Curt Cignetti voices his displeasure with Nick Marsh’s gold cleats (0:28)Indiana coach Curt Cignetti says he ripped Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh for wearing gold cleats to practice. (0:28)
Spring football is still going strong as 10 Power 4 programs plus Notre Dame, will hold spring games throughout the end of the week. The Big Ten leads Power 4 conferences with six games this week, the Big 12 will hold three and the SEC will hold one.
Indiana, the reigning national champions, will hold its spring game Thursday where we’ll get a first look at transfer quarterback Josh Hoover and others that are backfilling big roles that were left after many players departed for the NFL draft. On Saturday, Penn State will hold its spring game where we’ll get a glimpse at how the Nittany Lions are looking under new head coach Matt Campbell.
Spring storyline: After a rough 2024 season in coach Brent Brennan’s debut, the Wildcats roared back last season to finish 9-4 — a five-win year-over-year improvement. Now, with quarterback Noah Fifita back to begin his fourth season as the starter, few programs are in better hands at the position. It all adds up to a belief that Arizona can compete for the Big 12 title — a rare offseason position in Tucson.
Player to watch: DE Prince Williams. At famed Bishop Gorman High in Nevada, Williams was one of the most dominant defensive players in high school football in 2025. He was MaxPreps’ Nevada Player of the Year after making 91 tackles, including an incredible 44 for loss. At 6-foot-3, 264 pounds, he has the size to compete for playing time right away and will use the spring to see if he can work his way into the rotation. — Kyle Bonagura
Position of intrigue: Quarterback. It appears the Razorbacks are going to have a battle on their hands. KJ Jackson returns, along with transfer AJ Hill from Memphis, Braeden Fuller from Division II Angelo State and Fayetteville’s own, freshman Hank Hendrix, who reclassified to 2026. Offensive coordinator Tim Cramsey follows Silverfield from Memphis, where the offense was in the top 25 in scoring in all four seasons they were together.
Player to watch: RB Sutton Smith. Silverfield and his staff at Memphis knew Smith had NFL talent as a freshman, and he will be key to their success in their first season at Arkansas. Smith suffered an ACL tear early in 2024 but bounced back last season with 669 yards and seven touchdowns on 102 carries, along with 20 receptions for 109 yards. — Harry Lyles Jr.
Spring storyline: A year ago, Notre Dame’s offense had a generational tailback as the centerpiece and a giant question mark at quarterback, with four players vying for the starting job and no decision in sight. The script has flipped this year. This is unquestionably CJ Carr’s team now after the second-year QB threw for more than 2,700 yards and accounted for 27 touchdowns, leading the Irish to the brink of the playoff. But if there’s certainty at quarterback, the running back room will look quite a bit different after the departures of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, who combined for more than 4,500 scrimmage yards and 60 total touchdowns over the past two seasons. More than anything though, the storyline that will hover over Notre Dame until the season kicks off — and perhaps well beyond — is the lingering sting of being left out of the playoff last year. The Irish are out for revenge, and that means using every day to take a step further than they did a year ago.
Position of intrigue: The good news for Notre Dame is the biggest intrigue entering spring has mostly been — well, pretty boring. The new-look offensive line, which features redshirt freshman Will Black at left tackle, veteran Anthonie Knapp sliding to left guard, center Joe Otting, right guard Sullivan Absher and right tackle Guerby Lambert has held up well, built some chemistry and, perhaps most importantly, stayed healthy. If Notre Dame wants a ground game approaching last year’s elite status, it starts up front. While the lineup looks a bit different from a year ago, this has the makings of a very strong group.
Position of intrigue: Running back. After Ismail Mahdi ran out of eligibility, the Wildcats have a solid trio to handle running back duties in 2026. It starts with Kedrick Reescano and Quincy Craig, both of whom ran for over 300 yards for Arizona last season. Then, there’s Antwan Roberts, a transfer from Marshall, where he was the Thundering Herd’s featured back, rushing for 512 yards. If one of them can have a breakout season, this could be a position of strength, but there is still a lot to prove from the group.
Spring storyline: The Bears took a gamble in retaining coach Dave Aranda following the program’s third sub-.500 season in four years. And after losing nearly all of the leading contributors from a team that finished 5-7 a season ago, Baylor was forced to place another bet on rebuilding via the transfer portal. Will either wager pay off in 2026? At the heart of the roster retool is Florida transfer quarterback DJ Lagway, who joins coordinator Jake Spavital’s offense alongside a new-look wide receiver unit led by transfers Gavin Freeman (Oklahoma State), Hardley Gilmore IV (Kentucky) and Dre’Lon Miller (Colorado). First-year defensive coordinator Joe Klanderman takes over playcalling duties and a similarly overhauled Bears defense that ranked 122nd nationally against the run a season ago. Aranda’s future at Baylor hinges heavily on the acclimation of transfers such as Lagway and defenders Hosea Wheeler (Indiana) and Garrick Ponder (Southern Miss) in 2026, and that process begins this spring.
