Now that much of the recruiting movement for the 2026 season has come to a close, the focus shifts to the field and who might be the contenders for the 2026 College Football Playoff.

A blend of factors will play a role, including who has best managed to further build and strengthen their roster via new additions — whether that be through the high school ranks or transfer portal.

With 12 spots available, we look at which teams from the 2025 bracket best reloaded to make a return and which six new teams could get in the mix in 2026. Note: There is no seeding here, just a look at 12 playoff contenders in alphabetical order.

Who loaded up for another playoff run?

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 6

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 22

UGA’s consecutive trips to the CFP have been built on Kirby Smart’s elite recruiting prowess and, now, a targeted use of the portal. The Bulldogs have once again filled some big needs in the cycle. Five-star Kaiden Prothro sits atop their high school recruiting class. He’s a massive 6-foot-7 target who could be used in a few ways but would quickly help at a tight end position that loses Oscar Delp.

Smart hit the portal to reel in Auburn defensive Amaris Williams, who has a mix of physical tools but limited production. Georgia is also looking for better production on the back end of its defense, and Clemson transfer Khalil Barnes is an adaptable plug-and-play option with 30 games of starting experience.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 28

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 3

Curt Cignetti is as good as anyone at identifying the right scheme fits. That’s especially true at quarterback, where he coaxed improved production out of transfers Kurtis Rourke and Fernando Mendoza over the past two seasons. His next transfer target, TCU’s Josh Hoover, checks the right boxes: He’s a savvy, battle-tested starter with as consistent and as quick a release as any QB in college football and drives the ball into tight windows. Indiana will help him clean up the turnovers (13 INTs). Wide receiver Nick Marsh (Michigan State) and running back Turbo Richard (Boston College) are among the other portal replacements at positions of need, which should get the Hoosiers’ defensive-heavy high school class, which includes two SC Next 300 defensive linemen, plenty of runway to develop.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 10

2026 transfer class ranking: N/A

Miami’s run to the national title game was fueled in part by a dominant line play and top-tier recruiting and steady quarterback play from Carson Beck, who came via the portal. The Hurricanes reloaded at those key areas to run that blueprint back in 2026.

Incoming freshman offensive tackle Jackson Cantwell has the tools to follow Francis Mauigoa’s path as a five-star who stepped into an immediate starting role. While it came near the end of the portal period, Miami was able to land two top-10 transfers. Duke transfer Darian Mensah has the athleticism and intelligence to raise the ceiling at quarterback. Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor leave behind a massive void on defense, but Damon Wilson II, who comes over from Missouri, is an explosive edge rusher. If Mensah and Wilson live up to expectations, both have first-round potential.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 9

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 5

The Buckeyes’ conveyor belt of first-round draft prospects continues to power along this year. With most of their losses coming on defense, Ohio State diligently restocked Matt Patricia’s group, adding four top-100 transfers on defense along with five-star high school linebacker Cincere Johnson, who is mature and savvy enough to push for immediate playing time even in Patricia’s demanding scheme.

Ohio State is also the class of college football when it comes to reloading at wide receiver and now adds five-star Chris Henry Jr. as Jeremiah Smith’s understudy. If Henry can stay healthy, Julian Sayin will love tapping into the 6-foot-5 receiver’s catch radius and explosiveness down the field.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 2

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 19

For all the sport’s roster movement, retaining Dante Moore is arguably the most consequential move of the offseason. Keeping veteran pillars like Moore in place will only help Oregon’s elite incoming high school talent acclimate. The Ducks landed the second-best recruiting class in the country headlined by a trio of five-stars — tight end Kendre’ Harrison, offensive tackle Immanuel Iheanacho and safety Jett Washington — who are all advanced enough to carve out roles right away.

Oregon’s loaded roster didn’t require many portal splurges, but safety Koi Perich is a dynamic ball hawk who ranked among the best defenders available and arrives with Dillon Thieneman heading to the NFL draft. With Dylan Raiola, a former five-star recruit, as Moore’s backup, the Ducks not only have option for 2027, but one of the best backups in the country if circumstances force him to play in 2026.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 13

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 2

Texas Tech loses some significant production, including edge David Bailey. But landing quarterback Brendan Sorsby in the portal, ESPN’s top-ranked transfer, is a massive swing to help unlock another level for the Red Raiders’ offense. He’s also not their only premium portal addition. Defensively, Texas Tech added loads of experience in defensive linemen Mateen Ibirogba (No. 8 on ESPN’s transfer portal rankings), and Edges Trey White (No. 16) and Adam Trick (No. 38).

For all its portal success, don’t lose sight of Texas Tech’s No. 13-ranked high school class. It’s led by a pair of five-stars: edge LaDamion Guyton and offensive tackle Felix Ojo. The latter needs developmental time and Texas Tech’s depth won’t demand instant production from Guyton, but he’s talented enough to step in and contribute in a pass-rushing role and help replace some of the production lost from Bailey’s departure.

Who is primed to make a CFP breakthrough?

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 12

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 1

No one leverages the portal like Lane Kiffin. He left a playoff-bound Ole Miss for LSU’s seemingly unlimited potential for roster additions and immediately assembled the nation’s top transfer class, landing three of the six best players available. That haul includes his new starting quarterback, Sam Leavitt, a plug-and-play offensive tackle with NFL first-round ability in Jordan Seaton and an edge rusher, Princewill Umanmielen, who is coming off a nine-sack season for Ole Miss.

