The Jacksonville Jaguars have a lot of players to be excited about in 2026: Trevor Lawrence, Travis Hunter, Ventrell Miller, Chris Rodriguez, just to name a few. But head coach Liam Coen’s pick for the player he’s most excited to see next season might be a bit of a surprise.

During annual league meetings in Phoenix, Coen mentioned safety Caleb Ransaw as an exciting prospect for him. Ransaw was taken in the 2025 NFL draft in the third round, after Travis Hunter and Coen clearly had a hand in taking him.

“I was very much a fan of Caleb when we drafted him,” Coen said. “My relationship with Jon Sumrall was a huge part of that, obviously, and how much he liked Caleb.”

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Sumrall coached Ransaw at Tulane in 2024, when Ransaw had a major breakout season. He was a productive and versatile player who clearly made a big impression on Coen. But unfortunately, his rookie career was over before it was even able to get started, due to a foot injury during training camp that needed surgery.

So far, Coen said he’s recovering well.

“He’s been working out a ton with strength and conditioning, with athletic training,” he said of Ransaw. “I haven’t been able to see him, but they say he looks good.He’s running around pain-free and really moving around well. He’s gotten stronger.”

He then pointed to Ransaw as someone he’s excited to see in 2026.

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“It’s a nice thing where you’ve got Antonio Johnson who ascended towards the end of season, Eric Murray coming back, Rayuan Lane another year and then you’re like, well, shoot, Caleb,” he said. “Who knows what that could look like? We’re just excited to see what it could be.”

Safety is a solid position for Jacksonville headed into 2026, and while Ransaw likely won’t take any snaps away from Johnson or Murray, the Jaguars are clearly excited to see what he is capable of. Anthony Campanile used a lot of three-safety schemes last season, so the third slot could be his if he impresses in training camp this summer.

This article originally appeared on Jaguars Wire: Liam Coen singles out Caleb Ransaw as Jaguars player to watch