Position of intrigue: Secondary. For a unit that finished 31st nationally in passing yards per game, Baylor’s secondary was a decidedly trick-or-treat experience last fall. The departures of starters DJ Coleman (Florida transfer) and Devyn Bobby (graduation) leave cornerback LeVar Thornton Jr. and safety Jacob Redding as the top returners to that unit in 2026. Potential upside lies within the group of transfer defensive backs the Bears signed this offseason. Safety Daniel Cobbs, Kansas State’s 2025 interceptions leader, is one of three former K-State defensive backs who followed Klanderman to Baylor. Oklahoma transfer Devon Jordan joins the Bears after emerging as a versatile player in Brent Venables’ Sooners defense a year ago, and New Mexico State transfer Stilton McKelvey brings valuable experience to an intriguing position group.
Player to watch: Lagway. It was only last August that the former five-star passer held the 10th-best Heisman Trophy odds of any player across football. Lagway’s debut season as a starting quarterback subsequently fell short of expectations, complete with a 4-8 finish and more interceptions — 14 — than any other SEC passer. But Lagway’s overwhelming talent, presumably, is still there to be unlocked by Spavital and a retooled Baylor offense. And while it’s reductive to suggest the trajectory of the Bears’ 2026 season relies solely on his shoulders, the version of Lagway Baylor gets in the fall could swing everything, one way or another. — Eli Lederman
Position of intrigue: Wide receiver. Of Iowa State’s top 10 pass catchers from a season ago, only redshirt sophomore Dominic Overby remains. That’s a gut punch for a program that recently boasted star receivers such as Xavier Hutchinson, Jaylin Noel and Jayden Higgins. As for reinforcements around Raynor in 2026? Tulane wide receiver Omari Hayes projects as one of the program’s most impactful skill position additions after hauling in 78 passes for 1,105 and four touchdowns across his past two seasons. Elsewhere, former Oklahoma, Houston and Tarleton State pass catcher Cody Jackson joins after the most productive season of his winding career in 2025, and Washington State transfer Carter Pabst follows Rogers as a promising young talent. The rosiest outlook on the Cyclones season probably hinges on Raynor replicating a 2025 effort in which he finished with 3,361 yards, 20th most among FBS quarterbacks. To do it, he’ll need a proper receiving corps.
Player to watch: Defensive end Isaac Terrell. Edge rushers Tamatoa McDonough and Ikenna Ezeogu are two of the 15 starters Iowa State is working to replace in 2026. But Terrell’s portal arrival from Washington State represents one of the few spots on the depth chart in which the Cyclones will be improved, on paper at least, in the fall. Terrell tore up opposing backfields for seven sacks, 12 tackles for loss and a forced fumble in a breakout junior season under Rogers a year ago and projects to be one of the leaders of Iowa State’s new-look defense. — Lederman
Spring storyline: Indiana’s journey through uncharted territory under coach Curt Cignetti continues this spring as the team begins its first national title defense. The Hoosiers will be under the spotlight and looking to replace many of the key players who shaped the team’s historic rise. Cignetti has been masterful in maintaining his team’s focus and operating the program with efficiency. But Indiana be replacing not only quarterback Fernando Mendoza but also its top two wide receivers, top two running backs and several defensive standouts, including cornerback D’Angelo Ponds and linebacker Aiden Fisher. There isn’t a comparable recent situation of a program like Indiana emerging from a national title, which adds intrigue to the Hoosiers’ spring.
Position of intrigue: Wide receiver. Incoming transfer quarterback Josh Hoover certainly will generate attention this spring as he steps in for Mendoza, but he also will be throwing to a largely new group of wide receivers. Elijah Sarratt and Omar Cooper Jr. combined for 1,767 receiving yards and 28 touchdowns on 134 catches last season, including Cooper’s toe-tapping score in the back of the end zone at Penn State with 36 seconds left. IU also loses E.J. Williams Jr. Charlie Becker’s emergence during the postseason was very encouraging, and he will team with Michigan State transfer Nick Marsh, who had 100 receptions and nine touchdowns in his first two seasons. The Hoosiers must fill out their depth at wideout to assist Hoover in his transition.