Week 5 has a way of clearing the fog, and that’s exactly what’s happening in the Heisman race. The preseason chatter was crowded with names like Arch Manning and Dante Moore, but the picture has changed fast. What looked like a wide-open race is starting to narrow, and five players are separating themselves from the rest.
At the top of that list is Jeremiah Smith, and the Ohio State wide receiver is making the Heisman conversation feel a little less traditional by the week. He’s sitting on 44 catches for 823 yards and 9 touchdowns in 2026, and the Buckeyes star now owns the program records in every receiving stat.
The production has been outrageous enough that he’s outpacing the last true wide receiver Heisman season, DeVonta Smith. If he keeps doing this, the trophy is going to be hard to pry away.
The quarterback who might be closest to challenging him is Keelon Russell, and Alabama’s redshirt freshman is turning heads in a hurry. Russell has completed 94 of 132 passes for 1,414 yards, added 184 rushing yards, and accounted for 15 total touchdowns with 2 interceptions.
He’s got Alabama off to a 5-0 start, and the next week could change everything with a huge matchup against Georgia. If Russell puts up the kind of numbers that come with that stage, he could jump right to the front.
Darian Mensah is another quarterback whose efficiency keeps him in the mix. The Miami signal-caller has gone 112-for-133, good for an 84.21% completion rate, while throwing for 1,428 yards, adding 79 rushing yards, and piling up 16 total touchdowns.
The ACC’s chaos may work in his favor, even if he’s been held under 250 yards in each of his last two conference games. With elite weapons around him, he still has a path to huge statistical weeks while other contenders run into tougher tests.
CJ Carr has also done enough to stay in the Heisman picture. Notre Dame lost two 1st-round picks at running back to the NFL Draft, and Carr has responded by carrying more of the offense.
His 2026 line stands at 88 completions on 124 attempts for 1,197 yards, 28 rushing yards, 16 total touchdowns, and 1 interception. The Irish still have big games ahead, which gives him chances to land the kind of Heisman moment that can change a race in a hurry.
Then there’s Gunner Stockton, who has quietly built a strong case while Georgia has rolled through an easier five-game stretch. Stockton has completed 77 of 102 passes for 1,049 yards, added 122 rushing yards, and thrown for 13 touchdowns with 1 interception.
Georgia hasn’t been tested yet, which has helped the Bulldogs stay under the radar. But the upcoming game against Alabama is the kind of spot that can launch a player into the center of the conversation.
Stockton hasn’t leaned on his legs as much as he has in the past, and if that dual-threat element shows up in SEC play, it only strengthens his case.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Stayed At No. 3 But A Bigger Concern Is Growing
Notre Dame handled North Carolina 37-26 and kept rolling in the polls, staying at No. 3 in both the AP and Coaches rankings for a fifth straight week. The win also pushed the Irish to 22-2 all time against the Tar Heels, another reminder that the program has usually taken care of business in this matchup even when the game has not always looked clean.
The bigger issue is what comes next, because the ranking steadiness has not quieted the questions around a team that still has to sharpen up before the end of the regular season. With college football around it shifting in the standings and Stanford up next, Notre Dames margin for error is getting thinner, and the next stretch will say a lot more about its national standing than the poll number did this week. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Had To Earn This One Against Bill Belichick
Bill Belichicks postgame takeaway from North Carolinas 37-26 loss at No. 3 Notre Dame was familiar to anyone who watched it unfold: the Tar Heels were competitive, but they left too much on the field. Notre Dame still had to grind for this one, leaning on a strong rushing attack while quarterback CJ Carr helped steady things for the Irish in a game that stayed uncomfortable longer than the home side probably wanted.
Billy Edwards Jr. gave North Carolina enough offense to keep the pressure on, throwing three touchdown passes in defeat, and that was part of what made this one feel more like a test than a stroll. For Notre Dame, the result matters more than the style points, but it also served as a reminder that even against a team coming in under Belichick, nothing is getting handed over in South Bend. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Defense Just Got The Wake-Up Call Fans Feared
Notre Dames defense came out of its 37-26 win over North Carolina with plenty to unpack, and not all of it was comfortable. The unit gave up three long touchdown drives, even as it also produced stretches that looked like the kind of disruptive football the Irish have been trying to build around. On the other six Tar Heel possessions, Notre Dame held firm, limiting North Carolina to 41 yards and forcing two interceptions.
Senior safety Luke Talich was right in the middle of it, making an interception and blocking an extra point while playing with a wrist brace. Defensive coordinator Chris Ash still had execution issues to sort through afterward, and the bigger takeaway was less about celebration than correction. For a defense heading into a tougher stretch, the game looked like a reminder that the floor is higher when the unit is focused, but the margin for error is still too thin to ignore. [Read more 🡒]