There’s a new No. 1 and a pair of newcomers to USA TODAY’s Heisman Trophy momentum meter after Week 4 of the college football season.
While Texas quarterback Arch Manning falls off the list, a new Texas player emerges — although not the one fans might expect. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell also enters the list after scoring nine combined touchdowns in the Crimson Tide’s past two wins over Florida State and South Carolina, as the first-year starter continues to improve each week.
Oklahoma State quarterback Drew Mestemaker also makes a jump up the meter after leading the Cowboys to their first Big 12 win since 2023 on the road against improved
West Virginia.
Week 5 could result in a massive shift in the Heisman meter, too, when Russell and Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor face off in a suddenly massive SEC matchup of undefeated teams.
Here’s a look at the updated Heisman meter after Week 4:
Heisman Trophy Meter after Week 4
Previous week's ranking in parentheses
1. Jeremiah Smith ⬆️ (3)
It was against Illinois, but it’s hard to ignore what Smith is doing right now. The Ohio State receiver was virtually unstoppable against the Fighting Illini in Week 4, as he caught 12 passes for 219 yards with four touchdowns — all of which were career highs — in the 42-19 win.
Smith ranks tied-for fourth nationally in receptions (33), while ranking first in receiving yards (617) and tied-for first in receiving touchdowns (seven). The Buckeyes’ offense revolves around Smith, who’s also viewed as a generational NFL prospect.
This route from Jeremiah Smith was NASTY 😮💨@OhioStateFB pic.twitter.com/5IHAfocyOx
— FOX College Football (@CFBONFOX) September 26, 2026
Archie Griffin won back-to-back Heismans, but Smith is making a case as Ohio State's best offensive player in program history. He already has the school's all-time receiving yards record, and is a touchdown off Chris Olave's program-record 35 receiving touchdowns. He's nine receptions off Emeka Egbuka's program-record 205 receptions.
2. Darian Mensah ↔️ (2)
Mensah continues to tear up lesser opponents. The first-year Miami quarterback was 23-of-27 passing for 338 yards with three touchdowns in the Hurricanes’ 52-3 win over Central Michigan in Week 4.
He ranks No. 1 nationally with a 93.9 QBR and is tied-for first in touchdown passes (14) to no interceptions. The only thing holding back Mensah has been Miami’s weak schedule (so far). Miami and Notre Dame's Nov. 7 meeting is shaping up to be one of the best games of the season.
3. Trinidad Chambliss ⬇️ (1)
Chambliss passed all the eye tests, but Ole Miss’ 52-28 road loss to Florida puts a dent in his Heisman chances.
He completed 25-of-34 passes for 298 yards with a touchdown to an interception in the loss, rushing for 44 yards and two touchdowns. The Rebels’ defense was thrashed on the ground, however, allowing 302 rushing yards with six touchdowns — 142 yards of which came from a fellow Heisman contender.
Ole Miss can bounce back, and Chambliss is still a top-tier Heisman contender. But his status might hang in the balance if Ole Miss' defense keeps putting him in losing situations.
4. Kamario Taylor ↔️ (4)
Mississippi State keeps doing things it hasn’t done in over a decade, thanks to Taylor. The first-year starter passed for 360 yards with three touchdowns in the Bulldogs’ 31-24 win over Missouri in Week 4, which marked the program’s first win over a ranked opponent since 2014 (!).
Taylor fired a game-winning touchdown pass to Sanfrisco Magee (great name) with 3:57 left in the fourth quarter against 21st-ranked Tigers. His 14 touchdown passes are tied for first nationally and he boasts arguably the best deep ball in college football.
Score From Far ™️@KamarioTaylor ➡️ @frisco_magee #HailState || 📺: @SECNetwork https://t.co/PuUwlAc8Ap pic.twitter.com/aFo8XbAp65
— Mississippi State Football (@HailStateFB) September 27, 2026
Up next is a home game vs. No. 7 Alabama in Starkville, where an upset over the Crimson Tide might just vault Taylor into the top spot — and Mississippi State into the top 10 of the US LBM Coaches Poll.
