Top Heisman contenders in 2026<\/p>\n
Arch Manning<\/a>, QB, Texas Longhorns<\/a><\/p>\n Texas Longhorns quarterback Arch Manning got his first action as a starter in 2025. That moment had been highly anticipated since he was in high school and it came with mixed results. Still, with another year of experience, he very well could contend for the Heisman Trophy.<\/p>\n Of course, Manning does have the option to enter the NFL Draft. That\u2019s not what most people anticipate, though, as returning to Texas for another season should help him improve that stock. Certainly, being a Heisman winner wouldn\u2019t hurt either. <\/p>\n Julian Sayin<\/a>, QB, Ohio State Buckeyes<\/a><\/p>\n It was a disappointment in New York for Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin. A Heisman finalist this season, he didn\u2019t end up going home with the hardware. Instead, he\u2019ll have to refocus on the College Football Playoff<\/a> and winning on the field.<\/p>\n As a redshirt freshman, Sayin was a Heisman finalist. He\u2019ll be back again in 2026 with added experience that is almost impossible to find in college football. So, there\u2019s no reason why he can\u2019t win. <\/p>\n Jeremiah Smith<\/a>, WR, Ohio State Buckeyes<\/p>\n Coming into the 2025 season, Jeremiah Smith was commonly thought of as the best receiver in all of college football. He wouldn\u2019t end up winning the Biletnikoff Award or being a Heisman finalist, though he was still thought of as the most talented receiver in the country.<\/p>\n Just a sophomore, Smith will be back next season and will, once again, be among the most thrilling players in the game. The only concern is whether or not he and Sayin will steal Heisman votes from one another. <\/p>\n Marcel Reed<\/a>, QB, Texas A&M Aggies<\/a><\/p>\n Marcel Reed has been a revelation at quarterback for Texas A&M. The Aggies\u2019 signal caller led Texas A&M to the College Football Playoff and has made them a legitimate threat to win the national championship. He\u2019d use both his arm and legs to get there too.<\/p>\n As one of the most exciting players in the game who plays on a massive stage in the SEC, Reed is going to have the spotlight on him in 2026. If he plays up to his capability, he\u2019ll be in the Heisman conversation once again. There\u2019s no reason to think he can\u2019t win it too.<\/p>\n Jayden Maiava<\/a>, QB, USC Trojans<\/a><\/p>\n After taking over as the USC starter late in 2024, Jayden Maiava would hit his stride in 2025. Now, he and head coach Lincoln Riley<\/a> are looking for a way to build on that once again. <\/p>\n If there is one thing that Lincoln Riley has found success doing it\u2019s developing quarterbacks and explosive offenses. That\u2019s led to Heisman Trophy success, including at USC. So, it\u2019s not unfair to have high expectations for next season.<\/p>\n Other names to know<\/p>\n Ty Simpson<\/a>, QB Alabama Crimson Tide<\/a><\/p>\n Alabama quarterback Ty Simpson is eligible to turn his attention to the NFL Draft next season. If he chooses to return to college, though, Simpson is going to be viewed as one of the best quarterbacks in the entire sport. He could very well even be a Heisman contender.<\/p>\n Gunner Stockton<\/a>, QB, Georgia Bulldogs<\/a><\/p>\n Georgia managed to win the SEC and a first round bye in the first season Gunner Stockton led the Bulldogs as their starting quarterback. He\u2019ll likely be back next season with much higher expectations from the jump. So, he could feasibly end up in the Heisman race more so than he was in 2025.<\/p>\n Drew Mestemaker<\/a>, QB, North Texas Mean Green<\/a><\/p>\n There is a chance that Drew Mestemaker could be a transfer this offseason, as his head coach is on his way to Oklahoma State. That comes after the pair combined for a phenomenal season at the Group of Five level. With more attention on him from the start, regardless of where he\u2019s playing, the Heisman isn\u2019t out of the question.<\/p>\n Sam Leavitt<\/a>, QB, Arizona State Sun Devils<\/a><\/p>\n For the past two seasons, Sam Leavitt has been vital to making Arizona State one of the best teams in the Big 12. Now, there are rumblings that he could transfer. Regardless of where he ends up, Leavitt should be a Heisman contender.<\/p>\n Ahmad Hardy<\/a>, RB, Missouri Tigers<\/a><\/p>\n The Missouri Tigers managed to find one of the best running backs in the entire country this season, bringing in Ahmad Hardy. He\u2019d rush for 1,560 yards and 16 touchdowns in 2025. If he can build on that in 2026, the Heisman may not be able to ignore his success.<\/p>\n Kewan Lacy<\/a>, RB, Ole Miss Rebels<\/a><\/p>\n Another running back to keep an eye out on for the Heisman race next season is Kewan Lacy. The Ole Miss running back had 20 rushing touchdowns this year. That\u2019s hard to ignore, but it\u2019s also hard to replicate. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The 2025 Heisman Trophy race is in the books, and now the college football world can turn its…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":348684,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[172810,7303,140345,399,135167,125270,42984,7319,140562,134062,398,396,397,7326,99,53934],"class_list":["post-348683","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-ncaa-football","tag-ahmad-hardy-24-lawrence-county","tag-arch-manning-23-isidore-newman","tag-drew-mestemaker-24-vandegrift","tag-football","tag-gunner-stockton-22-rabun-county","tag-jayden-maiava-22-kaimuki","tag-jeremiah-smith-24-chaminade-madonna-prep","tag-julian-sayin-24-carlsbad","tag-kewan-lacy-24-lancaster","tag-marcel-reed-23-montgomery-bell-academy","tag-ncaa","tag-ncaa-football","tag-ncaafootball","tag-sam-leavitt-23-west-linn","tag-sports","tag-ty-simpson-22-westview"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348683","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=348683"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/348683\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/348684"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=348683"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=348683"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=348683"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Julian](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Julian-Sayin-1024x538.png\")
Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (Birm\/Lettermen Row)<\/p>\n![\"USC](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Untitled-design-6-1024x538.png\")
USC QB Jayden Maiava vs. Nebraska football (Imagn Images)<\/p>\n![\"Georgia](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/1765737670_110_gunner-stockton_seccg-1024x538.jpg\")
\u00a9 Brett Davis-Imagn Images<\/p>\n![\"Missouri](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/Untitled-87-1024x538.png\")
Denny Medley | Imagn Images<\/p>\n