Navigating the NCAA Football Landscape: A Guide to the Heisman Trophy Race
The Heisman Trophy, an award symbolizing excellence in college football, is a prestigious honor bestowed upon the most outstanding player each season. Identifying potential contenders and understanding the factors that influence the voting process can enhance your appreciation of the sport. While I am new to the world of CFB, I am suspicious that my concerns may be a real issue within the game.
The Evolving Landscape of Heisman Contenders
We’re months away from the start of the 2026 college football season, and Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman trophy win may still be fresh in your brain, but it’s never too early to look at what’s ahead. The modern game has seen a shift in the types of players considered for the award. In 2024, we saw Travis Hunter become the first defensive player to win the Heisman since Charles Woodson, albeit with plenty of help on his resume from Hunter’s time as a starting wide receiver.
Defensive Powerhouses: A New Era?
Traditionally dominated by quarterbacks and running backs, the Heisman conversation is now opening up to defensive players. I see four defenders with a preseason shot at the Heisman trophy. The lone non-edge defender is Notre Dame cornerback Leonard Moore. Moore had five interceptions last year and has been arguably the best cornerback in the country since his freshman year. Now we get to the trenches. The top candidate off the edge is Texas’ Colin Simmons. He’s coming off a 12-sack season and is a potential candidate for the top pick in the 2027 NFL draft. Closing the defensive group is the newest Miami edge-defender, Damon Wilson II. Wilson is at his third school in three years after transferring to Miami. After a modest start to his career at Georgia, he had nine sacks at Missouri last year. Now he goes to the defensive system that produced likely top-10 NFL draft pick Rueben Bain and first-round pick Akheem Mesidor.However, some anecdotal experiences raise questions about the game's realism. See, in my first season with UNLV I went back and forth with all American and Heisman difficulty game settings, and eventually started playing on all American because Heisman seemed to have no respect for ratings and offensive line just dumbed out more just to make the game "harder" (that's not what we want ea, we want simulation). So, we had a senior defensive end on UNLV (forgot his name but I'm sure you can probably guess) and funny enough, he ended up getting 18 sacks (I just hold LB on defense and flick the right stick, so the linemen would actually attempt pass rush moves) and winning the Heisman. Ane hey, if that wasn't problematic enough, HE DIDNT EVEN GET DRAFTED! This highlights a potential disconnect between in-game performance and real-world expectations. Fast forward to next year after the head scratcher, I was talking to some friends and I was like man is it really realistic for a defensive player in college to win Heisman even within playing in the MWC? All them agreed, no. which I thought was right. The game seems to have no logic about the talent they're playing against, so if your 80 overall receiver (in my case, Corey Thompson Jr) went off for 1440 yards with 16 touchdowns after an amazing game vs Utah State where he caught 5 TDs including the game winner.
Offensive Stars Ready to Shine
While defensive players are gaining recognition, offensive stars remain at the forefront of the Heisman conversation. It starts with Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith. The best player in college football for 2026 finished sixth in Heisman voting last year. He’s arguably been the best wide receiver in the country since a freshman. Speaking of wideouts that were great as freshmen, Miami’s Malachi Toney should also be a Heisman candidate after his rookie campaign. Toney will be the No. 1 target in the Hurricane offense, regardless of who the quarterback is this fall. There are also a few running backs that could be in the running as the season progresses. Ohio State’s Bo Jackson would likely have Heisman buzz if he didn’t share his offense with two other Heisman candidates. The two running backs who I think may fly under the radar in offseason Heisman talks are BYU’s LJ Martin and Louisville’s Issac Brown. Martin rushed for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns last year, while Brown rushed for a disappointing 884 yards and seven touchdowns. If Martin picks up where he left off and helps BYU get a CFP nod, he’ll be in Heisman discussions.
