dimension. After a slow start to the College Football Playoff with pedestrian performances against Texas A&M and Ohio State, he broke out against Ole Miss and Indiana.
In those two games, Toney caught 15 passes for 203 yards and scored a couple of times. Those showings are just a springboard for what's to come next year.
Honorable Mention: Braylon Staley, Tennessee Volunteers
Running Back: Caleb Hawkins, Oklahoma State Cowboys
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Bo Jackson has produced on the highest level against the best competition, but you simply can't turn your head away from the first season that Caleb Hawkins had in Denton, Texas, last year.
Now, the Oklahoma native is heading home to play his sophomore season in the Power Four, and everybody is excited about what new Oklahoma State Cowboys coach Eric Morris' offense can do in the Big 12.
The superb sophomore tandem of Hawkins and quarterback Drew Mestemaker are going to be the centerpieces of the resurgent Cowboys. There really aren't any expectations for 2026, but that's what makes them dangerous.
A season ago, playing for the North Texas Mean Green, Hawkins put up PlayStation numbers. The 6'2", 200-pound runner had 1,434 rushing yards, averaged 6.2 yards per carry, and scored 25 times. Through the air, he was a force, too, catching 32 passes for 370 yards and scoring four more times.
Will that translate against teams like Oregon, Houston, Texas Tech, and Arizona State? Those are all on Oklahoma State's grueling schedule, so Hawkins is going to have plenty of national exposure.
Honorable Mention: Bo Jackson, Ohio State Buckeyes
Quarterback: Julian Sayin, Ohio State Buckeyes
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When Nick Saban retired a couple of seasons ago, and Alabama early enrollee Julian Sayin decided to enter the transfer portal and head to Ohio State, everybody knew the Buckeyes had a future star.
The fact that he was so brilliant so quickly as a redshirt freshman was pretty surprising, though.
Once Will Howard left for the NFL, there really wasn't much of a transitional period once coach Ryan Day inserted Sayin. As a matter of fact, Sayin finished fourth in the Heisman Trophy voting, with a spectacular season.
He finished with 3,610 passing yards, 32 touchdowns, and just eight interceptions. While he had subpar games in big showdowns against Texas in the early season and in a playoff loss to Miami, Sayin had plenty of huge games.
The California native is known for his dead-eye accuracy and completed an astounding 77 percent of his passes in his first year starting for one of the top teams in college football.
With Jeremiah Smith, Brandon Inniss, and others returning in '26, the Buckeyes should have an explosive passing game with Sayin under center again. He has a chance to have a record-setting career in Columbus before it's all said and done.
Honorable Mention: CJ Carr, Notre Dame Fighting Irish
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