Now that the 2025 college football season is over, it’s time to look ahead to the 2026 season. Sure, it seems like a long time off, but with all that is involved with the later calendar and offseason news these days, it’ll be here before you know it.
One of the things that everyone always seems to be interested in is which players might be favored to win the Heisman Trophy. Luckily for those folks, Vegas doesn’t take long to come out with those types of things, and columns hone in on which players they feel could take home the bronze statue as well.
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Take our mother ship, USA TODAY, for instance. Austin Cartright targeted seven players to watch in his “way-too-early” Heisman contenders. Troy Smith was the last Ohio State player to win the Heisman, but there’s been plenty of finalists wearing the Scarlet and Gray, and that could continue in 2026, and maybe, just maybe, a Buckeye can finally finish on top. If that were to happen, Cartright likes two OSU players among his seven to have a shot at it.
You can probably guess the two players, but just in case, the two Ohio State players included among the ten to watch are receiver Jeremiah Smith and quarterback Julian Sayin. We all know how difficult it is for a wide receiver to win the award, even if Smith really is the best player in college football, so it sure seems like Sayin would have the best shot coming from the quarterback position as a returning starter with more development in the OSU system.
But who else does Cartright believe has a chance to win the Heisman? Here are the ten players he feels have the best shot in this very, very early look at handicapping things for next season — in no particular order.
Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss
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Arch Manning, QB, Texas
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State
Malachi Toney, WR, Miami (FL)
Josh Hoover, QB, TCU
Julian Sayin, QB, Ohio State
Dante Moore, QB, Oregon
In addition to these seven Heisman hopefuls, Cartright highlighted some honorable mentions to keep an eye on. Those players include:
Sam Leavitt, QB, LSU
CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia
Ahmad Hardy, RB, Missouri
Marcel Reed, QB, Texas A&M
Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
Brendan Sorsby, QB, Texas Tech
John Mateer, QB, Oklahoma
Darian Mensah, QB, TBD
Austin Mack, QB, Alabama
Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama
This article originally appeared on Buckeyes Wire: Two Ohio State players among USA TODAY’s way-too-early Heisman watch
