Heisman Trophy Race: Miami WR Malachi Toney Back In It?

Will Despart October 29, 2026 Fact checked by: Matt Moreno No Comments

Can anyone knock Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith off the top spot in the Heisman Trophy race in 2026? Miami WR Malachi Toney certainly made noise in Week 8 as the competition heats up.

For a few weeks there, it felt like Jeremiah Smith was going to cruise to the Heisman Trophy and perhaps the national receiving triple crown. However, an injury to Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin and an ill-timed bye week have opened the conversation up for others to potentially emerge as the frontrunner, namely the dynamic duo currently ranked No. 1 in Miami.

Right on time, the Hurricanes’ communication office launched a dual Heisman campaign for Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney. Mensah is putting up historically efficient numbers while piloting Miami’s offense to a nation-leading 49 points and 552 yards per game, while Toney has inserted himself into “Greatest Hurricane Ever” talks with yet another standard bearing season at receiver at just 19 years old.

Malachi Toney #1 of the Miami Hurricanes scores a touchdown during the first half of a college football game against the Pittsburgh Panthers at Hard Rock Stadium on October 24, 2026 in Miami Gardens, Florida.
Miami WR Malachi Toney (Photo by Eston Parker/ISI Photos via Getty Images)

Aside from the leading trio, a new quarterback makes an appearance on the ladder after a slow start to the season. Not to mention Oregon State true freshman phenom Jesse Legree, who has become a mainstay on the ladder after a dominant start to his collegiate career.

Here’s where we stand in the Heisman Trophy race in Week 9 of the season.

Ranking The Heisman Trophy Race Top Contenders Through Week 8

Recent Rankings: Oct. 22 | Oct. 15 | Oct. 8 | Oct. 1 | Sept. 24

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

Smith and the Buckeyes were on bye last week, but it wasn’t enough to register a meaningful change in his prognosis as the betting favorite. Even after the week off, Smith still ranks second nationally with both 982 yards and 12 touchdowns, and his 52 receptions rank 12th. We still haven’t seen Smith embark on a full game without Julian Sayin, who the Buckeyes lost to injury for the season, but he only becomes more important in that offense with a backup quarterback in the fray. Not to mention, the only currently ranked opponent left on Ohio State’s schedule is No. 20 Northwestern.

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QB Darian Mensah, Miami

Like the first few weeks of the season, we’re back in a place where Mensah and Toney can basically be considered interchangeable on the ladder. Still, at this point I have to give the edge to Mensah because of his week-in, week-out consistency. Mensah leads the nation with a 98.7 QBR and ranks second nationally with 22 passing touchdowns, but even more impressive is the fact that he’s thrown just 1 interception through seven games. Mensah isn’t just dinking and dunking either, he averages 10.7 yards per pass attempt and ranks ninth nationally with 2,151 passing yards.

WR Malachi Toney, Miami

While it was always understood that Toney is one of this generation’s premier collegiate wide receivers, the Heisman Trophy hype he had been receiving early took a backseat to Smith and even Legree at Oregon State. However, Toney once again proved exactly who he is with a monster performance against Pittsburgh on Saturday. He hauled in 16 receptions, 12 of which came in the first half, tallying 195 yards and 3 touchdown receptions. The performance shot Toney’s reception total to 66, which now leads the country, and his 952 yards and 11 touchdowns each rank third nationally. Smith is starting to hear footsteps.

QB Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State

Drew Mestemaker entered this season with Oklahoma State as arguably the most highly touted quarterback in the transfer portal, but a disastrous start to the season saw him throw 4 interceptions through the first two weeks. One of those performances was a 2-interception loss to G6 foe Tulsa in Week 1, which certainly set the Cowboys off on the wrong foot and raised a bunch of questions. However, Mestemaker has racked up a 17-to-2 touchdown/interception ratio in Oklahoma State’s last six games, of which the Cowboys have won five. Mestemaker is also coming off his most impressive performance of the season, completing 21-of-36 passes for 386 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 57-24 win.

WR Jesse Legree, Oregon State 

Like Smith and the Buckeyes, Legree and Oregon State are also coming off a bye week. And like Smith, it didn’t really matter. At all. Legree still leads the nation with 14 receiving touchdowns and 1,040 yards, and his 22.6 average yards per catch ranks third nationally. Oregon State has an inside track at the Pac-12 title and the College Football Playoff should the Beavers win out, and the freshman Legree continuing to do his best superhero impression is probably the only real path toward that happening. Luckily, Legree also has one of the nation’s most effective gunslingers throwing him the ball in Braden Atkinson, so I’m hard pressed to believe we’ll see any meaningful regression. During the bye week Legree affirmed his plan to remain at Oregon State beyond the 2026 season.

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