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College Football's Way-Too-Early All-America Team for 2026
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- College Football's Way-Too-Early All-America Team for 2026
The 2026 college football season doesn't start until late August, but it's never too early to take a look and project the top players returning next year. With spring practice right around the corner, Athlon Sports selected a way-too-early All-America Team for the '26 season. These selections will change a lot over the next couple of months, especially as we have a chance to study tape, evaluate teams and players closer, and gather more intel on the coming year.
With the passing of the early entry deadline for the NFL Draft, along with the slowing of transfer movement, all 136 teams should have a much better idea of how their roster stacks up for '26. Indiana, Oregon and Texas lead the way with six selections apiece, while Oklahoma and Ohio State each placed four picks on the way-too-early All-America squad.
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In this way-too-early look, which players are the best at their respective positions for '26? Athlon Sports makes selections for offense, defense, and special teams:
College Football's Way-Too-Early All-America Team for 2026
Note: These selections will change when Athlon Sports' preseason college football magazine is released later this offseason
Way-Too-Early 2026 Rankings: Top 25 | ACC | Big 12 | Big Ten | SEC
First-Team Offense
Will Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning enter the 2026 NFL Draft?Jordan Prather-Imagn Images
QB Arch Manning
, Texas
RBAhmad Hardy, Missouri
RBKewan Lacy, Ole Miss
RBIsaac Brown, Louisville
WRJeremiah Smith, Ohio State
WRCam Coleman, Texas
WRMalachi Toney, Miami
TETrey'Dez Green, LSU
CKade Pieper, Iowa
OLCarter Smith, Indiana
OLTrevor Goosby, Texas
OLCayden Green, Missouri
OLAnthonie Knapp, Notre Dame
OLAustin Siereveld, Ohio State
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First-Team Defense
South Carolina edge Dylan Stewart celebrates after a sack against Old Dominion at Williams-Brice Stadium on Aug. 31, 2024, in Columbia, South Carolina.© Jeff Blake-Imagn Images
DLColin Simmons, Texas
DLDylan Stewart, South Carolina
DLAnthony Smith, Minnesota
DLTyrique Tucker, Indiana
DLTeitum Tuioti, Oregon
LBRasheem Biles, Texas
LBXavier Atkins, Auburn
LBRolijah Hardy, Indiana
LBIsaiah Jones, Indiana
CBLeonard Moore, Notre Dame
CBBrandon Finney Jr., Oregon
SKJ Bolden, Georgia
SBray Hubbard, Alabama
First-Team Specialists
KTate Sandell, Oklahoma
PEvan Crenshaw, Troy
KRDa'Realyst Clark, Kent State
PRRyan Niblett, Texas
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Second-Team Offense
Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin. Aaron Doster-Imagn Images
QBJulian Sayin, Ohio State
RBCam Cook, West Virginia
RBLJ Martin, BYU
RBCaleb Hawkins, Oklahoma State
WRDuce Robinson, Florida State
WRMario Craver, Texas A&M
WRKJ Duff, Rutgers
TETerrance Carter, Texas Tech
CIapani Laloulu, Oregon
OLJordan Seaton, LSU
OLJacarrius Peak, South Carolina
OLTrevor Lauck, Iowa
OLEvan Tengesdahl, Cincinnati
OLDrew Bobo, Georgia
Second-Team Defense
LSU Tigers linebacker Whit Weeks (40) against the South Carolina Gamecocks.© Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
DLDavid Stone, Oklahoma
DLA'Mauri Washington, Oregon
DL Bear Alexander
, Oregon
DLJohn Henry Daley, Michigan
DLTaylor Wein, Oklahoma
LBBen Roberts, Texas Tech
LBRaylen Wilson, Georgia
LBWhit Weeks, LSU
LBKip Lewis, Oklahoma
CBBrice Pollock, Texas Tech
CBKelley Jones, Mississippi State
SAmare Ferrell, Indiana
SMarcus Ratcliffe, Texas A&M
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Second-Team Specialists
KLucas Carneiro, Ole Miss
PBilly Gowers, Indiana
KRKoi Perich, Oregon
PRVicari Swain, South Carolina
Related: 10 Biggest Winners in College Football's Transfer Portal for the 2026 Season
Related: The 8 Most Intriguing Teams in College Football for 2026
Related: Way-Too-Early Heisman Trophy Contenders for the 2026 College Football Season
This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Feb 4, 2026, where it first appeared in the College Football section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