LSU’s high school class includes the top three defensive tackles in the class: the nation’s top recruit, Lamar Brown, a versatile big man that could help on either side of the trenches, plus the explosive Deuce Geralds and 345-pounder Richard Anderson. All three could see the field next season.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 11

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 9

Given the timing of Sherrone Moore’s firing, Michigan’s pivot to Kyle Whittingham so far looks like a best-case outcome. He tapped into his Utah pipeline to bring over several former Utes in the transfer portal, including defensive end John Henry Daley, who is a physical run defender and culture-setter.

Whittingham was able to pluck SC Next 300 athlete Salesi Moa (No. 39), whose blend of speed, toughness and ball skills could have him contributing early at receiver or in the secondary. Whittingham also mostly held together an incoming high school class that is headlined by a pair of five-stars in defensive end Carter Meadows, a lengthy and edge rusher, and running back Savion Hiter, who has a great opportunity to see the field right away with Justice Haynes moving on. The class is strongest at Edge, receiver and corner — premium positions that should help accelerate Michigan’s transition.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 4

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 15

After missing the College Football Playoff field in 2025, Notre Dame has stocked its 2026 roster like a program intent on making sure it doesn’t happen again. Help is on the way at virtually every position. The Irish landed the nation’s No. 4 recruiting class, featuring 18 SC Next Top 300 prospects, including running backs Javian Osborne and Jonaz Walton who could play a role in helping replace Jeremiyah Love‘s production.

Notre Dame also added four of the top 100 transfers, featuring several big bodies who could immediately help along the defensive front. Included in that is massive 336-pound Oregon defensive tackle Tionne Gray and Francis Brewu, from Pitt, both of whom can be stout defenders against the run. Receiver Quincy Porter could be viewed as a valuable long-term portal add but more immediately can also be a big target who can win contested matchups and help strengthen Notre Dame’s depth in 2026 and give CJ Carr another target. The class even has some NFL legacy, adding linebacker Thomas Davis Jr. and wide receiver Devin Fitzgerald, son of former Arizona Cardinals star Larry Fitzgerald.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 3

2026 transfer class ranking: No. 4

With Arch Manning entering a legacy-defining 2026 season, the Longhorns attacked every possible roster-building avenue to surround him with elite talent and get back to the College Football Playoff. The Longhorns remade their running back room with five-star Derrek Cooper, plus two transfers (Raleek Brown, Hollywood Smothers) with versatile skill sets and Power 4 production.

Cooper rushed for over 1,000 yards as a senior and is a strong route runner with excellent ball skills. He can play a role in the Longhorns’ backfield in Year 1. Cam Coleman was the No. 2 transfer and his ceiling is rivaled by few college receivers. On defense, five-star freshman Richard Wesley could push for early snaps and make an impact in a situational role much like Colin Simmons did his first year.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 58

2026 transfer class ranking: N/A

With the Group of 6 guaranteed a playoff berth, UNLV is a legitimate contender to emerge from that group. Dan Mullen worked some magic in 2025 with quarterback Anthony Colandrea via the portal, and Jackson Arnold arrives with dual-threat capabilities and some experience — albeit rocky — against higher competition. Mullen’s past success developing QBs and Arnold’s skills as a mobile passer, makes this seem like a good fit that could lead to a late resurgence for the talented former five-star. He’ll benefit from leading rusher Jai’Den Thomas returning.

UNLV also took steps to replenish its receiver room with high three-star freshman Jesse Harden, and transfers Taz Reddicks and Troy Stellato. Defensively, under-the-radar freshmen Prin Fox and Bryce Robinson could carve out roles up front. Add in UNLV’s schedule, which includes a chance to pick off a Power 4 win against Cal and a home date with Memphis, and the Rebels have a lot of desirable ingredients for a deep 2026 run.

2026 recruiting class ranking: No. 1

2026 transfer class ranking: N/A

Everything is aligned for the Trojans to finally make the playoff. Jayden Maiava returns after posting the nation’s second-best QBR (89.9) in 2025 and will operate behind an experienced offensive line. The Trojans supplemented that continuity with the No. 1 recruiting class which includes two five-stars up front: Offensive tackle Keenyi Pepe, who could quickly become USC’s top reserve offensive lineman and defensive end Luke Wafle who is thickly built with a motor and the tools to carve out a rotational role.

Freshman defensive tackle Tomuhini Topui, from powerhouse program Mater Dei, was a key hometown keep. As a powerful 300-pounder with excellent quickness, he is the type of interior defensive lineman the Trojans need to compete in the Big Ten. Wide receiver Ethan Feaster and tight end Mark Bowman are also candidates to contribute quickly. USC’s portal class wasn’t particularly deep, but Jontez Williams (Iowa State) was one of the better corners available and wide receiver Terrell Anderson (NC State) averaged an explosive 16.1 yards per catch last season.

CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio — You can still see the black puck marks on one of the white walls in the living room of the home where Laila Edwards grew up. They’re behind the gray couch, near a front window. Children’s rollerblades and hockey sticks scraped the floor planks, leaving grooves in the hardwood.

Those indoor games were intense. Her siblings still talk about them. They made Laila play goalie because she was so young, and it seemed like a good idea at the time. Then their little sister started growing and became too much to handle.

Sometimes their parents busted them for playing in the house. But they got away with it.

“After a while, we got used to it,” Laila’s mother, Charone Gray-Edwards, says. “They were scratching up the floors, but they had so much fun. We have a basement, and a lot of times I would come home and be like, ‘Why y’all up here? You got a whole basement. You got a whole outside.'”

Hockey homes are like this, as hockey parents are prone to share in great detail. But what makes this home in Cleveland Heights different is that an Olympian lives here. Wait, scratch that. What makes this home truly unique is that the Olympian who lives here is the first Black woman to play for the U.S. women’s national hockey team and the first Black woman who will play hockey for Team USA at the Olympics.

