CBS Sports names college football's best position groups ahead of 2026 season

Talking season is officially upon us with Big 12’s annual football media days festivities already underway this week inside AT&T Stadium in Frisco, Texas. The other three Power Four conferences will follow with their own multiday preseason kickoff events over the next several weeks in the annual summer build-up to the upcoming college football season.

CBS Sports‘ Chris Hummer took the opportunity to answer the question: “What are the best position groups in college football?” And he did it by trying to build a college football all-star team without any positional overlaps. That right, each team can only qualify for one position group. Makes things interesting, doesn’t it?

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So, without further ado, let’s delve into CBS Sports’ Frankenstein-like mashup of college football’s best position groups entering the upcoming 2026 season:

Quarterback: Oregon Ducks

Players: Dante Moore (Jr.), Dylan Raiola (Jr.)

This one’s a no-brainer. Without the foresight of knowing Moore would inexplicably return to college, forgoing a potential opportunity to be the No. 2 overall pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, Oregon head coach Dan Lanning targeted and signed Moore, the former Nebraska five-star starter, out of the transfer portal. That move undoubtedly gives the Ducks the best quarterback room in the sport next season, with two QBs that could start for almost any other team in the country on the same roster.

CBS Sports: “In this era where even solid Power Four starters cost $2 million-plus, it’s really difficult to have two good quarterbacks on the same roster, especially when both have played. Oregon has two great ones.”

Running back: Ole Miss Rebels

Players: Kewan Lacy (Jr.), Makhi Frazier (Jr.), Joshua Dye (Jr.)

Despite heavy transfer interest, Lacy opted to stick with Ole Miss through its offseason coaching shakeup to the delight of Rebels fans everywhere. Lacy is coming off a breakout 1,567-yard rushing season with a SEC-best 24 touchdowns in 2025, and now enters 2026 with much more quality support behind him. This offseason, Ole Miss added both Frazier, who led Michigan State with 520 rushing yards last season, and Dye, who was second in the FCS with 1,832 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns at Southern Utah in 2025.

CBS Sports: “If Ahmad Hardy were fully healthy and cleared, Missouri likely gets the nod in this category. But the Rebels are a very worthy inclusion. … No backfield has more proven collegiate production.”

Receiver: Indiana Hoosiers

Players: Charlie Becker (Jr.), Nick Marsh (Jr.), Tyler Morris (R-Sr.), Shazz Preston (R-Sr.)

This selection might come as a surprise given the elite pass catchers at Miami, Ohio State and Texas, CBS Sports points to the Hoosiers’ superior depth at the position, with a least three players NFL teams view as potential early round selections. Despite being Indiana’s No. 3 option last year, the 6-foot-3 Becker is a natural deep threat with exceptional hands and footwork, while Marsh comes to Bloomington after a 1,300-yard season at Michigan State in 2025. Preston led Tulane with 723 receiving yards last season.

CBS Sports: “Indiana’s wide receivers may not have the crossover name recognition of Texas, Ohio State or even Miami, but NFL scouts view Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh as two of the top pass-catching prospects for the 2027 cycle.”

Tight end: Georgia Bulldogs

Players: Lawson Luckie (Sr.), Elyiss Williams (Soph.), Ethan Barbour (R-Fr.)

No college team has produced the sheer volume of NFL-caliber tight ends as Georgia, especially over the last several seasons. From Darnell Washington and Brock Bowers in 2023-24 to Oscar Delp this past April, Bulldogs TEs are routinely coveted NFL prospects. That won’t change this season with Luckie returning to a group that also includes multiple former four-star recruits in Barbour and the 6-foot-6 Williams, who flashed his talented pass-catching prowess as a true freshman last season.

CBS Sports: “There are tight end groups fronted by high-profile NFL prospects, but few schools can combine the talent and depth that Georgia does in its room.”

Offensive tackle: Texas Longhorns

Players: Trevor Goosby (Jr.), Melvin Siani (Sr.), Brandon Baker (Jr.)

With former five-star QB Arch Manning back for his second season as the Longhorns’ starter, Texas head coach Steve Sarkisian focused on building up an already elite offensive line with the transfer addition of 6-foot-6, 313-pound Siani, who didn’t allow a sack at Wake Forest in 2025, to pair opposite All-American left tackle Goosby. Siani’s addition alone allowed the team to slide Baker, last year’s starting right tackle, inside to a more comfortable guard position which should only strengthen the entire starting five.

CBS Sports: “Texas could fit in multiple spots for this college football super team. But it makes sense to use the Longhorns at offensive tackle, where they have the best pairing in the country.”

