Preorders are already live for 2026 Bowman Football, and the early buzz is coming from a product that mixes NFL names, college stars, and a few crossover pairings collectors don’t get every day.
This year’s Bowman has a notable twist: for the first time, both NFL and college players will be included in the set. There’s no official release date yet, but the card will land as the first licensed football release of the season after 2026 Topps Flagship Football, which should keep demand high right out of the gate.
The headliners sit in the Dual Cross Sport Autographs, a tiny run of just three cards. The biggest one is the LSU pairing of Joe Burrow and Paul Skenes. Burrow, the Cincinnati Bengals quarterback, and Skenes, the Pittsburgh Pirates starter, were previously together on a triple autograph with Shaquille O'Neal in 2024 Leaf Pro Set, but this is the first time the two have appeared alone and in a licensed product.
The other two cards in that group are built for school pride too. Texas collectors can chase Vince Young and Kevin Durant, a pairing that last showed up together on a dual auto in 2007-08 Upper Deck Black, when Young was with the Tennessee Titans and Durant was a rookie for the Seattle SuperSonics. Georgia fans get Matthew Stafford and Anthony Edwards, a combo that has never had a dual autograph card before.
Arch Manning is another major draw. Topps announced late last month that the Texas quarterback will be in 2026 Bowman Football, and because his only previous cards were in Panini products, his first Bowman cards should draw plenty of attention. He leads the collegiate chase list, with CJ Carr of Notre Dame, Drew Mestemaker of Oklahoma State, LaNorris Sellers of South Carolina, and Darian Mensah of Miami also among the names to watch.
The non-quarterback college chase cards include Texas wide receiver Cam Coleman and Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy.
Bowman also leans into dual autographs and a single triple autograph that tie together current college stars and NFL legends from the same schools. The one getting the most attention is Michigan quarterback Underwood, coming off the Wolverines’ controversial win over Western Michigan, paired with Tom Brady. Brady’s Bowman history is already loaded with lore, thanks to his rookie card from the 2000 set.
The other NIL dual autos in that group are Bear Bachmeier and Steve Young for BYU, plus CJ Carr and Joe Montana for Notre Dame.
There are also two dual-autograph cards featuring quarterbacks in their NFL uniforms. One pairs Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, with Ty Simpson, who went No.
- The other brings together Jaxson Dart of the New York Giants and Eli Manning, both Ole Miss products.
The lone triple autographs in the set stay in the NFL lane, spotlighting two groups of elite college alumni: Malik Nabers, Jayden Daniels, and Brian Thomas from LSU, along with Garrett Wilson, Marvin Harrison Jr., and Jaxon Smith-Njigba from Ohio State.
Collectors chasing legends in college uniforms have their own targets, too. Walter Payton gets the only Retrofractor in the product, showing him from his Jackson State days. Bowman also includes five legends in 1955 All-American Autographs, a throwback design built around collegiate jerseys.
Those five are Steve Young, Barry Sanders of Oklahoma State, Dan Marino of Pittsburgh, Emmitt Smith of Florida, and Ray Lewis of Miami. Young gets an extra boost in the set as he also appears in the dual auto with Bear Bachmeier.
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