In last year’s version of this list, Fernando Mendoza was nowhere to be found.Don’t point the finger and laugh. The experts in Las Vegas listed the NFL’s eventual No. 1 overall pick as a 60-1 longshot to win the Heisman Trophy in the preseason — never mind the fact he was taking over a program coming off an 11-win season and a trip to the College Football Playoff.We all missed it.The point? There is so much we don’t know about who will impact the race for the 12 spots in the postseason.That, of course, won’t stop us from speculating.Here are 20 players — or in some cases, position groups — who could go a long way in determining which teams will have an opportunity to play for a national championship.Once again, we’re focusing on players who have yet to see significant snaps for their current teams or are new to the Power 4 level.We will start with the non-quarterbacks.1. Texas receiver Cam Coleman: The Longhorns have one of the highest payrolls in the country — if not the highest — and spent a pretty penny to lure Coleman from Auburn to be Arch Manning’s new No. 1 target. They also made several other key additions, notably at running back with Hollywood Smothers (NC State) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State) and at linebacker with Rasheem Biles (Pittsburgh). But Coleman is an elite talent and a true difference-maker who should put up huge numbers in what figures to be his final season in college.2. Texas Tech’s new defensive front: The Red Raiders won their first Big 12 championship last season due in large part to the disruptive play of edge rushers David Bailey and Romello Height and interior lineman Lee Hunter. Three newcomers — Trey White (San Diego State), Adam Trick (Miami of Ohio) and Mateen Ibirogba (Wake Forest) — ranked among The Athletic’s top 15 defensive line transfers.3. Indiana receiver Nick Marsh: The Hoosiers lost 187 catches, 2,335 receiving yards and 37 touchdown catches from last year’s receiving corps. Holdover Charlie Becker is expected to pick up some of the slack. But Marsh, a Michigan State transfer, is a centerpiece acquisition with 100 career catches for 1,311 yards and nine touchdowns.Favorite college football offseason additionsAntonio Morales4. LSU left tackle Jordan Seaton: The offensive line was a big reason LSU struggled to a 7-6 finish in 2025. Seaton, a former five-star recruit who left his post as a starter at Colorado for a big payday in Baton Rouge, is considered one of the best left tackles in the game. With starting quarterback Sam Leavitt coming off a serious foot injury, Seaton’s role in LSU’s championship aspirations can’t be understated.5. Ohio State defensive tackle James Smith: Seven starters off last year’s elite defense were drafted — including two first-round picks at linebacker and another at safety — which puts some pressure on the transfers to perform. The 6-foot-3, 306-pound Smith sits at the top of the list because of his role in helping Ohio State maintain its spot as one of the best run-stuffing defenses in the sport. He started 12 games last season at Alabama.6. Oregon safety Koi Perich: Oregon’s new defensive coordinator Chris Hampton — who also coaches the safeties — has to replace playmaking first-round pick Dillon Thieneman. Perich, a Minnesota transfer, will have one of the best defensive lines in the game in front of him and will get plenty of opportunities to make game-altering plays on the back end.7. Michigan edge rusher John Henry Daley: Kyle Whittingham is managing Daley’s workload in the aftermath of a right Achilles rupture in November. Once he’s full-go, Daley will provide Michigan with a much-needed proven pass rusher to replace Derrick Moore. The Wolverines have four CFP teams from last season on the schedule: Oklahoma, Oregon, Indiana and Ohio State.8. Alabama’s offensive line: The Crimson Tide’s lackluster run blocking last season led to a blowout loss to Indiana in the Rose Bowl and a coaching change, with Adrian Klemm replacing Chris Kapilovic as the O-line coach. Right guard Michael Carroll (six career starts) is the one returning starter in the group. Center Racin Delgatty (Cal Poly) and right tackle Jayvin James (Mississippi State) are the two experienced starters Alabama added from the portal to (hopefully) anchor the group.9. Texas A&M receiver Isaiah Horton: The Aggies did a phenomenal job replacing four starters on their offensive line, but the team’s success likely hinges on how much Horton, an Alabama transfer, fills the needs of a big-bodied X receiver in the offense. Yes, Mario Craver