TEN SLEEPER Teams in College Football in ‘26 | Always College Football

A sleeper isn't "trendy"; it’s a team with QB clarity, a defined identity, and a narrow schedule path. That is why McElroy has Utah, Florida, Virginia Tech, Oklahoma State, Wisconsin and more as teams he thinks will be “sleepers” in 2026. Plus, McElroy explains why we are about to enter into a “quarterback reset” year. How fast can Sam Leavitt and Lane Kiffin build chemistry in the SEC? Will Darian Mensah be able to win tight games in November, can Michigan build a system tailored around Bryce Underwood’s strengths rather than forcing him into an old mold, can homegrown talent still win at Clemson in a portal economy and so much more. Timecodes: 0:00 Intros 2:45 Definition of “Sleeper” teams 4:50 Utah with Scalley/Dampier will be dangerous 7:00 Kansas State looking for a spark with Klein and Johnson 9:15 Arizona has staff stability + Noah Fifita 11:08 Florida State has Norvell calling plays + Ashton Daniels 13:30 Virginia Tech is this year’s “soap opera” sleeper with James Franklin 15:15 Florida will have structure and Aaron Philo as a new QB 17:52 Oklahoma State with Eric Morris & Drew Mestemaker will be much better 19:48 Kentucky under Will Stein & Kenny Minchey will prove difficult for the SEC 22:00 Are we looking at a new “modern” Wisconsin 24:25 South Carolina has Kendal Briles + LaNorris Sellers 27:45 What makes a real sleeper in 2026? 28:20 The Quarterbacks “reset” year 30:32 Arch Manning must win the “messy moments 32:58 Can Sam Leavitt build chemistry quickly 35:25 Chris Vizzina and Clemson are sticking with development 37:30 Darian Mensah has a high floor at Miami, can he win tight games in November 39:30 Julian Sayin must move from accurate to inevitable 41:15 Dante Moore is ready to prove he is the best QB in the country 42:36 Bryce Underwood - will the system be tailored to his strengths? 44:33 Josh Hoover has BIG shoes to fill 46:05 Nebraska's QB Battle - experience vs development 47:17 Who’s playing QB for Ole Miss next year? ✔️ Subscribe to ESPN Unlimited: https://plus.espn.com/cfb #ESPN