Today: Top players of '26, new portal nuggets, teams who missed expectations, and a closer look at the Charles Bediako situation.

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NCAA FOOTBALL

Way-too-early Top 100 college football players for upcoming 2026 season

Malachi Toney, Jeremiah Smith, Dante Moore

With 2025 in the rear-view, we at On3 are already looking towards the 2026 season. Next year's class is stacked with game-wreckers, highlight machines, and future legends ready to own Saturdays. Based on On3's Impact Rankings, we ranked the top 100 players in the country. Here's a snapshot of the Top 10.

10. QB Sam Leavitt, LSU

Leavitt was our Impact QB1 this time last year. Even after a rocky, injury-riddled sophomore season, a pairing with Lane Kiffin makes a rebound feel likely. He remains an elite downfield thrower with dazzling athleticism in space, capable of juking defenders out of their cleats. Over his last two Impact Studies, he erased 38 sacks across 13 games. LSU's ceiling will be tied directly to Leavitt's play.

9. WR Cam Coleman, Texas

Coleman dealt with below-average quarterback play as an underclassman, with more than 35% of his 2025 targets graded as "tossups," the highest rate among SEC receivers with at least 50 targets. Despite that, he beat the national average in yards per target and created eight receptions on his own. Now paired with Arch Manning, Coleman's unique skill set should finally be unlocked.

8. OT Carter Smith, Indiana

The Big Ten's Blocker of the Year returns as our top offensive lineman. The 6-foot-5, 315-pound tackle has logged more than 2,700 career snaps and was the only returning tackle to post both an 80-plus run-block and pass-block grade last season, per Pro Football Focus. His 1.9% pressure rate allowed ranks second-best among returning tackles.

7. RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

Hardy led the major conferences in rushing yards, yards after contact, explosive carries, and broken tackles. Over the past two seasons, he has rushed for just six yards shy of 3,000 while averaging more than 4.2 yards after contact. Notre Dame's Jeremiah Love was the only other qualifying rusher to accomplish that. Good company.

6. RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss

Lacy emerged as one of the hardest players to tackle in the sport. He generated 1,010 yards after contact and broke 91 tackles, both top-four marks nationally. Behind his physical style, Ole Miss finished third in rushing yards and second in rushing touchdowns. His 98 combined first downs and scores were the most by an SEC running back since Derrick Henry in 2015.

5. EDGE Colin Simmons, Texas

One of the most dynamic defensive linemen in college football, Simmons is a relentless tone-setter. His 91 impact plays ranked top 10 nationally, and his 14.3% impact rate placed him among the top edges with 200-plus snaps. Simmons also posted a 21.2% pass rush win rate, a top-eight mark among Power Four players in 2025.

4. WR Malachi Toney, Miami

The On3 Offensive Freshman of the Year was an immediate game-changer. Toney was targeted or handed the ball on nearly 15% of Miami's offensive plays and forced a Power Four-high 33 missed tackles. He dropped just one pass on 139 opportunities and is one of seven returning receivers to post a 1,000-yard season with 2.4 yards per route run.

3. EDGE Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

Dylan Stewart is a havoc goblin. Over the last two years, he's accumulated 88 pressures and forced six fumbles. Even after a down year by his standards, his length, explosiveness, and disruption ability make him one of the most impactful defenders in the country.

2. QB Dante Moore, Oregon

Moore is our QB1 entering 2026 and a clear Heisman hopeful. In a weak quarterback draft, the former Five-Star Plus+ prospect opted to return to Oregon and take another step as a driver of the offense. His accuracy, poise, and ceiling separate him from the rest of the class.

1. WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

No debate here. Jeremiah Smith is Him. He tops our Impact Rankings for the second-straight season. At 6-foot-3, 225 pounds, he can bully defensive backs and come down with key catches. His blazing burst, at that size, makes covering him impossible. The junior Buckeye is poised to produce his third 1,000-yard, double-digit touchdown effort ahead of being the likely top pick in next April's NFL Draft.

