Top Seniors at Each Position Heading into the 2026 College Football Season
It's not often that you have wily, old seniors in their fourth, fifth or even sometimes sixth seasons roaming the college football field as stars. Used to, if you were any kind of NFL prospect, you were off to the pros as soon as you got the chance.
But with big-time NIL checks being thrown around, plenty of upperclassmen are sticking around to enjoy the college life a little longer and get that money, too.
That leads to a deep and talented group of seniors ready to come to a television near you in 2026.
There are waves of elite quarterbacks, top-tier players along both lines of scrimmage and even some veteran skill-position players on this list.
Texas Tech and Indiana, especially, are loaded. The Red Raiders have a couple of players on this list. The Hoosiers add two, but both schools probably have 4-6 considered in the top three at their respective positions.
So, who made the best of the bunch at their respective positions?
Here are the ones we think will be at the head of the senior class this upcoming season.
Quarterback: Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss Rebels
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It's incredible how many exciting senior signal-callers there are out there.
Josh Hoover is going to have a huge year after transferring to Indiana. Brendan Sorsby can take a big next step at Texas Tech. The Big 12 has other megastar senior quarterbacks, like Devon Dampier and Noah Fifita.
But the best of the bunch – barring any kind of last-minute eligibility snafu – will be Trinidad Chambliss at Ole Miss.
After transferring to Oxford from Ferris State a season ago, Chambliss was simply a revelation. He began the year on the bench behind Austin Simmons, but when Simmons got banged up, Lane Kiffin inserted the unheralded quarterback, and magic followed.
Chambliss led a Rebels run to the College Football Playoff semifinal. He was a star with his arm and feet. Even when Kiffin left for LSU, Chambliss didn't miss a beat. Now, he's back for another year and could lead Ole Miss to an SEC title.
He isn't your prototypical NFL quarterback, but Chambliss is a do-it-all collegiate playmaker who is special with the ball in his hands.
Running Back: Mark Fletcher Jr., Miami Hurricanes
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Many runners could have made this list, like rugged BYU runner LJ Martin or the nation's leading runner from a season ago – Cam Cook – who transferred from Jacksonville State to West Virginia.
They're all looking up at Mark Fletcher Jr. in Coral Gables, though. After last season's rejuvenated Miami run to the championship game, you can't find a player who embodies all that is right with college football in this era like Fletcher.
The kid cares deeply about The U. You almost get the feeling he'd play for free. He is a driven force who deeply wants to bring a national championship to his home school.
His 1,192 rushing yards a season ago and 85 yards per game weren't on Martin's level, but it's the leadership and refusal to be denied that Fletcher showed when it mattered most that gets him the nod here on this list.
After piling up 172 yards in the first-round win over Texas A&M, Fletcher had 90 yards against Ohio State, 133 against Ole Miss and 112 and two scores against an Indiana defense nobody ran on.
He seems like a man on a mission. Expect Fletcher to ride that drive to another big year.
Wide Receiver: Duce Robinson, Florida State Seminoles
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There certainly isn't a lot of excitement happening in the Mike Norvell era in Tallahassee. There isn't a lot of good going on, either.
Duce Robinson is both exciting and good, and the Seminoles are very fortunate to keep the legacy star in the fold after two awful seasons. The former two-sport star, who was a 5-star signee with USC, decided to head to his father's alma mater last year. The rest is history.
Robinson – who is the son of former FSU defensive back Dominic Robinson – has done a lot of moving around in his college career. He's no longer a baseball star, and while he was a tight end at USC, he's moved to the perimeter in Tallahassee.
What followed was stardom.
A season ago, the 6'6"playmaker had a breakout campaign, catching 56 passes for 1,081 yards and six touchdowns on an atrocious team. If the 'Noles can turn things around and find a quarterback in the process this year, it'll be because Robinson is a focal point in an offense needing star power.
Tight End: Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech Red Raiders
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It's understandable if you leaned toward another Big 12 tight end star at the top of this list in UCF's Dylan Wade, but we're going with the obvious answer.
Terrance Carter Jr. is the next jumbo athlete at the position, a mass-producer who spent his first three seasons as a Louisiana Ragin' Cajun before heading back to the Lone Star State to play for the Red Raiders a season ago.
All Carter did was show he could produce on the biggest stage, catching 55 passes for 624 yards and five touchdowns. The previous season, he caught 48 passes for 689 yards and scored four times at a lower level.
At 6'2", 245 pounds, the Killeen, Texas, native is big enough to be considered an NFL tight end. He could be a future star in the league. Those days will have to wait, though, as he plans to team with Brendan Sorsby and Co. to bring a national title to Lubbock.
Carter is a no-brainer here.
Offensive Tackle: Carter Smith, Indiana Hoosiers
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The best offensive lineman in the nation is coming back to Bloomington to anchor a line that should probably compete with Cincinnati for the Joe Moore Award in 2026.
The Hoosiers have upperclassman stars everywhere, which is why it wouldn't be a stretch to see coach Curt Cignetti's team repeating as national champions, but Carter Smith is one of the leaders. He is a selfless, team-first star who has a long pro career ahead of him.
Last year, Smith allowed only eight pressures. Even though IU has been built on transfers during the Cignetti era, this is a homegrown Hoosier who should finish his career as a legend.
A season ago, he protected Fernando Mendoza's blind side and will do the same for Josh Hoover, earning Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year and finishing as a semifinalist for the Outland Trophy, which goes to the nation's top lineman.
The 6'5", 308-pound Ohio native is a stalwart at the position. There may be others who get flashier headlines, but Smith is the best. He's one of the biggest unsung stars in the Hoosiers' resurgence.
