Way-too-early look at the 2026 Heisman Trophy race
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Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza — who led the No. 1 Hoosiers to a perfect 13-0 regular-season record, their first Big Ten title since 1967 and eventually their first national title — captured the 91st Heisman Trophy.
Mendoza completed 71.5% of his pass attempts during the regular season for 2,980 yards with 39 total touchdowns after transferring to the Hoosiers following two seasons at Cal. He beat out quarterbacks Diego Pavia (Vanderbilt) and Julian Sayin (Ohio State) and running back Jeremiyah Love (Notre Dame) to take home the trophy during the annual ceremony in New York.
With Mendoza, Pavia and Love moving on to the NFL after this season, there’s a whole new crop of Heisman Trophy candidates for 2026.
Here is a look at some of the top potential contenders (in no particular order):
2025 stats: 87 catches, 1,243 receiving yards, 12 total touchdowns
Smith’s highlight reel of acrobatic, one-handed catches continues to grow, and he arguably was the best player in college football this past season. He is the fastest Buckeyes player to reach career marks of 2,000 receiving yards (24 games), 100 catches (20) and 25 touchdown receptions (25).
2025 stats: 78.4% completion pct, 3,323 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Sayin might have captured the Heisman Trophy this season if Ohio State’s offense hadn’t flopped in its 13-10 loss to Indiana in the Big Ten championship game. In his first season as a starter, Sayin challenged the NCAA pass completion record of 77.4%, set by Oregon’s Bo Nix in 2023, but ended at 77.0% after the Cotton Bowl.
2025 stats: 3,565 passing yards, 30 touchdowns, 10 interceptions
Moore stunned a lot of folks when he opted to return to Oregon for the 2026 season instead of entering the NFL draft. He was projected to be one of the first prospects off the board. But Moore and his team opted to gain another season of experience, and the Ducks will be among the top CFP title contenders because of him. He completed 71.8% of his attempts but needs to cut down on his turnovers.
2025 stats: 69.7% completion pct, 2,894 passing yards, 462 rushing yards, 34 total touchdowns
In his first full season as Georgia’s starting quarterback, Stockton helped guide the Bulldogs to a 12-2 record and SEC title. His legs and right arm were a big reason the Bulldogs averaged 31.9 points despite enduring myriad injuries on the offensive line. Stockton was at his best when the game was on the line — he completed 83.6% of his passes with seven touchdowns and no interceptions in the fourth quarter in 2025.
2025 stats: 11.1 yards per catch, 23 receptions on third down, 298 punt return yards
Toney’s teammates call him “Baby Jesus,” and the true freshman delivered in a big way in his first season with the Hurricanes. He led the FBS with 109 catches and was fifth with 1,211 receiving yards. Toney even threw for two scores. Not bad for an 18-year-old who would be a senior in high school if he hadn’t reclassified to the class of 2025.
2025 stats: 61.4% completion pct, 3,163 passing yards, 32 total touchdowns
Even after all the hand-wringing about Manning being overrated at the start of the season, the former five-star recruit ended up putting together a good campaign in 2025. He heads into his junior season as the projected No. 1 pick in the 2027 NFL draft. The Longhorns needed to find some offensive linemen (he was sacked 23 times), but adding former Auburn receiver Cam Coleman and tailbacks Hollywood Smothers (NC State) and Raleek Brown (Arizona State) will help.
2025 stats: 2,800 passing yards, 580 rushing yards, 61.6% completion pct
After totaling 3,380 yards of offense and 36 touchdowns at Cincinnati last season, Sorsby was the No. 1 quarterback in the transfer portal. The Red Raiders invested heavily to land him, and they’re counting on him to do more than former starter Behren Morton did. Sorsby is a three-year starter, and his dual-threat ability brings another dimension to the Texas Tech offense.
2025 stats: 3,973 passing yards, 34 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
There will be a lot of eyes on Mensah after he broke his multiyear contract with Duke and transferred to Miami on the last day of the transfer portal window. The Blue Devils sued to prevent him from leaving but ultimately reached a financial settlement on his buyout. He’s another plug-and-play starter for the Hurricanes, who reached last season’s CFP title game with former Georgia starter Carson Beck.
