CBS Sports Names "Budding College Football Superstars To Take The Sport By Storm In 2026"

by Staff Reporter

March 10, 20260 Comments

Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

CBS Sports' Chris Hummer recently wrote about "13 budding superstars expected to take college football by storm in 2026."

Included in his list were several SEC stars:

quote:
Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida
In talking with sources around Baugh's will-he, won't-he transfer flirtation this offseason, a big reason he opted to stay in Gainesville is the chance to be the face of a program. He'll have every opportunity to do that for Florida in 2026.

Baugh never did go into the portal, but personnel sources viewed him as the potential top back in the 2026 transfer class. He's a bruising 6-feet-1 and 231 pounds and is coming off a 1,170-yard, eight-touchdown season. Baugh created a lot of those yards himself, finishing eighth nationally with 81 forced missed tackles.

Trevor Goosby, OT, Texas
A prototypical left tackle at 6-feet-7 and 312 pounds and excellent length, Goosby emerged as a difference maker at left tackle for Texas this year. While the Longhorns' offensive front had its struggles, Goosby largely excelled in 13 starts with an 83.3 PFF grade, which ranked in the top 15 nationally among all offensive tackles.

Getting Goosby back for his redshirt junior year was a huge win for the Longhorns. He could have gone to the NFL Draft and was all but assured of being an early-round draft pick, potentially rising into the first round...

David Stone, DT, Oklahoma
Stone's stats (42 tackles, 8 TLFs, 1.5 sacks) won't leap off the page from his sophomore season, but he clearly emerged as one of the top defensive linemen in the country. He won't have Gracen Halton, a potential Day 2 pick, playing next to him next year, but Stone has all the tools to be a dominant interior presence.

Stone is already an excellent run defender, and he can create a bit more pressure inside. He's the type of player who could emerge as a Day 1 pick in an interior d-line 2027 class without a slam-dunk top option...

Yhonzae Pierre, EDGE, Alabama
Even five-star recruits can take a few seasons to incubate, and that was the case with Pierre. A little-used piece during his freshman and redshirt freshman seasons, Pierre emerged as arguably Alabama's most important front-seven piece last season. He posted 52 tackles, 14.5 tackles for loss and eight sacks, emerging as a critical pressure creator for a defense that struggled to bother the quarterback outside of LT Overton.

Pierre could have easily gone to the draft. But by returning to college, he has the chance to join the likes of Colin Simmons and Dylan Stewart as one of the top EDGE players in the country. Pierre isn't huge at 6-feet-3 and 248 pounds. But he's an elite athlete with excellent bend and explosiveness...

Ellis Robinson, CB, Georgia
The second-highest rated cornerback in 247Sports history -- behind only Travis Hunter -- Robinson emerged as a starter for Georgia last year. Unsurprisingly, he was awesome. Opposing passers completed only 39.5% of their passes against him and he tied the SEC lead with four interceptions.

Robinson is a starter kit for an elite cornerback. He's not overly big at 6-feet and 180 pounds. He is, however, long with sub-4.5-second speed in the 40, a 40-inch vertical, elite ball skills and an excellent feel for space...

Ty Benefield, S, LSU
It's OK if you haven't watched a lot of Boise State football the last few seasons. Let me give you the rundown on Benefield -- he covers space like an all-star center fielder. There are few safeties in the sport with Benefield's range. He covers open field with ease and has done it since his freshman year in 2023. Benefield has 235 tackles, 18 TFLs and five interceptions in his career.

Benefield could improve as a tackler, and will have to adjust to the speed of the SEC. But he's as good as it gets at safety in the FBS. Given his new stage in Baton Rouge -- much like Mansoor Delane this year -- expect Benefield to emerge as a national name.