The Pac-12 will be revived this fall with the boost of a group of six new schools to go along with the remaining pair, Washington State and Oregon State, into the brand, spanking new conference that is targeting to be a College Football Playoff participant. Check out all Pac-12 and Independent college football news and college football depth charts to get the full picture of the players that will shape the 2026 fantasy seasons.
The new Pac-12 has an infusion of five teams from the Mountain West Conference in Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, San Diego State and Utah State to go along with Texas State from the Sun Belt.
Despite the revival, the new-look conference has much work to do to have the muscle of the top leagues like the Big Ten, Southeast Conference, and the Big 12, but the new Pac-12 could be on line or even above the likes of Tulane and James Madison, who qualified for last season's College Football Playoffs.
Boise State Spring Practice Preview
Settling the starting job under center
Boise State is loaded and coming off three straight Mountain West Conference championships and is one of the favorites this fall for the new Pac-12.
Head coach Spencer Danielson became only the second FBS coach to win three straight conference championships in their first three seasons (Lincoln Riley, Oklahoma). And Danielson is looking to make it four in four seasons.
Quarterback for the 2026 season has the three top signal-callers returning, led by starter Maddux Madsen, backup Max Cutforth, and third-string Zeke Martinez.
Madsen had a down year in his second season as a starter, which included missing the last three regular-season games. But he did return to play in the Mountain West Conference title game and the LA Bowl. Madsen's 2024-25 season ended with a thud as he was benched in the bowl game after completing 7-of-16 pass attempts for 51 yards and two interceptions. Madsen goes into spring practice as the favorite, but Cutforth has an outside shot at wrestling the job away. When Madsen was injured in the three games, the junior, Cutforth, played well at times.
Whoever is behind center will have the benefit of the top two running backs returning in Dylan Riley and Sire Gaines. Riley is expected to be the top back again this season after logging 195 carries for 1,125 yards and 12 total touchdowns last season. And as a freshman, Gaines broke out right behind Riley with 811 yards on 161 carries on the ground with nine total touchdowns. Boise State also received former Pittsburgh running back Juelz Goff through the portal. As a redshirt freshman, Goff ran for 270 yards and five touchdowns on 19 carries. He also caught 12 passes for 93 yards.
But the Broncos will be looking at new top targets who will be under center. Latrell Caples, Chris Marshall and Chris Marshall will not be back. But Boise State does have the return of sixth-year senior Ben Ford, who missed most of last season with a leg injury in mid-October. While healthy, he grabbed 21 passes for 325 yards and five touchdowns. Boise State also received junior college transfer Akeem Wright from California's De Anza. At De Anza, Wright caught 53 passes last season for 964 yards and 13 touchdowns.
The Broncos also lost tight end Matt Lauter (37 catches, 330 yards, two touchdowns). But Boise State does bring back Matt Wagner, who had 24 receptions for 251 yards and a touchdown last season as a sophomore.
Colorado State Spring Practice Preview
Figuring out the backfield
Colorado State is hoping that new head coach Jim Mora will bring the success that he had at the University of Connecticut to a school that was more about basketball than football.
For Mora, there is pretty much nothing but up after the Rams finished with a 2-10 record in 2025.
And like what happened at Indiana, where players followed Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti from James Madison, Mora is hoping an influx of UConn players will make an impact in the Rams program starting this coming fall. Fourteen players followed Mora from UConn to transfer to Colorado State.
The starting quarterback this fall is pretty much wide open, but the favorite could be former Oklahoma State quarterback Hauss Hejny. As a redshirt freshman last season, Hejny suffered a season-ending foot injury in the opening game. The former four-star recruit completed five passes for 96 yards and scored a touchdown before the injury.
One returning quarterback from last season is Darius Curry, who completed 70-of-107 pass attempts for 740 yards and five touchdown passes as a redshirt freshman. Curry, though, ended last season being suspended by interim head coach Tyson Summers for the final game after spitting on a Boise State player. Another quarterback transferring is Ksaan Farrar, who Mora is familiar with, as Farrar saw a little time under center for UConn. Farrar was third on the depth chart for the Huskies and only had 84 passing yards last season.
In addition, Colorado State lost all of its top running backs from 2025.