Interior offensive line: Ohio State Buckeyes

Players: Carson Hinzman (R-Sr.), Luke Montgomery (Sr.), Phillip Daniels (R-Jr.), Austin Siereveld (R-Jr.)

Despite losing multi-year starter Tegra Tshabola to the transfer portal, the Buckeyes’ 2026 starting offensive line returns a wealth of experience, especially along the interior. Between 6-foot-5 preseason All-American candidate Hinzman at center, and returning starting OLs Daniels, Montgomery, and Siereveld, the foursome have nearly 75 combine career starts between them.

CBS Sports: “In Luke Montgomery and Carson Hinzman, the Buckeyes have one of the most proven interior tandems in the country. … Ohio State’s other guard spot is up for grabs, but it’s going to go to someone with a lot of experience.”

Edge pass rushers: Miami Hurricanes

Players: Damon Wilson II (Sr.), Marquise Lightfoot (Jr.), Armondo Blount (Jr.)

Another potential controversial pick, CBS Sports goes with the rebuilt Hurricanes’ edge group that saw 2025 starters Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor drafted in April. A major reason for that is Miami’s addition of Wilson, the former Georgia and Missouri pass rusher who has 12 sacks and 15 tackles for loss the past two seasons. Lightfoot moves into a starting role after registering 5 1/2 TFL and 2.5 sacks last season in a reserve role, where Blount could contribute in 2026.

CBS Sports: “The Hurricanes get the nod due to the combination of an elite, proven edge rusher (Wilson) and some young edge defenders the Hurricanes believe are ready to become major contributors.”

Interior defensive line: Texas Tech Red Raiders

Players: AJ Holmes (R-Sr.), Mateen Ibirogba (R-Sr.), Bryce Butler (R-Sr.)

Once again, the Red Raiders completely rebuilt its defensive line through the transfer portal, with only fifth-year senior Holmes returning from last season’s FBS-leading run defense. In addition to the 300-pound Holmes, Texas Tech signed the athletically-gifted Ibirogba as On3’s No. 1-rated defensive tackle transfer from Wake Forest and 325-pound Butler from Washington to give the defending Big 12 champions a wealth of experience and talent inside.

CBS Sports: “Very few teams can afford to have five or six proven defensive tackles on their roster. Texas Tech bet big this offseason that its d-line depth is a winning strategy.”

Linebacker: Tennessee Volunteers

Players: Arion Carter (Sr.), Amare Campbell (Sr.), Edwin Spillman (R-Soph.), Jeremiah Telander (Sr.)

The 6-foot-1, 235-pound Carter opted to return to Knoxville for his senior season rather than enter the NFL Draft after leading the SEC with 7.6 average tackles per game in 2025 after undergoing offseason foot surgery to fix an injury that plagued him all last season. He’ll pair with fellow veteran Campbell, who led Penn State with 103 total tackles last season to rank sixth in the Big Ten. Through in quality backups in Spillman and Telander and the Vols’ second level will be a challenge for every offense it faces.

CBS Sports: “Few units in college football have legitimate three-deep depth. That’s what the Vols will feature in 2026 with draft-worthy players sitting atop the depth chart.”

Cornerback: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Players: Leonard Moore (Jr.), Christian Gray (Sr.), DJ McKinney (R-Sr.)

Whenever you have a consensus first-team All-American and guaranteed first-round NFL Draft pick in the 6-foot-2 Moore coming back, you’re already ahead of the game. But it’s the Irish’s loaded depth that really separated the unit in CBS Sports’ eyes. It’s also an experienced unit that includes the 6-foot Gray who enters this season with six career interceptions, and McKinney, a 6-foot-1 transfer from Colorado who had four interceptions and 97 tackles the past two seasons for the Buffaloes.

CBS Sports: “It’ll be interesting to see who slots in at nickel for the Irish. But in terms of pure cornerback depth and experience, they’re the best in the country.”

Safety: Alabama Crimson Tide

Players: Bray Hubbard (Sr.), Keon Sabb (Sr.), Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. (R-Soph.), Zavian Mincey (Jr.),

Returning experience has been a consistent feature in every group highlighted by CBS Sports, and the Crimson Tide safeties are no different. Both Hubbard and Sabb are likely first-team preseason All-SEC players after ranking in the Top 5 on the team with 79 and 54 total tackles last season, respectively. Hubbard also tied for the SEC-lead with four interceptions in 2025, giving Alabama two elite playmakers in the backend of its secondary.

CBS Sports: “Hubbard and Sabb were Alabama’s top-graded defenders last year, per PFF, and two of the top 25 safeties in the Power Four.”