It’s one of the most interesting Heisman races in a long, long time.
Lots of future NFL quarterbacks for national championship-caliber teams, an all-time great wide receiver, and a few hopefuls who might just rise and surprise.
They’re our preseason Heisman favorites, and here’s our preseason prediction for how the race for the greatest trophy honoring an individual in sports will go.
26 for 2026
26: Winningest Programs Yet To Make the CFP
25: ACC Key Questions
24: Big 12 Key Questions
23: Big Ten Key Questions
22: Top 2027 NFL Draft Prospects
21: SEC Key Questions
20: What’s Next in Realignment?
19. Ranking all 30 New Head Coaches
18. Who Has the Easiest Schedules?
17. Who Has the Hardest Schedules?
16. Who Might Be the Next Indiana?
15. Group of Six Teams with Best CFP Shot
14. 5 Teams Due For a Letdown
13. 5 Programs Under the Most Pressure
12. 26 Bold Predictions
11. 5 Teams We’re Disrespecting
10. 5 Hottest Head Coaching Prospects
9. Biggest Games of the Season
8. Coaches On Hot Seat
7. Teams About to Surprise
6. 10 New Superstars
5. Top Quarterback Battles
4. Top 26 Transfers
Why Anyone But the 11 on this List Will Win the Heisman
The Heisman race always produces players who come from out of nowhere.
Fernando Mendoza and Diego Pavia weren’t on anyone’s list going into last year.
No one had Ashton Jeanty in the 2024 mix, and Travis Hunter was a crazy call. Jayden Daniels in 2023? A flier at very best. Max Duggan as the runner-up to Caleb Williams in 2022, Aidan Hutchinson and Kenny Pickett behind Bryce Young in 2021, and … you get the idea.
Why the Field Won’t Win the Heisman
In an NIL and transfer portal era, the stars end up with the biggest programs. It’ll take something outside of the norm – like Daniels and Hunter – to raise enough interest to be in the Heisman race.
Projected Heisman Finish
Top three, but who will it be? New LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt? If he’s healthy enough. The starting Alabama quarterback – the race is still on. USC QB Jayden Maiava? Yeah, he should probably be in the top ten. Miami WR Malachi Toney? He doesn’t play corner like Hunter did. That’s the fun of the Heisman race – the stars of the season have yet to show themselves.
Why He Will Win the Heisman
He’ll be the star quarterback for another great Georgia team that will be in the SEC and National Championship hunt all season long.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
The stats won’t be there – Georgia won’t have the passing game. He’ll have some big moments in big games, which might be enough to get him in the top ten, but it won’t be enough to hold the Trophy.
Projected Heisman Finish
Just outside of the top ten – he finished seventh last season. Georgia will be great, but there will be far more good candidates than last year.
– Georgia 2026 Team Preview
Why He Will Win the Heisman
He will have lots and lots of opportunities for the big moment, starting with the date against Oklahoma, and Penn State, and Indiana, and Oregon, and Ohio State.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
He’ll be very good against all of those teams, but won’t do enough to pull out the wins to get to a high Heisman level.
Projected Heisman Finish
Fringe top ten. He’ll range from not even close if he’s not amazing right away against OU on the low side, to good enough to receive a few votes with a few magical moments in at least one high-profile victory.
– Michigan 2026 Team Preview
Why He Will Win the Heisman
Magical in last year’s College Football Playoff run, he’s among the most exciting players returning. A must-see each week, this is his Ole Miss team now to run. On sheer entertainment value, everything is there to be on the highlight reels each week.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
Can and will Ole Miss be that good again? This only works if Chambliss is fantastic and Ole Miss gets by Lane Kiffin and LSU early on, and lights up Louisville in the opener – with everyone watching – and beats Texas, and Oklahoma, and Georgia, and …
Projected Heisman Finish
Easily inside the top ten. He might be great again, and that will be enough to get him plenty of votes. There will be too many Ole Miss losses, though, to push past all the other stars up top.
– Ole Miss 2026 Team Preview
© Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Why He Will Win the Heisman
The Ducks are about to go on a World Tour of Domination, and Moore will be the star. The NFL Draft types are ready to pounce, the attention will be there all season, and he’ll be in just enough shootouts to look like the star that he is.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
The numbers won’t be quite good enough. The talent is there, but everyone will be looking for a bit more, considering he’s a presumptive top-five overall pick. He and the Ducks will come up just short when everyone is watching in the giant showdown at Ohio State.
Projected Heisman Finish
Comfortably in the top ten and just outside of being a finalist. Like last year, when he averaged 238 yards per game, the numbers won’t be quite where they need to be to overcome the one big loss.
– Oregon 2026 Team Preview
Why He Will Win the Heisman
The veteran quarterback who finished fourth in the Heisman balloting last year will either make or break his campaign at Texas early on, at Indiana and at USC in the middle of the season, and against Oregon in early November. Once again, his stats will be amazing. However …
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
The numbers won’t be quite as eye-popping. He led the nation with a 77% completion rate – over four percentage points higher than Carson Beck – and was just behind Fernando Mendoza in quarterback ranking. That still wasn’t enough to make the top three.
Projected Heisman Finish
Outside of the top five. He’ll have a few great games on the big stages, but he won’t be the star of the show with all of the other Buckeye weapons. With that said, if he rips it up and the Buckeyes roll through their schedule, this projection will change fast.
