The Heisman Trophy has long been one of the most prestigious awards in all of sports, with a list of recipients that includes some of the defining names in college football history. Acceptance into the Heisman fraternity is just about the highest individual honor any football player can have bestowed upon them, and each year only one fabled name gets the call into the sport’s most prestigious house.
In 2025, Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza reminded us just how special a Heisman campaign could be. After transferring from Cal, Mendoza threw for 33 touchdowns and nearly 3,000 yards while leading the Hoosiers on one of the most improbable championship runs ever. It was the perfect example of how a player can go from unheralded to immortal in just a single college football season.
Heading into 2026, it honestly seems like the candidacy for this iconic trophy is wide open. Returning quarterbacks such as Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Texas’ Arch Manning are listed as the betting favorites for the award, but neither has shown enough in their career to be deemed an honest frontrunner. Former Tulane and Duke quarterback Darian Mensah’s transfer to Miami this offseason has drummed up some hype considering the Hurricanes’ recent history with quarterbacks, while Ole Miss signal-caller Trinidad Chambliss is back for one more run after being granted his last dance by the NCAA.
Will the 2026 Heisman Trophy be lifted by one of these four quarterbacks? Or will a dark horse name emerge and sneak into the fraternity? We’re less than a month away from taking the first step toward finding out, so let’s discuss.
Top Four 2026 Heisman Trophy Favorites
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Carr absolutely has enough talent to win this award, don’t get me wrong. However, his positioning as the top betting favorite is more so a reflection of the expectations surrounding Notre Dame this season. Carr might not be as athletic as Manning, but the Fighting Irish have a gift-wrapped regular season schedule and could legitimately win every game by two touchdowns. It’s not hard to envision Carr putting up Heisman-worthy numbers while Notre Dame cruises to the top of the CFP rankings, which would naturally make him a leading vote-getter.
Very high praise from @McShay13 for CJ Carr after the Manning Passing Academy.
“CJ Carr was the MVP, and it wasn’t even close.”
Here’s what he had to say on The McShay Show pic.twitter.com/0KsL5llrN0
— Locked On Irish (@LockedOnIrish) June 29, 2026
Arch Manning, Texas
Manning took a lot of heat at times last season, but his performance toward the end of the year proved that he’s a legitimate star and arguably the most dynamic quarterback in the country. He put it all together in Michigan’s Cheez-It Bowl win over Michigan, completing 21 of 34 passes for 221 yards and 2 touchdowns while also rushing for 155 and 2 touchdowns on 9 carries. If the third-generation talent can replicate that performance even just a few times this upcoming season, especially in SEC play or against Ohio State in Week 2, the odds will shift drastically in his favor.
Darian Mensah, Miami
QBU is a title that many schools have laid claim to over the years, but Miami is making a serious case to be put in the modern day conversation after the success that transfers Cam Ward and Carson Beck had in back-to-back seasons. Duke transfer Darian Mensah is the guy in 2026, and you can make a serious case he’s an even more intriguing Heisman Trophy candidate than both Ward and Beck were. After transferring to Duke from Tulane last season, Mensah tore up the ACC and ranked second nationally with 3.973 passing yards and 34 touchdowns. With an even better supporting cast at Miami, it’s certainly reasonable to expect those numbers to improve. And it will be hard to argue against his case if they do.
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Trinidad Chambliss didn’t even start the 2025 season as the No. 1 guy in Oxford, but by the end of it he was a household name. After rebuffing his old coach Lane Kiffin and LSU to remain with Pete Golding and the Rebels at Ole Miss, Chambliss is in great position to build off the absurd 13-game run he had last season. Despite the fact that he didn’t start until Ole Miss’ third game, Chambliss still finished the year ranked third nationally with 3,937 to go along with an impressive 22/3 touchdown to interception ratio. If Chambliss can prove that it was him and not Kiffin behind the offensive juggernaut at Ole Miss, he has a solid chance to become the school’s first Heisman winner.
Tier 2 QB Favorites
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
There’s an alternate universe out there where things go differently for Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship last season and Julian Sayin wins the Heisman Trophy over Mendoza, but the actual history books took a different turn and now Sayin isn’t even atop the betting odds for the 2026 award. Don’t let that convince you that he’s not a solid candidate, however. Sayin is one of the most efficient passers in college football history, completing an absurd 301 of 391 pass attempts (77 percent). The knock on Sayin has been his throw power, but he’s proven to be an elite “point guard” and racked up 3,610 yards and 32 passing touchdowns last season.
