The Heisman Trophy still belongs mostly to quarterbacks, but every so often a non-QB breaks through and forces the sport to make room. Travis Hunter did it in 2024 as just the second cornerback ever to win the award, joining Charles Woodson. DeVonta Smith was the last true wide receiver to take it in 2020, and Derrick Henry remains the most recent running back to win, back in 2015.
That history is what makes this crop so interesting. A handful of players outside the quarterback spot have real Heisman paths if the season breaks right, and the names near the top all come with a different kind of juice.
Smith is back in the mix after finishing sixth in the Heisman voting in 2025. The Buckeyes have Julian Sayin back at quarterback, but they also lost Carnell Tate to the NFL, which opens the door for Smith to be the face of the offense. Ohio State reloads at receiver as well as anyone, and five-star prospect Chris Henry Jr. is part of that picture, but Smith is still the player everyone will be tracking whenever he’s on the field.
Toney enters the fall with serious momentum after a huge freshman season. Across 16 games, he piled up 109 catches, 1,211 receiving yards and 11 total touchdowns.
He did that with Carson Beck at quarterback, and now he may have an even better one in Darian Mensah. With a very favorable ACC schedule on top of that, Toney has a real chance to push for Miami’s third Heisman winner.
At running back, Lacy and Hardy both have the kind of production that gets attention fast. Lacy was a monster for the Rebels in 2025, helping drive them to a College Football Playoff semifinal while rushing for 1,567 yards and 24 touchdowns in 15 games.
He topped 100 rushing yards in seven games and scored in every game except one. Playing alongside Trinidad Chambliss does complicate the Heisman case, but it also means defenses have to account for both players at once in the backfield.
Hardy was just as electric in his first year with the Tigers, earning All-American honors after rushing for 1,649 yards, 16 touchdowns and 6.4 yards per carry in 13 games. If Missouri is going to produce its first-ever Heisman winner, Hardy likely needs the Tigers to push into College Football Playoff contention and he may need to get near 2,000 rushing yards.
He opened the season with five straight 100-yard games and later dropped 300 yards and three touchdowns on Mississippi State in November, which tells you exactly how high the ceiling is. He may be a long shot, but he has the kind of game that can make the race interesting.
Simmons brings a different kind of threat entirely. The edge rusher was a wrecking ball in 2025 with 12 sacks and 15.5 tackles for loss in 13 games, and he already has 21 sacks across his first two seasons in Austin.
If Arch Manning doesn’t quite meet the towering expectations placed on him but Texas keeps winning, Simmons could be one of the biggest reasons why. He’ll also have plenty of chances to make noise against quarterbacks like Chambliss, Sayin, John Mateer and Marcel Reed in the SEC.
Only Aidan Hutchinson and Ndamukong Suh have been Heisman finalists as defensive linemen in the 21st century, and Simmons has the talent to join that group.
Moore gives Notre Dame another defensive name worth watching. He was a true lockdown corner in 2025, earning All-American honors with five interceptions, a pick-six and seven passes defended.
When targeted, he allowed a passer rating of just 45.9. That kind of shutdown play is exactly why NFL scouts view him as a top-five draft talent, and it also gives him a Heisman path if the Fighting Irish keep winning against a fairly soft schedule.
If he keeps turning coverage snaps into turnovers, he’ll have a real case.
In Other News...
Notre Dame Freshman Ja'Kobe Clapper Is Already Turning Heads
Fall camp has already given Notre Dame a glimpse of what Ja'Kobe Clapper might become. The freshman linebacker arrived as a three-star recruit, but position coach Brian Jean-Mary said he has stood out early enough to catch the staffs attention even while sitting behind more experienced players on the depth chart.
Clappers background helps explain why the Irish are intrigued. He put together a strong high school career in Ohio with 201 tackles and 15.5 tackles for loss over two seasons, and Notre Dame is now seeing some of that production translate into the kind of early promise that can matter later in the season if a young defender keeps stacking good days in camp. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Buzz Keeps Growing As An Overlooked Receiver Turns Heads
Notre Dames personnel department has already added a new face in Wes Yerty, who arrives as the programs director of scouting after working as player personnel coordinator at Ole Miss, while the broader picture around the Irish keeps drawing attention in a few different places. Three Notre Dame players also landed on the Associated Press 2026 college football preseason All-America team, a reminder that the roster still carries national respect even as the staff continues to shape what comes next.
Amid that bigger buzz, one of the more intriguing developments has come from wide receiver, where walk-on Matt Jeffery is starting to turn heads in practice and could force his way into meaningful snaps. It is the kind of storyline coaches like to monitor closely during camp, especially for a program that also has former receiver Malachi Fields showing well with the New York Giants in the NFL preseason, a sign that Notre Dames pass-catching pipeline remains worth watching from top to bottom. [Read more 🡒]
Notre Dame Nears A Receiver Decision That Will Define Its Depth
With training camp winding down, Mike Brown is sorting through one of the most interesting groups on Notre Dames roster. The Irish wide receiver coach has plenty of bodies to evaluate, but much of the room remains unproven, which makes the final stretch of camp especially important for a team trying to settle its weekly rotation. Jordan Faison, Jaden Greathouse, Mylan Graham and Micah Gilbert look positioned to be part of the varsity game-day mix, giving Notre Dame a core to build around as the season draws closer.
What happens next will shape not just who travels, but how deep the Irish can realistically go at receiver once the games start counting. Notre Dame is expected to trim the number of wideouts it rotates on Saturdays, while the rest of the group shifts toward scout-team work to help prepare the defense by simulating upcoming opponents. It is the kind of late-camp decision that rarely gets much public attention, but it can say plenty about which receivers are ready to contribute now and which ones still need more development before their roles expand. [Read more 🡒]