– Ohio State 2026 Team Preview
Why He Will Win the Heisman
This year he’ll start to look and play more like the all-around statistical superstar he was at Washington State, and less like the fighter who tried to play through a wrist injury over the second half of last season.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
To be deep in the Heisman mix, he needs to be strong against Michigan and Georgia early on – both of those will be on the road. Throw in Texas, Florida, Ole Miss, Texas A&M – there are too many landmines to sidestep.
Projected Heisman Finish
Call this a placeholder ranking, at just outside of the top five. If he’s just okay against the Wolverines and Bulldogs in the two monster September road games, and OU wins, he’s in it. If he’s amazing in close losses, he’s still alive, but any hope of being in the finalist mix will be tied to a team that needs to be in the College Football Playoff chase.
– Oklahoma 2026 Team Preview
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Why He Will Win the Heisman
After a few years of holding the designation of being among the best – if not the best – non-quarterback in college football, he’s set to take his game to a whole other level. He doesn’t have to lead the nation in receiving as long as he blows up at the right times with everyone watching.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
It’s almost impossible to win a Heisman now if you’re not a quarterback. DeVonta Smith of Alabama was able to do it in 2020, and Travis Hunter pulled it off a few years ago, but he was a corner, too.
Projected Heisman Finish
Top five. Last year he finished sixth after catching 87 passes for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. He might not have quite the same stats, but he’s a lock to be a finalist if he comes close. This year, though, the quarterbacks are too good.
Why He Will Win the Heisman
It took a year to get his feet wet as a full-time starter, and now, off we go. Yes, he’s as good as the hype, and yes, he’ll get his shot to make a massive statement early on against Ohio State. Throw in the addition of star receiver Cam Coleman from the transfer portal, and the stats will match the attention.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
He and Texas have to actually win against Ohio State. And at Tennessee, and against Oklahoma, and at LSU and Texas A&M, and in the SEC Championship on the way to the College Football Playoff. One slip will be enough to cost him the Heisman.
Projected Heisman Finish
Third or fourth. He’s the real deal, and so is Texas. The Longhorns will win most of those games just listed, and Manning will be one of the main reasons why. He might be a Manning, but he happens to be a top Heisman candidate in a loaded field.
– Texas 2026 Team Preview
Why He Will Win the Heisman
The stats are about to go off the charts. Outstanding at Tulane and better at Duke, with the weapons he’ll have in the Miami offense, he could push for 4,000 yards – last year he threw for 3,973 with 34 scores with the Blue Devils.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
At Notre Dame on November 7th. If the Hurricanes lose to the Fighting Irish, it’ll be tough to pull off the Heisman, no matter what the stats. He would have to be phenomenal in defeat.
Projected Heisman Finish
The top four. Cam Ward finished fourth in 2024 with over 4,000 passing yards. That’s about what it would take to get Mensah close. If he and the Canes beat Notre Dame, the dynamic changes, and he’ll have a real shot to take the Heisman – but we’re predicting the Irish.
– Miami 2026 Team Preview
© MICHAEL CLUBB/SOUTH BEND TRIBUNE / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images
Why He Will Win the Heisman
Start with this – Notre Dame should win the showdown against Miami. Even if there’s a down game against someone else, if Carr is terrific against the Hurricanes – in his first game, he threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns in the 27-24 thriller of a Miami win to open last season – it might not be his Heisman for the taking, but he’ll have won the right game at the right time.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
Even without Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, this will still be a running team. Carr won’t put up astronomical numbers – he’ll probably get to around 3,500 yards and 30 touchdowns – so it’ll be about the big moments. There aren’t many on the Notre Dame schedule.
Projected Heisman Finish
Second or Third. If he’s great and Notre Dame beats Miami, the call is that he’ll end up somewhere in the top three. Even if the Irish lose at BYU he could still be in the hunt. He won’t have the stats, though, to take the Heisman home.
– Notre Dame 2026 Team Preview
Why He Will Win the Heisman
Fernando Mendoza won the Heisman despite averaging just 221 yards per game – he threw 33 touchdown passes before the College Football Playoff.
Hoover played in five fewer games at TCU than Mendoza did at IU, but he threw for almost as many total yards, finished fourth in the nation in passing yards per game, and he’s about to put up better numbers than Mendoza did.
Why He Won’t Win the Heisman
The same magic won’t be there. That’s asking for too much out of anyone. It wasn’t just that Mendoza was great, but there weren’t any other real options – Diego Pavia and Jeremiyah Love were fine, but … nah. Mendoza also had the magical comeback against Penn State, and the Big Ten Championship win over Ohio State after being rocked early.
Projected Heisman Finish
IU for two. Alabama won back-to-back Heismans in 2020 (DeVonta Smith) and 2021 (Bryce Young). Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray did it for Oklahoma in 2017 and 2018, respectively.
USC did it (Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush), Archie Griffin won two in a row for Ohio State, and Yale got two straight with Clint Frank in 1937 and Larry Kelley in 1938.
Hoover will be on center stage with all the pressure in the world on his shoulders, and he’ll come through just fine. The stats, the wins, and the big moments will all be there.
– Indiana 2026 Team Preview
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