And there is a good chance that whoever gets most of the carries this fall in the backfield will have a UConn background. There are four running backs who have some form of Huskies in them in the past in Durell Robinson, Mel Brown, Oliver Lundberg Coleman and Malichi Greaves. Robinson could be the odds-on favorite to get the bulk of the carries this season. While at Auburn, Robinson only ran for 57 yards and a touchdown. But when he was with Mora and the Huskies in 2024, Robinson totaled 731 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.
Like at running back and quarterback, the receiving corps is basically new. But there is the return of Tommy Maher, who was the Rams' second leading receiver in 2025 with 32 catches for 358 yards. Three of the top receiving transfers are Jordan Mosley, Reginald Vick Jr., and Terrence Smith. Mosley is entering his sixth year of college football after playing at Northwestern and Mississippi State. He has 668 total yards and five touchdowns. Vick Jr. moves up from Division II Virginia Union, where he collected 1,448 and a dozen touchdowns. Smith is another UConn transfer, where he was a dual threat in limited time with 75 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, and 34 receiving yards.
Fresno State Spring Practice Preview
Finding the answer under center
Fresno State is one of the early favorites to win the new Pac-12, along with San Diego State and Boise State. In his first season at the helm as head coach, Matt Entz excelled with a 9-4 mark after coming from North Dakota State.
While Fresno State lost a group of players from last season to the portal, the Bulldogs also saw players leave the program the old-fashioned way, by graduation.
At the top of the 'To-Do' list, Fresno State will see a new full-time quarterback under center this coming season. The Bulldogs lost both their top quarterbacks in EJ Warner, who finished up his eligibility, and Carson Conklin, who started three games in 2025 and went back to Sacramento State.
One of the favorites to go under center might be Khristian Martin, who played in five games last season at Maryland, and Jayden Mandal, who missed all of last season with an injury. Martin appeared in five games for the Terps and finished 11-of-17 for 105 yards and a touchdown. Before the lost 2025 season, Mandal started the 2024 Potato Bowl game for the Bulldogs.
Fresno State does have the benefit of returning its best running back in Rayshon Luke, who collected 699 yards on 110 carries and six rushing touchdowns. Luke also caught 36 passes for 228 receiving yards and two touchdowns. The other top running back coming back is Brandon Ramirez, who ran for 218 yards on 49 carries and three touchdowns. The Bulldogs received running back Tariq Thomas, who transferred from Bucknell, where he ran for 602 yards on 131 carries for three touchdowns.
In receiving the Bulldogs' top two in wide receiver Josiah Freeman (graduated) and tight end Richie Anderson III (transferred to Texas A&M) are not coming back. The top receiver returning is Ezekiel Avit, who finished the season with 28 catches for 255 yards.
The Bulldogs hope that wide receiver Darrian Anderson will flourish in a new environment after transferring from Oregon. With the Ducks, Anderson saw very little time in the last few years, logging only four catches and 21 yards in 2023.
Oregon State Spring Practice Preview
New beginnings at the top
One of the two remaining Pac-12 schools, along with Washington State, will look to rebound under new head coach JaMarcus Shepherd, who was an assistant head coach at Alabama.
Like Jim Mora at Colorado State, Shepherd faces a similar plight with a Beavers squad that was an identical 2-10 mark.
Unlike Mora, who brought over a chunk of players from UConn, Shepherd does not have the same luck from Bama. Oregon State saw 30 players leave the program, while 20 came into the program in the portal.
Shepherd will have the return of the Beavers' top two quarterbacks on the chart. Last season's top signal caller, Maalik Murphy, passed for 1,805 yards on 161-of-277 pass attempts and nine touchdowns, but eight interceptions. Backup quarterback Gabarri Johnson entered the portal but did not find another home. In 10 games last season, Johnson collected 622 total yards, including 509 yards passing and three total touchdowns.
Most of the wide receivers from last season have departed or graduated. The number one receiver returning is Eddie Feauff, who only caught 144 receiving yards on a dozen catches and a touchdown.
But Shepherd's reputation as a wide receiver coaching savant allowed him to get some top receiving players to come to Corvallis, in Aeryn Hampton and Aaron Butler. Despite not getting a slew of Alabama players in the portal, Shepherd did receive a commitment from a former Bama wide receiver in Hampton, who was a four-star recruit in 2024. And Shepherd brought in Butler from the University of Texas, who was also a former four-star recruit. Receivers Adonis McDaniel (Mercer) and Xayvion Noland (Texas State) round out a strong receiving transfers this season.
