College football鈥檚 biggest stars enter 2026 with a chance to take home some of the sport鈥檚 most prestigious individual awards. Some of the players to watch:
Doak Walker Award: Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
established himself as one of the top running backs in college football last season after rushing for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns, averaging 5.1 yards on 306 carries. Lacy finished the season tied with Quinshon Judkins for the most rushing yards in a single season in Ole Miss history while setting single-season program records for carries and rushing touchdowns.
A standout year earned Lacy bragging rights as the first Doak Walker finalist in Ole Miss history. With quarterback and a strong group of returning offensive linemen around him, Lacy is a favorite here.
Biletnikoff Award: Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
has been talked about as one of the nation’s top receivers since arriving at Ohio State in 2024. Since then, the five-star recruit has recorded 163 catches for 2,558 receiving yards and 27 receiving touchdowns, leading the Buckeyes in receiving yards in both seasons.
Smith fell short of the Biletnikoff in 2025 despite having more receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns than winner Makai Lemon. Smith hauled in 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns, averaging 14.3 yards per catch.
He enters his third season with the Buckeyes with an advantage he has not had yet in his career 鈥� the same starting quarterback from one year to the next. With Julian Sayin returning to the starting lineup for Ohio State, Smith should have every opportunity to build on the previous seasons and bring home some hardware. Maybe the Heisman Trophy, too.
Jim Thorpe Award: Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
Leonard Moore made a name for himself at Notre Dame as a sophomore in 2025. The junior cornerback is on pace to be a first-round pick after a standout season in which he earned unanimous All-American honors, led the Irish with five interceptions and added 31 tackles, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble. Moore’s five interceptions tied for seventh-most in the country.
Moore鈥檚 knack for tracking the ball and making plays in coverage made him a Jim Thorpe Award finalist in 2025. An expanded role as one of the leaders of the secondary can only help his case in 2026.
Bednarik Award: Colin Simmons, Texas
Colin Simmons developed into one of the ‘s top pass rushers in 2025, leading the conference with 12 sacks while adding 15.5 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and two fumble recoveries. His 12 sacks ranked fifth in the FBS.
Simmons returns for his third season after making a significant jump from his freshman to sophomore year. He has a chance to become the Longhorns’ most productive defensemen and add to the numbers that already cemented him as a top pass rusher. With a loaded SEC slate, Simmons certainly has a stage big enough to turn heads nationally.
Outland Trophy: Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
Iapani Laloulu has become one of the nation’s top offensive linemen over the past three years, and 2026 offers an opportunity to finish the job after being named an Outland semifinalist last season. Laloulu started all 15 games at center for Oregon in 2025, earned FWAA first-team All-America honors and helped lead an offensive line that was a finalist for the Joe Moore Award.
Laloulu helped the Ducks fill the void left by Jackson Powers-Johnson, who departed for the NFL after earning the Rimington Trophy in 2023. Laloulu moved from guard to center in 2024 and has been outstanding.
Heisman Trophy: CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Is the race wide open? Yes, probably, and Smith and Sayin (see above) are among those in the mix along with Texas QB Arch Manning and Oregon’s Dante Moore.
But Carr is a favorite of the sportsbooks after throwing for 2,741 yards, 24 touchdowns and just six interceptions in 2025, completing 66.6% of passes while throwing at least one touchdown in all 12 of his starts. He will be more important in 2026 with Notre Dame鈥檚 dynamic running back duo of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price gone to the pros.
The Fighting Irish of the College Football Playoff last season, and they have the roster and strength of schedule to take them far. If Carr can pull off the expected leap in year two leading the charge, he could become Notre Dame鈥檚 first Heisman winner since Tim Brown in 1987.
___
. Visit and see AP鈥檚 full
Copyright © 2026 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
