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Six Quarterbacks to Watch in 2026 — and the Heisman Case for Each
The Heisman Trophy goes to whoever separates himself over three months, which is why the August list almost never matches the December finalists. Last year proved it again: Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza went from a name few people knew to a Heisman winner, a national championship and the No. 1 overall pick.
The year before, Travis Hunter won it by ignoring positional convention entirely.
The last preseason favorite to actually finish the job was Marcus Mariota at Oregon in 2014.
That said, this field has less projection in it than most. Several of the leading candidates are returning starters in the same system, and four of the top five turned down NFL money to come back. Here’s who to watch.
CJ Carr, Notre Dame
The case: The preseason frontrunner in most rankings, and the resume supports the billing.
As a redshirt freshman, Carr threw for 2,741 yards with 24 touchdowns against six interceptions, completed two-thirds of his passes, ranked top five nationally in passer rating and yards per attempt (9.4), and set the Notre Dame single-season passer efficiency record while leading the Irish to 10-2.
What makes 2026 different is how much more falls on him. Running backs Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price both left for the NFL, and Notre Dame doesn’t return a back who started a game last season. The offense will funnel through Carr in a way it didn’t — exactly what Heisman voters reward.
His receiver group improved too, with Ohio State transfers Mylan Graham and Quincy Porter joining a healthy Jaden Greathouse and Jordan Faison.
The showcase games: Notre Dame opens Sept. 6 at Lambeau Field against Wisconsin in primetime on NBC, then hosts national runner-up Miami on Nov. 7 in what could be the best regular-season game of the year.
The stakes: Carr would be the eighth Notre Dame player to win the Heisman, and the first since 1987.
Arch Manning, Texas
The case: The most famous name in college football, and 2026 is the year the production is supposed to match it.
Manning finished 2025 trending hard in the right direction — 15 total touchdowns against two interceptions over Texas’ final five regular-season games, with three 300-yard passing performances in that stretch. He’s now a returning starter rather than a projection.
The complication: He was draft-eligible and chose to come back. That decision only looks right if the season delivers.
Julian Sayin, Ohio State
The case: The only 2025 Heisman finalist who wasn’t draft-eligible in 2026, which means he’s the one candidate with a finalist’s resume already banked.
Sayin has established himself as one of the most accurate passers college football has seen in a generation, and Ohio State is again loaded at receiver. A redshirt sophomore season with that combination is a Heisman formula.
Dante Moore, Oregon
The case: Moore shocked the sport by returning to Oregon for a final season, particularly after the Ducks signed former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola.
He earned the right to be here: 3,565 passing yards and 32 total touchdowns against 10 interceptions in 2025, leading Oregon back to the Playoff before falling to eventual champion Indiana in the semifinals.
The Chicago angle: Oregon hosts Northwestern this fall, part of the hardest three-game stretch on any FBS schedule.
Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
The case: ESPN’s Jordan Rodgers called him the best returning quarterback in the country, and he earned preseason All-SEC honors over Manning.
The number behind that: 22 touchdowns against three interceptions in 2025. That ratio is the kind of efficiency that survives a full SEC schedule.
John Mateer, Oklahoma
The case: A perennial fixture on preseason contender lists, in an offense and conference that produce Heisman moments. Rodgers included him in a top five made up entirely of quarterbacks — three from the SEC, two from the Big Ten.
The non-quarterback
Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State. Smith finished sixth in the 2025 Heisman voting with 80 catches for 1,086 yards and 11 touchdowns through the Big Ten Championship Game. The former five-star has multiple school records within reach as a junior.
Quarterbacks have dominated this award for years, but Travis Hunter broke that pattern recently enough that voters have proven they’ll do it again for the right player.
The honest forecast
Every August the conversation starts with a handful of obvious names, and every December most of them watch the ceremony from home. The 2026 field is deeper than usual and less speculative than usual, which improves the odds that the winner is already on this list.
It doesn’t guarantee it. Fernando Mendoza wasn’t on anyone’s list last August, and he ended the season with the trophy, a national title and a Raiders jersey.
Chicago Sports Wire covers Illinois and Northwestern football all season. See the Illinois schedule and Northwestern schedule for kickoff times and broadcast info.