Edwards, a 6-foot-1 senior forward for Wisconsin, has two national championships with the Badgers and has helped Team USA win two world championship medals. At age 22, she is a rising star who already is on track to become one of the faces of hockey in the United States. Edwards is making a notable move to playing defense for the 2026 Milan Cortina Olympics, where the U.S. will face Czechia in an opening-round game Thursday at the Milano Rho Ice Hockey Arena (10:40 a.m. ET).

Although she already has made history, her accomplishments also have given her perspective.

“I’m extremely, extremely grateful and I can’t even put it into words,” Edwards says. “But there have been plenty of times, especially at the beginning, where I felt overwhelmed. I’m like, ‘What do I do with this? I don’t know. I don’t know what to do. It’s a positive, but how do I turn this into something that’s consistently positive?'”

Edwards and her family understand how much visibility matters. They know that a young Black girl or a child of color might see her on TV during the Olympics — playing in games, appearing in commercials, being interviewed in a studio — and suddenly view hockey in a new way or envision stepping into a world where they haven’t observed many people like themselves.

The Edwardses also recognize the impact it could have on viewers who haven’t seen many, or any, Black people or people of color playing ice hockey.

This happened in early November when the Rivalry Series between Canada and the U.S. came to Cleveland, and children of different ages and ethnic backgrounds clamored around Edwards.

“I have chosen and will continue to choose to embrace it because it is a beautiful thing and it’s a great thing,” Edwards says. “But just to have that ability to be a role model and hear that people are looking up to me — this may sound dramatic, but I think there’s even kids who have told me they are counting on me. I take that with a lot of pride and gratitude. I’ve met parents who have told me that their kids started playing because of me or that their kid still plays because of me.

“I’ve had kids say, ‘You’re my favorite player. You look like me.’ I think that’s so important to have someone at a high stage who looks like you, and it’s even more important that I can succeed at this high stage.”

So, who is Laila Edwards and how did she get here? It started with how those puck marks got on the wall in the living room of her home in Cleveland Heights.

THE NOTION OF playing ice hockey originally felt alien to nearly everyone in the Edwards family. Laila’s mother had heard about the sport once on the news. But her father, Robert Edwards, played as a child growing up in Cleveland Heights during the 1970s and ’80s. He started following the sport when the Cleveland Heights High School boys’ team, which played at the Cleveland Heights Community Center, won conference titles and a state championship.

“I was like real young and I went up to the rink and I saw the high school play and I thought, ‘These guys are awesome,'” Robert Edwards says. “It was the whole everything surrounding the team and everyone there. Then I saw some after-school special about hockey and then I just got this bug.”

He played baseball, football and basketball as a youth, and went on to play Division I baseball at Cleveland State University. He didn’t start playing hockey until he was 12, which put him behind his peers.

“I was able to get decent at [other sports], whereas hockey takes a little more parental involvement,” he says. “I never thought about it in any kind of way because I started so late. …

“It just was because Cleveland Heights was a progressive community. But not all of it was progressive. … It wasn’t like my parents didn’t care. They just weren’t able to advocate.”

That shaped how proactive he would become as a youth hockey parent.

“When my kids started, the two things I took from my own experience that helped me was No. 1, if they are going to play hockey, they are going to learn to skate first,” he says. “And No. 2 was that I was always going to advocate for them.”

The Cleveland Heights Community Center became a powerful bridge for the Edwards family, giving the children a chance to explore the sport in a familiar setting. Bobby, the oldest of the three siblings, played basketball before switching to hockey. Laila joined her older sister, Chayla, on the ice for figure skating. They’d change out of their leotards and tutus and go to a different part of the community center, where they would put on pads and jerseys to play hockey against the boys.

“Robert started taking the kids to ‘Learn How to Skate’ and free skates,” Gray-Edwards says. “He was taking them all the time. I liked that it was keeping them busy and not stuck indoors.

“… We were eventually like, ‘You need to choose between hockey and figure skating.’ I was leaning toward hockey. Figure skating was boring. I thought, ‘If I’m going to be cold, let me be excited and cold.'”

The girls chose hockey, and the weekend activity became a central character in the Edwards’ lives. They’d play in the mornings before school. Whatever advantage Bobby had as the oldest disappeared. His sisters caught up. They were good. But there was something different about how Laila played.

“As kids we played a lot of mini-sticks,” Chayla says. “She was super into that. She’d go outside and we’d have this little pad set up. She’d always be stickhandling, shooting out there.”

Hockey became a way of life.

They watched it on TV every night.

They sang “Chelsea Dagger” because they heard it every time they watched a Chicago Blackhawks game.

They followed Alexander Ovechkin and grew to love his game.

The Washington Capitals drafted Ovechkin with the No. 1 pick in 2004. The Russian’s goals became highlights on “SportsCenter” and on local TV in a city that was more than 50% Black until 2011. He sat courtside at Georgetown men’s basketball games when John Thompson coached and was active with the Fort Dupont Cannons, the continent’s oldest youth hockey program for players of color. He even was featured in an Easterns Motors commercial and sang the jingle, “Easterns Motors, your job your credit.” The NHL’s all-time leading goal scorer became visible to Black audiences far beyond Washington, D.C.

“We taped our sticks the same as Ovechkin,” Bobby says. “We would try to mimic a lot of his stuff in a game. I couldn’t do that, but Laila was able to do it. She would go through her legs. And then there was the time we went to a clinic.”

The clinic had two lines, one for older players to shoot against a goalie their age and one for younger players. But there was a mix-up, and Laila was about to shoot on the older goalie.

