Breaking Down ESPN’s Top 2026 College Football Prospects and Notre Dame’s Place

College Football is less than 100 days away and it’s quickly becoming list season.

ESPN is the latest to release its top five prospects at every position and Notre Dame is well represented, which should come as no shock to what is the “best roster in college football” per one scout ISD spoke to this week. 

2027 NFL draft: Ranking top five prospects at every position

NFL Draft expert Matt Miller and Jordan Reid both gave their thoughts on each position and it starts with the signal-callers. 

QUARTERBACK
Miller
1. Arch Manning, Texas
2. Dante Moore, Oregon
3. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State 
4. CJ Carr, Notre Dame 
5. Darian Mensah

Reid
1. Arch Manning, Texas
2. Dante Moore, Oregon
3. Darian Mensah, Miami
4. CJ Carr, Notre Dame
5. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State 

- This seems about right for Carr. I think you can make a strong argument for him being anywhere 1-4. A year ago, Carr didn’t have nearly as many weapons as Manning or Moore, and Notre Dame featured not one, but two running backs. Carr will quickly get to show the country he’s ready to carry the Irish in 2026. The other piece here is that Carr doesn’t bring the threat to run like Manning or Mensah. I can see where some folks would value that, especially in the college game. 

I’m not sure I’d have Mestemaker over Carr at this point. Yes, he did lead FBS in passing yards (4,379), but he’ll be making the jump from North Texas to Oklahoma State, so the competition will go up for him. Carr probably is the most efficient of this group throwing the ball, but he’ll need to show a little bit more of his ability to create explosive plays down the field to move up from fourth. 

And it only makes November 7th that much more intriguing as Carr and Mensah will face off. 

RUNNING BACK
Miller
1. Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
2. Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
3. Jadan Baugh, Florida
4. Isaac Brown, Louisville
5. Raleek Brown, Texas

Reid
1. Kewan Lacey, Missouri
2. Jadan Baugh, Florida
3. Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
4. Issac Brown, Louisville
5. Nate Frazier, Georgia 

- As both mentioned, it’s hard to rank Hardy due to him being shot in May, but he’s expected to make a full recovery. It’d be hard to put Aneyas Williams or Nolan James Jr. in the top five without a consistent body of work to this point. 

Cam Cook of West Virginia is a name I’m surprised didn’t make the list, especially with their love for Mestemaker. In 2025, Cook led the country in rushing yards (1,659) at Jacksonville State, and now he’ll play for Rich Rod. One can say a lot of things about Rich Rod, but give him a mobile quarterback and a running back and he’s off to the races. 

WIDE RECEIVER
Miller
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
2. Cam Coleman, Texas
3. Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama
4. Ryan Wingo, Texas
5. Charlie Becker, Indiana

Reid
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
2. Cam Coleman, Texas
3. Charlie Becker, Indiana
4. KJ Duff, Rutgers
5. Ryan Coleman-Williams, Alabama

- No arguments here. As good as Coleman is, there’s a massive gap between No. 1 and No. 2. Notre Dame will have a chance to make some noise here as Jordan Faison is one of the toughest covers in college football and then you add Mylan Graham to the mix. Jaden Greathouse is a wild card. You saw what he could do during Notre Dame’s playoff run in 2024, but Greathouse needs to stay healthy. 

It will be interesting to see how Ohio State defends Coleman and Wingo in week two. With Raleek Brown and Hollywood Smothers in the backfield, Texas can put defenses in quite a conflict. 

TIGHT END
Miller
1. Jamari Johnson, Oregon
2. Trey’Dez Green, LSU
3. Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech
4. Peter Clarke, Temple
5. Decker DeGraaf, Washington 

Reid
1. Jamari Johnson, Oregon
2. Trey’Dez Green, LSU 
3. Terrance Carter Jr., Texas Tech
4. DJ Vonnahme, Iowa
5. Benjamin Brahmer, Penn State 

- This is the group I know the least about across the country. (Shocking, right? 😉) That said, Green is a complete freak at 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, so I have a feeling Lane Kiffin and Charlie Weis Jr. will find a way to maximize his talents. Notre Dame is just too young at the position to have someone in this group, but if you want a pot-stirring tight end that will block, Cooper Flanagan is your guy. 

OFFENSIVE TACKLE
Miller
1. Trevor Goosby, Texas
2. Jordan Seaton, LSU
3. Jacarrius Peak, South Carolina
4. Carter Smith, Indiana
5. Austin Siereveld, Ohio State 

Reid
1. Trevor Goosby, Texas
2. Jordan Seaton, LSU
3. Trevor Lauck, Iowa
4. Jaccarius Peak, South Carolina
5. Niki Prongos, Stanford 

- I’d agree with all the guys on this list. Seaton probably needs to prove it a little more than others as he was at Colorado, but there’s no denying his athleticism, size and talent. It’s also easy to see a guy like Guerby Lambert making this list by the end of the year. He just has to play tackle to be ranked as a tackle. 