is back, and big things are expected for Terry Bussey, but the more players who can fight for contested balls thrown by Marcel Reed, the better for this offense.10. Miami offensive lineman Samson Okunlola: The Hurricanes spent big on freshman left tackle Jackson Cantwell, but Okunlola may end up being the key to Miami’s success in replacing four starters on its offensive line. The 6-6, 330-pound former five-star recruit has started only one game (the Cotton Bowl win over Ohio State at left guard) in his first three seasons. Now, he might be the reason Cantwell begins his career coming off the bench or playing inside.Quarterbacks1. LSU’s Sam Leavitt: Lane Kiffin flirted with Washington’s Demond Williams Jr., who ended up staying with the Huskies, before signing Leavitt from Arizona State. Leavitt, limited to seven games last season, isn’t likely to use his feet as much as he did when he led the Sun Devils to the Big 12 championship in 2024. But he should thrive in Kiffin’s shotgun-based, RPO structure with quick reads and vertical shots.2. Indiana’s Josh Hoover: The TCU transfer with 31 career starts has been plagued by turnover issues in the past, but he’s also proven capable of pushing the ball down the field to exploit the spacing offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan generates for his receivers. He’s more Kurtis Rourke than Fernando Mendoza because he isn’t much of a runner. The good news: Indiana’s offensive line is top-notch, and the receivers are talented.3. Miami’s Darian Mensah: Like Cameron Ward and Carson Beck before him, Mensah arrives with an extensive resume — an 18-9 record as a starter with 6,696 passing yards, 56 touchdowns and only 12 interceptions in stops at Tulane (2024) and Duke (2025). The Hurricanes have never won an ACC football title but have the quarterback who won it last year. He’ll orchestrate Shannon Dawson’s offense, which includes 1,000-yard rusher Mark Fletcher and two 1,000-yard receivers.4. Texas Tech’s Will Hammond: Brendan Sorsby’s abrupt departure opened the door for Hammond to run the Texas Tech offense, which must improve if the Red Raiders hope to challenge for a national title. Hammond, who is more mobile than last year’s starter Behren Morton, tore the ACL in his right knee in October. His status for the opener is unclear, but he should be ready to go at some point early in the season.5. Penn State’s Rocco Becht: There aren’t many fourth-year starting quarterbacks playing in the same system under the same coach. Becht is one of them, with a 26-13 record, 9,274 passing yards and 64 touchdown passes to his credit from his time with Matt Campbell at Iowa State. The question everyone will soon find an answer to is how successful a large portion of a team imported from the Big 12 handles a step up in class to the Big Ten.6. Alabama’s starting quarterback: Austin Mack is a veteran who has been in Kalen DeBoer’s system for three-plus years. Keelon Russell, the No. 2 player in the 2025 recruiting cycle, is a dual-threat who raises the ceiling at the position. The new starter will be set up for success if the running game improves and wide receiver Ryan Coleman-Williams plays at a high level with more consistency.7. Tennessee’s starting quarterback: Whoever wins the battle between freshman Faizon Brandon and sophomore George MacIntyre will have a veteran offensive line with 100-plus career combined starts, two 800-yard receivers and a 1,000-yard running back to work with.8. Oklahoma State’s Drew Mestemaker: Mestemaker threw for an FBS-leading 4,379 yards with 34 touchdowns and nine interceptions at North Texas last season and followed coach Eric Morris to Stillwater with 12 other Mean Green starters. Could the Cowboys emerge as a dark-horse Playoff candidate? Possibly. But Mestemaker could also affect the Playoff race with big games against Oregon and/or Texas Tech.9. Virginia’s Beau Pribula: The Cavaliers won 11 games and reached the ACC Championship Game last season with Chandler Morris leading a veteran squad. Pribula, who went 7-3 as a starter at Missouri last season, is essentially being asked to do the same. He’s much more mobile than his predecessor, but Morris was the more proven passer when he arrived in Charlottesville.10. Baylor’s DJ Lagway: The Bears, coming off a 5-7 season, have a head coach on the hot seat and a former five-star quarterback back home in the state of Texas and hungry to prove he’s not a bust. Baylor ends the season facing BYU, Texas Tech and Houston — three of the top four teams in the Big 12 preseason poll.