Shepherd does have back two of the top tight ends from last year for the Beavers in Bryce Caufield and Gabe Milbourn. Caufield caught 29 passes for 219 yards and a touchdown, while Milbourn grabbed 17 passes for 185 yards and a touchdown.
With top back Anthony Hankerson's eligibility completed, Oregon State might turn to the next running back on the chart in Cornell Hatcher Jr., who ran for 292 yards on 52 attempts and two touchdowns.
San Diego State Spring Practice Preview
New man leading the offense
San Diego State is looking to transfer the success from the Mountain West to the Pac-12 this upcoming fall.
Last season, the Aztecs finished with a 9-4 record, one of the best for the program since the 2021 team that went 12-2. It was a much-improved season for head coach Sean Lewis, who endured a 3-9 mark in his first year in 2024. With the improvement in the 2025 season, San Diego State is considered to be one of the favorites to win the new Pac-12 this coming fall.
Under center, the battle will be between the top returning quarterback, Jayden Denegal, and Stone Saunders, who transferred from Kentucky. Denegal has the inside track after starting most of 2025 before missing the New Mexico Bowl with an injury to his non-throwing shoulder. Denegal completed 143-of-244 pass attempts for 1,807 yards and nine touchdowns, but was intercepted eight times. Saunders is a former four-star recruit who did not appear in a game with Kentucky so he has four years of eligibility remaining.
Either Denegal or Saunders will have plenty of options to throw to as the Aztecs bring back several receivers, including Jordan Napier, Donovan Brown, Jacob Bostick, and Nathan Acevedo, who combined for 1,390 receiving yards on 101 catches. Napier caught 48 passes for 629 yards and two touchdowns. San Diego State also brought in three receivers from the portal in Justius Lowe (Oregon), Marshall Sanders (College of the Sequoias), and Aldrich Doe (Bryant).
And on the ground, San Diego State has the advantage of the return of one of the top running backs last season in the Mountain West. Lucky Sutton comes back after running for 1,237 yards on 239 carries and 10 touchdowns. Javion Kinnard was the top transfer heading to San Diego State from Colorado State. With the Rams, he accumulated 284 total yards.
Texas State Spring Practice Preview
Rare continuity on offense
Probably one of the most unknown schools that is part of the new Pac-12 is Texas State, a relative newcomer to FBS for only the past 14 years.
The Bobcats have hit their stride over the last few years as they have won a bowl game for the last three seasons. In the last couple of seasons, one of their most impressive games was a loss, 31-28, to Arizona State in 2024. The Sun Devils that year went on to reach the College Football Playoffs.
One of the reasons that Texas State is in the Pac-12 is because of Bobcats head coach GJ Kinne, who turned around the program when he was hired in December 2022. Kinne led Texas State to the program's first bowl win in 2023.
During Kinne's tenure so far, he has been consistent, although not spectacular. The Bobcats were 7-6 last season after a pair of identical 8-5 records the previous two seasons.
The Bobcats had a light transfer haul during the offseason, but part of that is that they kept several of their returnees. Texas State brought in 19 transfers, far short of the 38 that came in 2025.
But the Bobcats have the nucleus of their offense returning, led by quarterback Brad Jackson, running back Greg Burrell, and wide receivers Beau Sparks and Chris Dawn Jr.
Behind Kinne, Texas State has been an offensive force. Jackson threw for 3,050 yards in completing 234 of 328 pass attempts and 18 touchdowns. A dual threat, Jackson also ran for 692 yards and 16 touchdowns.
And Sparks was Jackson's main target last season. Sparks caught 1,113 receiving yards on 80 receptions and nine touchdowns. Dawn Jr. was next on the receiving list for Texas State with 931 yards on 54 catches and a pair of touchdowns.
Burrell could break out this season with the Lincoln Pare running out of eligibility. He was third on the list behind Pare and Jackson in rushing, 590 yards on 91 attempts, and third in touchdowns.
Utah State Spring Practice Preview
Figuring out the new QB room
Utah State will look to take a couple more steps up the ladder on their record in the second season of head coach Bronco Mendenhall.
While the Aggies were 6-7 last season, they did get a bowl bid, and two of the seven defeats were by three points or fewer. And the six victories were four more than in 2024, when Utah State went 2-10.
The biggest question for the Aggies in the spring season is under center.
All three quarterbacks from last season are gone, including Bryson Barnes, who collected 3,543 total yards, including 2,803 passing yards and 18 touchdowns.