OFFENSIVE GUARD 
Miller
1. Cayden Green, Missouri
2. Brandon Baker, Texas
3. Luke Montgomery, Ohio State 
4. Aidan Banfield, North Carolina
5. Greg Johnson, Minnesota

Reid
1. Cayden Green, Missouri
2. Carter Smith, Indiana
3. Austin Siereveld, Ohio State 
4. Greg Johnson, Minnesota 
5. Evan Tengesdahl, Cincinnati 

- Well, we have some crossover, so there’s some NFL projecting going on. Cayden Green is a dude. Remember when Notre Dame recruited Luke Montgomery to play defensive tackle? Seems like the choice to play guard worked out well. 

Similar to Lambert, Anthonie Knapp will likely be on this list by the end of the year. 

CENTER
Miller
1. Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
2. Drew Bobo, Georgia
3. Kade Pieper, Iowa
4. Justin Evans, Nebraska
5. Cash Cleveland, Texas Tech

Reid
1. Kade Pieper, Iowa
2. Iapani Laloulu, Oregon
3. Drew Bobo, Georgia
4. Justin Evans, Nebraska
5. Sheridan Wilson, Texas Tech

- Ashton Craig has proved to be one of the nation’s top centers, but he needs to stay healthy. It’s a prove-it year for him as his last two seasons have ended with ACL injuries. 

DEFENSIVE END
Miller
1. Colin Simmons, Texas
2. Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
3. Teitum Tuioti, Oregon
4. Damon Wilson II, Miami
5. Will Heldt, Clemson

Reid
1. Dylan Stewart, South Carolina
2. Colin Simmons, Texas
3. Teitum Tuioti, Oregon
4. Yhonzae Pierre, Alabama
5. Will Heldt, Clemson

- I’m not sure anyone is going to argue against the top two. Simmons and Stewart are nightmares off the edge. Wilson is an interesting study. He had nine sacks a year ago at Missouri and there’s no denying Miami has done a great job developing edge rushers. 

It’s a deep edge year and if Boubacar Traore makes the list at the end of the year, I’m not sure anyone would be surprised. The difference right now is production. Simmons has 21 career sacks, including 12 last year. Stewart has 11 career sacks and he moves differently. Traore had 6.5 last year and 10.5 for his career. One can easily see him surpassing 10.5 this season if all goes according to plan. 

DEFENSIVE TACKLE
Miller
1. A'Mauri Washington, Oregon
2. Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami
3. Will Echoles, Ole Miss
4. David Stone, Oklahoma
5. A.J. Holmes Jr., Texas Tech

Reid
1. Ahmad Moten Sr., Miami
2. A'Mauri Washington, Oregon
3. Will Echoles, Ole Miss
4. David Stone, Oklahoma
5. Tavion Gadson, Kentucky

- There’s a lot of interior talent this year in college football. It’s almost surprising Miami didn’t have two on this list, as Justin Scott was very solid a year ago. As it relates to the Irish, Notre Dame might have the best interior in college football as they can go three deep, but I’m not sure there is a first or second round pick there. Jason Onye has a chance to make some noise, but to climb into the top two rounds seems tough. 

LINEBACKER
Miller
1. Rasheem Biles, Texas
2. Sammy Brown, Clemson
3. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame
4. Raylen Wilson, Georgia
5. Ben Roberts, Texas Tech

Reid
1. Sammy Brown, Clemson
2. Rasheem Biles, Texas
3. Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa, Notre Dame
4. Ben Roberts, Texas Tech
5. Chris Cole, Georgia

- It speaks to KVA’s talents that he made this list despite coming off an ACL injury. But similar to others on this list, KVA can rush off the edge, which gives him value. Drayk Bowen is a name that has also made several lists this offseason as one of the top backers in the country, but as of now, Notre Dame hasn’t used him off the edge. Regardless, Notre Dame has the best linebacker corps in the country. 

CORNERBACK 
Miller
1. Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
2. Kelley Jones, Mississippi State
3. Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia
4. Zabien Brown, Alabama
5. Ashton Hampton, Clemson

Reid
1. Leonard Moore, Notre Dame
2. Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia
3. Ashton Hampton, Clemson
4. Kelley Jones, Mississippi State
5. Zabien Brown, Alabama

- Similar to receiver, there’s a large gap between Leonard Moore and everyone else. In fact, it might be bigger than Jeremiah Smith’s gap. One can only hope college football gets a Moore vs. Smith matchup at some point this season. 

SAFETY
Miller
1. Koi Perich, Oregon
2. KJ Bolden, Georgia
3. Ty Benefield, LSU
4. Tae Johnson, Notre Dame
5. Zach Lutmer, Iowa

Reid
1. Tae Johnson, Notre Dame
2. KJ Bolden, Georgia
3. Jelani McDonald, Texas
4. Zach Lutmer, Iowa
5. Ty Benefield, LSU

- If you thought Brauntae Johnson was flying under the radar, well, he’s not. The redshirt sophomore is regularly mentioned by NFL scouts for his impact at all three levels of the game. It will be interesting to see how Koi Perich does at Oregon, as he was hidden at Minnesota. 

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