ESPN includes seven IU football players in its list of top 100 players for the 2026 season

Photos from IU football's Big Ten championship win against Ohio State.

ESPN.com released its CFB Player Rank on Wednesday morning, an annual look at the top 100 players in the sport ahead of the season.

The 2026 college football season kicks off this weekend and Indiana begins its national title defense on Saturday, September 5, against North Texas at Memorial Stadium.

The Hoosiers are well represented on the World Wide Leader’s list, with seven players in the top 100.

The Hoosiers included are defensive back Amare Ferrell, quarterback Josh Hoover, wide receiver Nick Marsh, linebacker Rolijah Hardy, defensive lineman Tyrique Tucker, wide receiver Charlie Becker and offensive lineman Carter Smith.

In terms of placement on the list, Ferrell is No. 74, Hoover is No. 55, Marsh is No. 53, Hardy is No. 45, Tucker is No. 21, Becker is No. 17 and Smith is No. 10.

Ahead of Smith in the top 10: USC’s Jayden Maiava at No. 9, Ohio State’s Julian Sayin at No. 8, Notre Dame’s CJ Carr at No. 7, Kewan Lacy of Ole Miss at No. 6, Trinidad Chambliss of Ole Miss at No. 5, Miami’s Malachi Toney at No. 4, Colin Simmons of Texas at No. 3, Notre Dame’s Leonard Moore at No. 2 and Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith at No. 1.

The rankings panel included input from Bill Connelly, David Hale, Adam Rittenberg and Paolo Uggetti, all of ESPN.

In last season’s preseason top 100, ESPN didn’t include Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, who went on to lead the Hoosiers to the national championship. Mendoza was the No. 1 pick in the NFL draft by the Oakland Raiders.

Oregon had the most players of any program in the top 100 with eight.

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