As the anticipation for the upcoming college football season reaches a fever pitch, the Colorado Collegiate Chronicle has officially unveiled its 2026 Preseason All-Colorado Offensive Team.

To compile this prestigious roster, selectors leaned heavily on the foundation laid during the 2025 campaign, synthesizing postseason conference releases from across each school’s respective league with the official honor roll of 2025 standouts curated by the Colorado Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame.

The resulting lineup showcases a powerhouse collection of talent representing the absolute best of Centennial State collegiate football on offense.

Quarterback

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  Liam Szarka (Air Force) – Stepping into a prominent leadership role for the Falcons, Szarka proved to be an absolute offensive catalyst. Appearing in 10 games with 7 starts before a season-ending injury cut his campaign short, he threw for 1,294 yards, 9 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while completing 62.5% of his passes. More than just a traditional passer, Szarka flashed dynamic dual-threat capability, punishing opposing defenses with 922 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground.

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  Joseph Capra (Colorado Mines) – Since becoming the Oredigger starter for the final three games of the 2024 season, Capra has quarterbacked Mines to a 9-5 record by passing for 2,832 yards and 31 touchdowns.  As the top returning Colorado collegiate quarterback statistically, Capra passed for 2,231 yards and 26 TDs last season.

Running Back

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  Owen Allen (Air Force) – As a complement to Liam Szarka, Allen rushed for 750 yards on 132 carries and five touchdowns last season to rank among Centennial State leaders.  In the Falcons’ season finale against Colorado State, he rushed for a game-high 107 yards and career-best two touchdowns on career-high 25 carries to be named National Football Foundation, Colorado Chapter, player of the week. In two seasons with the Falcons, Allen has 1,085 yards (209 rushes, 7 touchdowns).

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  Max Barnes (Colorado Mines) – Operating as a redshirt sophomore, Barnes put together an elite, highly efficient campaign that terrorized opposing defenses. He led the Orediggers with 654 rushing yards on just 84 carries—averaging a staggering 7.8 yards per carry and 109.0 yards per game—to go along with 5 touchdowns in just 6 appearances. He also contributed out of the backfield with 7 receptions for 46 yards.

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  Braelon Tate (Colorado Mines) – A holdover from Mines’ 2023 NCAA Division II runner-up team, Tate has rushed for 1,359 yards in three seasons (2023-2025) for the Orediggers.  In 10 games last season, he rushed 128 times for 579 yards and 4 TDs. He caught a career-high 17 passes for 169 yards and one score in 2025.

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  Quinn Bailey (Western Colorado) – As the Mountaineers’ top all-purpose performer last season as a freshman with 931 yards, Bailey rushed for 572 yards on 124 carries with 8 TDs to lead the Mountaineers. He caught 26 passes for 341 yards and 3 scores.

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  Russell Patton (CSU Pueblo) – In 11 games, he rushed for 533 yards and 6 touchdowns last season while catching 15 passes for 77 yards.

Wide Receivers

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  Pierce Richards (Colorado Mines) – Despite playing in only nine games, Richards established himself as an unstoppable force, leading the Orediggers with 56 receptions for 553 yards and tying for the team lead with 7 receiving touchdowns. He recorded seven games with five or more receptions, highlighted by a dominant 10-catch, 77-yard performance against Colorado Mesa, a 7-catch, 117-yard, 1-touchdown showcase against Black Hills State, and a memorable 3-score game versus Adams State. He also added a 5-yard rush.

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  Caden Measner (Western Colorado) – Measner anchored the Mountaineers’ receiving corps by hauling in 55 receptions for 731 yards and finding the end zone 8 times through the air. He also factored into the ground game with six rushes for 26 yards.  For the past two seasons at Western, Measner has caught 78 passes for 964 yards and 10 TDs.

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  Trek Keyworth (Colorado Mesa) – Serving as Mesa’s premier vertical threat, Keyworth stretched opposing secondaries vertically all season, catching 38 passes for 645 yards and 4 touchdowns.

• Marcellus Honeycutt Jr.

  

  (CSU Pueblo) – As the Pack’s explosive No. 2 weapon, Honeycutt averaged an incredible 19.4 yards per reception, turning 29 catches into 564 yards and 6 scores. He was also a weapon in the third phase of the game, averaging 28.8 yards on four kickoff returns.

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  DJ Allen Jr. (Western Colorado) – Providing a lethal one-two punch for the Mountaineers, Allen finished as the team’s second-leading receiver, catching 29 passes for 555 yards and matching his teammate with 7 receiving touchdowns.

Tight Ends

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  Alex Turpin (Colorado Mesa) – Appearing in 11 games for the Mavericks, Turpin emerged as a reliable security blanket, posting the team’s second-best receiving totals with 22 catches for 180 yards and 4 touchdowns.

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  Blake Smotherman (Colorado Mines) – In 11 games for the high-flying Orediggers, Smotherman proved to be a vital red-zone and possession target, pulling in 21 receptions for 218 yards and 3 scores.

Offensive Linemen

The trenches are anchored by a formidable wall of blockers who paved the way for ground games and protected the pocket across the state:

• Calem Grimble (Colorado Mesa)
• Levi Johnson (Northern Colorado)
• Max Kibbee (Colorado Mesa)
• Cooper Mumford (Colorado Mesa)
• Joseph Shepardson (Western Colorado)
• Jack Ziebell (Northern Colorado)