Top 10 Best Kick Returners in College Football 2025-2026 Rankings

Ranking the best kick returners in College Football for the 2025-2026 NCAA season as Jadarian Price of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish leads the way

By Sunday Umoh | January 19, 2026

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Every fall Saturday, offenses script the fireworks, but kick returners write the plot twists nobody sees coming. The Top 10 College Football Kick Returners 2025-2026 rankings list is loaded with the most dangerous specialists who could flip field position in seconds and deliver momentum swings in a blink of an eye.

This year’s group of kick returners didn’t just rack up yardage; they forced opposing coordinators and kickers to rethink how they would kick off during each attempt.

What separates the best returners in 2025 isn’t just raw speed. It is vision through traffic, fearlessness in tight alleys, and a knack for turning routine kicks into sudden scoring chances. Several names on this list led their conferences in return average, uncorked touchdown return daggers, and set up their teams in great field positions to take advantage of their opponents.

This year’s crop of kick returners include Jadarian Price of the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Damon Bankston of the New Mexico Lobos, and Devin Gandy of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs. The trio combined to post 1,358 return yards while averaging 33.1 yards per return and six touchdown returns.

Here is a look at the Top 10 College Football Kick Returners 2025-2026 rankings:

Honorable Mention

Jaylen Jenkins

School: Texas State Bobcats

Position: Running Back

Draft Status: Undecided

Landing just outside the Top 10 College Football Kick Returners 2025-2026 rankings, is the Texas State Bobcats kick returner Jaylen Jenkins.

Going under the radar while playing within the Sun Belt conference, Jenkins was a game changer all season while quietly ranking among the best kick returners in the country. The versatile offensive weapon posted 622 kick returns yards over 23 attempts during the regular season including a 100 yard kick return touchdown.

The tape shows a fearless runner who leans into contact, keeps his legs churning, and forces would-be tacklers to finish or get dragged for extra yards. In a year where field position defined plenty of Sun Belt Saturdays, Jenkins’ work on kickoffs kept Texas State competitive.

Sieh Bangura

School: Ohio Bobcats

Position: Running Back

Draft Status: NFL Draft

Instead of being “just” a workhorse back, Sieh Bangura moonlighted as one of the MAC’s scariest hidden-yardage guys for the Ohio Bobcats.

On a team that leaned heavily on his 1,300-plus rushing yards and 15 rushing scores, he still found time to post 141 kick return yards on only three attempts, an eye-popping 47.0 yards per return with a 97-yard touchdown that broke open a league game. That combination of tackle-breaking power and straight-line burst means his returns often look like extended run plays, with defenders bouncing off at the second level.

Coaches knew any kick drifting his way risked flipping the game in a single snap, even if the raw volume kept him just off the main list. While Bangura lacked the number of returns as other returners, the Bobcats star had the tools and weapons to take any kick to the house.

Top 10 Best Kick Returners in College Football 2025-2026 Rankings

10. Jaden Nixon

School: UCF Knights

Position: Running Back

Draft Status: NFL Draft

Sliding into the back end of the Top 10 College Football Kick Returners 2025-2026 rankings conversation is the UCF Knights senior running back and kick returner Jaden Nixon.

The Knights transfer turned in a strong all around season producing both in the team’s running game as well as a member of their special teams unit. Nixon capped off his second straight season posting at least 400 yard (438) kick returns yards while being an instant jolt to the Knights offense. In addition to the total yards, Nixon added a career high 96 kick return and his second career kick return touchdown of his career.

On tape, Nixon attacks seams decisively, trusting his blocks and forcing gunners to choose wrong angles or get left grasping at air. Opponents had to adjust their kickoff depth and direction once he proved willing to hit top speed straight through traffic.

9. Kole Wilson

School: Baylor Bears

Position: Wide Receiver

Draft Status: NFL Draft

The Baylor Bears electric weapon turned kickoff duty into a weekly field-position cheat code.

Kole Wilson piled up 705 kick return yards on 30 runbacks, averaging 23.5 yards per return while playing in all of the Bears games over the course of the season. Over the course of the season, Wilson led the league with a career high 30 kick returns helping him lead the country in return yards. What makes Wilson pop on film is his smooth acceleration: he rarely wastes steps, hits top gear in a heartbeat, and forces coverage units to tackle perfectly in space.

Even without a return touchdown, his near 60 yards per game in kick returns meant Baylor’s offense rarely had to work with a long field.

8. Barion Brown

School: LSU Tigers

Position: Wide Receiver

Draft Status: NFL Draft

Game-breaking explosiveness followed Barion Brown from Kentucky to Baton Rouge, and his 2025-2026 season with the LSU Tigers reminded everyone why he is one of the country’s most respected returners.

Prior to transferring to the Tigers, Brown posted three straight season with at least 440 kick return yards with at least one kick return touchdowns for the Wildcats. That production didn’t slow this season as Brown met those numbers posting 445 kick return yards over 15 kick returns. In addition, Brown posted his sixth career kickoff return for a touchdown with an impressive 99 yard return.

During the 2025-2026 season, he remained a coverage nightmare, teams often kicked away or short, happy to sacrifice field position rather than risk another coast-to-coast highlight. His stride length and balance through contact make him look like he’s gliding while everyone else is straining to keep up.

7. Emmanuel Henderson Jr

School: Kansas Jayhawks

Position: Wide Receiver

Draft Status: NFL Draft

After starting his collegiate career with the Alabama Crimson Tide, Emmanuel Henderson Jr made the transfer to the Kansas Jayhawks for the 2025-2026 season.

A move that not only rewarded the Jayhawks with a strong weapon at the wide receiver position, but also a big time threat within the return game. While his 766 receiving yards and five touchdowns were stellar for the Jayhawks receiver while getting his first real shot, his return performance was even more impressive. Henderson capped off the season posting 455 kick return yards with one kick return touchdown over 19 kick returns over the course of the season.

