We\u2019re months away from the start of the 2026 college football season, and Fernando Mendoza\u2019s Heisman trophy win may still be fresh in your brain, but it\u2019s never too early to look at what\u2019s ahead. Here\u2019s a way-too-early look at the potential Heisman contenders in 2026.<\/p>\n
Defense<\/p>\n
In 2024, we saw Travis Hunter become the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson, albeit with plenty of help on his resume from Hunter\u2019s time as a starting wide receiver. Are there any defensive players who could be the next to lift the hardware?<\/p>\n
I see four defenders with a preseason shot at the Heisman trophy. The lone non-edge defender is Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore.<\/strong> Moore had five interceptions last year and has been arguably the best cornerback in the country since his freshman year. Now with two other starting-level corners on his side of the field, teams can\u2019t avoid targeting Moore, which could allow him to have more game-changing plays to boost his Heisman candidacy.<\/p>\n PRESEASON CONTENT:\u00a0Way-too-early college football top 25 rankings for the 2026 season<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Now we get to the trenches. The top candidate off the edge is Texas\u2019 Colin Simmons<\/strong>. He\u2019s coming off a 12-sack season and is a potential candidate for the top pick in the 2027 NFL draft. South Carolina\u2019s Dylan Stewart\u2019s<\/strong> name will also be in that conversation for both the top pick and Heisman; he just hasn\u2019t had the production of Simmons early in his career.<\/p>\n Closing the defensive group is the newest Miami edge-defender, Damon Wilson II<\/strong>. Wilson is at his third school in three years after transferring to Miami. After a modest start to his career at Georgia, he had nine sacks at Missouri last year. Now he goes to the defensive system that produced likely top-10 NFL draft pick Rueben Bain and first-round pick Akheem Mesidor. Wilson could have an eye-popping year.<\/p>\n \ud83d\uddd3\ufe0f:\u00a0When does the 2026 college football season start?<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n Offensive skill positions<\/p>\n A few elite players on offense enter 2025 with a legitimate shot to prevent quarterbacks from winning the Heisman.<\/p>\n It starts with Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith<\/strong>. The best player in college football for 2026 finished sixth in Heisman voting last year. He\u2019s arguably been the best wide receiver in the country since a freshman. Expect 2026 to be no different.<\/p>\n Speaking of wideouts that were great as freshmen, Miami\u2019s Malachi Toney <\/strong>should also be a Heisman candidate after his rookie campaign. Toney will be the No. 1 target in the Hurricane offense, regardless of who the quarterback is this fall. He could have a big year.<\/p>\n There are also a few running backs that could be in the running as the season progresses. Ohio State\u2019s Bo Jackson would likely have Heisman buzz if he didn\u2019t share his offense with two other Heisman candidates. Missouri\u2019s Ahmad Hardy<\/strong> was a top-five Heisman candidate at the midseason mark last season.\u00a0<\/p>\n Mississippi running back Kewan Lacy<\/strong> was pivotal to the Rebels making a CFP semifinal run and should open as a Preseason First-Team All-SEC running back, if not All-American.<\/p>\n The two running backs who I think may fly under the radar in offseason Heisman talks are BYU\u2019s LJ Martin<\/strong> and Louisville\u2019s Issac Brown<\/strong>. Martin rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, while Brown rushed for a disappointing 884 yards and seven touchdowns. If Martin picks up where he left off and helps BYU get a CFP nod, he\u2019ll be in Heisman discussions. Meanwhile, Brown could return to his freshman ways, where he had 11 rushing touchdowns as Louisville contends for an ACC title berth.<\/p>\n HEISMAN HISTORY:\u00a0Top three finishers all-time<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Closest voting finishes<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Teams with most winners<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The quarterbacks<\/p>\n No list looking at Heisman trophy contenders would be complete without quarterbacks. 21 of the last 26 Heisman winners have played the position, meaning 81 percent of 21st-century Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. Here\u2019s a look at the top quarterback candidates.<\/p>\n The transfers<\/p>\n The transfer portal is far from settled since it\u2019s before Christmas, but as of now, two quarterbacks could carry the newest December tradition of a transfer winning the Heisman. In seven of the last nine years, a former transfer has won the Heisman trophy.<\/p>\n Last year\u2019s transfer quarterback to win the Heisman played for Indiana<\/strong>. Now, Josh Hoover <\/strong>transfers in from TCU after finishing second in the Big 12 in passing yards. Could he follow in Mendoza\u2019s footsteps?<\/p>\n CHAMPS:\u00a0How Indiana won its first-ever college football national championship<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n To that same tune, LSU<\/strong> has another Arizona State quarterback that transferred in \u2014 Sam Leavitt<\/strong>. Leavitt was one of the top available quarterbacks in the portal. Can he follow in the footsteps of Jayden Daniels and win a Heisman in the bayou after transferring from the Sun Devils?<\/p>\n Drew Mestemake<\/strong>r transferred to Oklahoma State, following his head coach, after leading the FBS in passing yards. While Oklahoma State won just one game last year, a turnaround led by Mestemaker could have his name in Heisman talks. Similarly, Rocco Becht<\/strong> followed his coach from Iowa State to Penn State,\u00a0<\/strong>and the signal-caller could be key to turning around the Nittany Lions.