Interior Offensive Lineman: Luke Montgomery, Ohio State Buckeyes
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A bunch of very good senior offensive guards and centers are coming back to college football, but Luke Montgomery may be the best.
The 6'5", 315-pound senior helped anchor the left side of the Buckeyes line in '25. It's expected that he will be a huge part of their offense again this year.
Montgomery didn't allow a single sack a season ago. He gave up just 10 pressures in Big Ten play. The Buckeyes were manhandled against Miami in the playoffs, giving them extra motivation this season. Montgomery will be a big part of that turnaround.
A couple of years ago, during OSU's '24 national title run, Montgomery was thrust into the starting lineup and outfitted himself well against Texas and Notre Dame in the playoffs. He started all 14 games in '25 playing both guard positions.
Now, he's going to have another big year in Columbus before heading to the NFL.
Interior Defensive Lineman: Tyrique Tucker, Indiana Hoosiers
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For all the talk about Indiana and Texas Tech in the intro, this one came down to a Hoosier or a Red Raider.
We gave the nod northward with Tyrique Tucker. The 6'0", 302-pound sparkplug who led all Power Four defensive tackles with 12 tackles for a loss a season ago and will team with Mario Landino to be perhaps the most formidable interior D-line duo in the nation.
Tucker also produced six sacks in an impressive effort. He could really even take a bigger leap this season, which gives him the nod over A.J. Holmes, Jr., who is returning to Lubbock for his final season when he could have been a high-round NFL draft pick.
Also, Oregon's A'Mauri Robinson garnered some consideration here, but Tucker is playing for a coach who is going to get the most out of his players, while being surrounded by elite players everywhere to prevent offenses from putting extra attention on him.
It's going to be a big year for Tucker, who will ride it to NFL stardom a year later than many thought he should.
Edge: Anthony Smith, Minnesota Golden Gophers
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Of all these positions, perhaps the most difficult decision was here, where we rolled with the steady, super-underrated defensive lineman over another mass-producer.
A year ago, Minnesota's 6'6", 285-pound jumbo edge-rusher went from a reserve a couple of seasons back to a Big Ten star, registering 38 tackles and 12.5 sacks for the Golden Gophers. The ability to get to the quarterback gave him the slight nod over Louisville's Clev Lubin.
Lubin is beloved by Pro Football Focus for his quarterback pressure rate. He belonged on this list, but Smith has the ability and size to be an elite force this year and onward in the NFL. He reminds me of AJ Epenesa when he was at Iowa.
Smith chose to return to PJ Fleck's program, telling ESPN cameras after the bowl win, "I just want to say one thing. I love this so much. I don't want to be on any other team, that's why I am coming back from my fifth year. Row the boat," according to SI.com's Tony Liebert.
There aren't a lot of headlines about Smith, but he's quietly one of the top defensive players in all of college football. He could be on the verge of double-digit sacks once again.
Linebacker: Rasheem Biles, Texas Longhorns
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Big 12 championship game star Ben Roberts is coming back to Texas Tech, where he's expected to take over for Jacob Rodriguez and be the leader of one of the nation's best defenses in 2026, but we're going with another Lone Star State product.
The Texas Longhorns went out into the transfer portal and landed what is probably the best defensive player in the portal, who is considered the nation's top linebacker. A season ago, Rasheem Biles anchored a Pittsburgh Panthers defense known for producing NFL talent under Pat Narduzzi.
Biles will finish his career in Austin playing for Will Muschamp. The 6'1", 220-pound Longhorns star could have returned to his home in Columbus to play for the Buckeyes, but went south.
He won't be disappointed, and neither will coach Steve Sarkisian, who gave Biles a massive NIL deal to anchor that defense. A year ago, he filled up the stat sheet with 100 tackles, 4.5 sacks, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and two interceptions.
When a player can do it all like that, it lands you on this list. That's why Biles and Roberts were 1A and 1B on this list.
Cornerback: Brice Pollock, Texas Tech Red Raiders
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Texas Tech is known as the program-building, new-age portal powerhouse for good reason. But the Red Raiders are also enjoying holdovers from last year's team.
Much like Ben Roberts, Brice Pollock turned down NFL dollars to come back to Lubbock, where the senior cornerback is going to be one of the biggest defensive back playmakers in all of college football.
The Red Raiders grabbed him from Mississippi State during the '25 portal cycle. He was huge a season ago, earning all-conference honors as the 6'0", 185-pound DB finished with 48 tackles, one fumble recovery and five interceptions.
Pollock won't get the headlines like Leonard Moore at Notre Dame, who is the best cover corner in a generation, but he's a veteran star who could play his way into a high-round draft pick with a big, final season.
This is going to be a loaded Red Raiders defense with stars at all levels. It's huge for them that they're going to get a guy who's been in the system on the back end to anchor a unit that is going to see some new faces.
Safety: Bray Hubbard, Alabama Crimson Tide
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The NFL doesn't value the safety position as much as some others, so it's not that uncommon to see some upperclassmen at the position coming back where they can earn big bucks in the college game.
TCU's Jamel Johnson and Marcus Neal Jr., who followed Matt Campbell from Iowa State to Penn State, are a couple of players who'd be strong picks here, but we'll roll with Roll Tide and Alabama's Bray Hubbard.
Yes, there are more athletic defensive backs in the nation, but Hubbard is an absolute playmaker who roves around and does everything on the back end for the Crimson Tide. A season ago, he led Bama with four interceptions. They all came at pivotal moments.
The 6'2", 213-pound Mississippi native finished with 74 tackles, two sacks and three fumble recoveries, too. He made big play after big play. While Alabama lacks the defensive stardom it had during the Nick Saban era, Hubbard does all the little things.
He's a bit of a throwback player who is going to have a big final year in Tuscaloosa.
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