The coaches nearly moved her, but Bobby pleaded with them.

“‘She can shoot on this kid. Trust me,'” he recalls telling them. “The move she did on this kid who was probably five years older than her? Boom. Boom. Boom. It’s in the net.”

Bobby smiled at the memory. He says everyone was impressed. Laila got back in line.

The way she played was so effortless, even at that age.

“You would think she wasn’t really doing anything,” Gray-Edwards says. “Then, all of a sudden, [the puck is] on her stick and something is happening. If you look away or you start talking, you’ll miss what she’s doing. It was amazing how she would just be standing on the boards and … then — boom, boom, boom — and it was all over.”

PLAYING HOCKEY AT the Cleveland Heights Community Center gave Edwards and her family the chance to make new friends like Seanna Conway, a girls’ youth hockey coach. They also realized how different their life was compared with some of the families they encountered.

Cleveland Heights is one of the older first-ring suburbs in the city — an upper-middleclass community with historic craftsman homes and walkable neighborhoods. According to the most recent Census data, the Black population is 40.4%.

The Edwardses knew what it meant to be a Black family. To be a Black hockey family meant entering spaces that were different from their previous experiences. Laila learned early that if she was going to play hockey, she probably wasn’t going to see many other players like her.

“Nowadays, I can go about my business. But when I was playing boys’ hockey, it was not the same,” Edwards says. “There were a few times when I’d be called the N-word. That was upsetting. The first time I was called the N-word, Dean, who is Seanna’s husband, was our coach. I got back to the bench and I was crying. He asked me, ‘What’s wrong?’ and I told him what happened.

“He comforted me and was just there for me. It meant a lot. I always remember that. But it took a little bit getting used to. I was like, ‘I didn’t do anything wrong. I was born this way.'”

She and her family also traveled to tournaments far beyond the comforts of the Cleveland Heights Community Center. This meant even more time in spaces where there were few, if any, people who shared their experience.

“Now we’re missing Easter dinner because we’re in Brampton, Canada,” Gray-Edwards says. “I’m now eating Popeye’s instead. I’m asking, ‘Where’s the ham? Where’s the greens? Where’s the macaroni and cheese? What are we doing?’ That’s when life slowly starts to change for all of us.”

There were trade-offs. The family stayed at hotels with pools so the children could play. Those tournament trips replaced family vacations.

Chayla and Laila were good enough to play for teams that traveled to Europe. That meant figuring out the money so both girls could be seen by colleges and prep schools.

“Oh, you have to get passports. Oh, it’s a couple thousand dollars to fly over there,” Gray-Edwards says. “Oh, you still need money to eat while you’re over there. Oh. So, we’re not in Cleveland Heights anymore? We have graduated outside that. OK. Now they want to go to boarding school.

“When I grew up, boarding school was for bad kids. I was like, ‘Why do you want to go to boarding school?'”

Hockey is a predominantly boys’ sport in Ohio. So, unlike girls in Connecticut, Massachusetts, Minnesota and New York, who can stay home while pursuing Division I hockey, most girls in Ohio leave home to further develop their skills.

Edwards says she understood the need to follow the private school route. Chayla was 14 when she left home to play for Shady Side Academy in Pittsburgh. She played for the Shady Side high school program and the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Girls club, which was in a different league.

Private schools recruit players like college programs do. They are designed to develop and win with top talent. Players learn to grapple with no longer being the best on their respective rosters. They also learn how to live away from home before they go to college.

Bishop Kearney High School, a private school in Rochester, New York, is a four-hour drive from Cleveland. Its girls’ hockey club program was a year old when Kearney, among other schools, recruited Edwards. Kearney had a fighting chance in recruiting Edwards because Kathy Pippy was one of its founders.

Pippy is the head of scouting and senior advisor to the general manager for the Vancouver Goldeneyes in the PWHL. She is one of the most influential figures in girls’ and women’s hockey. Pippy started the Pittsburgh Penguins Elite Girls program that won a pair of USA Hockey national championships. She also has created and organized summer showcases for girls.

“Kathy is still one of Laila’s biggest supporters on and off the ice,” says Cari Coen, the girls’ hockey director at Bishop Kearney. “Kathy Pippy bringing her here was huge.”

Pippy said she wanted to recruit talented players to Kearney. She also wanted to recruit players who didn’t come from traditional programs because they “already had what they needed” while finding prospective players who also valued having a good education.

By this point, Pippy had known the Edwards family for years. They developed trust and she also understood what mattered to them. She knew that their family cared about having a good education, and that they wanted their youngest daughter to have that foundation.

The ability to develop as a player, a person and as a student was what Pippy presented to the Edwardses about why Laila was “an ideal candidate” who should come to Kearney.

“I do think [the Edwards family] trusted me and I do take pride in that,” Pippy says. “I think with all the players now, I mainly get to know them and their families when they are nine, 10 and when they get to the time of getting to high school, I’ve already had a relationship established and they will reach out to me. If BK is right for them, I can help open those doors.”

Edwards was part of a recruiting group in Kearney’s first classes that included her future Wisconsin teammate Caroline Harvey. Those classes laid the foundation for Kearney to become one of the best schools for girls’ hockey. Kearney has five alumni representing Team USA at the Olympics. Altogether, it has eight former players and one former coach who will be in Milan Cortina.

“It wasn’t even about the city of Rochester,” Edwards says. “It was just like, ‘There’s this hockey school that I think should make me better at hockey. I’m gonna do that.’ I didn’t really get out much in the city. It was more so the transition of living on my own and just being away from home. I had to grow up fast for sure. I had to grow up a lot faster than I was.”

