ESPN releases Way-Too-Early Heisman Trophy contenders for 2026

The 2025 Heisman Trophy was captured Saturday night by Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza, marking the second straight season the Heisman winner has come from a non-traditional power conference program.

Could that trend continue in 2026? There’s the potential, given a few of the likely contenders.

ESPN has compiled a list of the early 2026 Heisman Trophy contenders to help familiarize readers with some of the likely field. Let’s dive into that list below.

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

2025 STATS: 80 catches for 1,086 yards, 12 total touchdowns
Smith’s production took a step back in 2025 after a phenomenal freshman season, but his impact might have been bigger overall. He was a huge focal point of opposing defensive gameplans.

And the crazy part is that, despite that, Smith manged to deliver time and time again. He has a chance to be one of the most prolific receivers in school history by the time he leaves Columbus.

QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State

2025 STATS: 3,323 passing yards, 31 touchdowns, 6 interceptions
Sayin finished as a Heisman Trophy finalist in 2025, so he’s a pretty easy bet to pick as a repeat finalist next year. If anything, Sayin’s campaign in 2025 seemed to be hurt by the fact that Ohio State really didn’t afford him many Heisman ‘moments.’

Regardless, it was his first season as a starter. The Buckeyes figure to be even better with him returning for another crack at it next fall.

QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia

2025 STATS: 2,691 passing yards, 442 rushing yards, 31 total touchdowns
Stockton had a strong overall year, though the numbers tended to fluctuate a bit from week to week. Still, some of his best outings came in huge games, which is what you want from a Heisman Trophy contender.

In a game against Ole Miss, Stockton threw for 289 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another. In the SEC Championship Game against Alabama, Stockton threw for three touchdowns without an interception. Those are elite results.

WR Malachi Toney, Miami

2025 STATS: 84 catches for 970 yards, 8 total touchdowns
Toney emerged on the scene right away as a freshman in 2025, but it wasn’t until midway through the year that he really began taking off. He was pretty close to a household name by year’s end.

Mid-year is when Miami began using him out of the backfield, which made Toney even tougher to track. He could be one of the best all-around offensive threats in the country next season.

QB Arch Manning, Texas

2025 STATS: 2,942 passing yards, 32 total touchdowns
It was a little bit of a slow start to the year for Manning, who came in as a Heisman Trophy favorite. He threw five interceptions in his first five games, but things turned around after that.

In the final seven games of the season, Manning threw just two interceptions. Meanwhile, he threw for more than 300 yards three times in that span. He also threw three or more touchdown passes three times in that stretch. Consistency will be key in 2026.

QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss

2025 STATS: 3,016 passing yards, 24 total touchdowns
The SEC Newcomer of the Year in 2025 has filed a waiver with the NCAA to seek an additional year of eligibility. He stands a decent shot after playing three seasons at Division II Ferris State before transferring to Ole Miss.

Chambliss was just what the doctor ordered for Ole Miss after an early season injury to Austin Simmons. He took over as the starter and never looked back, putting together an excellent campaign.

RB Ahmad Hardy, Missouri

2025 STATS: 1,560 yards rushing, 16 touchdowns
Hardy was a transfer in from Louisiana-Monroe, and he was a good one. He was one of the nation’s best running backs throughout the 2025 season, perhaps playing second fiddle only to Jeremiyah Love.

Could Hardy be a Heisman Trophy contender next season? His monster 300-yard, three-touchdown outing against Mississippi State showed what’s possible if he’s firing on all cylinders.

QB Marcel Reed, Texas A&M

2025 STATS: 2,932 passing yards, 466 yards rushing, 31 total touchdowns
Reed was a breakout star in 2025, leading Texas A&M to the College Football Playoffs after a near-perfect regular season. He still could clean up his turnovers a bit, but do that and he’s one of the best quarterbacks in the nation.

The good news for Reed is that he’s clearly going to have the platform to win an award like the Heisman. Texas A&M appears to be here to stay under coach Mike Elko.

QB Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele, California

2025 STATS: 3,117 passing yards, 20 total touchdowns
One of the absolute best true freshmen in the country, Sagapolutele was only the second true freshman to throw for 200 or more yards in each of his first 11 starts. That’s big-time.

New coach Tosh Lupoi has prioritized keeping Sagapolutele this offseason. We’ll see how that goes, but a new coaching staff could certainly galvanize the California offense as a whole in 2026.

RB Kewan Lacy, Ole Miss

2025 STATS: 1,279 yards rushing, 20 touchdowns
The Missouri transfer was replaced well by the Tigers, but he proved to be a phenomenal pickup by the Rebels. He was elite from Game 1 during the 2025 season.

If Chambliss can obtain his waiver, Ole Miss could have a backfield with two high-profile Heisman Trophy contenders in it. That would be a great way to ensure the success of the Lane Kiffin era doesn’t end with his departure.

QB Jayden Maiava, USC

2025 STATS: 3,431 passing yards, 29 total touchdowns
USC didn’t make a ton of noise on the national stage in 2025 or the story for Maiava might have been a little different in the Heisman Trophy race. But that could also be something to watch in 2026.

If USC is a title contender and has a quarterback like Maiava, he’ll have as good a shot as anyone to win the award. Maiava is no stranger to sticking it in tough spots; PFF had him with 26 big-time throws in 2025, second in the nation, according to ESPN.

RB Bo Jackson, Ohio State

2025 STATS: 1,035 yards rushing, 6 total touchdowns
Few in the 2026 Heisman Trophy race feature as fitting a name as the Ohio State running back. Jackson had a superb true freshman season, becoming just the fifth true freshman in Ohio State history to eclipse the 1,000-yard mark.

There are a lot of question marks at Ohio State personnel wise heading into next season, but it could be as loaded an offense as any in the country. Jackson is a big part of that.

QB Drew Mestemaker, North Texas

2025 STATS: 4,129 passing yards, 36 total touchdowns
If you’re going bye sheer numbers, Mestemaker should have been in the mix for this year’s award. North Texas’ loss in the conference title game, which kept it from a College Football Playoff berth, probably hurt in that regard.

Still, few post numbers the way Mestemaker did. Few have the story, too. Mestemaker initially began his career as a walk-on with the Mean Green. Will he continue to suit up there or move on to bigger and better things?

QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame

2025 STATS: 2,741 passing yards, 24 touchdowns
After an intense battle in preseason camp, Carr came out the winner and went on to have a terrific first season as starter with the Fighting Irish. He very nearly led Notre Dame to the playoff, ripping off 10 straight wins to end the year.

Carr was very consistent. By throwing a touchdown pass in each of his first 12 starts, Carr became the first Irish player to do that since Everett Golson in 2012-14.

QB Demond Williams, Washington

2025 STATS: 2,850 passing yards, 595 yards rushing, 27 total touchdowns
Williams is easily one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country, right up there with the likes of Haynes King, Diego Pavia and Marcel Reed. He does it in his own style, too, which works perfectly within the framework of Washington’s offense.

The key moving forward will be getting better in the big games. In the team’s four losses, Williams had a 3-to-6 touchdown-to-interception ratio. That’s not quite going to cut it for a Heisman Trophy contender.