See the full top 100 ranking.

TRANSFER PORTAL

Transfer Portal Intel: Updates on Cooper Barkate, Damon Wilson & more

Darian Mensah, Luke Ferrelli, Cooper Barkate

Duke officially entered QB Darian Mensah and WR Cooper Barkate into the transfer portal on Wednesday night. Jordan Seaton and Mensah are still being heavily pursued by programs around the country. Multiple other top remaining players are working to make decisions. Pete Nakos has the latest intel.

Duke WR Cooper Barkate

Since news broke last week that Mensah was expected to enter the transfer portal, Cooper Barkate's name has been mentioned as one that could follow his quarterback. He officially hit the portal on Wednesday. One school is the clear favorite, and a reunion with Mensah is likely. Sources still expect several premier programs to make a run at landing Barkate.

Cal LB Luke Ferrelli

The ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year officially re-entered the transfer portal on Thursday morning after committing to Clemson earlier this month. The current expectation is he will land at Ole Miss, and Nakos has logged a prediction in favor of the Rebels.

Missouri EDGE Damon Wilson

The top pass rusher remaining in the transfer portal is back home in Venice, Florida, following his visit to Miami. The Hurricanes appear to be the favorite, but Wilson's camp is still in communication with other schools. A decision is expected to come in the next 48 to 72 hours.

Ole Miss WR Cayden Lee

Trinidad Chambliss' top wide receiver officially hit the portal on Wednesday night. Missouri is viewed as the team to beat if he ultimately decides to leave Ole Miss. Lee entered his name into the portal as a precaution if Chambliss does not play in 2026 due to his eligibility battle.

San Jose State QB Walker Eget

Duke is viewed as a school to watch for the transfer quarterback. He's thrown for 5,563 career yards and 30 touchdowns.

NCAA FOOTBALL

Dabo Swinney, James Franklin & Brian Kelly latest to have preseason Top 10 teams finish unranked

Lackluster seasons by Clemson's Dabo Swinney, former Penn State coach James Franklin, and former LSU coach Brian Kelly put the trio in a not-so-illustrious club: coaches with Associated Press preseason Top 10 teams that finished the year unranked.

When Penn State and Clemson met last month in the Pinstripe Bowl, it was a pairing of college football's two biggest disappointments in 2025.

Penn State started the season ranked No. 2, while Clemson was No. 4. Both finished the year unranked in the AP Poll.

It was the first time Swinney had a preseason Top 10 team finish the season unranked. However, for Franklin, who was fired at Penn State after a 3-3 start, it was the second time he had a preseason Top 10 team finish the season unranked. The other time was at PSU in 2020.

Kelly, whose Tigers started the season at No. 9, also failed to live up to preseason expectations and was fired after a 5-3 start. It's the second time Kelly had a preseason Top 10 team finish the year unranked. The other time was at Notre Dame in 2016.

There are currently nine active coaches who had preseason Top 10 teams finish the season unranked, including new LSU coach Lane Kiffin, the only coach in college football history to have a preseason No. 1 team finish the season unranked. In 2012, when Kiffin was at USC, the preseason top-ranked Trojans finished 7-6.

Besides Swinney, Franklin and Kiffin, the other current coaches with preseason Top 10 teams that finished unranked: Florida State's Mike Norvell (2024); USC's Lincoln Riley (2023); Oklahoma's Brent Venables (2022); Baylor's Dave Aranda (2022); Iowa State's Matt Campbell (2021), now at Penn State; and Oregon's Mario Cristobal (2020), now at Miami.

While Franklin and Kelly have had multiple teams that didn't live up to preseason expectations, they can't match Jimbo Fisher in that department. Fisher is the only coach in NCAA history with three teams ranked in the top six in the AP Preseason Top 25 polls that finished the season unranked.

Fisher did so at Florida State in 2017 and then at Texas A&M in 2021 and 2022.

