The Heisman Trophy race is in the early stages but there are already some top candidates emerging.
We may only be approaching Week 3 of the college football season, but it’s never too early to start ranking Heisman Trophy candidates. That rings especially true when you already have players across the country making eye-opening statements.
In Starkville, highly-touted sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor is putting throws on tape that could only be described as masterful. In Miami, the QB/WR duo of Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney have The U looking like it did in its prime.
In Columbus, phenom receiver Jeremiah Smith is doing everything we expected of him and more. And in Austin? Well, Arch Manning is coming off a comeback win against No. 1 Ohio State that may have cemented his status as the next immortal Manning.
Out in Los Angeles, Jayden Maiava has unlocked the USC offense and has the Trojans looking like they can finally break their playoff dry spell. In Oxford, Trinidad Chambliss is proving that Ole Miss is still going to be a force without Lane Kiffin. Over in Athens, Gunner Stockton is making it clear that the Kirby Smart dynasty still has plenty of life left.
In Gainesville, running back Jadan Baugh has carried the Jon Sumrall era to about as positive of a start as you can imagine.
Ranking The Early Season Heisman Trophy Candidates
There are certainly plenty of deserving names to make this season’s initial rankings, but since there are only a maximum of five invitees going to New York in December (usually less), the ladder only has five rungs.
1. QB Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
Yeah, I’m buying the hype. In today’s transactional world of college football, Taylor is among the last of a dying breed of in-state players who join a program with the intention of bringing a national title to their home state. We expected a big season out of Mississippi State’s rivals in Oxford, but if Taylor continues making the plays he’s making and can lead the Bulldogs through this upcoming gauntlet, the Heisman talks are going to become even more prevalent.
Taylor has been excellent so far this season, completing 67.9 percent of his passes for 581 yards with a 7/0 TD/INT ratio. In the Bulldogs’ season opener against UL Monroe, Taylor completed 22-of-34 passes while throwing 4 touchdowns in a 62-13 demolition.
Kamario Taylor is only 19 YEARS OLD and is already one of the best QBs in the Country 😤👀
His combination of athleticism and arm strength makes him a NIGHTMARE for opposing defenses 🫣 pic.twitter.com/9dIRCZzY69
— The College Sports Company (@CollegeSportsCo) September 15, 2026
In Saturday’s 38-13 win over Minnesota, a game that closed as a pick ’em in Vegas, Taylor completed 16-of-22 passes for 227 yards and 3 touchdowns. The game was basically over by halftime.
He may not have the gaudiest numbers of the other quarterback candidates to this point, but Taylor is responsible for Mississippi State’s success in a way that no other player in the country can really compare to. It’s still early, but Kamario Taylor is the closest thing to a Cam Newton-esque difference-maker that we’ve seen since Newton’s dream season 15 years ago.
2. QB Darian Mensah, Miami
When this season is all said and done, there’s a truly legitimate chance that Darian Mensah blows away the single-season FBS completion percentage record. Mensah has completed 41-of-45 (91 percent!) of his pass attempts so far this season, racking up 653 yards through the air to go along with 8 touchdowns and zero interceptions. With Mensah at the helm, Miami has outscored its first two opponents this season by a combined score of 117-13.
In the Canes’ opening-game on the road against Stanford, Mensah proved Mario Cristobal made the right decision in the transfer portal by completing 27 of 30 pass attempts for 401 yards and 5 touchdowns. Against Florida A&M last Thursday, Mensah completed 14 of 15 attempts for 252 yards and 3 touchdowns before Cristobal pulled him to give the Rattlers some reprieve.
TRENDING: Darian Mensah throws with BETTER TOUCH than a lot of NFL QB’s.
One NFL scout reportedly believes “there’s some” Joe Montana (NFL HOF QB) to Mensah’s touch.
