Top 25: Award candidates for every team

playPat McAfee reacts to Kirby Smart’s claim that Big Ten has edge over SEC (3:05)“The Pat McAfee Show” crew discusses Georgia coach Kirby Smart’s comments that the Big Ten has an edge over the SEC. (3:05) The goal of every top team in college football is to qualify for the playoff field and move on to win the national championship. But players for each of those teams also have their own aspirations. From the Heisman Trophy to the Butkus Award and Outland Trophy, there are numerous opportunities for individuals to take home hardware. We asked our college football reporters to name a top national award candidate for each team in our Way-Too-Early Top 25. WR Jeremiah Smith, Biletnikoff Award (best receiver) Despite being arguably the best wide receiver in college football the past two years, Smith has yet to win the Biletnikoff, given to the nation's most outstanding player at the position. In 2024, he shattered school freshman receiving records, then hauled in a memorable game-clinching catch late in the national championship victory over Notre Dame. Last year, Smith caught 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns despite battling a lower-body injury late in the regular season that forced him to miss a game and a half. As long as he can stay healthy, Smith will be the favorite to finish his illustrious Ohio State career with the Biletnikoff before heading to the NFL. -- Jake Trotter Moore made a somewhat surprising decision after last season, forgoing the NFL draft -- where he would have likely been one of the top two or three quarterbacks selected -- to head back to Oregon for one more year. After a 3,565-yard, 30-touchdown campaign in 2025, Moore had the third-shortest odds for the award as of the first week of May. And with some of his top targets, such as Dakorien Moore and a healthy Evan Stewart, still in Eugene ahead of a season that seems like championship or bust for the Ducks, Moore should be right in the mix for the sport's top award. -- Paolo Uggetti Stockton finished seventh in Heisman voting in 2025 after leading the Bulldogs to a 12-2 record and second straight SEC title in his first season as a starter. He completed 69.7% of his pass attempts for 2,894 yards with 24 touchdowns and five interceptions. He's a physical and effective runner, gaining 462 yards with 10 scores. Stockton isn't the flashiest quarterback, but he's productive and rarely makes mistakes. If he can take the next step as a passer by taking advantage of throws down the middle of the field, he could be even better in 2026. -- Mark Schlabach CB Leonard Moore, Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back) In addition to the Thorpe, Moore will have a chance to win the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, which is the defensive equivalent of the Heisman, and the Chuck Bednarik Award, which is presented to the top defensive player. Moore started in 10 games last year and led the Irish with five interceptions, tied for sixth most in the country. He had 31 tackles, seven pass breakups and a forced fumble. He also had a 46-yard pick-six against Syracuse. Moore earned unanimous All-America honors last year and was one of the top Power 4 cornerbacks in coverage grade (92), according to Pro Football Focus. -- Heather Dinich Defensive end Colin Simmons (12 sacks in 2025) can be all-everything in Will Muschamp's defense, but Manning was playing as well as anyone in the country at the end of last season, finishing with 3,163 yards, 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions, while also rushing for 399 yards and 10 TDs, despite a slow start in his first year as the starter. With a full season under his belt, new weapons in the backfield and the arrival of Cam Coleman at wide receiver, Manning is a legitimate threat to challenge for the Heisman this year. -- Dave Wilson OT Carter Smith, Outland Trophy (best interior lineman) Indiana enters the season with two of the top Outland candidates in Smith and defensive tackle Tyrique Tucker, a third-team AP All-America selection who had six sacks last fall. But Smith likely will enter the fall as the Outland favorite after earning consensus All-America honors in 2025 and being named the Big Ten's Offensive Lineman of the Year. He has started 38 consecutive games at left tackle, protecting multiple quarterbacks during Indiana's rise, and will now shield Josh Hoover's blind side. He anchored an offensive line that last season had eight games with one or zero sacks allowed as the team rose to 12th nationally in rushing (212.9 yards per game). -- Adam Rittenberg Tough choice here between Toney and running back Mark Fletcher Jr., who will be in the mix to win the Doak Walker Award as the best running back in the country. But Toney was so electric in his true freshman season that we will give him a slight edge as the best returning player on Miami's offense. Toney had 1,704 all-purpose yards and 13 total touchdowns, and he should be a candidate to be a unanimous All-American as well as for the Biletnikoff and the P

Top 25: Award candidates for every team

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