We are still a few months out from the Heisman Trophy ceremony in New York City, but the award conversation already has a familiar shape: quarterbacks at the front, everyone else trying to crash the party.
That’s been the pattern lately. Of the last 10 Heisman winners, only two were not quarterbacks - Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith in 2020 and Colorado wide receiver/CB Travis Hunter in 2024.
So yes, a non-QB can still do it. It just takes a rare kind of season.
With that in mind, here are five non-quarterbacks who can realistically enter the 2026 Heisman race, ranked from lowest to highest confidence.
Mark Fletcher Jr. lands at No. 5, and the case starts with what he did at the end of last season. The Miami running back averaged 126.5 yards per game during the Hurricanes’ CFP run and scored two touchdowns in the championship game.
That came after the Heisman was already handed out, but it still matters for what comes next. Fletcher could be the best running back in the country this season, and that’s before even factoring in the growth that could come in his fourth year at Miami.
There’s some value here at +15000.
At No. 4 is Ahmad Hardy, and the talent is obvious. The Mizzou running back has been medically cleared to play after being shot in the leg at a concert in May, but his return timeline is still unclear.
He could be back by Week 3, or the wait could stretch into October or November. Right now, it’s all speculation, and that uncertainty hangs over his Heisman case.
If Hardy were fully healthy with a clean timetable for the 2026 season, he’d be much higher on this list. Even so, he remains the kind of back who can force his way into the race.
He’s a bowling ball with unreal contact balance and legit second-level speed, and if he’s ready by SEC play, he could be in the Heisman conversation by November.
Cam Coleman checks in at No. 3, and this is where things start to get really interesting. Coleman put up 700 receiving yards with a Hugh Freeze-led Auburn team, and now he’s paired with Arch Manning at Texas.
He’s a rare receiver - huge catch radius, strong one-on-one ability, and the kind of skill set that makes it hard to believe any corner can consistently shut him down in man coverage. With the upgrade at quarterback and all the talent around him, the real question is whether Coleman can get enough spotlight to outshine Manning if both are rolling.
And if Manning isn’t? Coleman absolutely has a path.
Malachi Toney comes in at No. 2, and he might be the most fun player in college football. He was electric as a true freshman, leading the country with 109 catches and breaking Miami’s single-season receptions record of 85.
He added 1,211 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns, then posted 122 yards in the national championship game against Indiana. The concern for 2026 is simple enough: Carson Beck is gone, and Darian Mensah is in.
That isn’t automatically a downgrade - Mensah is a good quarterback - but it does mean Toney is starting fresh with a new passer. Mensah will also be throwing to fellow Duke transfer Cooper Barkate, who had his own 1,000-yard season.
At No. 1, it’s Jeremiah Smith. He finished sixth in Heisman voting last season, and there’s a strong argument he should have placed even higher.
But the trophy effectively became Fernando Mendoza’s after that wild comeback win over Penn State in early November. With Mendoza now in the NFL, Smith is back to being the best player in college football, at least in this view.
He needs 341 receiving yards to pass Michael Jenkins for Ohio State’s career receiving yards record, which stands at 2,898, and the expectation here is that he’ll clear that mark before the Buckeyes’ Big Ten road opener at Iowa. At 6-foot-3 and 225 pounds, Smith has the size, the body control, and the absurd hands that make him one of the most complete receiver prospects college football has ever seen.
He was the preseason Heisman pick last year, and he’s the preseason Heisman pick again.
In Other News...
Mizzous New North End Zone Is Already Changing More Than Saturdays
Missouri is getting ready to cut the ribbon on a major new addition at Memorial Stadium, with the North end zone facility set to open when the Tigers host Arkansas Pine-Bluff in 14 days. Finished ahead of schedule, the project brings in premium seating and bumps stadium capacity to about 65,000, giving the program a noticeable upgrade on the game-day side and beyond.
The real impact, though, is likely to stretch far past Saturdays in Columbia. Along with the football atmosphere, the new space is designed to serve private events and create another revenue stream for the athletic department, a sign that this is as much an investment piece as it is a fan experience upgrade. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Just Unveiled A Look That Will Hit Tigers Fans Hard
Mizzou Athletics is giving fans a fresh reason to circle Sept. 19, unveiling a special throwback football uniform that will debut against Troy as part of the 100th Anniversary Game at Memorial Stadium. The look is built around design elements from different eras of Tigers football history, a nod to the programs past as the stadium marks its centennial.
The release also gives supporters a chance to buy into the occasion beyond the game itself, with commemorative ticket packages and merchandise tied to the throwback theme. For a fan base that has seen plenty of uniforms come and go, this one is meant to feel more like a tribute than a novelty, even if the full impact will land best once the Tigers run out under the lights. [Read more 🡒]