- Jeremiah Smith remains the Heisman favorite: The Ohio State wide receiver leads the betting market at -105 and ranks second among FBS receivers in PFF grade.
- Darian Mensah closes the gap: The Miami quarterback has +290 Heisman odds and leads all quarterbacks in PFF passing grade.
- Trinidad Chambliss strengthens his candidacy: The Ole Miss quarterback has moved into the conversation at +650 after recording three passing touchdowns and one rushing score in consecutive games.
For the first time in several weeks, the Heisman Trophy race is no longer the Jeremiah Smith show.
Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss are closing the gap on the Ohio State wide receiver following impressive Week 7 performances. Here are the top five Heisman Trophy candidates based on the latest betting odds.
WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (-105)
Week 7: Jeremiah Smith was largely held in check by his standards during Ohio State‘s Week 7 victory over Indiana, earning a 64.4 PFF grade. However, he still managed three contested catches, including a 38-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter that extended the Buckeyes‘ lead to double digits.
2026 data: Jeremiah Smith ranks second among wide receivers in PFF grade (93.4), receiving yards (984) and touchdowns (12). Smith has done most of his damage against zone coverage, leading all wide receivers with a 95.3 PFF receiving grade against zone.
QB Darian Mensah, Miami (+290)
Week 7: Darian Mensah lit up the Florida State secondary, finishing with a 75% adjusted completion rate and three touchdown passes, although he also threw his first interception of the season. Mensah was particularly effective against the blitz, completing all eight of his attempts and earning a 92.9 PFF passing grade. All three of his touchdown passes came against the blitz.
2026 data: Mensah leads all quarterbacks with a 91.5 PFF passing grade, throwing 18 touchdown passes to just one interception while posting an 86.2% adjusted completion rate. Mensah has been particularly dominant on intermediate throws between 10 and 19 yards, earning a 94.9 PFF passing grade. On those attempts, he has thrown nine touchdowns compared to just seven incompletions.
QB Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (+650)
Week 7: Trinidad Chambliss threw for three touchdowns and rushed for another, marking his second consecutive game with three passing touchdowns and one rushing score. Chambliss also earned a 77.7 PFF passing grade and recorded four big-time throws in Ole Miss‘ dominant victory over ranked Missouri.
2026 data: Chambliss has earned an 83.0 PFF grade this season, throwing for 1,678 yards and 14 touchdowns while posting a 73.1% adjusted completion rate. He has also demonstrated consistency across different defensive looks, earning PFF grades above 80.0 against both blitzes and non-blitzes, as well as when kept clean in the pocket.
QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame (+1500)
Week 7: CJ Carr‘s Heisman Trophy odds dropped from +1000 to +1500 following an uncharacteristically inconsistent performance in Notre Dame‘s loss to BYU. Carr earned a season-low 54.2 PFF passing grade, posting a 60.9% adjusted completion rate with two big-time throws and one turnover-worthy play.
2026 data: Carr's 86.0 PFF grade ranks 20th among FBS quarterbacks, and he has accounted for 19 total touchdowns with just one interception. He has been particularly effective on deep throws, earning a 93.0 PFF passing grade with seven touchdowns and 12 big-time throws compared to just one turnover-worthy play.
WR Jesse Legree, Oregon State (+2000)
Week 7: The true dark horse in the Heisman Trophy race is Oregon State freshman wide receiver Jesse LeGree, who continued his streak of games with more than 100 receiving yards and a touchdown in Week 7. His biggest play came on a 90-yard touchdown reception, hauling in a pass 47 yards downfield before adding another 43 yards after the catch.
2026 data: LeGree leads all FBS wide receivers with 1,035 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns. LeGree also ranks among the top five with 14 missed tackles forced on receptions, while his 485 yards after the catch lead the FBS. He has been particularly dominant on deep targets, leading all FBS receivers with 12 receptions, 559 yards and seven touchdowns while earning a 99.7 PFF receiving grade on those targets.
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