The Hurricanes QB is an ELITE distributor of the football 😳🧈 pic.twitter.com/VHoqyre7LF
— Rookie Watch (@RookieWatxh) September 7, 2026
The only reason I have Mensah ranked second below Taylor to this point is because, well, he’s one of the most loaded teams in recent college football history. He has a generational receiver talent in Malachi Toney, one of the nation’s top running backs in Mark Fletcher and a defense that may very well not give up more than 20 points in a game this season. Not to mention, the more he relies on Toney, the more Toney’s Heisman stock goes up. Not that anyone in Coral Gables is complaining.
3. WR Malachi Toney, Miami
To be honest, it’s just hard to see Mensah and Toney gaining much separation from each other in this season’s Heisman conversation considering their production is essentially combined at the hip. We know Toney is going to most likely lead the country in receptions and he has a legitimate chance to take the national triple crown by leading the country in receiving yards and touchdowns as well.
How will Toney eclipse Mensah in the Heisman conversation? Well, the old fashioned way. He’s going to have to simply put together more Heisman moments, like Desmond Howard’s kickoff return or Reggie Bush’s dance party against Fresno State. The good part for Toney is, if there’s any player in the country capable of enacting such magic, it’s himself.
How did Malachi Toney make this catch? 😱 pic.twitter.com/AHpG62eR1i
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 11, 2026
Listen, we all know how much easier Toney is making Mensah’s life in that offense. We also know the Heisman has primarily become a quarterback award. In order for Toney to beat out the analytics nerds voters who are going to swoon over Mensah’s uber-efficient completion percentages, it may take a couple highlights the country won’t soon forget.
4. QB Jayden Maiava, USC
This might be the highest you’ll see Maiava on any Heisman ladder this week, but he deserves credit for the offensive tear that USC has been on so far this season. If USC’s defense did its part in making some of these scorelines look a little more lopsided, I honestly think Maiava would be a more consensus candidate to this point.
Why is that? Well, for starters, his 80.7 completion percentage ranks seventh in the country and first among quarterbacks who have played three games this season. Maiava also leads the country with both 896 passing yards and 10 touchdowns, though the extra game he’s played compared to most other FBS quarterbacks accounts for some of the gap.
Jayden Maiava drops a DIME to Zachariah Williams for the 44-yard TD 🎯@uscfb pic.twitter.com/Go91qcJ0Rx
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 13, 2026
Still, Maiava’s 208.8 passer rating also ranks in the top 10 nationally and he’s only taken one sack so far this season, which is a good sign considering his pocket presence was among his main issues last season.
Working in Maiava’s advantage is the fact that he’s also throwing to a pair of freshman wide receivers who will already know will almost certainly continue their careers playing on Sundays. Trent Mosley and Kayden Dixon-Wyatt have combined for 26 receptions, 436 yards and six receiving touchdowns. If Maiava can keep hitting those targets and USC’s offense keeps rolling, they could make a serious push for the Big Ten title.
5. QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Georgia is in rare air as a program, where it feels like every year of this era that it goes without a championship is a disappointment. When that drought stretches through an incomprehensible third season? Panic ensues.
To start the season, Kirby Smart has made it abundantly clear his Bulldogs are taking no prisoners. A 63-3 Week 1 victory over Tennessee State saw Stockton complete 15 of 16 pass attempts for 202 yards and 3 touchdowns, and he encored that by completing 13 of 16 passes for 234 yards and 3 touchdowns in a 70-20 win over Western Kentucky. In total, Stockton has completed 28 of 32 (87.5 percent) of his passes for 436 yards and 8 touchdowns, and his 284.2 passer rating currently leads the nation comfortably.
Gunner Stockton against the blitz through two games:
12/12
236 yards (19.7 yards per attempt)
5 touchdowns
0 interceptions pic.twitter.com/fCHCxQmMPT— Underdog CFB (@UnderdogCFB) September 16, 2026
The only thing really holding Stockton back at this point is the fact that because Georgia has blown both of its opponents out of the water, he hasn’t really gotten the chance to accrue the passing yardage and touchdowns that some of the other candidates have. I don’t know if I see Georgia’s dominance stopping in SEC play, and if Stockton’s efficiency is the catalyst of that, it’s going to be hard to argue against his presence in New York.
