Despite Jeremiah Smith being the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy this year, a ranking of the top 10 players competing for the award has led to some interesting online discourse.
Jeremiah Smith has emerged as the frontrunner in the 2026 Heisman Trophy race, putting up 984 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns in seven games for Ohio State. The Buckeyes star is chasing history as he looks to become the first wide receiver to win the award since DeVonta Smith in 2020.
It is never that simple, though. Miami quarterback Darian Mensah and Ole Miss man Trinidad Chambliss are putting together strong cases of their own. Other names like Notre Dame’s CJ Carr and Georgia’s Gunner Stockton have also been thrown around before, but they haven’t made this list.
Football fans say Jeremiah Smith is the frontrunner but the competition is heating up
Seven weeks into the season, lots of teams are enjoying strong starts, thanks to some of the stars who are looking to win the Heisman. The Rebels’ success has been attributed to Chambliss, while the Tennessee Volunteers’ wins have seen DeSean Bishop enter the conversation.
On Monday, On3 shared their rankings for the top 10 college players in contention for the award, and fans responded to the list with some expected takes, but also some truly unique ones.
“We appreciate the Bishop recognition. He deserves to be in the conversation,” one fan wrote. “It’s Jeremiah’s award to lose, but awesome to see Jesse Legree getting some national love,” a second fan said. “Trinidad should be number one after Saturday’s performance,” claimed a third fan.
“Braden deserves to be higher than 10, but thrilled to see TWO Beavers on this list!” one comment said. “How is Conner Weigman not on here?” a fifth fan asked. “This graphic doesn’t properly illustrate how big the gap is between Jeremiah and the field,” another fan wrote. “I know everyone wants to give it to Jeremiah already, but I think many others deserve recognition too,” a seventh fan commented.
Smith remains the frontrunner, but a lot can change over the course of the season. The field looks stacked for this year’s Heisman Trophy, and the race will be one to watch. Will Jeremiah claim the award as many think he will? Only time and a lot of football will tell.
Read more: