CFBDepth 2026 Game Plan
We are gearing up for our third season in existence and have BIG plans. Here is a look at what we are working on and what you can expect in 2026 and beyond...
As transfer portal activity begins to slow, much of the country is in defrost mode, and the 2026 season is already taking shape. We wanted to take a minute to let you know what we are working on and what you can expect from CFBDepth in 2026 and beyond.
DEPTH CHART STATUS
At the heart of everything we do at CFBDepth is our depth charts. They fuel our insights, projections, and model simulations. Keeping these up to date and moving forward is paramount. So, we want to be transparent about the ‘status’ of the charts as we move through this “off-season” and into the 2026 spring and summer. Here is the plan:
Current Status: Close Out 2025 — we are working through each squad and inputting the actual playing time registered at each position group. This will give us a clearer picture of how much talent was put out on the field in 2025. Injury impacts and playing-time decisions will affect this rating, which will translate into our ‘talent ratings’ and inform the other insights below. These will be closed out for 2025 by the middle of next week (February 11).
Current Status: OFF-SEASON MODE — simultaneously, we are in “Off-Season” mode, which shows the 2025 team with their final depth charts, playing time, and also 2026 statuses. We are removing any players who are not expected to return to the program in 2026, whether due to eligibility expiration, NFL draft eligibility, transfer, or another reason. We are showing the “Future Additions” to include the top recruits and transfers-in, previewing the changes each position group will undergo in 2026. Here is a look at the current state of the Indiana QB room:
We will keep this mode until late February or early March.
Future State: SPRING MODE — as spring camps open in late February, early March, we’ll move into a spring mode that shows what the depth charts look like heading into spring camps. This shows which players are enrolled and going through spring practices, and which are still awaiting arrival at the school. We are developing a “Spring Tracker” to guide you through the dates within the mandated 34-day window for each program to host spring practices and continue playing a Spring game. More to come on this…
Future State: 2026 MODE — we’ll have a full-on “Move to ‘26” content series as we officially change to the summer/fall version of the depth charts (more on this below). When we move the teams to this mode, we’ll get into actually projecting the 2026 playing time for each school, including all enrolled players during the summer. This is the prelude to the “State of the Chart” magazine that will be released (our second edition) as the official preview for the 2026 season. We will be starting this process in June and completing by mid-July, ahead of summer camps opening beginning in late-July, early August.
FEATURES AND CONTENT
2025 Medical Hardship Waivers (Redshirts)
We conducted research using season-long availability reports and will publish a comprehensive list of players who are “likely” eligible for a medical hardship waiver for the 2025 season. The rules state that they are injured before the midpoint of the season and did not compete in 30% of the team’s games (four or fewer), they could be eligible. There are other criteria where “likely” applies, and some players will not use this waiver due to their standing on the team and/or their interest in continuing their football career. We will release these by position and include any known injuries that may linger into the 2026 summer and fall camps.
Timeframe: Early February (starting this week)
Coaching Carousel Articles
We are envisioning taking all 16 fired coaches and providing a full-on synopsis of the position and the wave of moves it prompted following the ousting. We will detail out the reasoning behind the firing, the interim job success, the new hire and all that fall out coming from it. We will be introducing some new writers to this endeavor from our Squad and I’m looking forward to that. These will be fun.
Timeframe: February - Early March (2-3 releases/week)
2025 Coaching Grades
This is a biggie. We have been developing a data-driven set of ‘coach grades’ that removes some of the guesswork and provides a clear view of each coach's performance for the 2025 season. We’ll provide grades for all head coaches, coordinators (play callers), and defined position coaches, based on our data. Some may surprise you. We will develop in-depth articles by conference for head coaches first, then move to the coordinators (offense, defense, and special teams) and then the positional coaches. This will be recapped and compiled in the “The Year That Was: 2025” review magazine (more information below).
Timeframe: Mid February - Late March
Transfer Portal-PLUS Rankings
We are going to take our “Portal Churn” rankings to the next level. We’ll call them Portal-PLUS rankings. The current churn number accounts for every player and every rating, both incoming and outgoing. That’s a good look at an overall ‘talent churn’ — but, the PLUS ratings will take an advanced look at the portal moves this offseason and paint another picture that focuses more on the impact transfers. How will we do this?
Great question. We are going to normalize a ‘rating level’ based on each conference and position group. We then compare the current player ratings against that number and include only players expected to see the field in 2026. This will weed out some of the volume-based ratings that accumulate and may muddy the picture. Is it perfect? Not quite. We’ll get there, though, when we “Move to ‘26” and begin sliding players into rotations and accumulating the new ratings/rankings for each position group… for now, this will do.
Timeframe: March
2025 Recruiting Class Re-Grading
We are going to spend some time looking at the 2025 recruiting classes and re-grade based on what we saw from players in their true freshman seasons. If a player redshirted, they will retain their recruiting ranking — but many who redshirted saw the field and made an impact (some were worse). Let’s review each team’s class and assign a new grade based on additional data on these players.
Timeframe: mid-to-late March
The Year That Was: 2025 (Publication)
We have mentioned a few times now a new publication we will release as an almanac-style, data-driven look back at the ‘year that was’ in 2025. This is going to a be a big one. Similar to the ‘State of the Chart’ preview magazine, this will focus intensely on what we saw transpire on the field a year ago. A way to ‘relive’ the season in a way, but also take a critical eye to what was ‘real’ and who may have deserved a different fate. Each team section will have the following:
State of the Chart update. A written synopsis of what the 2025 season was to the program and how it impacts the path forward.
General information. Final All-In Rankings, CFBDepth Advanced Metrics (dWIN, ScriptX, SOS+, Injury Impact), Seasonal Flow Chart
Relive 2025. A game-by-game breakdown of each contest, including the post-game win expectancy numbers to go with the recap rundown and other important metrics.
Coaching Grades. We assign each coach a grade based on their on-field performance in 2025. These are data-driven and contribute to their overall rating, which is used in our All-In Rankings and model simulations.
Final Depth Charts. A look at the playing time within each position group (offense, defense, and specialists), including all of the information you’ll want on a player from recruiting rankings, current rating, 2025 stats, and 2026 roster status.
Look Back Portal & Recruiting Grades. A review of how each squad performed in the 2025 transfer portal and an update on how the recruiting class is shaping up, with more data coming in.
2026 Teaser. We’ll take a quick look at the off-season coaching and roster talent churn to give a teaser into what you’ll get in the “State of the Chart” preview magazine coming out in early July.
Anticipated release: Early April
For more information and to join the mailing list for more information, sneak peeks and previews, click the button below:
‘Move to 2026’ Series
Following the release of TYTW, we’ll begin the process of moving each depth chart to 2026 mode. This will include all projected depth positions and playing time percentages. From that, we’ll have team and player stat projections with the seasonal model simulation and so much more. We will likely do a ‘three-a-day’ release schedule with content posted each time a chart is moved into this mode. More to come on our plans for the move to 2026. We’ll get there.
Timeframe: May-June
State of the Chart™ Magazine
It all culminates into the ‘grand daddy of them all’ the “State of the Chart” preview magazine. This edition will be better than ever and include EVERYTHING you need to prepare for the 2026 season.
Release Date: mid-July
We hope this gives you a good idea of what to expect and that you consider joining us on this journey to kick off 2026! Thank you for your support of our efforts — it is our driving force as we continue to innovate and plug gaps in the college football world of insights.