Way-Too-Early 2026 Heisman Trophy Watch: The Top 15 Contenders for College Football’s Top Prize

The confetti from Michigan’s national championship has long been swept away, and the 2025 NFL Draft is in the rearview. In college football, the gaze perpetually shifts forward. While the 2025 season promises its own drama, the race for the 2026 Heisman Trophy is already taking shape in the minds of prognosticators. This isn’t about who will finish next season on top; this is a deep look at the archetypes, the situations, and the prodigious talents poised to dominate the narrative two seasons from now. We size up next year’s most likely candidates for college football’s highest individual honor, focusing on players who will be in prime position—either as established superstars or emerging phenoms—to make a run at the bronze statue in 2026.

The Established Headliners: The 2025 Favorites Who Could Run It Back

This group consists of players who will be heavy favorites for the 2025 award. If they live up to that hype but fall just short, or if they choose to return for another season, they will immediately become the benchmark for the 2026 campaign. Their quest will be about legacy and achieving what they couldn’t the year prior.

Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas: By 2026, Ewers could be pursuing a truly historic third trip to New York as a finalist. Assuming a stellar 2025 season, his decision to return would make him the undeniable frontrunner. The narrative of a seasoned veteran aiming to finally secure the trophy for himself and bring another national title to Austin would be overpowering.

Will Campbell, OT, LSU: Yes, an offensive lineman. The highest-ranked offensive tackle prospect in years, Campbell has the rare ability to transcend his position. If he dominates in 2025 and LSU makes a playoff run with a powerful offense, the campaign for the first lineman winner since 1997 will be loud and legitimate. His 2026 candidacy would be about changing history.

Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina: A bruising, production machine, Hampton will be on every 2025 watch list. If he puts up video game numbers again and the Tar Heels compete for an ACC title, returning for 2026 would see him chase both the Heisman and NCAA career rushing records, a potent combination for voters.

Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State: Similar to Hampton, Singleton possesses elite talent in a system that feeds its lead back. With Drew Allar likely in the NFL, Penn State’s 2026 offense could lean even more heavily on Singleton, giving him the volume and spotlight to put together a stat line that demands Heisman attention.

The Next Wave: 2025 Breakouts Primed for 2026 Dominance

These players are expected to have strong 2025 seasons, setting the stage for a true Heisman leap in 2026. They will be names everyone knows, entering their final college seasons with everything to prove and the perfect platform to prove it.

• Dakorien Moore, WR, Oregon: The nation’s top receiver recruit in 2024, Moore’s trajectory suggests he’ll be a superstar by his junior year. In Oregon’s high-flying offense, with a likely veteran quarterback in 2026, Moore could post staggering receiving numbers that challenge the “QB-only” Heisman trend.
• Bryce Underwood, QB, LSU: The top QB recruit in the 2025 class, Underwood will have a year of starting under his belt by 2026. If he shows the generational talent he’s billed as, leading a loaded LSU team in the expanded playoff era, his physical tools and production could make him unbeatable.
• Julian Lewis, QB, USC: “JuJu” will be a true sophomore in 2026, potentially with two years of starting experience in Lincoln Riley’s system. If he follows the Caleb Williams path of development, he could be putting up astronomical numbers for a Trojans team expected to be in the national title conversation.
• C.J. Baxter, RB, Texas: With Jonathan Brooks gone, Baxter is the next great Texas back. A powerful, feature-runner in Steve Sarkisian’s offense is a recipe for huge production. By 2026, he could be the centerpiece of a national championship contender, carrying a massive workload.

The Wild Cards: High-Ceiling Talent in Perfect Situations

This group is defined by immense potential meeting ideal opportunity. They may not be the obvious picks today, but the combination of their talent and the ecosystem around them by 2026 creates a plausible Heisman path.

Conner Weigman, QB, Texas A&M: Immensely talented but hampered by injury, Weigman has first-round ability. Under new coach Mike Elko, if he stays healthy and thrives in 2025, he could enter 2026 as a dark horse with the tools and surrounding talent to make a serious run in the SEC.

Trevor Etienne, RB, Georgia: Now in the Bulldogs’ powerhouse system, Etienne’s explosive playmaking will be on a massive stage. If Georgia utilizes him as a true workhorse by his senior season, his all-purpose yardage and touchdown totals for the nation’s premier program will garner serious looks.

Walker White, QB, Auburn: A talented 2024 signee, White has the dual-threat capability to thrive in the modern game. If he seizes the starting job and improves Auburn’s fortunes in the brutal SEC by 2025, his 2026 campaign could be a story of a dynamic leader willing a traditional power back to the top.

Zachariah Branch, WR/ATH, USC: The most electric athlete on this list. If Branch’s role expands beyond receiver to include consistent rushing and return touches, his all-purpose yardage could reach a De’Anthony Thomas-esque level. The “most exciting player in America” tag can sometimes sway Heisman sentiment.

The Long-Shot Phenoms: The Future of the Game

We look at the very top of the 2026 recruiting class—players who will be true freshmen that season. It’s a monumental task, but a select few have the talent and potential early playing time to enter the conversation.

• Jaboree Antoine, CB, LSU (2025 recruit): A “unicorn” cornerback with wide receiver ball skills. To win as a defender, you must be transcendent and score touchdowns. Antoine has that potential. If he has a pick-six season and locks down half the field for a top-tier LSU team, the discussion will happen.
• Faheem Delane, S, Ohio State (2025 recruit): Another defensive anomaly. A safety built like a linebacker who can cover like a corner. In a Ohio State defense that produces highlights, if Delane is a tone-setting tackler with multiple game-changing turnovers, he could follow in the footsteps of recent defensive finalists.
• The Elite 2026 QB Recruit: This name is TBD, but history shows one freshman quarterback each cycle seizes a starting job at a blue-blood program and shocks the world. Whether it’s at Alabama, Ohio State, or Georgia, a phenom will emerge. The “Arch Manning effect” means this player will have a built-in narrative from day one.

The path to the 2026 Heisman is being paved right now through offseason workouts, scheme installations, and recruiting battles. While the 2025 season will clarify and reorder this list, the contenders are already on the field. The award will likely go to a quarterback from a playoff team, as it almost always does. But the fascinating subplots—the lineman, the defender, the generational freshman, or the veteran star seeking redemption—are what make the way-too-early speculation so compelling. In the constantly churning world of college football, one thing is certain: new stars will rise, and the race for 2026’s most prestigious individual honor is already underway.

Source: Based on news from ESPN.

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