Before the season started, the five biggest betting favorites to win the Heisman Trophy were all quarterbacks. The first player at a different position? Jeremiah Smith, who stood at sixth in the odds at most sportsbooks.
Not only have the names changed in the Heisman landscape after a busy Week 1, but so have the positions. This could very well shape up to be the year of the receiver, as both Smith and Miami's Malachi Toney put up video-game numbers in their opening games. Of course, they'll have to beat out the guys throwing them the ball — as well as some other very highly touted QBs — to take home the hardware. Here's how we see the Heisman Trophy race after the first full week of the 2026 season.
QB Darian Mensah, Miami
Week 1 stats: 27-of-30, 401 yards, 5 TDs vs. Stanford
Tell yourself it was only Stanford. Afterwards, look at the teams the other contenders played and ask if that competition was any better.
Stanford knew coming in that they could not win. They were missing three starting offensive linemen and several other contributors on offense. Yet they stayed in man coverage all game despite being lit up by the Hurricanes passing game, and sure enough, Mensah finished 27-of-30 for 401 yards and five touchdowns as the No. 7 Hurricanes came out strong in their season opener.
Mensah deserves to have moved up to the top spot in the power rankings and, if he spends enough time on the field Thursday against Florida A&M, he will remain there again after putting up similar numbers.
WR Malachi Toney, Miami
Week 1 stats: 12 catches, 234 yards, 3 TDs vs. Stanford
Sure, Toney is further down in the rankings; he is not a quarterback, after all. But, as far as power rankings go, 12 receptions for 234 yards and three touchdowns against a conference opponent puts you at the top. Well, second behind the man who threw him the ball.
Toney will look to have another multi-touchdown game this Thursday against the Rattlers of Florida A&M as Miami comes in as 53.5-point favorites. If he does, he will remain near the top of these rankings. If he only has one touchdown or goes for less than 150 yards, he will move back down — especially if Arch Manning or Julian Sayin have an incredible game in their top-five matchup in Austin.
QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Week 1 stats: 21-of-36, 336 yards, 3 TDs, 1 INT; 9 carries, 60 yards, 1 TD vs. Louisville
Chambliss looked downright pedestrian through the first half of Sunday’s game against Louisville. It showed, as the Rebels were never able to pull away from the Cardinals and this turned into a dogfight down to the end.
But after going into the half down 10-6, Chambliss came out in the third quarter and threw two 62-yard touchdown passes to Deuce Alexander to tie the game at 24. In the fourth quarter, Chambliss had an additional 35-yard touchdown pass and added a five-yard score on the ground to finish off another Superman impression.
Chambliss finished 22-of-36 with 336 yards and three touchdowns. With all those No. 3s in his stat line, this is the perfect place for him here.
QB Arch Manning, Texas
Week 1 stats: 20-of-27, 305 yards, 4 TDs, 1 INT vs. Texas State
Arch Manning finished the Horns' 59-7 win over Texas State with 305 yards, four touchdowns and one interception on 20-of-27 passing, numbers that remind you of his uncle Peyton.
While not an elite showing by any means, he did exactly what voters and fans wanted to see from him, and he showed he’s ready to face Ohio State in Week 2. If Manning reverts to the Arch from the beginning of 2025 against the Buckeyes, he can tumble down these rankings. But, with a solid Week 1 stat line combined with his name recognition atop a legit title contender, attention must be paid.
WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Week 1 stats: Eight catches, 151 yards, 2 TDs vs. Ball State
Based strictly on play on the field in Week 1, Smith should be higher than Manning. But, with Manning being a quarterback (and of course that last name), he slides just ahead of the best wide receiver in the country this week.
Smith and the Buckeyes will have a chance to get their statement win against Texas in Austin on Saturday. If Smith can continue to link up with Julian Sayin, the eight receptions for 151 yards and two touchdowns he had against Ball State will just be the beginning of an amazing year.
QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame
Week 1 stats: 19-of-29, 239 yards, 2 TDs vs. Wisconsin
Carr and Notre Dame started off slow against the Wisconsin Badgers on Sunday. Maybe it was the ambience of Lambeau Field. But, after taking a 13-10 lead into halftime, Marcus Freeman and company outscored the Badgers by the familiar score of 28-3 and won the game 41-13.
Carr only had 239 yards passing and two touchdowns, completing 19-of-29 passes, but this is exactly what Notre Dame wants out of its signal-caller. If he had better numbers, he would be slightly higher. But, as long as Notre Dame keeps winning, he will remain firmly planted in the Heisman race.
QB Dante Moore, Oregon
Week 1 stats: 28-of-37, 378 yards, 3 TDs
Moore took a little dip this week as Oregon struggled in their first game out of the blocks. It took defense, special teams and a couple of huge passing plays for the Ducks to win, and this cannot be counted on weekly.
But Moore was able to bring the Ducks to the much-needed victory, as the team of the offseason would have been served up in The French Laundry in Napa Valley had they not pulled out the victory in the final minutes.
For his part, Moore finished with a 75.7-percent completion rate on 28-of-37 passing, with three touchdowns and a career high of 378 passing yards. Wide receiver Jeremiah McClellan finished with two touchdowns on the day while Dakorien Moore and tight end Jamari Johnson finished with four receptions for 57 yards and another score. This shows the weapons that Moore has at his disposal and it also shows the possibilities of the Oregon offense. It will now be up to the defense to catch up after a weak start in the opener.
QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Week 1 stats: 21-of-25, 320 yards, 3 TDs vs. Ball State; rushing TD vs. Ball State
Of the top eight players who are currently favored for the Heisman Trophy, Sayin is by far the lowest in these rankings. Not only does he have Jeremiah Smith on his team, he also has running back Bo Jackson and a talented wide receiver room which, aside from Smith, also includes Devin McCuin, Brandon Innis and freshman Chris Henry Jr., who also caught his first touchdown pass of the season.
It will be difficult but possible for Sayin to win the Heisman in 2026 with all of the obstacles placed against him. First, he will be compared in talent to his teammate Smith. He will then be faced with the Ohio State deniers who think that he is less talented or did his damage with far superior talent around him. Sayin will also be competing with the lore of the Ohio State quarterback in the NFL, including several recent players who have fallen short of pre-draft expectations.
This can begin to change if Sayin can defeat Texas in a dominating fashion on Saturday. Especially if he has a massive touchdown run or two on top of his passing.
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