2025 stats: 66.1% completion pct, 3,937 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns
The NCAA denied Ole Miss’ waiver application to get Chambliss another year of eligibility, so now the sides will battle it out in a Mississippi court. Chambliss played his first three seasons at Division II Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss in 2025. He was named SEC Newcomer of the Year after taking over the starting job in the third game of the season.
2025 stats: 1,649 rushing yards, 16 touchdowns
A transfer from Louisiana-Monroe, Hardy was second in the FBS with 126.9 rushing yards per game and 1,649 rushing yards. He had eight 100-yard games for the Tigers, including a whopping 300-yard effort with three touchdowns in a 49-27 victory against Mississippi State on Nov. 15.
2025 stats: 62.1% completion pct, 3,169 passing yards, 493 rushing yards, 31 total touchdowns
Reed returning to Texas A&M is great news for the Aggies. He was a threat anytime he had the ball in his hands last season, when he helped them win their first 11 games. His decision-making needs to improve so he can cut down on his 12 interceptions. He completed only 49.4% of his attempts with five picks on third down, another area for improvement.
2025 stats: 64.2% completion pct, 3,454 passing yards, 22 total touchdowns
There’s a reason new Bears coach Tosh Lupoi took a late-night flight to Hawai’i to make sure Sagapolutele was staying at Cal. He was only the second true freshman in FBS history to pass for 200 yards or more in each of his first 11 starts. In the Bears’ late-season upsets of then-No. 21 SMU and No. 15 Louisville, Sagapolutele passed for a combined 653 yards with six touchdowns and no picks.
2025 stats: 1,567 rushing yards, 24 touchdowns
After transferring from Missouri, Lacy helped the Rebels win 11 games in the regular season for the first time and win two CFP games. He was second in the FBS in rushing touchdowns and rushing yards. That’s the reason former Rebels coach Lane Kiffin wanted Lacy to join him at LSU.
2025 stats: 65.8% completion pct, 3,711 passing yards, 30 total touchdowns
Getting Maiava to come back to USC gives Trojans coach Lincoln Riley’s team a chance to make a big jump in 2026. Maiava ranked second in the FBS with a 91.2 total QBR last season and was fifth in passing yards. He needs to cut down on his 10 interceptions — seven of them came in USC’s four losses in 2025.
2025 stats: 1,090 rushing yards, 7 total touchdowns
Jackson became the fifth true freshman in OSU history to produce a 1,000-yard season, joining Robert Smith (1990), Maurice Clarett (2002), JK Dobbins (2017) and TreVeyon Henderson (2021). That’s good company. And, of course, he’d be the second Bo Jackson to collect a stiff-armed trophy.
2025 stats: 68.9% completion pct, 9.5 yards per attempt, 39 total touchdowns
Mestemaker is one of the best stories in college football. He didn’t start a single game in high school, then joined North Texas as a walk-on. During the 2025 season, he led the FBS with 4,379 passing yards, helping him capture the Burlsworth Trophy as the top walk-on in the country. He will join former Mean Green coach Eric Morris at Oklahoma State in 2026.
CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
2025 starts: 66.6% completion pct, 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns
Fighting Irish coach Marcus Freeman entrusted Carr with his offense after a heated battle in preseason camp. The decision paid off, as Carr put together one of the best performances by a first-time starter in Notre Dame history. He threw for at least one touchdown in each of his first 12 starts, becoming the first Irish player to do that since Everett Golson in 2012-14. Carr’s 24 passing touchdowns are tied for the most in the first 12 starts by a Notre Dame player since 1966.
2025 stats: 69.5% completion pct, 3,065 passing yards, 611 rushing yards, 31 total touchdowns
Williams is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the FBS, and his ability to run and throw was on display in the Huskies’ 38-19 victory against Rutgers on Oct. 10. He became the first player in school history to pass for at least 400 yards (400) and run for at least 100 (136) in the same game. Williams was second on the team with 595 rushing yards. He’ll have to do some damage control with his teammates and UW fans after nearly leaving for LSU.
Others to watch: Sam Leavitt, QB, LSU; John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma; Cam Coleman, WR, Texas; Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana; Nate Frazier, RB, Georgia; LJ Martin, RB, BYU; Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU; LaNorris Sellers, QB, South Carolina; Bryce Underwood, QB, Michigan