“We do have a lot of pieces coming back on offense and we need to build off of last year..
This is year two for Julian Sayin and that’s exciting”@ryandaytime #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/rGUNv06vkz
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) August 5, 2026
Josh Hoover, Indiana
Josh Hoover has some major shoes to fill if he wants to follow up Mendoza’s miracle 2025 season, but he’s the exact kind of gunslinging quarterback who will thrive with Curt Cignetti and OC Mike Shanahan. Hoover tallied 3,472 passing yards at TCU last season and ranked ninth nationally with 29 passing touchdowns, albeit he did throw 13 interceptions. In an offense that’s schematically sound enough to hide and with one of the nation’s most dangerous receiving duos in Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh, Hoover is in a spot to run up his passing numbers and make a run at Indiana’s second straight Heisman if he can cut down the turnovers.
Dante Moore, Oregon
In the same alternate universe that Sayin won the 2025 Heisman in, Dante Moore declared for the NFL Draft and was selected No. 1 overall by the Las Vegas Raiders. Sort of like how Sayin and Mendoza entered the Big Ten championship with the Heisman on the line, Moore and Mendoza entered the Rose Bowl with the No. 1 pick still up for debate. Moore obviously put forth a dud of a performance that afternoon in Pasadena, but his 3,565 passing yards and 30 touchdowns for the Ducks last year prove he’s still one of the country’s premier QBs. A second full season as starter at Oregon may very well be just what he needs to solidify his collegiate career and his status as a future No. 1 overall draft pick.
Sam Leavitt, LSU
LSU quarterbacks tend to be in the Heisman conversation every year now, largely because the massive NIL budget in Baton Rouge allows the program to poach the most enticing prospects in the transfer portal each offseason. It was no surprise that Lane Kiffin turned his attention toward Arizona State transfer Sam Leavitt, who also had an unceremonious exit from his previous program and thus enters the 2026 campaign with a similar chip on his shoulder. In his 20 starts at ASU, Leavitt threw for 4,513 yards and 39 touchdowns with just 9 interceptions. Not to mention, he ran for 749 yards and 10 touchdowns during that same stretch. With a proven quarterback whisperer in Kiffin by his side, Leavitt can certainly contend for the award if he comes back from injury an improved player and manages to lead LSU through their gauntlet of an SEC schedule.
Skill Position Candidates
Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
For the last three years now, we’ve heard all about how Jeremiah Smith is the greatest wide receiver prospect eyes have ever seen. The physical traits are absolutely undeniable, but he hasn’t really been able to rack up the statistics that he’s been expected to because of the embarrassment of riches that Ohio State has had at wide receiver. With Carnell Tate no longer in the Buckeyes receiver room, Julian Sayin is going to have to rely on Smith more than ever this season and as a result, I expect Smith will finally eclipse the 100 catch and potentially even the 1,500 yard mark. If he does that, he’ll almost certainly be in New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony.
Malachi Toney, Miami
Entering last season, the general consensus was that Smith was simply on a different planet than every other wide receiver in the country. It took Malachi Toney just one season to prove that was a fallacy. The 18-year-old true freshman racked up a nation-leading 109 receptions and ranked fifth nationally with 1,211 receiving yards in addition to catching 10 touchdowns. Toney was especially impressive in the Hurricanes’ title game loss to Indiana, breaking off an impressive 22-yard touchdown run while tallying 122 yards on 10 catches. With gunslinger Darian Mensah joining the fold in Miami, Toney has a great chance to improve upon his already insane numbers and earn Heisman consideration.
TRENDING: Malachi Toney has been absolutely IMPOSSIBLE to stop in 1-on-1’s.
One NFL scout reportedly believes Toney is “as close as it gets” to Tyreek Hill as a prospect.
