How this non-quarterback could win the Heisman in the 2026 season

The Heisman Trophy is given to the top college football player each year. Most of the time, it goes to a quarterback, but one non-QB entering his junior season has been one of the best in the nation every year he has played.  

Jeremiah Smith has been in conversation of being the nation’s best player since his freshman season. In 2025 Smith finished sixth in Heisman voting. Currently he’s sitting at around +1100 to +1400 to win it in 2026. 

In 2024, Smith had 76 catches for 1,315 yards and 15 touchdowns. In 2025, he had 87 catches for 1,243 yards and 12 touchdowns. That gives him 163 career receptions, 2,558 yards, and 27 touchdowns. In 2026 that production won’t stop, but rather it’ll most likely increase.

Jeremiah Smith isn’t just good for a receiver, he is one of the best players in the country. This is a player who had analysts saying he was NFL ready since he was a freshman. Out of all the non-quarterback options for the Heisman, Smith by far has the best chances to win it. 

It’s not easy to beat out a quarterback for this award. Usually for another position to win it they have to do something special. We saw that two years ago when Travis Hunter won it for being able to play both offense and defense. If Ohio State is great again then you can already expect that Smith will already be up there, and if he puts up huge numbers again and is a factor for the Buckeyes, voters may have to give him more serious attention.

Smith will likely need three key things to win the Heisman: big stats, team success, and highlight worthy moments. He will also need to stay healthy and make big plays against higher-ranked regular-season opponents. He needs to have a season so good that quarterbacks in the running don’t look impressive enough to vote for.

A major factor stopping him from winning last season was not how good Heisman winner Fernando Mendoza was, but Ohio State’s strategy itself. Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day had his team play the whole 2025 regular season waiting to kick into full gear for the playoffs. This meant not as much risk taking in games. This resulted in fewer passes thrown, and when Smith got a very minor injury against UCLA his reps were limited until the last game of the regular season.

However, that likely won’t be repeated this upcoming season, because the Buckeyes play so many top teams that playing it safe isn’t a choice. This is a good thing for Jeremiah Smith though, because it will give him more opportunities to catch passes to boost his stats and to prove he can still dominate against higher-ranked teams.

The Heisman is meant for the best player in college football. If we go solely off that, Jeremiah Smith very well could be the Heisman Trophy winner for the 2026 season.