2026 Heisman Watch: Darian Mensah, Jeremiah Smith Lead Candidates

As we enter the homestretch of the College Football season, there are six weeks until Championship Saturday and seven weeks until the Heisman Trophy is announced.

We’ve seen some preseason Heisman favorites, such as Oregon QB Dante Moore and Ohio State QB Julian Sayin, fall down the Heisman board. Elsewhere, surprise QB candidates like Alabama’s Keelon Russell and Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor have also dropped off. 

Meanwhile, Miami’s Darian Mensah and Notre Dame’s CJ Carr continue to dominate lesser opponents ahead of their showdown next week in South Bend. That game will also feature WR Malachi Toney, meaning three of the top four Heisman candidates are set to be on the field at the same time. 

Below, we'll take a look at our Heisman Watch ahead of Week 9, breaking down the top contenders to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy and some of their best projections on PrizePicks this weekend. 

Make your 2026 Heisman Trophy predictions on PrizePicks.

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2026 Heisman Watch: Mensah, Jeremiah Smith Among Top Candidates

Here are some top college football players and Heisman Trophy candidates to win the award, including their payouts via PrizePicks.

Payouts are live as of writing and are subject to change.

The payouts listed below indicate real-money earnings if a prediction is correct; for example, a 2x on a $100 entry pays out $200. The lower the payout multiplier, the higher the chance of the outcome occurring, according to user picks.

Carr, Mensah, Jeremiah Smith Lead 2026 Heisman Trophy Watch This Week

Here are our top three Heisman Trophy contenders as the 2026 college football season rolls on, with a pair of QBs and perhaps the best WR in the nation leading the way.

3. Notre Dame QB CJ Carr

Heisman Trophy Winner Payout: 14.28x Yes | 1.02x No
Next game: vs. Navy (Saturday, 12 p.m. on ABC)

While other Heisman candidates have gotten a lot of buzz during the season — good ways and bad — Carr has quietly delivered the type of season that made him a top-five Heisman candidate entering the year.

Despite facing a relatively favorable schedule before Notre Dame's loss at BYU two weeks ago, Carr is 17th in the nation in passer efficiency (164.5), eighth in QBR (84.8), and has only thrown 1 INT.

Though he didn't throw a TD in a loss to BYU, he did produce a season-high 261 yards and directed three second-half scoring drives as part of the Irish rally.  

Per Game on Paper, Carr ranks fifth nationally in passing EPA per dropback and ninth in success rate (51.5%), showing that his production goes well beyond traditional passing totals. Through seven games, he's thrown 16 TDs in 193 attempts with a minuscule 0.5% INT rate.

Add 3 rushing TDs, and Carr has accounted for 19 scores while averaging 8.5 yards per pass. He has also tossed 11 first-half TDs without an INT. 

But the main reason Carr pops into this list is opportunity. The #5 Irish face Navy this week on the main ABC game at noon, and then they have a big showdown with #1 Miami at home.

If Carr delivers a standout performance and leads Notre Dame to a win, he could leapfrog both in the Heisman race.   

CJ Carr Projections vs. Navy

CJ Carr’s projections are from the PrizePicks real-money game.

• 246.5 Pass Yards
• 2.5 Pass TDs
• 1.5 Anytime TDs
• 0.5 INT
• 45.5 Longest Completion

Pick CJ Carr as the Heisman Trophy winner at PrizePicks!‍

2: Miami QB Darian Mensah

Heisman Trophy Winner Payout: 3.44x Yes | 1.26x No
Next Game: at North Carolina (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on ABC)

Mensah has done everything the Miami Hurricanes have needed him to do through the first seven games. He leads the country in passer efficiency at 204.55, with a larger lead on the second-best QB (Georgia’s Gunner Stockton) than Stockton has on the QB with the 16th-best rating.

The star signal-caller is second in the nation with 22 passing TDs and eighth in yards (2,151). 

Mensah has the #1-ranked Hurricanes 7-0, sporting a nation-leading 81.4% completion percentage and a 22:1 TD:INT ratio. Per Pro Football Focus, Mensah's earned a 92.5 overall grade, the highest among qualified QBs in the country. He's accounted for a pair of rushing scores, too.

Mensah has delivered his two best games over the last two weeks, putting up 326 yards and 3 TDs in a dramatic double-OT game vs. Florida State and completing 31 of 37 passes for 387 yards and 4 TDs vs. Pittsburgh last week. 

Like Carr, Mensah has the opportunity to increase his Heisman chances with a win over #5 Notre Dame. But first, the Hurricanes have to beat North Carolina in Chapel Hill this week.  

Darian Mensah Projections vs. North Carolina

Darian Mensah's projections are from the PrizePicks real-money game.

• 261.5 Pass Yards
• 6.5 Rush Yards
• 1.5 Anytime TDs
• 2.5 Pass TDs
• 270.5 Pass + Rush Yards
• 0.5 INT
• 42.5 Longest Completion
• 8.5 Longest Rush

Pick Darian Mensah as the Heisman Trophy winner at PrizePicks!‍

1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State WR

Heisman Trophy Winner Payout: 2.38x Yes | 1.53x No
Next game: at USC (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. on NBC)

Right now, the other Heisman candidates are effectively trying to accomplish what no college football defense has been able to do — chase down Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith.

The Heisman favorite is second in the nation with 984 yards and 12 TDs. With Sayin out indefinitely, it’ll be even more important for Smith to carry the team to the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff. 

Even though only four WRs have won the Heisman, Smith is making the case to be the next. 

Through seven games, he's ahead of the pace set by Alabama's DeVonta Smith during his Heisman-winning 2020 season in receiving yards (984 to 903), receiving TDs (12 to 10), and yards per catch (18.9 to 13.9). 

While resetting the Ohio State record book, Smith has also tied the Big Ten record for career TDs with 39 and would break the record with one against USC on Saturday. Beyond the raw numbers, it’s also important to consider who he is doing it against.

Smith had 11 catches for 206 yards and 2 TDs vs. #14 Iowa, which was less than a month after going for 164 yards on 8 catches and a TD vs. #4 Texas. Iowa entered that game allowing only 152 passing yards per contest, and Smith outgained Iowa’s entire passing offense to boot.

Smith's accounted for more than 40.0% of the Buckeyes' receiving yards and over half their receiving TDs. Per CFB Stats, 42 of his 52 receptions have produced first downs. That's good for an 80.8% rate, meaning more than 4 out of every 5 catches move the chains or score.

Jeremiah Smith Projections vs. USC

Jeremiah Smith's projections are from the PrizePicks real-money game.

• 93.5 Rec Yards
• 6.5 Recs
• 0.5 Anytime TDs
• 31.5 Longest Rec

Pick Jeremiah Smith as the Heisman Trophy winner at PrizePicks!

Make Picks on Heisman Trophy Candidates on PrizePicks

We're in the back half of the college football season, as there are now some games that have huge Heisman implications on the horizon. Can either Mensah or Carr separate themselves and catch Smith as the Heisman favorite?

Make your Heisman Trophy picks with futures on PrizePicks. Just go to the PrizePicks app, open Team Picks, pick the player you think will win the Heisman, and earn cash if you're right.

With Team Picks, you can make predictions on college football game winners, spreads, and over/unders, now available in 36 states.

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