Last season, Toney led all of FBS in Receptions (109), YAC (841), Missed Tackles Forced (33), and 1st Downs… pic.twitter.com/m48nblfnqJ
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) July 24, 2026
Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss
Ole Miss may not have a Heisman in the trophy case just yet, but Trinidad Chambliss isn’t the only candidate in Oxford. The Rebels also feature one of the nation’s premier running backs in Kewan Lacy, who ranked in the top three nationally last season with both 24 rushing touchdowns and 1,567 rushing yards. Lacy has the ability to fill a box score with gaudy numbers, as evidenced by his 224-yard, three touchdown performance against Florida last November. If he does that a few times this season, good luck keeping him off your Heisman ballot.
Ahmad Hardy, Missouri
I’ll admit this one is a bit ambitious, considering the fact that we don’t even know if Ahmad Hardy will play the entire season after he was shot at a concert last May. However, Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz recently told reporters that Hardy was progressing toward a return to football, which inspired some hope that he could be back early in the season. That would be an incredible development from the Tigers, considering Hardy was the most impressive back in the country over the course of the last two seasons. After a breakout 1,350-yard freshman campaign at Louisiana-Monroe as a freshman, Hardy transferred to Mizzou and tallied an even more impressive 1,649 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns despite the drastic upgrade in competition. If he can get back within the first few games of the season, he still has a great chance to be among the nation’s leading rushers.
Dark Horses
Keelon Russell, Alabama
It wasn’t so long ago that quarterback was the position of weakness for Alabama, with much of the Nick Saban era being defined by hard-nosed defense and an elite running game. Those times began to change with Tua Tagovailoa, and now Alabama has yet another 5-star quarterback who could potentially join Tagovailoa and Bryce Young as the only Crimson Tide quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy.
Keelon Russell hasn’t yet gotten much of a chance to prove his skill at the collegiate level yet, but he proved to be one of the elite high school passers in recent memory at Duncanville High School in Texas and displayed accuracy, arm strength and poise that made him the most sought after quarterback in the country during the 2025 recruiting cycle. With the abundance of talent that Alabama has at the skill positions, Russell could be in position to put up some absurd numbers.
Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State
No quarterback in the country saw his stock rise like Drew Mestemaker last season. After enrolling at North Texas as a fourth-string walk-on in 2024, Mestemaker not only earned the starting job for the Mean Green but ended up emerging as the nation’s most impressive passer and a surefire NFL draft prospect. He led the nation (by far) with 4,379 passing yards and threw for 36 touchdowns, leading North Texas to a 12-2 record and an American Conference Championship game appearance. He followed coach Eric Morris to Oklahoma State this offseason, where he has a chance to revive a program that went 1-11 in a disastrous 2025 season. If he can succeed in doing that while putting up similar numbers to what he did last season, there’s a good chance he’ll be in New York.
🏈 𝗠𝗮𝘅𝘄𝗲𝗹𝗹 𝗔𝘄𝗮𝗿𝗱 𝗪𝗮𝘁𝗰𝗵 𝗟𝗶𝘀𝘁 👏@DrewMestemaker @CalebHawk2025
The Maxwell Award is given to the outstanding player in college football
🔗 https://t.co/04MQ6Cr6xy#GoPokes | #okstate pic.twitter.com/MekF6ZTF0o
— OSU Cowboy Football (@CowboyFB) August 3, 2026
Jadan Baugh, Florida
You’ll be hard pressed to find a running back as consistent as Jadan Baugh was for Florida last season, and he’ll now be the centerpiece of a Gators offense that will be relying heavily on the run game as they have a rather inexperienced quarterback room. Baugh doesn’t have Ahmad Hardy’s burst or Kewan Lacy’s straight line speed, but he runs with a bruising aggression that stands out even among his most elite counterparts. Baugh ran for 1,170 yards and eight touchdowns last season on 221 carries, and he should clear all of those marks this upcoming season with the added responsibility he’ll have to carry.
Cam Coleman, Texas
If Jeremiah Smith and Malachi Toney are on a different planet than every other receiver in the country, then Texas’ Cam Coleman is on his way in a spaceship. We’ve known Coleman possessed special traits since he was a 5-star recruit at Central High School in Phenix City, Alabama and he’s still a favorite amongst NFL scouts, but he just hasn’t got the same chances to produce as his counterparts. Now that he’s left his home state and will have an actual quarterback throwing his way in Arch Manning, Coleman will get the chance to match the production that his recruiting classmate Jeremiah Smith has in his first two collegiate seasons and could plausibly sneak his way into Heisman conversations.