In all, there were 12 schools that were ranked in the AP Preseason Top 25 that finished the year unranked. They were: No. 2 Penn State, No. 4 Clemson, No. 9 LSU, No. 11 Arizona State, No. 12 Illinois, No. 13 South Carolina, No. 15 Florida, No. 16 SMU, No. 17 Kansas State, No. 22 Iowa State, No. 24 Tennessee, and No. 25 Boise State.

Of those 12 teams, six will have new coaches this fall: Penn State, LSU, Michigan, Florida, Kansas State and Iowa State.

BYU led a dozen schools that exceeded expectations. The Cougars finished No. 11, the highest-ranked team that wasn't ranked in the AP's Preseason Top 25. The others that went from unranked to Top 25: No. 14 Utah, No. 15 Vanderbilt, No. 16 Virginia, No. 17 Iowa, No. 18 Tulane, No. 19 James Madison, No. 20 USC, No. 22 Houston, No. 23 Navy, No. 24 North Texas, and No. 25 TCU.

See the longer list of coaches who fell short of expectations.

🚨Headlines

NCAA BASKETBALL

What to know about the Charles Bediako case, and what it means for Alabama

Alabama's season and the broader NCAA eligibility debate took a dramatic turn Wednesday when a Tuscaloosa County judge granted a temporary restraining order (TRO) allowing former Crimson Tide center Charles Bediako to immediately resume basketball activities. Bediako, who last played for the Tide in 2023, now is expected to play Saturday against Tennessee.

Since going undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft, he signed G League and two-way contracts within the San Antonio Spurs organization and later played for affiliates in Grand Rapids and Detroit. He never appeared in an NBA regular-season game. His legal filing argues that recent eligibility reinstatements, combined with the evolution of NIL compensation, make the NCAA's denial inconsistent, particularly with his five-year eligibility clock nearing expiration.

The TRO remains in effect until Jan. 27, when a hearing will determine whether Bediako is granted a preliminary injunction that could extend his eligibility further into the season. The timing is notable. Alabama's only game before that hearing is Saturday's matchup with Tennessee, followed by a home game against Missouri on Tuesday, which coincides with the court date.

Alabama moved quickly to voice its support. In a statement, the university said it "supports Charles and his ongoing efforts to be reinstated for competition while he works to complete his degree." According to AL.com, Bediako is already enrolled at Alabama for the spring semester, clearing the academic requirements necessary for eligibility should the court ruling ultimately remain in place.

The NCAA responded forcefully to the ruling and used it to again call on Congress to pass federal reform legislation. In a statement on Wednesday, the organization argued that court-ordered eligibility decisions undermine its ability to enforce rules designed to protect opportunities for incoming athletes. The NCAA characterized Bediako as a former NBA player and said allowing him to compete against college athletes is exactly why congressional intervention is needed.

Kentucky coach Mark Pope sounded off on the NCAA's eligibility crisis after Wednesday's game. He suggested the NCAA ultimately holds the power of deciding who gets into March Madness, implying that teams who play former pros could face repercussions come tournament time.

"Until someone tells me different, I still believe the NCAA has full power over who gets in the NCAA Tournament and what games they count towards your NCAA Tournament bid," Pope said. "Hopefully, we'll take a stand there and clean this up for everybody."

The situation mirrors a growing pattern of legal challenges, including the injunction granted to Diego Pavia in late 2024. Time will tell if Bediako really does play, or if the NCAA takes action.

Get the latest on the Charles Bediako situation.

TRIVIA

Now here's a guy...

Below, you'll find 3 facts about a random college football player. You'll try to guess who the player is based on the facts. Let's go.

I became the first player in TCU history to record a 200-yard passing, 100-yard rushing, and 100-yard receiving performance in the same season.
I led my program to a 12–1 season in 2014, a No. 3 national ranking, and a Peach Bowl blowout win where I earned Offensive MVP honors.
I finished my college career with more than 12,700 all-purpose yards and 113 total touchdowns, placing me firmly atop the TCU record books.

Answer at the bottom.

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