Saturday Index 2026 Preseason All-America Team

A preseason All-America team should reward established production without pretending last season is the only thing that matters. The Saturday Index first team weighs 2025 performance, positional value, expected 2026 role and the evidence around the player today.

We built the first team around 2025 production, positional value and the roles players are expected to own in 2026. The offense uses three receivers, with specialists selected separately.

Offense

QB — Dante Moore, Oregon

Moore returns after throwing for 3,565 yards and 30 touchdowns for a CFP semifinalist. Oregon's system and skill talent give him the platform; his efficiency and command make him the quarterback we trust most entering the season.

RB — Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss

Lacy's 1,567 rushing yards and 24 touchdowns made him one of 2025's most productive backs. His combination of volume, finish and proven SEC creation earns the first spot.

RB — Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

Hardy ran for 1,649 yards and 16 touchdowns. His game readiness still deserves a late check, but his contact balance and week-to-week production belong on the team if he is available.

WR — Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

No receiver changes coverage rules more immediately. Smith pairs rare physical control with a route and catch-point profile that already translates against elite opponents.

WR — Malachi Toney, Miami

Toney gives Miami a high-volume separator who can win inside, outside and after the catch. His versatility is especially valuable as the Hurricanes transition to Darian Mensah at quarterback.

WR — Cam Coleman, Texas

Coleman brings proven SEC production and boundary-winning ability to Texas. He can become the direct answer when defenses devote extra resources to the run or force Arch Manning to attack isolated coverage.

TE — Trey'Dez Green, LSU

Green's size changes the geometry of the middle of the field and the red zone. His receiving ceiling gives LSU a matchup piece while its new offense establishes a target order.

OT — Carter Smith, Indiana

Smith anchors a line responsible for protecting Josh Hoover and preserving the structure that made Indiana a national contender. His movement skills and reliability fit the most valuable offensive-line role.

OT — Trevor Goosby, Texas

Goosby has the length and athletic range to handle premier edge rushers. His protection is central to whether Texas can access the aggressive version of its passing game.

G — Evan Tengesdahl, Cincinnati

Tengesdahl returns as the anchor of a Cincinnati line that protected efficiently and created consistent movement in 2025. He is powerful, controlled and capable of generating movement without sacrificing balance in protection.

G — Shadre Hurst, Houston

Hurst brings Houston proven interior experience after transferring from Tulane. He is effective when asked to reach, climb or keep the pocket firm from the inside.

C — Kade Pieper, Iowa

Pieper started every game at right guard for the 2025 Joe Moore Award-winning line. Iowa lists him as an offensive lineman and named him to the 2026 Rimington Trophy watch list, which supports this team's center designation while his exact 2026 assignment remains part of the final role check. His technique and communication make him the stabilizer that matters most.

Defense

Edge — Colin Simmons, Texas

Simmons is the first pass rusher offenses must locate. His first-step pressure can wreck a protection plan before the rest of Texas' front joins the play.

Edge — Dylan Stewart, South Carolina

Stewart's length, bend and disruption give South Carolina a true edge centerpiece. The production is established; the 2026 question is how often opponents can keep him from controlling obvious passing downs.

DT — A'Mauri Washington, Oregon

Washington gives Oregon interior mass without conceding movement. He is the point of a defensive front built to prevent opponents from solving the Ducks by running at them.

DT — David Stone, Oklahoma

Stone's interior quickness makes him difficult to treat as a conventional space-eater. He can close a run fit and still create pressure through the middle—the shortest route to disrupting a quarterback.

LB — Rasheem Biles, Texas

Biles brings Texas range and backfield production after transferring from Pittsburgh. He can erase space, pressure and finish, which makes him more than a tackle accumulator.

LB — Xavier Atkins, Auburn

Atkins supplies speed and proven disruption to Auburn's second level after leading the Tigers in tackles, tackles for loss and sacks in 2025. His range makes him more than a conventional box linebacker.

LB — Rolijah Hardy, Indiana

Hardy's versatility fits Indiana's modern linebacker structure: diagnose quickly, close cleanly and avoid becoming a target when an offense spreads the field.

CB — Leonard Moore, Notre Dame

Moore gives Notre Dame a boundary defender capable of surviving without constant help. That independence expands what the rest of the defense can disguise.

CB — Ellis Robinson IV, Georgia

Robinson combines elite movement skills with Georgia's demand for technical discipline. His ceiling is national, but the selection rests on the role and evidence already in front of us—not recruiting reputation alone.

S — KJ Bolden, Georgia

Bolden offers the range and position flexibility required of a modern safety. Georgia can deploy him as a coverage problem-solver instead of locking him into one landmark.

S — Koi Perich, Oregon

Perich arrives at Oregon with proven ball skills and return value. His ability to play in space gives the Ducks an immediate answer for a secondary replacing a major organizer.

Specialists

K — Tate Sandell, Oklahoma

The reigning Lou Groza Award winner returns after making 24 consecutive field goals. That is both elite production and a bankable late-game role.

P — Evan Crenshaw, Troy

Crenshaw's placement and consistency can change possession value without a highlight. That repeatability earns the punter spot.

AP — Wayne Knight, UCLA

Knight averaged 6.63 yards per carry on more than 200 attempts at James Madison and earned second-team AP All-America recognition as an all-purpose player. UCLA can use that open-field value in multiple phases.

Method and what remains

Selections were made by Saturday Index using 2025 production, positional value, expected 2026 role, current-roster status and preseason reporting. The team is independent of any national outlet's ballot. Current-roster and availability information reflects the Aug. 22 reporting snapshot; roles and availability can change before kickoff.