Jeremiah Smith, Jesse Legree, and Bob Chesney are absolutely tearing it up through the first half of the 2026 college football season, and if you aren’t paying attention, you’re missing out on some seriously electric play. FOX Sports’ crew, Urban Meyer, Mark Ingram, Matt Leinart, and Brady Quinn, just dropped their midseason awards on “Big Noon Kickoff,” and these guys are rightfully getting their shoutouts.
UCLA’s Turnaround Is All About the Trenches
Talk about a glow-up. Urban Meyer says it’s not even close: Bob Chesney at UCLA is the Coach of the Year so far. This dude took a 3-9 mess and has them sitting pretty at 6-0, ranked No. 9 in the nation, with a 4-0 Big Ten record. How’d he do it? He pulled a “Curt Cignetti plan,” bringing 11 players with him from James Madison. What Meyer loves, and honestly, what any real football fan loves, is the physicality. Chesney runs the ball, straight up. He’s got the best offensive line in the Big Ten, maybe in all of college football, and they just dominate. It sounds like appointment viewing on Mondays, with Meyer tuning in just for that downhill, physical running game.
The Wide Receiver Showcase: Smith vs. Legree
If you want a masterclass in wide receiver play, you’ve got two guys showing out in massive ways: Jeremiah Smith and Jesse Legree. Mark Ingram put it simply: Smith is “the best player in college football.” That’s a bold claim, but the numbers back it up: 52 receptions for 984 yards, averaging an insane 18.9 yards per reception, and 12 touchdowns. And get this: he’s averaging a mind-boggling 140 receiving yards per game. Yeah, you read that right.
Then there’s Jesse Legree. Matt Leinart is high on this guy, and for good reason. He’s got 46 receptions for 1,040 yards, averaging an even more ridiculous 22.6 yards per reception, and he leads the nation with 14 touchdowns. He’s the only receiver with over 1,000 yards right now. What’s even cooler? He announced he’s coming back to Oregon State, wanting to build something there. He’s a different beast than Smith, a smaller, speedier guy at 5-foot-10, 170 pounds, reminding Leinart of DeSean Jackson. This guy can fly, runs every route, and Oregon State throws it all over the yard. Leinart even says he’s ahead of DeVonta Smith at the same point in his Heisman season. This young man is straight up the future of wide receiver play.
Michigan’s Week 1 Scare and a Second Chance
Let’s not forget the chaos of Week 1. Brady Quinn brought up the “David vs. Goliath” matchup when Kyle Whittingham debuted as Michigan’s coach. Who saw Michigan almost getting upset by Western Michigan? It came down to a “miraculous play” as time expired in the fourth quarter, giving Michigan a second chance and securing the win 13-12. That completion, that second opportunity, was huge. Quinn thinks that win probably allowed Bryce Underwood to stay at quarterback longer. Without it, we might have seen Tommy Carr under center a lot sooner. Talk about a season-defining moment right out of the gate.
These guys are setting the standard for college football right now. With Smith and Legree putting up historic numbers and Chesney turning a program around, the back half of the season is going to be wild. Will Smith keep up his unreal pace? Can Legree solidify his Heisman-level talk? And will UCLA’s O-line keep bulldozing defenses? We’re all gonna be glued to our screens to find out.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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