The battle to replace Barnes under center this fall will most likely be between transfers, McCae Hillstead and Grady Brosterhous.
For Hillstead, this is his second stint with the Aggies. He started in four games for Utah State in 2023 as a true freshman. In his first trip with Utah State, he completed 87-of-147 pass attempts for 1,005 yards and 10 touchdowns. Hillstead then transferred to BYU before the 2024 season, where he saw only limited time.
Brosterhous saw a little time at Virginia and redshirted last season for the Cavs before transferring to Utah State. Brosterhous was only four games under center for Virginia in 2023, but was used sometimes as a running back and scored four touchdowns in 2024.
Talking about Virginia, Utah State received a graduate transfer receiver, Eli Wood, who collected 205 receiving yards on 16 receptions and two touchdowns. Wood, though, played well in the ACC championship game and the bowl game against Missouri. He caught the game-tying touchdown pass against Duke that sent the ACC title game into overtime. And then in the bowl, Wood led Virginia with 71 receiving yards on four catches.
The Aggies also picked up a couple of other receivers in the portal in Javon Robinson (Georgia State), LJ Johnson Jr. (Texas State), and Rex Haynes (Arizona). Robinson was the best of the three and was second in receptions for Georgia State last season with 58 receptions, 595 receiving yards 595, and four touchdowns.
In the backfield, Utah State collected running back Sesi Vailahai from Oklahoma State, who last year ran for 152 yards and two touchdowns. Sesi reunites with his brother, Aggies safety Lava Vailahai.
Washington State Spring Practice Preview
Sorting through bevy of transfers
Like the new Pac-12, there is a new head for Washington State. After only a one-year stint for the Cougars, Jimmy Rogers went east and became the head coach for Iowa State. Rogers, though, left on a high note as Washington State won its first bowl game (34-21 over Utah State in the Potato Bowl) since 2018.
Washington State turned to hiring Kirby Moore, the offensive coordinator at Missouri, to lead the program in the Pac-12's revival.
Like many new head coaches, several players hit the transfer portal, but the Cougars were especially hit hard as 37 players departed, one of the biggest exoduses in the country this past season. Some of those who hit the portal did opt to return to the team.
One of those players who returned is running back Kirby Vorhees, the Cougars' top rusher last season, who sprinted for 576 yards on the ground on 138 attempts and five touchdowns. He also caught 19 passes for 125 yards. Another running back returning is Leo Pulalasi, who was the Cougars' fourth-leading rusher with 169 rushing yards on 31 carries.
Moore did bring in 26 players to at least lessen the blow.
Washington State's transfers were highlighted by Tank Hawkins (wide receiver, Florida), Jack Pedersen (tight end, UCLA) and Darrius Clemons (wide receiver, Oregon State).
Going into the spring season, the biggest battle will be at quarterback. Zevi Eckhaus ended his career at Washington State last season, leaving an opening to be a starter in 2026.
It will most likely come down to Julian Dugger and Caden Pinnick, a transfer from UC Davis.
Last season, Dugger was the backup in nine games for WSU in 2025 behind Eckhaus, rushing for two touchdowns and passing for 39 yards.
Pinnick might be the leader going into the spring. At UC-Davis, Pinnick accumulated a total of more than 3,600 yards and 35 touchdowns and was named the Big Sky Conference Freshman of the Year.
The top receiver coming back is Tony Freeman, the Cougars' second leading receiver last season with 51 catches for 557 yards and three touchdowns.
The biggest addition to the receiver room might be Clemons. With his transfer to WSU, it was his third school in five years. Clemons played for Michigan for two years, 2022 and 2023, and then transferred to Pac-12 rival, Oregon State, for '24 and '25, where he redshirted last season. Between the two schools, he accumulated 325 receiving yards on 32 receptions. In '23 was his best at Michigan with three catches for 33 years. He transferred to Pac-12 rival, Oregon State, where Clemons. In addition, Hawkins comes into the room. He actually had a better year in 2024 for the Gators with 10 catches for 100 yards. But in 2025, Hawkins only had two receptions for 16 yards.
UConn Spring Practice Preview
Life after Mora
With the departure of Mora to Colorado State, Connecticut did not look to one of the big conferences, but to the MAC instead.
Despite not being in one of the big conferences, Candle has had great success in the MAC for Toledo, where he won two conference titles, three MAC West Division championships, and led the Rockets to seven college bowl games.
The biggest hole to fill for Candle right away is under center.
