By Jack Leo
DALLAS (FWAA) – The Football Writers Association of America has released a list of top candidates for the 2026 Offensive Freshman of the Year, Defensive Freshman of the Year and Special Teams Freshman of the Year. They will be members of the FWAA's 2026 Freshman All-America Team presented by Chris Doering Mortgage.
The recipients of the awards will be honored at a special dinner on Monday, Feb. 22 at Spurrier's Gridiron Grille in Gainesville, Fla. Notable recent recipients of these include quarterback Trevor Lawrence (Clemson), tight end Brock Bowers (Georgia), defensive end Will Anderson (Alabama), quarterback Drake Maye (North Carolina), defensive back Leonard Moore (Notre Dame), kicker Nolan Hauser (Clemson) and receiver Malachi Toney (Miami).
Some of the leading candidates for the three 2026 FWAA Freshman Player of the Year awards include:
Mark Bowman, TE, USC
Faizon Brandon, QB, Tennessee
Lamar Brown, DL, LSU
Jackson Cantwell, OL, Miami
Devin Carter, WR, Florida State
Ezavier Crowell, RB, Alabama
Jared Curtis, QB, Vanderbilt
Kenton Dopson III, CB, North Carolina
Zion Elee, DL, Maryland
Damon Ferguson Jr., RB, Pittsburgh
Deuce Geralds, DL, LSU
Legend Glasker, WR, BYU
Kodi Green, OL, Washington
La’Damion Guyton, DL, Texas Tech
Jordan Harrison, OL, South Florida
Kendre’ Harrison, TE, Oregon
Chris Henry Jr. WR, Ohio State
Savion Hiter, RB, Michigan
Jamel Howse, TE, Appalachian State
Cederian Morgan, WR, Alabama
Trent Mosley, WR, USC
John Meredith III, CB, Texas
Jack Murray, LB, Northern Illinois
Kelvin Obot, OL, Utah
Jude Okeleke, DL, Temple
Kaiden Prothro, TE, Georgia
Zion Robinson, WR, Stanford
Matt Sieg, S, West Virginia
Luke Wafle, DL, USC
Izayia Williams, LB, Florida State
Chris Doering Mortgage, based in Gainesville, Fla., was established in April 2007 as a residential lending company providing mortgage products including conventional, FHA, USDA, and VA loans. The branch is a division of MortgageAdvisors.com – 3940 NW 16th Blvd., Suite A, Gainesville, FL 32605 – NMLS 70168/1937321. FHA Lender ID 2631500094. For more information, visit ChrisDoeringMortgage.com. College football analyst Chris Doering, a former wide receiver for Coach Spurrier both in college and the NFL, serves as the branch manager.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Executive Director Steve Richardson at (214) 870-6516 or tiger@fwaa.com.
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