Edwards was 13 when she left home for Bishop Kearney, where early on she faced athletes who were up to five years older. She had to adjust to not being the best or most talented player on the roster.

And she was a Black girl living away from home for the first time.

“It’s like you go from that and then you leave to go to the rink and boom, nobody looks like you,” Edwards says. “It’s as soon as you get on the bus for practice.”

Kearney has a diverse student body, and Edwards eventually found community outside hockey. She says she carved out a place where she could be herself. It felt like a second home.

Paul Colontino, president of Bishop Kearney, coached Edwards for two seasons. He described her as kind and mature and said she gained respect from the coaching staff and her teammates.

There were still times, however, when Edwards grew quiet because most of her teammates came from a different socioeconomic world. She said her teammates would talk about things like their Prada bag getting destroyed or their parents getting them a Range Rover for Christmas.

Edwards says at first she felt scared not being around family. She also feared being judged.

Coen said she and Edwards talked about what it meant to be from different backgrounds so Edwards knew she had support from someone who would listen and not judge.

“My fear came from things like, ‘Oh, she’s wearing none of the right trendy styles’ or something because I would just wear my older brother’s hand-me-downs and things like that,” Edwards says. “That’s what I was kind of scared of. But I never received judgment.”

THERE’S A WALL in the Bishop Kearney girls’ hockey dormitory where they measure players’ height. Coen laughed recalling all of Edwards’ markings.

“I remember her being so sore all the time,” Coen says, “because she was just growing.”

Skating is hard enough, but taller players must concentrate on their mechanics or risk issues such as chronic back pain. Edwards, whose father is 6-2, stood 6 feet as a high school senior. That would have tied her with Logan Angers and Lee Stecklein, the second-tallest players currently in the PWHL, according to Elite Prospects. She has grown an inch since then, making her as tall as Abbey Levy, the tallest player in the PWHL.

“Her coming out on a penalty kill as a forward to block a shot and it would scare them just by her height,” Coen says. “She’s almost an extra body of what most average 15- or 16-year-old girls are, right?”

Edwards played forward but moved easily to defense when the team had injuries.

“I instantly had her quarterbacking our power-play unit on defense because I felt this woman has the ability — she was Bobby Orr-ish because she has this ability to stop time,” Colontino says. “She could slow a game down or speed it up at will. It was so cool to watch as a coach and just see how the other nine players would react to her on the ice with what’s happening.”

Coen said moving Edwards to defense essentially means “having four forwards on the ice at all times.”

“She’s a special player and there aren’t many like her. It’s generational,” Coen says. “You could ask Hilary Knight to play defense and she would do a great job. It’s just natural for Laila to do both because being on the point, she can see the plays ahead and know what’s coming. She already does as a forward, but at the blue line, she has more time to create plays and put people in spots.

“Yeah, she can score. But her best ability is her playmaking and how she sees things or these little moves from the D-zone. It’s hard to explain. She’s just an artist.”

Edwards was part of three national championship teams at Bishop Kearney. She finished with 147 goals and 266 assists for 413 points in 287 games for a 1.44 points-per-game average. In her senior season, she finished with 38 goals and 97 points.

Edwards left Bishop Kearney as an 18-year-old young woman who could live on her own. She was the best player on her team and arguably the best in the nation. She was a complete player who could play forward or defense. And she had more self-confidence.

She was ready for Wisconsin.

Wisconsin isn’t just another women’s college hockey program. It’s arguably the women’s college hockey program — like Connecticut with women’s basketball. The Badgers won an eighth national title last season, surpassing rival Minnesota for the most in women’s hockey. Since 2004-05, there have been two non-pandemic seasons when the program missed the women’s NCAA tournament. The Badgers have 16 Frozen Four appearances and have reached the national title game 12 times.

“It was kind of a no-brainer. It just checked off all the boxes with everything,” Edwards says of choosing Wisconsin. “The campus was beautiful. They had a really good history. The coaching staff was consistent and reliable. The academics, too. Can’t forget the academics.”

Wisconsin had something else: Chayla Edwards.

“At the beginning of making that decision, everyone’s like, ‘It’s just because of your sister,'” Laila Edwards says. “I was like, ‘No, no. There are other things.’ But it was definitely a big part in what drew me there, even if it was subconsciously. And it was my No. 1 school.”

Laila arrived at Wisconsin in 2022, and for the first time since they were children, she and Chayla got a chance to be together.

“It allowed me to reconnect with my sister,” Chayla says.

Bishop Kearney’s campus population including faculty, staff and students was about 400 or 500 people. Wisconsin’s graduate and undergraduate student body entering the fall semester of 2022 at the flagship campus in Madison was 49,587. Of those, 1,951 identified as Black or African American, or 3.9% of the student body. All of those students could fit inside the Kohl Center, where Wisconsin plays home games, and there would still be more than 14,000 empty seats.

“If you want community, you have to go to the student center or the multicultural center,” Chayla says. “It was hard because as an athlete, we didn’t have much time outside of hockey or class to really spend time in those communities. Pretty much all we had was our team.”

Chayla shared with Laila everything that came with being at Wisconsin.

“You want to take a step back,” Chayla says. “You want to take a breath. You want to feel like you’re not the minority all the time. I was trying to explain my identity all the time. Trying to explain who I was. If I could just take that mask off for a little bit and relax.”

The sisters had these conversations before Laila committed to Wisconsin and continued to have them when they were together. They needed each other. Being Black or a person of color at certain predominantly white institutions — also known as PWIs — can come with headaches, both the kind you can see coming and the ones you don’t see until they’re in your face. It’s like always playing a road game — sitting through the other team’s pregame introductions, hearing its fight songs, seeing and hearing its fans — and no matter how well you play and how respectful you are, that will never be enough for some people to see you as equal or worthy.