5. Jadan Baugh ↔️ (5)
Florida and Baugh caused Ole Miss all sorts of issues in the Gators’ 52-28 win over the Rebels in Week 4. Baugh ran for 142 yards with three touchdowns in the win, while backup running back Duke Clark rushed 12 times for 126 yards with a score.
Baugh is statistically the best running back in college football right now, with 600 rushing yards (second nationally) and 11 rushing touchdowns. He’s averaging 7.2 yards per carry and now has over 140 rushing yards in each of his last two games, both against SEC opponents.
6. Malachi Toney ↔️ (6)
Toney wasn’t asked to do much in Miami’s 52-3 win over Central Michigan, although he still went for six receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown.
Toney is clearly one of the most talented players in college football, but it’ll be hard to overtake Mensah as Miami’s best Heisman contender. They could both end up in New York after the regular season, though, as Toney ranks third nationally in receptions (34) and third nationally in receiving yards (564).
7. Drew Mestemaker ⬆️ (12)
Mestemaker is starting to look like the quarterback he was at North Texas. The 6-foot-3 signal caller passed for 389 yards with three touchdowns to an interception in the Cowboys’ 41-24 road win over West Virginia in Week 4, which marked his third consecutive game with over 300 passing yards and three total touchdowns or more.
He needs to clean up the interceptions with five already this season, although he’s asked to do so much through the air that those turnovers will happen at times.
Oklahoma State has looked like a different team since its 24-10 loss to Tulsa in Week 1, and that's due in large part to Mestemaker.
8. Keelon Russell ⬆️ (N/A)
Russell, a former five-star recruit, is living up to the hype in his last two games. The first-year starter and second-year player has completed 44-of-57 passes for 685 yards with seven touchdowns, along with 91 rushing yards for two scores in Alabama’s last two wins over Florida State and South Carolina.
AN ABSOLUTE DIME FROM KEELON RUSSELL 🎯@AlabamaFTBL starts off with a 75-YD TD 🔥 pic.twitter.com/h48Jwhw0YE
— SEC Network (@SECNetwork) September 26, 2026
The Seminoles and Gamecocks are far from the best teams the Crimson Tide will face this season, but Russell is getting more and more comfortable leading Kalen DeBoer and Ryan Grubb’s offense.
9. CJ Carr ⬇️ (8)
Carr and Notre Dame took care of business again against Purdue, beating the Boilermakers 49-10 in a game where the quarterback attempted only 22 passes. Still, he threw for 237 yards with three touchdowns to an interception in the win, along with a rushing touchdown.The Fighting Irish don’t need Carr to be Superman right now — and might not need him to all season — but he’s definitely one of the best prospects at the position in college football.
10. Josh Hoover ⬇️ (7)
Hoover was shaky at times in Indiana’s narrow 29-23 win over Northwestern in Week 4, but still passed for 201 yards with two total touchdowns.The TCU transfer missed some throws, but it wasn’t a huge issue for the Hoosiers. He still benefits from a strong running game and one of the best receiver tandems in the country with Charlie Becker and Nick Marsh — it’s hard to imagine he doesn’t end up with some of the best numbers at the position in the Big Ten.
11. Gunner Stockton ⬇️ (10)
Georgia got out to such a big lead against Oklahoma — thanks to a trio of first-half turnovers from John Mateer — that Stockton wasn’t asked to do a whole lot against a strong defense.
Stockton completed 14-of-25 passes for 171 yards with a touchdown to an interception (although it was on a tipped pass) in the 41-13 win. Georgia’s quarterback will be a Heisman contender so long as the Bulldogs keep up as one of the best national title contenders.
12. Colin Simmons ⬆️ (NR)
Texas' Colin Simmons jumps into the Heisman Trophy meter after one of the most dominant defensive performances in recent memory against Tennessee. The former five-star recruit finished with a program-record five sacks against the Vols, which is tied-for the third-most in an FBS game since 1995.
Simmons also made headlines for his wild celebration on a sack, too.
He entered the season with 21 career sacks, and already has seven on the year in 2026. He could be in for a huge year defensively after the blow-up performance.
Off list: Jayden Maiava (9), Arch Manning (11)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heisman momentum meter: Texas' Arch Manning no longer in contention — for now
