The Heisman Trophy race for the 2026 season continues to take shape, and we rank the top contenders for the top individual college football award following Week 6.
It’s time for yet another week of TeamFB7’s Heisman Trophy Ladder, and for the first time this season it’s really starting to feel like someone is running away with this thing.
Most analysts were already ahead of the curve last week and had Jeremiah Smith tabbed as the frontrunner after his jaw-dropping performance against Illinois. I still felt Darian Mensah’s historic efficiency gave him the edge at that point, but there’s no need for suspense or arguments for the sake of it this week.
Breaking Down The Heisman Trophy Race Following in Week 6
The mystery of this week’s ladder comes with where who lands No. 2 through No. 5, because one thing has been made crystal clear this past week.
Jeremiah Smith is the decisive Heisman Trophy race frontrunner. And a few more performances like what he’s registered the past few weeks might end the conversation for good. Let’s get into it.
WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
🚨 JEREMIAH SMITH IS NOW OHIO STATE'S ALL-TIME RECEIVING TOUCHDOWNS LEADER pic.twitter.com/HvgMamaSNc
— Bleacher Report (@BleacherReport) October 3, 2026
From the moment Jeremiah Smith arrived on campus in Columbus, the world knew he was a generational wide receiver prospect that had the potential to be one of the all-time greats at both the collegiate and professional levels. The former is already complete. Not only that, he’s outright making a case for being the greatest receiver in modern college football history and has ascended to a level of prospect tier that has only been reserved for Randy Moss and Calvin Johnson in the last 30 years.
What did Smith do last week? Oh, just 11 receptions for 206 yards and 2 touchdowns for Ohio State against a very strong Iowa team. He’s the national leader in receptions (44), receiving yards (823) and touchdowns (9-tied) and he’s setting a new Big Ten record weekly. Start engraving the trophy.
QB Darian Mensah, Miami
Darian Mensah is the most efficient QB against the blitz in college football this season:
43/49 passing (87.8%)
608 yards
9 TDs
0 INTs
158.0 NFL passer rating pic.twitter.com/Uk3JoOOVOD— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) October 6, 2026
Mensah’s absurd completion percentage finally came back down to Earth a little bit after he completed 18 of 27 passes for 227 yards and a touchdown in a blowout win for Miami over Clemson. He entered that game with a grand total of just 12 incompletions on the season, and even after throwing nine incompletions on Saturday he can still lay claim to playing some of the cleanest football we’ve seen from a collegiate QB in recent memory. Mensah ranks 8th nationally with 1,438 passing yards and is tied for 3rd with 15 passing touchdowns, but most impressive is the fact that he’s still yet to throw an interception.
QB Keelon Russell, Alabama
We knew last week’s superquarterback showdown between Keelon Russell and Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor was going to kickstart a lot of conversations and comparisons between the two, but the reality is that Russell just looked like a far more surgical and efficient player throughout. And as easy as it is to fall in love with Taylor’s tape, Russell has that same billion dollar arm talent even if it doesn’t look as nonchalant. Russell’s 11 passing touchdowns rank 12th nationally and he’s the catalyst of a dominant Alabama team that hasn’t posted less than 48 points in a game this season.
Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
Kamario Taylor with an ABSOLUTE DIME on this 45-yard TD pass.
The Mississippi State QB hasn’t been pretty, but THIS THROW was 🤯🔥 pic.twitter.com/OH1VwFLLRH
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) October 3, 2026
Listen, there’s no denying that Saturday was a rough outing for Taylor. However, it would be far from the worst outing we’ve seen from a Heisman Trophy winning quarterback during the season in which they won the award, so it would be foolish to say the performance disqualifies him entirely. What I think it did make clear is that we’re still in the early stages of seeing just how dominant a player can become, because the reality is that he’s achieved all of these amazing things and has looked as great as he has this season while still being a relatively unpolished player. Taylor has the tools for a Josh Allen-esque development, and he looks a lot smoother than a lot of these guys did at 19. The problem? He still very much plays like he’s 19 sometimes.
QB Braden Atkinson, Oregon State
Braden Atkinson was nearly perfect at Colorado State
30/34, 413 YDS, 5 TDS, 0 INT
He opened 16 for 16, breaking a school record that stood since 1989. Fifth straight 300-yard game, a streak only Sean Mannion has topped at Oregon State. pic.twitter.com/5sYLuDRIBD
— CFB Performances (@performancesCFB) October 4, 2026
In terms of odds and what you’re likely going to see on other Heisman Trophy rankings to this point, this is certainly going to seem like a long shot. And it is. But with so many unconvincing performances from players I thought would be solidified on the ladder for weeks to come, now feels like the perfect time to highlight what Braden Atkinson is doing at Oregon State. The Mercer transfer leads the country with 1,848 passing yards and ranks 2nd nationally with 16 passing touchdowns while throwing just 2 interceptions. Combined with freshman WR Jesse Legree, he’s also part of arguably the most potent QB/WR combination in the country this season.