Chayla had days when she walked on campus wearing her Wisconsin women’s hockey backpack, hoodie and sweatpants, and people asked or referred to her as the Black woman on the hockey team. Some would take the time to notice or seek you out but not take enough time to look up your name before speaking. How do you react — do you smile, nod, be polite and go about your business? Or is it worth saying something given you just want to have five seconds out of your day when you’re not reminded of how different you are?

Laila coming to campus meant there were two Black women on the team. But people still confused them, even though Chayla is 5-foot-9.

“That happened a lot,” Chayla says.

Surely, at least one of them made some sort of “Sister, Sister” joke, right? They did, even if nobody on the women’s hockey team was familiar with the sitcom in which twins played by Tia and Tamera Mowry were separated at birth but reunited as teenagers who just happened to shop at the same mall on the same day.

“People never understood it,” Chayla says. “We were just like, ‘Whatever. That’s our thing.'”

Laila had moments of her own, such as trying to find someone to do her hair. That’s real for many Black students who attend certain PWIs. There’s no guaranteeing that any local barbershop or salon has someone who has worked extensively with Black hair. It often leads Black students to wait months until they can get their hair done by someone who knows what they are doing.

Laila has become a member of this club. Her long braids extend down her back. Anyone who has had braids can testify that there must be trust with the person doing their hair. It can take hours to have them done, depending upon the person.

And then there’s the food. It’s not that the campus food is bad. It’s just different. She can’t find certain meals. It’s not like being at home.

“There’s this one place that just opened up on campus that is custom mac and cheese,” Laila Edwards says. “It’s OK. It’s not my mom’s mac and cheese. But that’s the closest thing I can find. The hours at the place are weird, so I hardly catch them open. That’ll help me get through it until I come home again.”

IN HER FIRST season at Wisconsin, Edwards played a role in the Badgers winning the national championship. She was part of a talent-laden team and one of nine players who finished the 2022-23 season with more than 10 goals.

In her second season, she scored 21 goals, was tied for eighth nationally in points and averaged 1.37 points per game in a sophomore campaign that saw Wisconsin reach the national title game but lose to Ohio State.

That season set her up to play for Team USA at the 2024 IIHF Women’s World Championships. She went as an extra forward and scored six goals and eight points in seven games. She was named the tournament MVP after sharing the tournament lead in goals and helping the U.S. to a silver medal finish.

That’s when Edwards really began showing the full scope of her abilities. Wisconsin returned to the national title game in her junior year and the Badgers won it all. Edwards led the nation with 35 goals and averaged 1.73 points during the 2024-25 season. She was a finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, which goes to the top women’s college player.

She was arguably the best player in college hockey. So why has she moved from forward to defense for the Olympics? Sources said Edwards initially joked that she was willing to do whatever it took to make the Olympic team, even if it meant playing defense. Team USA coach John Wroblewski told ESPN that moving her to defense had “never crossed my brain” because of how she performed as a forward.

Wroblewski said he was in the lobby of the Olympic Training Center in August 2024 when he was approached by Ellen Weinberg-Hughes, the mother of NHL stars Jack, Luke and Quinn and a player development consultant for Team USA.

“She said, ‘You’re never going to believe this, but Laila pulled me aside and said that she wants to chat about moving to defense,'” Wroblewski says. “I went, ‘Wait a second.’ She just made her first world championship roster last spring. … She ended up having this amazing stretch at the end where she ended up garnering the most valuable player. I’m processing this and I’m like, ‘What are we doing right now? Why are we wasting our breath here? Does she want to see this through?'”

Wroblewski said he believes Edwards would have made the Olympic team as a forward but added that she “had a conviction in her eyes” and wanted the chance to see if her move to defense could work. He and Edwards talked by phone, text and on Zoom. They got in extra work when the national team had camps and when they were together in advance of the Rivalry Series against Canada.

Edwards played some defense at Bishop Kearney, but there is a difference between filling in for a game here and there at a private high school and playing against some of the best forwards in the world.

She had miscues and made mistakes. There were questions about why this position switch was even happening.

But Edwards and Team USA kept working behind the scenes.

She could control the flow of a game. She had vision, and as Coen said, could see more of the ice. And she was a 6-1 presence with a long reach and an ability to skate at various speeds.

And she is skilled. Wroblewski says the way Edwards uses her size and agility is reminiscent of former Boston Bruins star Zdeno Chara, who at 6-foot-9 was one of the best defensemen of his generation.

The NHL, and hockey as a whole, has seen a shift toward more teams seeking puck-moving defenders who can control a game and be effective in disrupting what an opponent does on the other end of the ice.

Wroblewski says he saw Edwards do that in a Rivalry Series game in Buffalo in November. Canada’s Renata Fast, one of the best players in the world, was leading a rush and tried to play a pass through the neutral zone. Edwards broke up the rush, accelerated past Fast and created a 2-on-3 for the U.S. before drawing her stick back for more space to fire a wrist shot that gave the U.S. a 3-1 lead in the third period.

“I came upon a piece of information through an analytics department after I asked, ‘How much does Quinn Hughes touch the puck compared to Elias Pettersson when they were in Vancouver together?'” Wroblewski says. “I learned that Quinn Hughes touched the puck twice as much as Elias Petterson. I just think it’s the way the D can impact a game and the way they have the opportunity to impact the game way more often.”

Moving Edwards to defense came with tactical challenges. There were also questions about shifting a Black woman out of her natural position — similar to when football coaches would move Black quarterbacks to different positions because they were “such good athletes.”

