Summer is in the rearview mirror, and college golf's 2026-27 season is here. That means it's time to rank the teams heading into the season.
The chase to win the NCAA Men's Golf Championship is on. Next spring, the championships will again be held at Omni La Costa Resort & Spa in Carlsbad, California, the fourth year of what is a five-year contract.
Last year, Auburn captured its second national championship in school history, knocking off UCLA 3-1 in the match-play final to win the title. Auburn loses Jackson Koivun, who had one of the best amateur careers this century, but returns Josiah Gilbert, Logan Reilly and others to try and run it back.
Here's a look at Golfweek's 2026-27 women's college golf preseason rankings.
Golfweek's 2026-27 men's college golf preseason rankings
1. Florida
The Gators have perhaps
the deepest roster in all of college golf entering the 2026-27 season. Whether it's world No. 8 Luke Poulter, No. 15 Jack Turner or incoming freshman Jackson Ormond, there are numerous players who can contribute for Florida this season. The goal for J.C. Deacon and Dudley Hart is finding the best come the postseason. Not a bad problem to have.
2. Arizona State
Transfer Nguyen Anh Minh is a big addition to the roster that features returners Connor Williams and Fifa Laopakdee. Incoming freshman Oscar Couilleau could also make an early impact. The Sun Devils have all of the pieces to be a title-contending team come postseason time. Will they put it all together? That's the big question ASU will have to solve leading into the NCAA Men's Golf Championship.
3. Auburn
The defending national champions lose one of the best amateurs of all-time in Jackson Koivun, who will be impossible to replace. Senior Josiah Gilbert and sophomore Logan Reilly return, as do Cayden Pope, Jake Albert and Billy Davis. Koivun may be gone, but the depth remains. The Tigers aren't going anywhere.
4. Vanderbilt
The Commodores are likely to be one of the youngest teams in the country this season, even with seniors Carlos Astiazaran and junior Ryan Downes likely to make big contributions. Incoming freshmen Tyler Mawhinney and Luke Colton could challenge for roster spots immediately. Sophomores Michael Riebe, Will Hartman and Jon Ed Steed will all look to build on strong freshman years, too.
5. Oklahoma State
The Cowboys will likely have the same starting five for the third straight season in Preston Stout, Ethan Fang, Eric Lee, Gaven Lane and Filip Fahlberg-Johnsson. That lineup won a national title in 2025, with Stout winning individually this spring, but the team fell against Auburn in the semifinals last year. One last ride for perhaps the most experienced team in the country.
6. LSU
LSU had an incredible rally at Omni La Costa to make the 15-team cut to Monday but were unable to find a spot in match play. In the third year under coach Jake Amos, being one of the eight teams to make it to Tuesday is seemingly the next step for the Tigers. Arni Sveinsson, LSU's best player, may miss the first couple of events with an injury.
7. Texas Tech
The Red Raiders have one of the best trios in the country in seniors Adam Bresnu and Tim Wiedemeyer along with junior Connor Graham. Ben Gregg is a strong depth piece for Texas Tech, which added 2026 WAC Player of the Year Alvaro Pastor to hopefully be the key piece in the lineup to help Tech not only get back to NCAAs but into match play.
8. Tennessee
Incoming freshman Tyler Watts could have a spectacular year for the Volunteers. Ranked third in WAGR, Watts is coming off a summer where he became the youngest winner of the Northeast Amateur, made the quarterfinals at the U.S. Amateur and will represent the U.S. in the Walker Cup this weekend. Transfer Rudy Sautron also joins the lineup.
9. North Carolina
Sophomore Carson Bertagnole had an incredible summer, nearly earning himself a spot on the U.S. Walker Cup team. Niall Sheils Donegan, Grant Roscich and Sihan Sandhu also return. OU transfer Coltrane Mittag may be the fifth player in the lineup that can help get UNC back into match play come the spring, but developing depth will be important as the season progresses.
10. Arkansas
Another SEC team that could be led by a freshman. Lev Grinberg, from Ukraine, joins the lineup this fall and could be one of the best players in the country. Erich Fortlage and Gerardo Gomez are among the returners, but a trio of seniors in Cam Smith, Thomas Curry and Niilo Maki-Petaja will also challenge for the top five.
Nos. 11-30
- 11. Illinois
- 12. Georgia
- 13. UCLA
- 14. Pepperdine
- 15. Charlotte
- 16. Alabama
- 17. Florida State
- 18. Texas A&M
- 19. Oklahoma
- 20. Stanford
- 21. Ole Miss
- 22. Georgia Tech
- 23. BYU
- 24. Texas
- 25. Arizona
- 26. Virginia
- 27. USC
- 28. Notre Dame
- 29. New Mexico
- 30. San Diego
Cameron Jourdan is an assistant editor of Golfweek, covering college and amateur golf, the PGA Tour and plenty more. Follow Cameron on X/Twitter (@Cam_Jourdan) or Instagram (@GolfweekJourdan).
This article originally appeared on Golfweek: Golfweek's 2026-27 men's college golf preseason team rankings