<\/p>\n Brendan Sorsby <\/strong>won\u2019t have to lead a turnaround after transferring within the Big 12 from Cincinnati to Texas Tech. With the Red Raiders poised to be a CFP-contending team, he could be in Heisman talks as the leader of one of the top teams in the country.<\/p>\n TRANSFERS:\u00a0FCS transfers who could impact next year’s College Football Playoff race<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The wildcards<\/p>\n The biggest wildcard this year in preseason Heisman talks will be LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina.<\/strong> He was one of the favorites entering last year, but had a disappointing season. Now he\u2019ll have a new offensive coordinator as Kendall Briles comes into town with his Air Raid offense. If Sellers can live up to the hype this year, he could return to Heisman talks.<\/p>\n Connor Weigman<\/strong> had a sneakily good year at Houston last year, leading the Cougars to a 10-win season. Weigman has all the talent in the world as a former five-star recruit. If he can lead Houston to Big 12 contention, he could rise in Heisman talks.<\/p>\n Also in the wildcards, I\u2019ll list Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Joey Aguilar (Tennessee), and Darian Mensah (Duke).<\/strong> Chambliss and Aguilar would be top Heisman candidates if they got another year of eligibility, while Mensah would be a top candidate if he ended up at Miami.<\/p>\n For Mensah, even at Duke, he\u2019ll be a Heisman darkhorse after leading the Blue Devils to an ACC Championship win last year.<\/p>\n The unknowns<\/p>\n There are a few unknowns at the quarterback position in 2025 that could have breakout campaigns. Before you think, \u201csomeone won\u2019t come out of nowhere to win the Heisman,\u201d let me remind you of redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston. Even last year, Julian Sayin finished fourth in voting as a redshirt freshman.<\/p>\n True freshmen five-star quarterbacks Jared Curtis at Vanderbilt <\/strong>and Faizon Brandon at Tennessee<\/strong> could be day one starters in the SEC for teams that were competing for a College Football Playoff when November came around last year. If either has their teams in a similar position next year, they could be Heisman candidates.<\/p>\n A pair of 2025 recruits could also be Heisman contenders from the SEC. Mississippi quarterback Deuce Knight <\/strong>accounted for six touchdowns in his lone start in 2025 as a freshman for Auburn. He flashed potential that could shine for last year\u2019s CFP semifinalist Rebels.\u00a0<\/p>\n Missouri quarterback Matt Zollers<\/strong> will have to win a battle with former Rebel quarterback Austin Simmons, but we got a glimpse of Zollers under center once Beau Pribula got hurt last year. Could Zollers be a star with a full offseason?<\/p>\n The last group of unknowns all reside in Tuscaloosa. After Ty Simpson departed for the NFL, Alabama<\/strong> has an opening at the quarterback position. Will Austin Mack<\/strong> be the starter, will former five-star recruit Keelan Russell<\/strong> be the starter, or will incoming freshman Jett Thomalla<\/strong> take over? The starting quarterback at Alabama, especially under Kalen DeBoer, is always in Heisman conversations at some point during the season.<\/p>\n MORE HEISMAN:\u00a0Active NFL Heisman winners<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Heisman CFP performances<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Heisman top draft picks<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n The sophomores<\/p>\n This next set of quarterbacks could take the next step with a year of playing experience under their belts.<\/p>\n Notre Dame\u2019s CJ Carr<\/strong> had the Fighting Irish on the fringe of the playoff. With his top two running backs gone to the NFL and a reloaded receiver room, Carr should take the next step forward this fall. Yet, he might not have a game for the \u201cHeisman moment\u201d with Notre Dame\u2019s schedule.<\/p>\n BYU\u2019s Bear Bachimier<\/strong> also had his team nearly in the CFP. Bachimier plays with a grit that few other quarterbacks can match and will lead a talented Cougar squad into Big 12 contention again. If he can throw more touchdowns, he could rise Heisman boards.<\/p>\n Michigan\u2019s Bryce Underwood <\/strong>and Cal\u2019s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele<\/strong> both flashed potential during their freshman seasons, but will have to learn under new head coaches this fall. Both could turn into Heisman contenders if they quickly mesh with their new head coaches.<\/p>\n The returnees<\/p>\n These four quarterbacks are all veterans who have returned to their schools, but aren\u2019t in top-contender status yet.<\/p>\n Oklahoma\u2019s John Mateer<\/strong> was the Heisman favorite before his September hand injury. He\u2019s back and healthy with the Sooners and could get back atop the Heisman leaderboard this year.<\/p>\n Marcel Reed had Texas A&M<\/strong> near the top of the playoff rankings before the Aggies lost their final two games. Reed might be the most dynamic quarterback in this article and brings a dual-threat element that could pop on the screens of Heisman voters.\u00a0<\/p>\n The last two returnees here are out west. Southern California\u2019s Jayden Maiava <\/strong>is back under head coach Lincoln Riley. He could be Riley\u2019s fourth Heisman winner. Washington\u2019s Demond Williams Jr.<\/strong> had a wild offseason, but he passed for over 3,000 yards last year and could surprise out of the Big Ten.<\/p>\n