Asked whether he considered the optics or fielded any criticism about Edwards moving to defense, Wroblewski said he hadn’t heard concerns, but he did take time to address them. He coached the Los Angeles Kings’ AHL affiliate for two seasons. One season, for the first time, he played three Black players on the same line. Wroblewski said he was not looking to make history. He did it because all three players complemented each other’s games.

“I think it’s an amazing story to have the first Black Olympian playing for Team USA, and I think so, so highly of her as a young woman and as an athlete,” Wroblewski says. “My main objective is to help her achieve her dreams. That’s where it pretty much starts and where it ends with me.”

Wroblewski said Edwards’ move to defense isn’t permanent. She can move back to forward if and when she’s ready, he said, because “she’s going to be one of the best in the world” at that position.

Edwards’ father said the move to defense has strengthened the need for their family to assure Laila they are behind her. Robert Edwards said his daughter places lots of pressure on herself, but that she has the hockey IQ and height needed to succeed. Her history of commitment to improving played a role in her move to defense. Part of that motivation comes from wanting to do right by Wroblewski.

“Since Robo believes in her, she wants to do well,” Robert Edwards says. “If you believe in Laila, she wants to fortify that belief.”

Team USA’s Hilary Knight is entering her last Olympics, and other veterans like Alex Carpenter, Kendall Coyne Schofield and Lee Stecklein are going to be in their mid-30s once the next Olympic cycle arrives in 2030. Young players like Edwards, Harvey and Tessa Janecke, among others, could be the future faces of Team USA.

“One of our jobs and one of our focuses in the long term, even beyond this Olympics, is to make sure that the players that come through this program are going to value what’s been done in the past,” Wroblewski says. “That was how hard Hilary had to work to help get the pro league going or how hard Cammi Granato worked and how she passed that torch to Hilary. That’s something we want to value for as long as I’m around.

“I think Laila is an amazing predecessor and somebody that’s part of a strong collection of young players that we have that can lead us into the future.”

PEOPLE AT BISHOP KEARNEY still talk about Laila Edwards because of how she helped elevate girls’ hockey, carried herself and made time for people.

Chloe Brinson knows this firsthand. Brinson, who is Black, is a senior on the girls’ hockey team and is set to play at Princeton next year. Coen says Edwards has mentored Brinson.

“We had her talk with Laila because it wasn’t always easy for Laila,” Coen says. “Laila’s giving her advice and reminding her and reinforcing what opportunities are here and that she has the support and resources within the Bishop Kearney community.”

Edwards has also talked with Chyna Taylor, a 16-year-old Black player from Louisville, Kentucky, who plays prep school hockey in Massachusetts and has already played for Team USA at youth tournaments. Taylor, who recently was named Sports Illustrated’s SportsKid of the Year, has committed to playing at … Wisconsin.

Edwards has felt the investment by other people, which is why it’s important for her to do the same for other players, especially Black players in the U.S. It’s a recognition that being Black is not a monolithic experience — that being a Black American woman playing hockey is different from being a Black Canadian woman, even in a sport so culturally driven by Canada.

The Canadian government declared ice hockey the national winter sport in 1994. Hockey Canada, the national governing body, reported in 2025 there were more than 603,000 registered players. There are more than 115,000 registered girls and women playing hockey, which is the most in Canada’s history. More than 16 million Canadians follow the NHL, and 44% of those fans are women, according to Vividata.

Black Canadian women, including Mikyla Grant-Mentis, Sophie Jaques, Sarah Nurse and Saroya Tinker, have had greater visibility in their own country than U.S. players have had in theirs. Angela James was one of the first women inducted into the IIHF Hall of Fame and the Hockey Hall of Fame. James is also on the Hockey Canada foundation board of directors.

The U.S. does not have an official national sport. The NFL averages 18.7 million viewers per regular-season game, according to The Associated Press. USA Hockey reported there were more than 577,800 registered players in 2025. There are more than 98,000 registered girls and women playing. That’s a 5% increase over the previous year. But ice hockey isn’t one of the 10 most popular girls’ sports, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. More girls play lacrosse (99,292) — the 10th most popular girls’ high school sport — than there are registered girls and women playing hockey. Outdoor track and field is first with more than 513,000 girls participating.

Blake Bolden, who is also a Cleveland native, became the first African-American woman to play professional hockey and become a professional NHL scout. Kelsey Koelzer was the first pick in the defunct National Women’s Hockey League and became the first African-American woman to be the No. 1 pick in the highest level of professional hockey. She’s also the first Black woman to be a head college hockey coach and is in her fifth season at Division III Arcadia University in Glenside, Pennsylvania.

Edwards and her family are aware of the role she plays in this progression. When Edwards had an MCL injury that kept her out of the lineup earlier this season, she was on crutches and went outside to meet her family after a Wisconsin game. She met three Black children who shared how much they loved watching her play.

Gray-Edwards says she attended the Wisconsin-Ohio State game in Columbus in early December when she met a Black mother and daughter who had driven from Ann Arbor, Michigan, just to see Laila.

“I always speak to everybody,” Gray-Edwards says. “But when I see people from other ethnicities, I make eye contact because I remember when people didn’t make eye contact with me when we first started. Two minutes later, I see them on the glass. They’re taking pictures during warmups and I see, “EDWARDS” on the back of this T-shirt.”

Gray-Edwards invited them to stay after the game so the girl could meet Laila and take photos with her. That’s when the girl’s mom told her that she was thinking of buying her daughter a plane ticket for Christmas so she could see Edwards play in Milan.