His signature special-teams moment came on a 94-yard second-half return against West Virginia, a burst that flipped momentum and showcased his elite top-end speed. Henderson combines receiver-grade route quickness with running-back balance, making him particularly dangerous when he cuts against the grain and forces coverage units to recover in space.

6. Chauncy Cobb

School: Arkansas State Red Wolves

Position: WIde Receiver

Draft Status: Returning to College (Transfer)

Sometimes big time game changers get overlooked based on the program they play at and that may be the cause for Arkansas State Red Wolves wide receiver Chauncy Cobb.

Cobb, who took over as a playmaker at the receiver position during his sophomore season adding 797 receiving yards and one touchdown reception, also played a key role in the team’s special teams performance. In his first team as returner, Cobb posted a 538 kick return yards, two kick returns for a touchdown including a 98 kick return touchdown.

The Red Wolves wide receiver is as explosive as any returner in the country with game changing speed, stellar vision, and a high football IQ. Entering the 2026-2027 season next season, Cobb will arrive as one of the top overall returners in the country.

5. Sahmir Hagans

School: Duke Blue Devils

Position: Wide Receiver

Draft Status: NFL Draft

In the heart of the Top 10 College Football Kick Returners 2025-2026 rankings, Sahmir Hagans rounds out the best five returners from the season.

Hagans, who played a key role in the team’s passing game catching 43 passes for 508 yards and six touchdowns, also played a vital role in the team’s ability to flip field position on each kickoff. The Duke Blue Devils returner posted a career high 467 receiving yards over 14 returns including his second career kick return for a touchdown. Hagans rarely takes a direct shot; he has a knack for slipping through arm tackles and resetting his path without losing speed.

That blend of craft and toughness, plus his multi-phase contributions, cemented his spot in the top half of this ranking.

4. Cam Ross

School: Virginia Cavaliers

Position: Wide Receiver

Draft Status: NFL Draft

For the Virginia Cavaliers, Cam Ross became a walking all-purpose clinic, and his kick-return work framed everything the team was able to achieve in the field-position game.

The Cavaliers wide receiver and punt returner, capped off a wide college career while taking home multiple honors including ACC Specialist of the Week early during his final college season. Ross who started his career with the UConn Huskies before transferring to James Madison Dukes and lastly the Cavaliers this season posted another strong season in the return game posting eight returns for 266 return yards with one kick return for a touchdown.

His return tape screams versatility, smooth hands, instant acceleration, and the ability to outrun angles once he hits the third level. Opponents quickly started angling kicks away or popping short, conceding field position rather than risk another backbreaking sprint.

3. Devin Gandy

School: Louisiana Tech Bulldogs

Position: Wide Receiver

Draft Status: NFL Draft

When it comes to game changers, Devin Gandy of the Louisiana Tech Bulldogs ranks among the top game changers in the country.

The senior returner put together a strong final season, posting 376 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions as a receiver, however his special team performance helps him stand out. Gandy capped off his final season posting 474 kick return yards on 17 punts including two kick returns. His style marries patience with pop, he’ll tempo his approach behind the wedge, then hit the gas once a crease appears, often getting north quickly instead of bouncing laterally.

That discipline translated into steady chunk returns that helped a young offense repeatedly start near midfield.

2. Damon Bankston

School: New Mexico Lobos

Position: Running Back

Draft Status: NFL Draft

Wrapping up his career after transferring to the New Mexico Lobos, Damon Bankston emerged as one of the top kick returners in the country.

The talented running back who put up at least 600 rushing yards in three of the previous four seasons, used his game changing speed, excellent vision, and football IQ to help set up field position all season. Bankston finished the 2025-2026 season as one of only five kick returners in college football to post two kick returns during the season.

In addition to the two kick returns, Bankston added 434 return yards over 12 returns while averaging 36.2 yards per return. For a Lobos team that needed explosive plays, his returns were often the loudest moments in the stadium.

1. Jadarian Price

Jadarian-Price-Notre-Dame-Fighting-Irish

School: Notre Dame Fighting Irish

Position: Running back

Draft Status: NFL Draft

Topping the Top 10 College Football Kick Returners 2025-2026 rankings, Jardarian Price turned the Notre Dame Fighting Irish return unit into one of the top units in the nation.

The game changing junior who played a key role in the team’s success both on offense as well as on special teams ranked among the top returners in the country. Price, who elected to forgo his senior season to enter the 2026 NFL Draft, posted his strongest season of his career posting a career high 450 kick return yards to go along with a career high two touchdown returns. The strong season earned the Fighting Irish returner All-American honors after posting an average 37.5 return over 12 returns.

On film, Price’s blend of patience, sudden acceleration, and tackle-breaking strength makes every deep kick a potential scoring play, and forces even blue-blood opponents to alter their entire kickoff strategy.

How would you rank the Best College Kick Returners in the 2025-2026 College Football season? Comment Below!

Sunday Umoh

Sunday Umoh is the visionary founder and CEO of Fan Rankings LLC, a platform that merges sports passion with technology to create an engaging and interactive space for fans worldwide. With a background in Information Science and Systems and experience as a Software Engineer, Umoh has built a brand that blends analytical insights with emotional connection, offering unique coverage of Football, Basketball, MMA, and Boxing. A graduate of Morgan State University and a former collegiate Track and Field athlete, Umoh previously gained attention for his impactful Washington Wizards blog, fireerniegrunfeld.com. His journey exemplifies how technology can amplify sports fandom, with Fan Rankings setting a new standard in sports media, providing a community for fans to connect, debate, and celebrate their favorite teams and athletes.

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