Heisman Trophy Ladder: Carr, Mensah, Smith In 3-Man Race

Will Despart November 12, 2026 Fact checked by: Matt Moreno No Comments

Two quarterbacks and the best receiver in the country now lead the latest Heisman Trophy rankings as the race for the award continues following Week 10.

If you told me a month ago that the Heisman Trophy race would be as much of a mess as it is entering this week of college football, I probably wouldn’t have believed it. 

Jeremiah Smith was seemingly waltzing to the award with a monster season at Ohio State, and even if he somehow faltered, it seemed like Miami stars Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney would surely be next in line behind him.

Instead, Smith lost his quarterback and Toney has missed at least one game due to injury, and Mensah lost some of his steam as Miami suffered its first loss of the season to Notre Dame on Saturday. 

CJ Carr Notre Dame vs. Miami 2026.jpg
CJ Carr passes against Miami. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

As a result of Notre Dame’s win, it was CJ Carr who emerged as a new favorite to take home the most prestigious trophy in football. Do I agree with that? Not necessarily, but I can’t exactly say I’m surprised. 

Here’s what my Heisman Trophy ballot would like.

Ranking The Heisman Trophy Race Top Contenders Through Week 10

Recent Rankings: Nov. 5 | Oct. 29 | Oct. 22 | Oct. 15

QB Darian Mensah, Miami

Mensah registered his worst performance of the season by far in the loss to Notre Dame on Saturday, completing 55.8% of his passes for 269 yards while throwing for 3 touchdowns and an interception.

However, I’m willing to forgive Mensah for looking human just once this year, especially since he was without one of the biggest game-changers we’ve seen at wide receiver in the last decade in Toney. Mensah still ranks second nationally with 28 passing touchdowns and seventh with 2,694 passing yards, and 2 interceptions through nine games is something to write home about.

QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame

Despite the fact that Carr has been among the odds-on favorites to win the Heisman essentially all season wrong, it took a few candidates ahead of him to falter before I was finally willing to put him among the frontrunners myself entering last week’s game against Miami. And how did he respond?

By rising to the occasion, completing 72.5% of his passes for a season-high 319 yards while tossing 3 touchdowns. Notre Dame’s only real remaining challenge is SMU, which should be good for Carr’s stats but could hurt him if other candidates are able to register a big performances on bigger stages. 

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

Smith is going to New York off the strength of what he did in September and October before Julian Sayin’s injury, but the unfortunate reality is that his chances are starting to dwindle with each loss Ohio State suffers.

Smith at least got his numbers in last week’s setback against Oregon, posting his first 100+ yard performance since Oct. 3, and he still leads the nation with 14 receiving touchdowns and ranks second nationally with 1,200 receiving yards.

Still, it’s hard enough for a receiver to win the Heisman and it’s even harder when your team goes through a losing skid inflicted by losing its star quarterback. We’ll remember Smith as one of the greatest receivers in NCAA history, but we won’t remember him as a Heisman winner. 

QB Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

Pound for pound, I’m willing to say Drew Mestemaker has been the best quarterback in the country this season. He leads the country with 29 passing touchdowns and ranks second nationally with 2,962 passing yards, and Oklahoma State has been averaging 47.1 points per game through its last eight outings after it lost to Tulsa 24-10 to open the season.

That game has haunted Mestemaker all year, but the Pokes’ other two losses have been because of the defense. Eight interceptions through nine games will likely doom Mestemaker’s chance at earning first-place votes as well, but he has likely made himself the top quarterback in the 2027 NFL Draft if he decides to enter. 

RB Nate Sheppard, Duke

I’m not going to lie, this is probably going to end up as one of those seasons where we only see three (maybe four) players invited to New York to participate in the Heisman Trophy ceremony. Still, the ladder has five rungs, so why not give some love to the best P4 running back in the country this season?

Nate Sheppard ranks second nationally with 1,189 rushing yards and fourth with 17 rushing touchdowns, and Duke is still in contention to play for an ACC Championship with a 4-2 record in conference and a 7-2 record overall.

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