How Edwards plays the game, the way she works and how she treats people is why Conway always checks in with her when she’s in Cleveland. She’ll get her ice time if needed. Conway, an assistant public defender, coaches the girls’ hockey team at nationally ranked Gilmour Prep in nearby Gates Mills, Ohio.

She talks about Edwards at work with local youths, telling them she embodies what it means to work hard and to be from Cleveland. The same goes whenever Edwards gets on the ice and works out with the Gilmour Prep team. Conway wants the prep players to see someone who strives to cultivate her talent.

“I wanted my players to see what an elite player was,” Conway says. “They all want that, but I don’t think every kid understands what that takes, what it really means. But then, she is also just such a good person that it’s so shocking for somebody to be so good and be so sweet and so humble at the same time.”

Pippy says Edwards has a sense of responsibility and pride in getting more younger players of color involved in hockey — and that she understands what it means to be a role model.

“That was something that she learned at a young age,” Pippy says. “Her older sister was the same way. It’s why I wanted to do anything and everything that I could to help them.”

EDWARDS’ SOCIALS, WIKIPEDIA page and Wisconsin team bio don’t reveal that she is a major Netflix fiend. “Grey’s Anatomy” is her favorite. Asked which character she would be, and whether it was Izzie Stevens, Edwards laughs and says, “No!”

“I think [Alex] Karev, but he’s more of an asshole than I am. But he has a really nice side, too. I’ll just go with Meredith. I think she’s got a good heart and good intentions. Not flawless by any means.”

Does this mean her life motto is, “Pick me, choose me, love me?”

“Well, if I was talking to Derek Shepherd, yeah,” she says. “Maybe I would. I don’t blame her.”

Her favorite musicians are Beyoncé and Billie Eilish. She acknowledges liking Drake’s older work but not his newer stuff.

Deep down, this Olympian with the world at her feet can get starstruck and nerd out just like anyone else.

Laila and her mom went to Beyoncé’s final show of the Cowboy Carter Tour in Las Vegas this summer. They were in the crowd when she spotted Kerry Washington. The “Scandal” star walked past Laila, who froze and didn’t say anything because she was nervous. The same thing happened with Tyler Perry. She noticed him at the show and sneaked out her phone for an awkward selfie.

“Being there, I was so nervous,” Edwards says. “I didn’t really want to go out of my comfort zone. It was the same when I saw Damson Idris. Everyone was there. Gayle King was there. The Kardashians. Obviously, Jay-Z and Destiny’s Child.”

Her fandom extends to sports, too. She follows the Cleveland teams — the Cavs, Browns and Guardians — but a loss by them doesn’t ruin her day.

That misery is reserved for the Capitals.

“Like when we got swept in the playoffs last year, I was in shambles,” Edwards says. “I was just pissed off for an hour. Maybe I wasn’t in shambles. That’s dramatic. But I was definitely upset. It was so hard for me to watch the rest of the playoffs.”

Edwards talks with her hands. She moves them just enough to reveal a tattoo on her left wrist. Asked about her tattoos, she points out the one she got in Calgary and the one where an artist added a dot and a curved line next to a mole to create a smiley face. She has five dots and has the fourth one filled in to represent how she is the fourth of five children.

Every tattoo has a story. She remembers the places and motivation behind each one.

How many does she have?

“I have a lot. Oh my god,” she says, lowering her voice. “My dad doesn’t know about all my tattoos. I think I have 10 or 11.”

She points to the one that gives her the most joy. On her left ankle in block lettering is “GR8” in reference to Ovechkin being known as “The Great Eight.”

She hasn’t met her hockey hero but has an autographed sweater. It’s a prized possession.

What would she do if she met Ovechkin?

“I don’t know what I would say,” Edwards says. “I wouldn’t want to be too fangirly and say, ‘Oh my god, I’m your biggest fan.’ I don’t want to do all that. But I would want him to know how big of an impact that he made on my hockey career.”

Perhaps one day Edwards will know how big of an impact she and her family have had on the next generation of Black women playing hockey.

Afghanistan set India a daunting 311-run target in the second semi-final of the ICC U19 World Cup at the Harare Sports Club on Wednesday, courtesy of centuries from Faisal Shinozada and Uzairullah Niazai.

After winning the toss and opting to bat, openers Osman Sadat and Khalid Ahmadzai gave Afghanistan a steady start, adding 53 runs for the first wicket. India struck in the 13th over when Kanishk Chouhan dismissed Khalid for 31 off 39 balls.

Faisal then joined Osman and the pair added 64 runs for the second wicket, taking the total to 117 before Osman was removed by Deepesh Devendran after scoring 39 off 70 deliveries.

Faisal and Uzairullah then took control of the innings, sharing a 148-run partnership off 130 balls.

Faisal’s knock of 110 off 93 balls ended in the 46th over when he was bowled by Deepesh.

Uzairullah remained unbeaten on 101, while late contributions from Azizullah Miakhil (12 off 9 balls) and Abdul Aziz helped Afghanistan post 310-4 in their allotted 50 overs.

For India, Deepesh and Kanishk claimed two wickets each.

The winner of the game will meet England in the final on Friday, who booked their place with a 27-run victory over Australia in the first semi-final on Tuesday.

Batting first, England posted a competitive 277-7 in their 50 overs, thanks to a brilliant century from skipper Thomas Rew and crucial contributions from Caleb Falconer, Joseph Moores, Ben Mayes and Farhan Ahmed.

Defending 278, England bowled out the Australians for 250 in 47.3 overs despite a valiant century from captain Oliver Peake, who scored 100 off 88 balls, featuring 10 fours and a six.

This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.