Fernando Mendoza took home college football's highest individual honor last season when he became the first Indiana player to win the Heisman Trophy.
Will a quarterback take home the honors for the fifth time in the past six years this season? Oddsmakers certainly believe so heading into the start of the 2026 season.
Indeed, the quarterback position is deep this season with Trinidad Chambliss and Arch Manning — who received All-SEC Preseason first-and second-team honors, respectively — leading much of the preseason buzz. Then there's Notre Dame's CJ Carr and Ohio State's Julian Sayin, the latter of whom was in New York last December for the Heisman Trophy ceremony, where he finished fourth.
A trio transfer quarterbacks are also in the mix with Miami's Darian Mensah, Indiana's Josh Hoover and LSU's Sam Leavitt.
The lone non-quarterback receiving Heisman attention is Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who finished slightly below his freshman campaign marks last season as he racked up 1,243 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns.
So what do oddsmakers think of the early Heisman race? Here's the latest on who is the favorite to win the 2026 Heisman Trophy going into the season:
Who is 2026 Heisman Trophy preseason favorite?
Unlike last season, when Manning was the consensus preseason Heisman Trophy favorite, the Texas quarterback enters the 2026 season not as the preseason favorite, as it is Carr atop the BetMGM oddsboard with +750 odds.
Manning had a rollercoaster season in his first full season as Texas' starting quarterback, struggling early before finding his stride in the final eight games, in which he completed 62.1% of his passes and threw for 2,012 yards and 15 touchdowns to go along with five rushing touchdowns and a receiving touchdown.
"I think right now he’s a very dangerous player," Texas coach Steve Sarkisian said at SEC Media Days on July 23. "Because he learned a lot from last season."
Carr is also coming off his first season as Notre Dame's starting quarterback. After dropping the first two games of the season to Miami and Texas A&M, Carr led the Fighting Irish to a 10-2 finish. He threw for 2,227 yards and 21 touchdowns in the final 10 games of the season.
Tim Brown was the last Notre Dame player to win the Heisman in 1987.
Heisman Trophy odds
Odds courtesy of BetMGM as of Tuesday, Aug. 25
- 1. Notre Dame QB CJ Carr (+750)
- 2. Texas QB Arch Manning (+800)
- 3. Oregon QB Dante Moore (+1100)
- T-4. Ohio State QB Julian Sayin (+1200)
- T-4. Miami QB Darian Mensah (+1200)
- T-6. Ohio State WR Jeremiah Smith (+1400)
- T-6. Mississippi QB Trinidad Chambliss (+1400)
- 8. Indiana QB Josh Hoover (+1500)
- 9. Georgia QB Gunner Stockton (+2000)
- T-10. USC QB Jayden Maiava (+2500)
- T-10. LSU QB Sam Leavitt (+2500)
- T-10. Oklahoma QB John Mateer (+2500)
- T-10. Alabama QB Keelon Russell (+2500)
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Heisman Trophy odds: A QB leads the way, but not the one you think
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