ESPN’s 2026 preseason All-America team arrived Wednesday with a few familiar names, a few bold calls and at least one omission that stands out right away.
The network’s college football analysts, Eli Lederman and Max Olson, made the selections two weeks before North Carolina and TCU kick off the season in Dublin. Texas paced the field with five first-team picks, not counting quarterback Arch Manning.
A handful of players made the jump from ESPN’s 2025 postseason team to this preseason group. Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore, Indiana offensive tackle Carter Smith and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith all stayed in the spotlight.
Some of ESPN’s choices lean heavily on last season’s production. Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin got the first-team nod after throwing for 3,610 yards and 42 touchdowns as a redshirt freshman. Notre Dame’s CJ Carr landed on the second team.
At running back, Ole Miss’ Kewan Lacy and Florida’s Jadan Baugh earned the first-team spots. Lacy put up 1,567 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns while leading the FBS with 109 forced missed tackles.
The receiver spots went to Jeremiah Smith and Texas transfer Cam Coleman. Smith has piled up 2,258 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns since the start of 2024. Miami sophomore Malachi Toney was placed at all-purpose after a 1,211-yard debut.
On defense, Texas edge rusher Colin Simmons sits at the top of the unit. He leads all active FBS players with 21 career sacks. South Carolina’s Dylan Stewart joined him on the edge, while Leonard Moore returned as the top cornerback after a unanimous All-American 2025 season.
Not every selection lines up with the other major preseason lists. The Walter Camp Foundation released its team in June, and it made two quarterback calls ESPN did not.
Walter Camp chose Arch Manning at quarterback, while ESPN went with Sayin on the first team. The Sporting News also selected Manning.
Manning finished 2025 with 3,562 total yards and 36 touchdowns.
The bigger surprise may be Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss being left out entirely. He finished eighth in Heisman voting in 2025 after throwing for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns. The Sporting News named him its first-team preseason quarterback last week.
ESPN’s own Kirk Herbstreit pushed the conversation even further on the Pat McAfee Show this month. "I think Trinidad Chambliss could be the face of College Football heading into the season," Herbstreit said. "He's so refreshing to be around, and he has a great personality."
The tight end spot was split in a different direction as well. ESPN chose Texas Tech’s Terrance Carter Jr., while Walter Camp and Athlon Sports both went with LSU’s Trey’Dez Green.
Missouri running back Ahmad Hardy also landed on ESPN’s second team behind Lacy and Baugh. Walter Camp gave Hardy first-team recognition, and he was a Walter Camp first-team All-American in 2025.
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