The Heisman race got a fresh jolt in Week 5, and the biggest spark came from Columbus.
Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith is now the AP No. 5 Buckeyes’ all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns after Saturday. With more than half a season still to play before he could potentially become the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft - and with the Los Angeles Chargers doing their best to make that a reality - Smith has already separated himself from the field in a big way.
He’s not just leading the conversation. He’s pulling away from it.
Smith has 823 receiving yards through five games, a total that puts him well ahead of the pace set by the last wide receiver to win the Heisman, DeVonta Smith, not counting Travis Hunter. DeVonta Smith had 556 yards through the same stretch before finishing the run with 955 yards and 13 touchdowns over his final six games before the 2020 ceremony. Jeremiah Smith has already built a case that looks even louder.
And the numbers aren’t padded against weak competition. His biggest performances have come against power conference opponents, including back-to-back 200-yard games to open Big Ten play and a 164-yard outing at Associated AP No.
1 Texas. If he keeps this up, the suspense around the award may disappear long before December.
At that point, voters may just be along for the ride.
Behind Smith, Miami quarterback Darian Mensah has put together the kind of season that keeps a team from slipping after a major offseason change. The junior has thrown for 1,438 yards at 10.8 yards per attempt and 15 touchdowns, and his 84.2 percent completion rate is the best by a quarterback with at least 125 pass attempts through five games since at least 1995, according to Stathead. Of the four previous qualifying quarterbacks to hit at least 80 percent through five games, three - Robert Griffin III, Bo Nix and Julian Sayin - earned Heisman invites, with Griffin taking home the trophy in 2011.
Alabama’s Keelon Russell also deserves a real look, and the timing is right. He heads into a massive Week 6 matchup against No.
2 Georgia after settling in over his last three games. Since Sept.
19, Russell has gone 60-of-79, a 75.9 percent clip, for 970 yards and 13 total touchdowns, with 10 through the air and three on the ground. He’s also added 107 rushing yards on 16 carries during that stretch.
Then there’s Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss, whose candidacy took a hit with the Week 4 loss at Florida. That setback matters, especially after Florida, ranked No. 8 at the time, got blown out 45-17 at No.
25 Missouri on Saturday. Still, Chambliss’ individual line in that game - 73.5 percent completions and 298 passing yards - was good enough to keep him in the mix as the season moves deeper into October.
A running back has also forced his way into the discussion, and Indiana’s Turbo Richard is the name to know. The Hoosiers have started the season against a soft opening slate, with opponents that combined for a .435 win percentage, but that changes fast.
Their next six games include a road trip to undefeated Nebraska in Week 6, plus matchups with Ohio State and No. 18 USC, and those six opponents finished Week 5 with a combined 24-7 record.
That tougher stretch gives Indiana’s stars a stage, and Richard just made a loud entrance. The Boston College transfer erupted in Saturday’s 47-15 win over Rutgers, piling up 204 rushing yards and a touchdown on 13 carries. Through five games, he’s up to 587 yards on 63 attempts, a 9.3-yard average, and five touchdowns.
The comparison point is obvious: Derrick Henry, the last Heisman-winning running back, had 570 rushing yards through his first five games in 2015 before finishing the job by delivering in Alabama’s biggest games late in the season. Richard may be heading down that same path.
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Lowe is now taking a hard look at what comes next, and a recent visit to Tennessee suggests he is keeping his options open. He came away sounding encouraged by the Volunteers defensive line rotation and the opportunities that could be available there, a notable development for a player whose next stop will be watched closely by Miami fans who remember just how much upside surrounded his arrival in Coral Gables. [Read more 🡒]
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The concern now is less about the record than the wear and tear that comes with it, especially after a game that featured strong all-around play and a defense that handled Clemson comfortably. With a week off to reset, Miami gets a chance to evaluate who came out of the matchup fully intact and who needs extra time before the next stretch of ACC play, a detail that could matter just as much as the standings later on. [Read more 🡒]
Miami Just Sent A Message But One Concern Wont Go Away
Miamis perfect start kept rolling in Week 5, and the win over Clemson was the kind of result that makes a real statement in the ACC. The Hurricanes are now 5-0, and with Pittsburgh also sitting unbeaten, the league picture is starting to take shape early as Florida State and Wake Forest added their own impressive performances to the mix.
Still, the celebration came with a reminder that a long season rarely stays simple. Marquise Lightfoot went down with an injury in the Clemson game, leaving Miami with one issue it cannot ignore as the stakes rise and the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]