College Football's New Superstars

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In the new world of college football – thanks to the NIL money and transfer portal – players often stick around a little bit longer. That means they get time to grow, mature, and improve.

And then they go from great to amazing.

Fernando Mendoza was good at Cal, and a legend at Indiana. CJ Carr was an untested prospect last year at this time, and then he ripped it up for Notre Dame. Who will be this year’s new superstar who takes his game to another level?

26 for ’26, No. 6: College Football’s 10 New Superstars

26: Winningest Programs Yet To Make the CFP
25: ACC Key Questions
24: Big 12 Key Questions
23: Big Ten Key Questions
22: Top 2027 NFL Draft Prospects
21: SEC Key Questions
20: What’s Next in Realignment?
19. Ranking all 30 New Head Coaches
18. Who Has the Easiest Schedules?
17. Who Has the Hardest Schedules?
16. Who Might Be the Next Indiana?
15. Group of Six Teams with Best CFP Shot
14. 5 Teams Due For a Letdown
13. 5 Programs Under the Most Pressure
12. 26 Bold Predictions
11. 5 Teams We’re Disrespecting
10. 5 Hottest Head Coaching Prospects
9. Biggest Games of the Season
8. Coaches On Hot Seat
7. Teams About to Surprise

DeSean Bishop, RB Tennessee

Josh Heupel’s offense knows how to get big production from the backs – Dylan Sampson led the SEC in rushing by a mile in 2024, tearing off almost 1,500 yards and 22 touchdowns.

Last season, with Sampson gone to the Cleveland Browns, Bishop took over and ran for close to 1,100 yards and 15 touchdowns – averaging 5.9 yards per carry, just like Sampson did. The main man for the Tennessee offense should push past 200 carries and be among the nation’s top backs.

Cam Coleman, WR Texas

Looking for something pretentious to say at your next dinner party? Throw out the idea that Ohio State star Jeremiah Smith might not be the first wide receiver selected in the 2027 NFL Draft.

The 6-3, 200-pound Coleman has size, 4.4 speed, and caught 93 passes for over 1,300 yards and 13 scores in two years at Auburn. Now he has Arch Manning throwing to him as the new Texas No. 1 target.

(And, by the way, Smith actually will be the first receiver off the board.)

Cam Cook, RB West Virginia

The nation’s leading rusher is back, and now he’s on a bigger stage. Cook started his career at TCU with a little bit of success over two seasons.

Meanwhile, Jacksonville State head coach Rich Rodriguez’s offense was ripping off rushing yards in chunks. He left for West Virginia. Cook became a Gamecock anyway, and 1,659 yards and 16 touchdowns later, he put together a massive season.

Now he’s with Rodriguez in Morgantown, where he should be deep in the Doak Walker Award hunt as the nation’s top running back.

Chris Henry Jr., WR Ohio State

The world will be watching Ohio State this year because it’s Ohio State, and because wide receiver Jeremiah Smith might be the signature star of the season.

Someone has to take advantage of all the attention paid to 4, and last year, that’s where Carnell Tate came in. He ended up being the fourth overall pick by Tennessee in the NFL Draft.

Welcome, America, to Chris Henry Jr. – the next great Buckeye wide receiver.

The son of the late NFL star by the same name, Henry Jr. is 6-5, 210 pounds, and once he gets his chance – it’s Ohio State; it tends to have lots of good receivers – he’ll explode as a matchup nightmare of a deep threat.

Josh Hoover, QB Indiana

At some point, maybe, just maybe, everyone will understand that Curt Cignetti is pretty good at the whole talent evaluation thing.

Remember, Fernando Mendoza wasn’t on anyone’s Heisman-winning-No. 1-overall-draft-pick radar last year at this time. Hoover doesn’t have Mendoza’s size or tools, but he’s got something the new Las Vegas Raider didn’t – a ton of experience.

In three seasons at TCU, Hoover threw for 9,627 yards and 71 scores, has the arm to push the ball down the field as well as anyone in America, and about the interceptions everyone freaks out about – 33 in three years – that was partly because he had to keep bombing away in the Horned Frog attack.

Owen Long, LB Arizona State

Good as a freshman at Colorado State, he came up with 45 tackles in the rotation. And then he became the nation’s leading tackler.

The Rams weren’t good last year, but Long was a bright spot, averaging a whopping 1.58 tackles a game more than anyone else in his 151-stop season with two sacks, five tackles for loss, and five broken up passes.

Now at Arizona State, he might not be this season’s Jacob Rodriguez – the former Texas Tech star linebacker who cleaned up on the awards circuit – but the talent and opportunity are there to be a force.

Darian Mensah, QB Miami

Let’s be honest here. It’s not like you really watched a ton of Duke football last season.

Mensah started out at Tulane, was a high-priced transfer get for the Blue Devils, and he became even better in an ACC Championship season. In two seasons with the two teams, he completed 67% of his passes for almost 6,700 yards and 56 touchdowns.

A great downfield thrower, as well as accurate, now it’s his job to take over for Carson Beck and keep the Miami offense rolling.

Leonard Moore, CB Notre Dame

Quarterback CJ Carr is the new Notre Dame superstar, and there are plenty of NFL talents across the defense, but Moore is about to stand out more impressively than any of the big-time Irish talents. He’s going to be a national name even though no one will throw his way.

The NFL scouts are all over him with his quickness, physical play for his size, and uncanny knack for getting around the ball with seven interceptions and 18 broken-up passes in two years.

Koi Perich, S Oregon

Dillon Thieneman was last year’s big Oregon safety transfer signing. The fantastic all-around playmaker from Purdue more than played up to the hype, and now he’s a Chicago Bear.

Perich is even more athletic – he was an elite punt and kick returner for Minnesota, along with all he did on defense – and now he’s the new main man for another great Duck defense. In two years with the Gophers, Perich made 128 tackles with six picks and 5.5 tackles for loss.

Trey White, EDGE Texas Tech

No, he’s not going to be another David Bailey – the former Stanford-turned-Texas Tech star who led the nation with 14.5 sacks before becoming the No. 2 overall pick by the New York Jets, but stat-wise, White won’t be far off.

It took a few years to get up to speed, and then came the breakout 2024 season at San Diego State with 12.5 sacks and 18.5 tackles for loss. Keyed on last year, he made seven sacks and 10.5 tackles for loss as the rest of the Aztec defense feasted.

Be stunned if he’s not among the nation’s top pass rushers this year as Texas Tech turns him loose on the outside.

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