Just 2 QBs crack rankings of college football’s top returners in 2026

It's the same thing every year. In the college football offseason, a lot of time and energy is spent focused on the quarterback class, generally touting how good the overall group is, and questioning which player will be at the top of NFL draft boards the following spring. That is especially the case going into 2026, considering there are names like Arch Manning , Dante Moore , and Julian Sayin , among many others, on that list of QBs likely entering their final season of college ball, but when you look at the landscape of veteran players across the nation, it's fair to argue that the season, at large, is going to be defined by non-passers.

The quarterbacks garner the attention, but the other guys make the biggest difference. Over the weekend, On3 released its ranking of the top 10 returning players across college football going into this season, and it was relatively surprising to see that just two QBs — Manning and Moore — made the list, and were low in the rankings, on top of that. Here's the full breakdown from On3: WR Jeremiah Smith — Ohio State CB Leonard Moore — Notre Dame Fighting Irish WR Malachi Toney — Miami Hurricanes EDGE Colin Simmons — Texas Longhorns EDGE Dylan Stewart — South Carolina Gamecocks OT Carter Smith — Indiana Hoosiers QB Arch Manning — Texas Longhorns QB Dante Moore — Oregon Ducks RB Ahmad Hardy — Missouri Tigers WR Cam Coleman — Texas Longhorns Of course, this list is not the end-all, be-all of college football returners, and there are many who may have critiques of the group overall.

However, it's not hard to agree that Smith belongs at or near the top, while a lot of these names have a rightful spot in the conversation. At large, though, it's interesting to see a visual of where the talent lies going into the new year, and that, in particular, there are a lot of non-QBs who will have a big hand to play in the outcome of the 2026 season. Of course, a season ago, nobody had Indiana QB Fernando Mendoza on their list of most impactful players going into the season, and he ended up winning the Heisman Trophy and leading the Hoosiers to a historic championship when all was said and done.

Let's revisit this list in 8 months and see how it looks. Contact/Follow @College_Wire on X and @College_Wires on Threads. Like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of college sports news, notes, and opinions.