Ranking the top 25 college football players midway through the 2026 season
Jeremiah Smith holds No. 1, Darian Mensah surges into the top three, and injuries reshuffle the deck — ESPN's midseason ranking of the 25 best players in college football.
ESPN's experts have reranked the best players in college football at the season's midpoint — and injuries, slumps and breakout stars reshuffled the board.
Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith held the No. 1 spot after consecutive All-America seasons, stacking 52 catches for 984 yards and 12 touchdowns. Right behind him is Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons, with 16 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks — though a high ankle sprain will sideline him for a few weeks. The biggest riser is Miami quarterback Darian Mensah, who climbed from No. 23 to No. 3 after a transfer-portal-fueled start powered the Hurricanes' surge: 1,764 passing yards, 18 touchdowns and an 89.4 Total QBR.
Georgia linebacker Chris Cole jumped from 42nd to fourth with 48 solo tackles, while Oregon State freshman Jesse Legree announced himself at No. 5 with 1,040 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns — a stunning debut for a 5-foot-10 athlete recruit from Baltimore. Tennessee lineman Xavier Gilliam (No. 6), Miami receiver Malachi Toney (No. 7) and LSU pass rusher Princewill Umanmielen, who followed Lane Kiffin from Ole Miss and is tied for second nationally in sacks (No. 8), round out the top 10 along with UCLA linebacker Sammy Omosigho (No. 9) and Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr (No. 10).
The rest of the list tells the story of a chaotic season. Mississippi State's Kamario Taylor tumbled to No. 24 after turf toe ended a Heisman-caliber start that had the Bulldogs at 4-0. Alabama's Keelon Russell dropped to No. 25 after a nightmare performance against Tennessee. And Duke running back Nate Sheppard debuted at No. 12 while leading the Power 4 at 136.7 rushing yards per game.
Source: ESPN — Top Headlines — TrendWire reports stories in its own words; facts should be confirmed against the original source.