Jeremiah Smith's 536 Deep Yards Will Haunt Defenses, And The Heisman Race Has No Idea What's Coming

Alright, Seattle, listen up! It’s May 21, 2026, and you know what that means? We are officially just triple-digit days away from college football lighting up our screens again! Can you believe it? Soon, we’ll be firing up the grills at first light, screaming our heads off at 19-year-olds for missing a third-and-long, and every single fanbase across the country will be convinced, absolutely, definitively, no-question-about-it, that THIS is their year. Before the bands start marching and the playoff debates melt our brains, we gotta talk about the absolute studs, the "human cheat codes" who are gonna own the sport this season. These are the future first-rounders, the names every fan, coach, and scout needs to know. The countdown to kickoff is ON, and these players are about to make the next 100 days feel like an eternity.

Offensive Fireworks: These Guys Are Built Different

First up, you already know the name: Jeremiah Smith, wide receiver out of Ohio State. This dude is a clear star, period. He’s been dazzling fans and absolutely frazzling defensive backs for two straight years as an underclassman. Last season? The guy put up the nation's fourth-most receiving yards and the fifth-most touchdowns. Honestly, him breaking 1,000 yards for the third time feels like a forgone conclusion at this point. The 6-foot-3, 225-pound monster turned more than half of his opportunities into either a first down or a score as just a sophomore. He stretches defenses vertically like nobody else with that game-changing burst, raking in college football's fourth-most deep yards with 536, and get this, he did it with over a dozen fewer targets than the top three guys! He’s got impressive ball skills, too, hauling in over half of his contested targets. While preseason Heisman talk for receivers isn't always smart money, Smith's insane skill set is more than capable of delivering a historic 2026 season. We're talking one-handed catches that break the internet.

But wait, there's more offensive firepower. Dante Moore, the QB1 for Oregon, is someone we absolutely need to keep our eyes on. Oregon, by the way, is stacked, coming into the preseason with the most players in the top 300 of the On3 Impact Rankings. Moore is set to be Dan Lanning's most impactful player, and he's a top returning distributor in college football. A lot of smart folks are already picking him to be the top passer taken in next April's draft. An recent QB Impact Study, which charted the best 44 returning QBs against their toughest opponents, showed Moore was among only three slingers who finished in the top eight for raw Accuracy% at 64.1, Depth Adjusted Accuracy% at 54.6, and Adjusted Uncatchable% at a ridiculous 11.8 percent. He just puts it right on 'em. He might need to get a little more creative as a playmaker, but the kid has a sturdy pass floor and is locked in for a tremendous fall. And don't forget Miami's Malachi Toney. The On3 Offensive Freshman of the Year is absolutely poised to be one of the top playmakers again. In his breakout rookie season, Toney was targeted or handed the ball on almost 15 percent of the Hurricanes' plays. This guy is the motor for their offense, and get this: he only had a single drop against 99 catches. That's 11 more catches than any other returning receiver! His sparky style forced the Power Four's most missed tackles after the catch with 33. He's not just a compiler, either. Toney showed a fantastic balance of production and efficiency, being one of only seven returners with a 1,000-yard season and 2.4 yards per route run. Miami just spent big on a new QB, so Toney is about to EAT.

Defensive Wallops: Lockdowns and Havoc

On the other side of the ball, we’ve got some absolute monsters. Leonard Moore from Notre Dame is a pure lockdown corner, no question. As an underclassman, he was already arguably the best coverageman in college football. Now, heading into 2026, he’s unquestionably our most impactful member of any secondary and the CB1. Over the last two seasons, Moore has been an impressive ball hawk with 21 defended passes, and a miserly downfield denier, allowing just 4.8 yards per target. The dude's 92.5 PFF coverage grade last season was the best in the country. Seriously, scouts are already saying he's the best corner prospect they've ever seen, with a top-five pick in 2027 a real possibility. Then there’s Dylan Stewart, the EDGE rusher from South Carolina. While some of his peers might have had more "productive" underclassman stats, Stewart is an undeniable havoc goblin. At 6-foot-5, 245 pounds, with a wingspan reportedly around 81 inches, there should be zero debate about his high draft pick potential. His length and launch are elite. He’s racked up 88 pressures and forced six fumbles over the last two years. Stewart is an undeniable force, a key chess piece in every single game he plays. Even after what was called a “down” year, his tools and traits have him poised to be among college football's most impactful defenders. The 12s will be watching for these guys in a few years!

So, there you have it, folks. We're 100 days out, but the future of college football is already showing up big time. These aren't just names, these are the playmakers, the game-changers, the guys who are going to make us lose our voices every Saturday. Get ready to start counting down to kickoff, because with talents like these, this season is going to be absolutely electric!

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This article was created with AI assistance and reviewed by Seattle On Tap editorial staff. Always verify information with official team sources.