Two Auburn standouts are stacking up preseason recognition fast, and both names are now showing up on another major national list.
Quarterback Byrum Brown and linebacker Xavier Atkins landed on USA Today’s “Top 100 College Football Players for 2026,” a ranking built around “past production, along with future projections and NFL draft stock.” Brown checked in at No. 96 after what USA Today described as a breakout 2025 season, though the outlet also said his place was limited until he could “prove he can get it done in the SEC against a full conference slate.”
Atkins came in much higher at No. 17, making him the second-highest linebacker on the list behind Texas’ Raheem Biles and the eighth-highest defensive player overall. Brown was one of 13 quarterbacks included.
The list also featured former Tiger and current Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman, who landed just outside the top 10 at No. 11.
Brown’s preseason buzz doesn’t stop there. He was also named to the Manning Award Watch List, announced by the awards sponsor in the Allstate Sugar Bowl. He was one of 40 quarterbacks on the first version of the watch list, which will be updated at midseason before finalists are revealed ahead of postseason football.
He was one of eight SEC quarterbacks selected for the list, which “showcases many of the outstanding quarterbacks who will define the 2026 college football season.” Auburn has had only one quarterback win the Manning Award: Cam Newton after his 2010 season.
Brown is also the first Tiger to make the preseason watch list since Bo Nix in 2021. He was added to the midseason watch list last year after a strong start that included upset wins over Boise State and Florida.
His resume keeps growing beyond that, too. Brown has already appeared on watchlists for the Maxwell Award, Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award, and the Davey O’Brien Award, along with lists from the Senior Bowl and CBS Sports ranking the best in the sport.
Atkins is getting his own wave of attention as well. He has been tagged as a potential winner for the Dick Butkus, Walter Camp, and Bednarik Awards, all of which point to him as one of the top linebackers - or even top defensive players - in college football.
For Auburn, having two of its most important starters earn this kind of national attention for 2026 is a meaningful sign for a program trying to climb back to the top of the conference under new head coach Alex Golesh and reach its first bowl game since 2023.
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