Highlighting Heisman Front-Runners to Watch in 2026 Race After Week 11

The 2026 Heisman Trophy feels like it's Jeremiah Smith's award to lose.

The Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver produced his sixth 100-yard receiving game of the campaign on Saturday to move back into the role of Heisman favorite at FanDuel Sportsbook.

Smith is favored ahead of a handful of quarterbacks, including Darian Mensah of the Miami Hurricanes.

Mensah and others aren't out of the race yet, but they need to string together a few more impressive outings to contend with the resume that Smith has put together.

Jeremiah Smith

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Jeremiah Smith recorded 11 receptions, 117 receiving yards and a touchdown on Saturday against the Northwestern Wildcats.

Smith extended his scoring streak to seven games, had a double-digit reception total for the fourth time this season and eclipsed the 100-yard mark for the sixth time in 2026.

Smith is either first or second in the FBS in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns.

He is the best pass-catcher in college football and arguably the best individual talent in the sport.

Smith should be able to run up the statistics next week against the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

His last big test will come against the Michigan Wolverines in two weeks. A strong game from Smith in the rivalry clash should finish off the Heisman-winning campaign.

If he struggles against Michigan, that might leave the door open for a quarterback to win the Heisman.

Darian Mensah

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Darian Mensah threw for his second-highest passing-yard total of the season against his former team on Saturday.

The Miami Hurricanes quarterback put up 382 yards, in his second game without Malachi Toney, against the Duke Blue Devils.

Mensah finished Week 11 in the top 10 in the FBS in passing yards and touchdown passes.

He has 3,076 passing yards, 29 touchdowns and just two interceptions.

Mensah has two home games against the Virginia Tech Hokies and Boston College Eagles to pad his final regular-season numbers. Miami is expected to be a huge favorite in both of those games.

The ACC Championship Game is the highest-profile game left for Mensah, but even that will feature a Miami team as a massive favorite.

If Smith does slip up in any capacity, Mensah seems to be the guy to take over for him as the Heisman favorite. At minimum, the Miami quarterback should be a Heisman finalist.

Devon Dampier

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Devon Dampier has led the Utah Utes to an undefeated season and the No. 2 spot in the AP Top 25.

He doesn't have the overwhelming stats that Mensah has, but it's worth giving credit to him for leading the Utes to a 10-0 record.

Dampier put up 204 passing yards and ran for another 100 yards in Utah's latest win over the Arizona Wildcats.

He's now had at least 250 total yards in Utah's three games against ranked opposition, all of which have occurred in the last month.

Just like Smith and Mensah, Dampier has two easy games left on the regular-season schedule against the TCU Horned Frogs and West Virginia Mountaineers.

Dampier will have the biggest conference championship stage of the top Heisman contenders, though, since Utah will face either the BYU Cougars or Texas Tech Red Raiders in a top-15 battle in the Big 12 Championship Game.