College Football Players Poised for Bounce-Back Years in 2026

Every offseason is full of hype around college football, especially for players who thrived in the recent campaign.

But that optimism does not always lead to more success.

Due to any number of reasons—coaching or personnel changes, scheme adjustments, competition level and so on—a well-respected player may struggle. Projections of all-conference or All-American seasons go unmet.

When someone has eligibility left, however, redemption can be chased. That's the story for this selected group of potential standouts in 2026.

Avery Johnson, QB, Kansas State

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Back in 2023, Avery Johnson exploded onto the national radar with a five-touchdown showing out of nowhere. He helped Kansas State win a bowl to close the season, then totaled 3,317 yards and 32 scores with a 9-4 record in 2024.

It seemed the mobile QB's star would only continue ascending.

Unfortunately for Johnson and the Wildcats, the 2025 season was a major struggle. They tumbled to a 6-6 mark and declined a bowl invitation, soon followed by the retirement of head coach Chris Klieman.

K-State brought back program legend Collin Klein to oversee the team. He's reinjected life into Johnson's upside. Klein, a third-place Heisman Trophy finisher in 2012 who recently served as Texas A&M's offensive coordinator, knows a bit about both being and coaching a dual-threat standout.

Perhaps the 'Cats won't surge to Big 12 title contention, but Johnson has a great opportunity to rebuild his reputation in the league.

LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina

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Around this time in 2025, the NFL draft community had circled LaNorris Sellers as a potential first-round QB to monitor.

That possibility still exists, but Sellers has plenty to prove in the fall. The dynamic ability he showed as a redshirt freshman made far fewer appearances, while his rushing total plummeted from 674 yards to 270.

Sellers' upside, nevertheless, is appealing.

Throw in a receiving corps featuring Nyck Harbor with a few returning pieces, and South Carolina has an intriguing outlook. New coordinator Kendal Briles oversaw top-25 passing offenses during the last two years at TCU, as well.

The schedule is tough once again—which is unsurprising—but Sellers, at his best, is the kind of quarterback who elevates a whole team.

Arch Manning, QB, Texas

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Yeah, yeah, a big, fancy name.

Arch Manning, nevertheless, is an obvious bounce-back candidate. He improved down the stretch in 2025, but Texas' well-known quarterback was underwhelming—sometimes straight-up bad—early on.

Look, most programs would be thrilled to have a QB who threw for 3,163 yards, scampered for nearly 400 yards and totaled 37 touchdowns to seven interceptions while propelling a 10-3 team. However, Texas entered the season with championship goals. Manning's issues contributed to the Longhorns falling short.

The fall is a new season. Those expectations are not changing.

Auburn transfer Cam Coleman joins Ryan Wingo in a loaded receiving corps. The offensive line is potentially fantastic. Texas signed a pair of established players to upgrade the backfield, too.

Manning has little excuse not to thrive in 2026.

Makhi Hughes, RB, Houston

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Makhi Hughes rose to prominence with Tulane, turning in back-to-back seasons of 1,400-plus total yards in 2023 and 2024. He landed first-team All-AAC recognition in both of those campaigns.

When he decided to transfer last offseason, it only made sense for a program like Oregon to chase the running back.

Sometimes, a great fit on paper simply does not work out.

Hughes never established himself in the Ducks' rotation, ending the 2025 season with 17 carries for 70 yards. He ended up taking a redshirt, jumping back into the portal to move to Houston.

Re'Shaun Sanford II is set to return from a knee injury, while DJ Butler held a second-string job last year. Houston has nice depth in the room.

But this backfield should be Hughes' to lead.

Ryan Coleman-Williams, WR, Alabama

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That dreaded word—drops—is always part of this discussion right now.

Ryan Coleman-Williams, as he'll now be known, burst onto the college landscape with a quality 2024. As a true freshman at Alabama, he reeled in 48 passes for 865 yards and totaled 10 touchdowns.

Last season, however, the wideout fought the ball too often. Pro Football Focus tagged him with a 16.9 drop rate.

Surely a player with his talent will figure it out, right?

That's not guaranteed, of course, but projecting a bounce-back year for Williams seems smarter than declaring his hands unfixable.

Whit Weeks, LB, LSU

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After logging 49 tackles during his freshman year, Whit Weeks became a fixture of the LSU defense with 125 tackles (10 for loss) as a sophomore in 2024.

So, naturally, he entered 2025 carrying major expectations.

Although a broken ankle disrupted his season, Weeks had a quiet opening month anyway. He managed 11 tackles in the first four games, one of which he barely played due to a targeting penalty and ejection.

Weeks is back, presumably healthy and ready to lead a revamped LSU defense as the Lane Kiffin era begins in Baton Rouge.

AJ Harris, CB, Indiana

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Will a change of scenery be the answer for AJ Harris again?

Out of high school, the cornerback signed with Georgia. He spent a year as a reserve in Athens, then headed to Penn State, collected 48 tackles, snagged an interception and claimed third-team All-Big Ten recognition in 2024.

Penn State imploded as a whole, as Harris was no exception. He started much of the campaign, yet played a reduced role and struggled overall.

Joining the reigning champions is a nice way to encourage a resurgence!

Harris is penciled into the lineup at Indiana, which has to replace star corner D'Angelo Ponds. Expectations are high, but IU's an ideal situation for Harris.