Let’s Debate: 6 CFB Players Under Pressure in 2026, Including Arch Manning

College football so far in 2026 has mostly been about how teams have improved their rosters via the transfer portal and coaches complaining about tampering, mixed with some recruiting news and NFL Draft projections.

Somewhere amid those conversations is a place to discuss the players who are returning to the sport next season and how many of them have something to prove. Whether those players are transfers or veterans on a team, quarterbacks or defensive ends, it’s always good to brush up on who is coming back to college football and who could make an impact.

For some of these players, perhaps last season didn’t go as planned. Now, as they gear up for spring practices, summer workouts and fall camp, they can focus on all things 2026.

Here are players who our FOX Sports experts believe have the most to prove next season:

Football Which veteran QB has the most to prove in 2026?

Michael Cohen: Aidan Chiles, Northwestern QB

Two years ago, Chiles decided to enter the transfer portal and follow head coach Jonathan Smith to Michigan State after an impressive freshman season at Oregon State. He completed 24 of 35 passes for 309 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions with the Beavers, while also chipping in three additional scores on the ground. In that moment, he was viewed as the No. 8 overall player and No. 2 quarterback in the portal behind eventual Ohio State signee Julian Sayin. But two uneven, turnover-filled seasons at Michigan State led to an eventual benching before Smith was ultimately fired this past fall. Now, Chiles is expected to be the focal point of Northwestern’s offense under new coordinator Chip Kelly. 

[LET’S DEBATE: Evaluating CFB assistant coaching hires]

Laken Litman: Arch Manning, Texas QB

Manning was the most hyped-up player in college football entering the 2025 season. It was an unusual situation, given he had played minimally as a backup and really hadn’t proved anything to garner all that attention. But his famous last name gave him an edge he didn’t ask for. Then the season started and Manning struggled in his first year as the Longhorns’ starter. Texas, ranked No. 1 in the preseason due in major part to everyone betting on Manning, looked average at best. 

Manning did improve in the latter part of the season, especially in the final three games against Arkansas, Texas A&M and Michigan, all wins. And this offseason, coach Steve Sarkisian added pieces around the roster to support Manning and replace key losses on defense. No matter how much talent is on the roster, if Texas is to make a CFP run, Manning has to look more like the Heisman Trophy winner and 2027 No. 1 NFL Draft pick that he was (and still is) projected to be.

RJ Young: John Mateer, Oklahoma QB

Following a stellar start to the 2025 season, Mateer did not regain the form he showed prior to breaking a bone in his right thumb, his throwing hand, for six games — half the regular season — and it showed. After passing for at least 270 yards in each of his first four games as Oklahoma’s starting quarterback, he did not throw for more than 270 yards until the final game of the regular season. And although he threw for 307 yards and 318, respectively, in each of Oklahoma’s last two games of the season, he also threw just as many interceptions as touchdowns (four) and an unforgettable pick-six against Alabama in what became the first loss by a home team on its campus in the College Football Playoff. 

His production throughout the year was not close to his production in 2024 at Washington State. In 2024, he passed for more than 3,100 yards and rushed for more than 800 with 29 passing touchdowns and just seven interceptions. In 2025, he passed for 2,885 yards, rushed for 431 yards and threw 14 touchdowns to 11 interceptions. 

The Sooners offense depended, and continues to depend, on the play-making ability of Mateer, who must develop into a well-rounded quarterback, rather than simply a scrambling savant, if he expects to enter the 2027 NFL Draft as a first-round prospect.

Football Which non-QB position player has the most to prove in 2026?

Michael Cohen: Evan Stewart, Oregon WR

A former five-star prospect in the 2022 recruiting cycle, Stewart was a splashy addition for the Ducks via the transfer portal following two seasons at Texas A&M. He caught 48 passes for 613 yards and five touchdowns with the Ducks in 2024 as the No. 2 option behind veteran Tez Johnson, an eventual seventh-round pick in the NFL Draft. Stewart was expected to inherit the top spot in Oregon’s receiving corps entering the 2025 season until he tore his patellar tendon in his knee over the summer, sidelining him for the entire year. He bypassed a chance to enter the draft and will return to Oregon for the 2026 campaign, which should see the Ducks put forth arguably the most talented receiving corps in the country. Stewart and fellow wideouts Dakorien Moore and Jeremiah McClellan will form as explosive a trio as any.

[CFB RANKINGS: Indiana, Ohio State Highlight Way-Too-Early Top 25]

Laken Litman: Malachi Toney, Miami (Fla.) WR

Let’s be clear: Toney proved more than most players did in 2025. He was one of the best players in the country as a true freshman, and he played a major role in helping Miami reach its first national championship game since the 2002 season. He often looked like a veteran, whether he was just catching balls in practice or making jaw-dropping plays during the Hurricanes’ CFP run. He finished his first college season with 109 receptions for 1,211 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, seven of which came in the final seven games. 

When Indiana beat Miami 27-21 to win the program’s first-ever national title, Toney was crushed. He was consoled by legends like Michael Irvin, Ray Lewis and even Michael Phelps, all of whom recognized his stardom. Toney, no doubt, will be hungrier than ever to get back to that stage. And with returning talent, and a new quarterback in Duke transfer Darian Mensah, Toney can keep himself and his team in the CFP conversation.

RJ Young: Ryan Williams, Alabama WR

Entering 2026, Williams was one of two players featured on the cover of EA Sports College Football 2026. The other was Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. When the 2025 season began, both were considered two of the best — if not the best — wideouts in the sport. Through two seasons, Smith is the only one of the two to merit that title. 

In fact, Smith has accounted for north of 1,000 more receiving yards over two years (2,588) and catches (163) than Williams (1,554, 97). In fact, Williams has yet to record a 1,000-yard receiving season and recorded less than 700 receiving yards in 2025. Williams’ standout 2024 season was followed by a surprising sophomore slump.

For someone who is supposed to be as talented as Smith — a player many believe will be the first player selected in the 2027 NFL Draft — Williams needs to start producing at a higher level than he has so far.