A new king will be crowned in the 2026 College Football National Championship on Monday as the No. 10 Miami Hurricanes square off with the No. 1 Indiana Hoosiers for the top prize in the entire sport. Miami is in the unique position of hosting the title game in its home venue of Hard Rock Stadium and in order to secure the program’s first championship in 24 years, it will have to conquer an undefeated Indiana squad that has been an absolute buzzsaw in the playoffs.
By now, the world should be familiar with Hoosier quarterback Fernando Mendoza and Hurricane edge rusher Rueben Bain Jr., both of whom are slated to be top selections in the 2026 NFL Draft this April. They are obviously not alone, as they’ve been helped on this journey by plenty of other talents that will also find spots on professional rosters in the coming months. We’ll go over the other NFL Draft prospects that will be taking the field in Monday’s title game and use the big boards of both Tankathon and NFL Mock Draft Database for reference. Check out our latest 2026 NFL mock draft here.
No. 10 Miami vs. No. 1 Indiana, 7:30 p.m. ET
Fernando Mendoza, QB, Indiana (No. 1 overall)
Rueben Bain Jr., Edge, Miami (Top 5)
Francis Mauigoa, OT, Miami (Top 15)
Akheem Mesidor, DL, Miami (Second round)
Elijah Sarratt, WR, Indiana (Second round)
D’Angelo Ponds, CB, Indiana (Third round)
Carter Smith, OT, Indiana (Third round)
Omar Cooper, WR, Indiana (Third round)
Keionte Scott, CB, Miami (Third round)
Carson Beck, QB, Miami (Fourth round)
CJ Daniels, WR, Miami (Fourth round)
Mikail Kamara, Edge, Indiana (Fourth round)
After Mendoza and Bain, Miami offensive tackle Francis Mauigoa is the only other projected first-rounder that will be taking the field in Monday’s title game at Hard Rock Stadium. Most draft experts have him being the second tackle taken off the board behind Utah’s Spencer Fano in the 10-15 range, but some like Pro Football Network’s Alec Elijah have him going as high as No. 6 to the Cleveland Browns. At 6’6”, 315 pounds, Mauigoa earned the ACC’s Jacobs Blocking Trophy by anchoring an offensive line that has only allowed 19 sacks through 15 games this season. His thick frame and athleticism earned him a spot on Bruce Feldman’s “Freaks List” ahead of the season and he has a chance to solidify his draft positioning with the entire football world watching.
Bain’s dominance has been complemented by another monster on the line in Akheem Mesidor and the duo has been a frightening sight for opposing offensive coordinators all season long. The 6’3”, 280-pound Ottowa native is a huge reason why the “U” has made it this far in the postseason as he has posted 10 solo tackles and 3.5 sacks through their three playoff games. He’s a bit undersized for an NFL defensive lineman and his injury history is a reason why he’s being projected for round two. However, his explosiveness, versatilely across the line, and production could allow him to rise as draft season gets rolling and ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. has him as a top-20 prospect on his latest big board.
Carson Beck and CJ Daniels will also get a chance to showcase their talents in front of the entire world as both guys are being projected in the 3rd-4th round range. Beck’s flaws with turnovers and handling pressure has been known since he’s days as Georgia’s starter, but he’s been an effective leader for the Hurricane offense this season and came up big for them in their close semifinal victory over Ole Miss. That’s been with the help of a reliable receiving option like Daniels, who….well, just look at this one-handed grab he made against Notre Dame and you’ll get the picture. Keionte Scott is also being projected in this range and he showed off his IQ and anticipation skills by pick-sixing Julian Sayin in their Cotton Bowl victory over Ohio State on New Year’s Eve.
On the Indiana side of things, Elijah Sarratt has been a central part of the program’s meteoric surge over the past two years under Curt Cignetti and he’s being tabbed as a round-two guy with the potential to rise in the coming months. He makes up for his lack of top-flight speed with excellent precision and route-running skills according to NFL Draft Buzz and he enters Monday’s title game leading the nation in receiving touchdowns with 15. Sitting right behind him in that department is Omar Cooper, who has 13 TD’s on the season and is also being projected as a Night 2 selection this April. The senior is one of the holdovers from the Tom Allen era who has been unleashed during Cig’s tenure and came through with one of the plays of the year in their comeback victory over Penn State.
D’Angelo Ponds is one of several players who followed Cignetti from James Madison to IU and he’s been a terror for the Hoosier secondary throughout the playoffs, earning defensive MVP in both the Rose and Peach Bowl’s. Monday’s title game will be a homecoming for the 5’9”, 170-pound corner as he played high school ball at prep powerhouse Chaminade-Madonna in nearby Hollywood, FL. He has a third-round projection due to his small size, but his IQ, instincts, and physicality has been elite and earned him First-Team All-American honors this season. He’ll also be the only draft prospect in this class with a pond in Bloomington temporarily named after him and that’s pretty rad.
Left tackle Carter Smith is another Indiana prospect who could hear his name called in the third round of April’s draft. The 6’5”, 313-pound lineman was dominant while protecting Mendoza’s blindside this year and that earned him both All-American and Big Ten Offensive Lineman of the Year honors at the end of the regular season. On the other side of the line of scrimmage, Mikail Kamara is another borderline Night 2 prospect for the Hoosiers and we’ll see how effective he is after getting banged up in their Peach Bowl victory over Oregon.
