We’ve made it through the first month of the college football season, so it’s time to see how things have shaped up regarding the sport’s premier award, the Heisman Trophy.
Here’s who’s leading the Heisman race as we enter October.
The top three
No. 1 — WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Jeremiah Smith just lit up Illinois with 12 catches for 217 yards and four touchdowns. He had career highs in all three categories, bringing his season total to 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns. Smith leads the nation in receiving yards and touchdowns, while ranking fourth nationally in receptions.
The nation’s best player has lived up to the hype this season, and has impressed on the biggest stages. His game against Illinois was in Fox’s Big Noon kickoff slot, and he had eight catches for 164 yards and a touchdown in a top-five matchup against Texas.
Smith has already set the career Ohio State receiving yard record this season. He’s two touchdowns and nine catches away from the career records in those two categories. While the Heisman is for a season and not a career, Smith’s numbers and accolades are hard to ignore so far this season — especially when he’s not playing deep into the second half.
No. 2 — QB Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State
The Heisman goes to the “most outstanding” player, and part of being outstanding is having a bit of “Wow” factor. Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor has just that, going viral weekly with some great throws. He’s led the Bulldogs to an undefeated start this season and picked up his first ranked win last weekend over then-No. 19 Missouri.
Taylor has completed 69 percent of his passes for 1,192 yards, 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions. He has a 187.5 passer rating and has led Mississippi State to its highest ranking since 2022.
With an SEC schedule ahead, it’ll mean big stages for Taylor to have big performances. But until then, Taylor ranks second on this list as the top quarterback Heisman candidate.
No. 3 — QB Trinidad Chambliss, Mississippi
One bad loss against Florida won’t knock Trinidad Chambliss too far down the list. He’s arguably the only player in the top three to have a Heisman moment so far this season. That came against LSU and his former coach Lane Kiffin in primetime.
Chambliss led a game-winning fourth quarter drive against the Tigers as he accounted for 363 yards through the air and three total touchdowns.
Chambliss followed up that game with a day where his interception and fumble against Florida proved costly, but even in the loss, he ran for three touchdowns while passing for another. Don’t count Chambliss out of the Heisman race just yet.
The second tier
No. 4 — RB Jadan Baugh, Florida
Jadan Baugh leads the nation with 11 rushing touchdowns while ranking second nationally with 600 rushing yards. Baugh’s surge up the list matches Florida’s surge up the AP rankings, both thanks to a game last week.
Baugh faced the then-No. 4 team in the country and ran for 142 yards and three touchdowns on 4.9 yards per carry. Baugh has three games of three rushing touchdowns this season, and it could’ve been more if he got more carries against FCS Campbell in Week 2.
A running back hasn’t won the Heisman since Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015, but Baugh could end that drought.
T-No. 5 — QB Darian Mensah and WR Malachi Toney, Miami (Fla.)
It’s hard to pick which Heisman candidate for Miami should be higher, so Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney are tied here.
Mensah has been remarkably efficient, completing 89 percent of his passes for 14 touchdowns to zero interceptions, all while having a 228.0 passer rating. Toney has been electric with the nation’s third-most receiving yards (564) to go along with six receiving touchdowns.
The problem with both comes when looking at who the Hurricane pair have accumulated numbers against. Miami has played Stanford, Florida A&M, Wake Forest and Central Michigan so far. While the stats are impressive, none of those matchups have led to Heisman moments in Coral Gables.
The rest of the top 10
No. 7 — QB Drew Mestermaker, Oklahoma State
Drew Mestermaker might be the Heisman favorite if he didn’t complete just 59 percent of his passes while throwing two interceptions with a fumble in a season-opening loss to Tulsa.
Since then, Mestermaker has rattled off three straight wins, including a win over then-No. 6 Oregon. In the upset of the Ducks, Mestermaker accounted for 426 total yards and three total touchdowns. It even included a Heisman-esque moment with his go-ahead touchdown run in the fourth quarter.
No. 8 — DE Colin Simmons, Texas
Colin Simmons just had 5.5 sacks in a ranked game against Tennessee. He has 7.5 sacks on the season to lead the nation. He also leads the nation with 9.0 tackles for loss in four games.
Simmons is on pace with other defensive linemen to finish as Heisman finalists like Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan, 2021) and Chase Young (Ohio State, 2019). The Longhorn star has more sacks and tackles for loss than both, and only trails Young two to one in forced fumbles.
It’s hard for a defensive player to win the Heisman, but if any defender could win it as we enter October, it’s Simmons.
Heisman contending defender stats through four games
Athlete (team, Year)
Sacks
Tackles For Loss
Forced Fumbles
Colin Simmons (Texas, 2026)
7.5
9.0
1
Chase Young (Ohio State, 2019)
7.0
7.5
2
Aidan Hutchinson (Michigan, 2021)
5.5
5.5
1
Ndamukong Suh (Nebraska, 2009)
2.0
4.5
0
No. 9 — QB Keelon Russell, Alabama
Keelon Russell is in his first year as Alabama’s starter and has completed 71 percent of his passes for 1,129 yards and eight touchdowns to just two interceptions. He’s also added three rushing touchdowns this year as the Crimson Tide are undefeated and have risen to No. 7 in the latest AP Top 25.
Russell has yet to play a ranked opponent, so he’s been quietly stacking good performances. That could all change with four of Alabama’s next five opponents ranked entering October.
No. 10 — QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame
CJ Carr is the final player in the top-10 Heisman trophy contenders. He’s had modest stats so far with only 963 yards, nine touchdowns and one interception through the air. However, Notre Dame is undefeated and ranked No. 3. Carr’s candidacy could come down to being the starting QB on the nation’s best team, as the Fighting Irish play only three ranked opponents all season.
Who else could rise
Sorted alphabetically by last name
QB Josh Hoover, Indiana
He hasn’t been electric, even with 11 touchdowns to zero interceptions, but that might be because of the schedule. With ranked opponents in October, Hoover could build his Heisman case.
QB Sam Leavitt, LSU
LSU is a top-10 team and Leavitt nearly willed the Tigers to a win in their only loss. He’ll remain near contender status if LSU keeps winning.
QB Jayden Maiava, Southern California
QB Arch Manning, Texas
He’s the starting QB on the nation’s No. 1 team, but he didn’t throw a touchdown against Tennessee. Manning will need bigger performances against ranked teams to be a true Heisman contender.
QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State
Sayin finished fourth in Heisman voting a year ago, but he’s not the top contender on his team.
RB Nate Sheppard, Duke
Sheppard leads the nation in rushing for an undefeated Duke team. If the Blue Devils keep winning, expect to hear his name more frequently.
QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Stockton’s numbers don’t jump off the screen, but he’s a solid quarterback on a potential SEC champion Georgia Bulldog team.