Last season, the Huskies had one of the most prolific quarterbacks in the nation in Joe Fagnano, who threw for 3,446 yards and 28 touchdowns while rushing for an additional three touchdowns.
The odds-on favorite to take over for Fagnano is Jake Merklinger, who comes from Tennessee, where he completed only 13-of-24 passes for 183 yards and two touchdowns last season, but was a four-star recruit. Merklinger could hit the ground running in the fall since he is familiar with the Huskies' offensive coordinator, Nunzio Campanile.
With the departure of top running back Cam Edwards (1,132 rushing yards, 14 touchdowns), the Huskies were able to pick up a couple of running backs in the portal in Central Michigan transfer Trey Cornist and West Virginia transfer running back Cyncir Bowers.
Candle and UConn dipped into his former pool, the MAC, while bringing in Cornist. At Central Michigan, he had 404 rushing yards and a touchdown.
For Bowers, he was the second leading rusher for the Mountaineers with 249 yards on the ground and two touchdowns. He also had 134 yards receiving and a touchdown.
With most of the top receivers departing, including the number 1 wide receiver, Skyler Bell (1,276 yards, 18 touchdowns, heading to the NFL), the lone major returning wide receiver is Shamar Porter, who caught 17 passes for 228 receiving yards and a touchdown.
Like so many head coaches moving to a new school, Candle brought a few Toledo players with him. A bulk of the Rockets who came to Connecticut were wide receivers. A couple of wide receivers of note in Zy'marion Lang, Jediyah Willoughby, Julian Allen, Ryder Treadway, Kamren Flowers, and Javon Brown. Most of the Toledo transfers did not log a catch for the Rockets last season. Treadway and Brown had the best success with a dozen catches for 156 yards and three touchdowns. Brown recorded eight receptions for 156 yards and a touchdown this season forIn 2024 Lang caught four passes for 60 yards and two touchdowns.
Another receiver moved to Storrs, Emanuel Ross, who came from Syracuse. Ross spent two seasons at Syracuse and totaled 15 catches for 188 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Ky Wilson moves up from Youngstown State, which is in the FCS, to UConn. Last season with the Penguins, Wilson registered 652 receiving yards and six touchdowns while also rushing 101 yards and a touchdown.
Notre Dame Spring Practice Preview
Replacing stars in the backfield
There is plenty of incentive this season for Notre Dame after it controversially did not make the College Football Playoff last season.
For head coach Marcus Freeman and the Irish for the upcoming 2026 season, the goal could be to go undefeated in the regular season to at least assure a bid in the CFP.
And if Notre Dame returns to the CFP, it will be the development of quarterback CJ Carr, who will look to make another leap in his second year under center.
Carr and the Irish offense will be looking to duplicate last season's totals, where they averaged 42 points a game, second only to North Texas in the country.
And the passing game will have a more prominent role in the offense in 2026, especially with the departure of the Irish's top two running backs.
Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price have moved on to the pros and accounted for the bulk of the running game, a total of 2,046 rushing yards and 29 of the rushing touchdowns.
The top Notre Dame running back returning to the team is Aneyas Williams. He could get the first shot at the bulk of the carries this fall. Williams tallied 224 rushing yards on 24 carries and five touchdowns.
One of the top recruits for the Irish is running back Javian Osborne, who is expected to be second on the depth chart by the time the season rolls around at the end of August. Two other running backs will get a shot at carries in Kedren Young and Nolan James. James saw only a little time on the field with 14 carries for 37 yards. Young tore his ACL last season and redshirted.
With the return of Carr, the Notre Dame offense is expected to be more in the passing game in the fall.
The top receiver returning is Jordan Faison, who led a balanced receiving corps in 202 with 640 yards on 49 catches and four touchdowns. And one of the receivers who has been a disappointment the last few years is Jaden Greathouse, who was injured for most of 2025 and only had 73 yards on four catches. He has another shot at living up to his potential this fall.
And Notre Dame brought in a pair of Ohio State wide receivers in Quincy Porter and Mylan Graham. Porter was the transfer portal's 11th-ranked wide receiver and a former four-star recruit. Graham was a former three-star recruit.
And at tight end, Eli Raridon is moving on to the pros after being the third-highest Irish receiver with 482 yards on 32 catches. Replacing Raridon could be Ty Washington, who comes over from Arkansas, where he accumulated 212 receiving yards on 14 catches and four touchdowns in three seasons with the Razorbacks.