Quarterbacks: The Traditional Path to Glory
No list looking at Heisman trophy contenders would be complete without quarterbacks. 21 of the last 26 Heisman winners have played the position, meaning 81 percent of 21st-century Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. The transfer portal is far from settled since it’s before Christmas, but as of now, two quarterbacks could carry the newest December tradition of a transfer winning the Heisman. Last year’s transfer quarterback to win the Heisman played for Indiana. Now, Josh Hoover transfers in from TCU after finishing second in the Big 12 in passing yards. To that same tune, LSU has another Arizona State quarterback that transferred in - Sam Leavitt. Leavitt was one of the top available quarterbacks in the portal. Drew Mestemaker transferred to Oklahoma State, following his head coach, after leading the FBS in passing yards. While Oklahoma State won just one game last year, a turnaround led by Mestemaker could have his name in Heisman talks. Brendan Sorsby won’t have to lead a turnaround after transferring within the Big 12 from Cincinnati to Texas Tech. The biggest wildcard this year in preseason Heisman talks will be LaNorris Sellers at South Carolina. He was one of the favorites entering last year, but had a disappointing season. Now he’ll have a new offensive coordinator as Kendall Briles comes into town with his Air Raid offense. Connor Weigman had a sneakily good year at Houston last year, leading the Cougars to a 10-win season. Weigman has all the talent in the world as a former five-star recruit. Also in the wildcards, I’ll list Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss), Joey Aguilar (Tennessee), and Darian Mensah (Duke). There are a few unknowns at the quarterback position in 2025 that could have breakout campaigns.
Read also: Gameplay Tweaks in NCAA 25
The Allure of the Unknown: True Freshmen and Rising Stars
Before you think, “someone won’t come out of nowhere to win the Heisman,” let me remind you of redshirt freshman Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston. True freshmen five-star quarterbacks Jared Curtis at Vanderbilt and Faizon Brandon at Tennessee could be day one starters in the SEC for teams that were competing for a College Football Playoff when November came around last year. A pair of 2025 recruits could also be Heisman contenders from the SEC. Mississippi quarterback Deuce Knight accounted for six touchdowns in his lone start in 2025 as a freshman for Auburn. Missouri quarterback Matt Zollers will have to win a battle with former Rebel quarterback Austin Simmons, but we got a glimpse of Zollers under center once Beau Pribula got hurt last year. The last group of unknowns all reside in Tuscaloosa. After Ty Simpson departed for the NFL, Alabama has an opening at the quarterback position. Will Austin Mack be the starter, will former five-star recruit Keelan Russell be the starter, or will incoming freshman Jett Thomalla take over? Notre Dame’s CJ Carr had the Fighting Irish on the fringe of the playoff. With his top two running backs gone to the NFL and a reloaded receiver room, Carr should take the next step forward this fall. BYU’s Bear Bachimier also had his team nearly in the CFP. Bachimier plays with a grit that few other quarterbacks can match and will lead a talented Cougar squad into Big 12 contention again. Michigan’s Bryce Underwood and Cal’s Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele both flashed potential during their freshman seasons, but will have to learn under new head coaches this fall. Oklahoma’s John Mateer was the Heisman favorite before his September hand injury. Marcel Reed had Texas A&M near the top of the playoff rankings before the Aggies lost their final two games. The last two returnees here are out west. Southern California’s Jayden Maiava is back under head coach Lincoln Riley. He could be Riley’s fourth Heisman winner. Washington’s Demond Williams Jr.
The Top Quarterback Contenders
Now it’s time for the top Heisman contenders at the quarterback position entering 2025. Ohio State’s Julian Sayin has to be the top Heisman contender entering the year. He’s a returning finalist after finishing fourth in voting last year. Some may argue he was a Big Ten title away from winning the award. Oregon’s Dante Moore is second in the clubhouse of Heisman contenders. Moore spurned the NFL draft and the potential to be a top-two pick to come back and play for the Ducks. Texas’ Arch Manning is my third Heisman contender. The Manning hype might’ve been a year too early, but after a strong finish last year, Manning should have Texas as a top team in all of college football. The fourth and final top-contending quarterback is Georgia’s Gunner Stockton. Stockton finished seventh in Heisman voting last year. He’ll lead a Georgia team expected to contend for an SEC title.
Potential Game Design Issues
I'm.. really scratching my head here. Is this a bug or more so just poor game design? Or is there some logic supportted that maybe Corey Thompson should at least be in the Heisman watch because of the great season? Cuz now it's like if any of my players have decent years within mwc suddenly the awards seem unrealistic and therefore… This highlights potential areas for improvement in game design to better reflect the complexities of college football.
Read also: The Heisman and First-Year Players
Read also: Heisman Trophy History
tags: #NCAA #Football #25 #Heisman #trophy #guide
