College football is rarely predictable — especially when it comes to national awards — but what else are we to do in the offseason if not speculate wildly? That’s why we’re looking ahead to some players who could take home hardware at the end of the 2026 season.
With spring practices now concluded, we have a better sense of which players will make a big impact on their respective teams. That means we also have a clearer picture of what the field for the Heisman Trophy, and a slew of other individual awards, could look like.
Armed with that new information, let’s take a shot at predicting the winner of each individual award with just over three months until Week 1. There will surely be some surprises (i.e., Fernando Mendoza and Diego Pavia finishing atop Heisman voting last year), but all of these players should enter the season as frontrunners for each respective award.
The Maxwell and Walter Camp Awards — granted annually to the top player in college football — were not included. Those awards are still very prestigious, but they often overlap with the Heisman Trophy, which creates some redundancy for our purposes.
Heisman Trophy
Prediction: CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
There’s a case to be made that Notre Dame’s soft schedule will hurt Carr’s chances at the award, but that also means he could put up monster numbers as a redshirt sophomore.
Last year, Carr was one of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks, throwing for 2,741 yards and 24 touchdowns while averaging 9.4 yards per attempt and 14.1 yards per completion.
Besides, Carr will have a few opportunities to shine in big moments, including a road game against BYU and home games against Miami and SMU. If he performs well in those contests, Carr will have a great shot to bring home the Heisman Trophy.
Biletnikoff Award (Top Receiver)
Prediction: Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Playing in the same offense as Julian Sayin may eliminate Smith from the Heisman Trophy discussion — as unfair as that may be.
Still, Smith will be the favorite to win the Biletnikoff Award after getting snubbed as a sophomore. Through two seasons at Ohio State, Smith has piled up 163 receptions, 2,558 receiving yards and 27 touchdowns. At the ripe old age of 20, Smith is the most electrifying player in the country, and he should get his flowers this fall.
Davey O’Brien Award (Top Quarterback)
Prediction: CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
If Carr wins the Heisman Trophy as the most outstanding player in college football, it goes without saying he’ll have a strong case for the Davey O’Brien Award.
After ranking 28th in completion percentage last season (66.6%), Carr’s numbers could explode in 2026 if he improves in that area while maintaining his efficiency.
Doak Walker Award (Top Running Back)
Prediction: Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida
There’s a reason Texas tried to throw a boatload of cash at Baugh in the offseason, and there’s a reason Florida ponied up to keep him. At 228 pounds, Baugh has no business moving as well as he does, and that’s what makes him so special.
Last year, even on a bad Florida team, Baugh piled up 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground while amassing 210 yards and a pair of touchdowns through the air. Now, just imagine what Baugh could do on an offense that averages more than 21.6 points per game.
John Mackey Award (Top Tight End)
Prediction: Terrance Carter Jr., TE, Texas Tech
Carter made the jump from the Sun Belt to the Big 12 last season, and he didn’t miss a beat. He ranked fifth among tight ends nationally with 624 receiving yards while adding five touchdowns.
At 6-foot-2 and 245 pounds, Carter is a load to bring down once he gets the ball in his hands, which might happen more frequently this fall because the Red Raiders have to replace their top two receivers from a year ago. Plus, he should be more comfortable in his second season under offensive coordinator Mack Leftwich.
Rimington Award (Top Center)
Prediction: Iapani Laloulu, C, Oregon
Dating back to the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl at the end of the 2023 season, Laloulu has started 30 consecutive games at center for the Ducks. Last season, he earned first-team All-American and second-team All-Big Ten honors. Laloulu was even a finalist for the Rimington Award, which went to Iowa’s Logan Jones. This year, Laloulu will get the nod as he anchors an Oregon offensive line that should drive its team’s championship pursuit.
Bednarik Award (Top Defender)
Prediction: Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas
Going chalk is rarely fun, but it’s hard to deny the numbers. Simmons is coming off a season in which he led the SEC in sacks with 12.0 while also piling up 15.5 tackles for loss. That wasn’t empty-calorie production against subpar competition either. The vast majority of his sacks (10.5) and tackles for loss (14) came against Power Four competition. Even if Simmons’ production simply plateaus in his junior season, Simmons will be in the thick of the Bednarik race.
Thorpe Award (Top Defensive Back)
Prediction: Jontez Williams, CB, USC
Part of the exodus from Iowa State, Williams is coming off a torn ACL, but reports on his progress have been encouraging. Assuming that Williams is healthy, he should be a focal point of Gary Patterson’s defense at USC.
Williams brings 32 games of experience with him to Los Angeles, and he has a track record of production. In 2024, Williams recorded four interceptions and 46 tackles for the Cyclones. USC has some of the best quarterbacks in college football on its schedule, so Williams will get the opportunity to make big plays on a national stage.
Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Top Defender)
Prediction: Colin Simmons, EDGE, Texas
The Nagurski Award often goes to players in the front seven — and that would mean Simmons likely takes this one home as well. The fact that Texas has one of the toughest schedules in the country only means Simmons will get more opportunities to showcase his disruptive ability in big games.
Outland Trophy (Top Interior Lineman)
Prediction: William Echoles, DL, Ole Miss
A four-star recruit in the 2024 signing class, Echoles emerged as a game-wrecker in the middle of the Ole Miss defensive line last season. In the Rebels’ College Football Playoff win over Georgia, Echoles made a big impact with two tackles for loss, and he finished the season with 11.5 tackles for loss and 5.0 sacks while earning first-team All-SEC honors. Echoles gives Pete Golding’s defense a big weapon in the trenches.
Butkus Award (Top Linebacker)
Prediction: Rolijah Hardy, LB, Indiana
Hardy was key to the Hoosiers’ national championship last year, as he was all over the field on defense. Hardy finished the season with 102 tackles, 15.0 tackles for loss and 8.0 sacks. Hardy was named to the All-Big Ten second team, but that may undersell what he meant to Indiana’s defense. Expect more big things out of him as a junior.
Lou Groza Award (Top Kicker)
Prediction: Tate Sandell, K, Oklahoma
Last year’s Lou Groza Award winner, Sandell carries himself with a swagger rarely seen from kickers, but he’s earned it. He was automatic for Oklahoma last season, nailing 88.9% of his field-goal attempts, including 8-of-9 nine attempts from 50-plus yards. No kicker has won the Lou Groza award in consecutive seasons since Sebastian Janikowski did so in 1998-99, but that changes this fall as Sandell gets another.
Ray Guy Award (Top Punter)
Prediction: Palmer Williams, P, Baylor
Williams was a finalist for the Ray Guy Award last year while posting a net average of 45.0 yards. If transfer quarterback D.J. Lagway doesn’t take a step forward this year, Williams might get to show off his powerful leg more often.
