Malachi Toney and Jeremiah Smith made compelling opening statements in the 2026 Heisman race. And over the next few months, the competition for the trophy could define the season.
Toney, Miami's sophomore from Liberty City, caught 12 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns on Friday in No. 7 Miami's 45-6 win at Stanford.
Smith, Ohio State's junior from Miami Gardens, answered the call on Saturday with eight catches for 151 yards and two touchdowns (all in the first half) of No. 1 Ohio State's 56-3 win over Ball State.
Stanford and Ball State were simply victims of the moment as they showed why they are regarded as the top two WRs in the nation.
Wide receivers rarely win the award, but this year could be the exception
Only a handful of receivers have ever taken the Heisman Trophy: Nebraska's Johnny Rodgers in 1972, Notre Dame's Tim Brown in 1987, Michigan's Desmond Howard in 1991 and Alabama's DeVonta Smith in 2020 (117 catches, 1,856 yards, 23 touchdowns). Colorado’s Travis Hunter won in 2024 as a two-way star but pure pass-catchers remain the exception.
Quarterbacks have claimed most of the trophies this century, including Indiana's Fernando Mendoza last December. A receiver needs historic production, a team that stays in the national championship hunt, and there is no room for error throughout the year.
Smith finished sixth in the 2025 voting with 84 points and was the only wide receiver in the top 10. That put him well behind Mendoza, Vanderbilt's Diego Pavia, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love and teammate Julian Sayin. It also put him on the same short list Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr. reached in 2023, when Harrison finished fourth.
Toney did not place as a true freshman, but his 109 catches, 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns made him a preseason dark horse.
Top 5 closest Heisman races
- 2009 (28 points): Alabama RB Mark Ingram (1,304) over Stanford RB Toby Gerhart (1,276). Texas QB Colt McCoy was third (1,145). Closest vote in Heisman history.
- 1985 (45 points): Auburn RB Bo Jackson (1,509) over Iowa QB Chuck Long (1,464).
- 1961 (53 points): Syracuse RB Ernie Davis over Ohio State RB Bob Ferguson. Davis was the first Black player to win the award.
- 1953 (56 points): Notre Dame’s John Lattner over Minnesota’s Paul Giel.
- 2001 (62 points): Nebraska QB Eric Crouch over Florida QB Rex Grossman.
Most iconic Heisman races people
- 2024, Travis Hunter over Ashton Jeanty (214 points)
- 2005, Reggie Bush vs. Vince Young vs. Matt Leinart (182 points)
- 2008, Sam Bradford vs. Colt McCoy vs. Tim Tebow (119 points)
- 2016, Lamar Jackson over Deshaun Watson (620 points)
- 2018, Kyler Murray over Tua Tagovailoa (276 points)
- 2020, DeVonta Smith over Trevor Lawrence (669 points)
Add us as a preferred source on Google