Week 5 did plenty to shake up the Heisman conversation, and the names at the top are starting to separate themselves from the pack.
Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith is making a weekly habit of looking untouchable. Against Iowa on Saturday, the wideout put up 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns, and the Hawkeyes had no real answer no matter how they tried to cover him. Through five weeks, Smith has 44 receptions for 823 yards and nine touchdowns, and he already sits as Ohio State’s all-time leader in receptions, receiving touchdowns and receiving yards.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah kept his name squarely in the mix with another sharp showing against Clemson. He threw for 227 yards and a touchdown and added 27 rushing yards and a score on the ground. For the season, Mensah has completed 84.2 percent of his passes for 1,438 yards, 15 touchdowns and no interceptions while guiding Miami to a 5-0 start.
Alabama’s Keelon Russell also strengthened his case in a big way. In the Crimson Tide’s 56-23 win over Mississippi State, he passed for 285 yards and three touchdowns and ran for another score. Russell now has 1,414 passing yards, 11 touchdowns and two interceptions on the year, and in his last three games he has a 10/0 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr has been putting together a strong season without much noise. He threw for 234 yards and four touchdowns against North Carolina on Saturday, and he’s up to 1,197 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and just one interception overall. Carr has shown he can make any throw and can also do damage with his legs when needed.
Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor took a hit in the Alabama game, but one rough afternoon isn’t enough to knock him out of the race. Taylor has thrown for 1,450 yards, 17 touchdowns and four interceptions this season, and he still has a chance to bounce back when Mississippi State heads to Baton Rouge for the Oct. 17 matchup with LSU.
In Other News...
Indianas Ohio State Showdown Just Lost The Atmosphere Fans Wanted
Indianas next two weeks shape up as a major test, with Curt Cignettis team first seeing Nebraska in Week 6 before turning to a much bigger appointment in Week 7 against Ohio State. The Buckeyes game has all the ingredients to feel like one of the marquee dates on the schedule, especially with a Top-10 matchup on deck and plenty of attention sure to follow the Hoosiers into that stretch.
The only catch is the start time. FOXs Big Noon Kickoff slot means the showdown at Noon ET, which takes some of the edge off what could have been a truly electric scene in Bloomington. A night setting would have given the game a different kind of intensity, and fans will be left imagining how much louder and more charged the atmosphere might have been under the lights. [Read more 🡒]
Indiana Just Landed The Kind Of Recruit Fans Have Been Waiting For
The early years of a new era on the recruiting trail can say plenty, and Indiana just got a big one. Darius Wabbington, a 2027 five-star center and the No. 13 overall prospect in his class, has committed to the Hoosiers, giving Darian DeVries his highest-ranked recruit and his first five-star pledge since taking over in Bloomington.
Wabbington picked Indiana over Arizona and Illinois, a notable win in a race that drew plenty of attention. His size, skill set and long-term NBA upside make him the kind of frontcourt piece that can change the conversation around a recruiting class, and he joins a group that already includes other top prospects as DeVries continues to build momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Urban Meyer Just Gave Ohio State Fans A New Indiana Debate
Indianas rise under Curt Cignetti has become one of the sports more interesting storylines, and the Hoosiers have done enough through five games to force the rest of the Big Ten to take them seriously. At 5-0 and sitting at No. 7, they have already put themselves in a position no one would have expected a couple of years ago, with a schedule that still includes ranked matchups against Ohio State and USC while avoiding Oregon.
Urban Meyers latest comments just added another layer to the conversation, and it is the kind of skepticism Indiana is likely to keep hearing until it proves itself against the leagues top tier. Meyer questioned how much weight should be given to wins over lower-level opponents, which only sharpens the pressure on the Hoosiers as they move deeper into a slate that will decide whether this start is just a nice story or something far more substantial. [Read more 🡒]