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In the history of the Heisman Trophy, which dates back to 1935, just five wide receivers have won the award—and they’ve often had to play other roles to get over the hump. The first, Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers (1972), also played running back and returned punts. Notre Dame’s Tim Brown (1987) did the same, scoring as many touchdowns as a punt returner (three) as a wide receiver. Ditto Desmond Howard (1991), who scored rushing, kick and punt return touchdowns for Michigan along with his 19 receiving touchdowns. Colorado’s Travis Hunter (2024) may be the most famous example, serving as arguably college football’s best cornerback and wide receiver during his Heisman campaign.
That leaves Alabama’s DeVonta Smith, the 2020 winner, as the only player to win almost entirely on the strength of his wide receiver numbers (although he did score a rushing touchdown and returned a punt for a score that year). But Smith, like the other four wide receiver Heisman winners, was the only player at his position to receive any first-place votes in the year in which he won. Historically, it has been very difficult for any receivers to make the requisite noise to box out the legions of quarterbacks who’ve dominated the voting, especially since the turn of the millennium.
And yet, in 2026—a year in which a vaunted quarterback class has been hollowed out by injuries—wide receivers have a chance to make history. Not only does it look likely that we’ll see at least two WRs earn first-place votes, but it isn’t out of the realm of possibility that we see them place first, second and third in the voting.
There’s still plenty of football to be played, and quarterback injuries impact wide receivers directly, so nothing is certain. But even in a season in which we’ve seen offenses in both college football and the NFL move back toward power sets and the running game, elite wide receivers are proving they can carry their offenses.
Week 8: Bye (Week 9: at USC)
Season: 52 receptions, 984 yards, 12 TDs; two carries, seven yards
Smith and the Buckeyes had a well-timed bye week coming off of their win at Indiana in Week 7, allowing them to work in backup quarterbacks Luke Fahey and Tavien St. Clair, with Julian Sayin sidelined by the injury he sustained against the Hoosiers. The assumption is that it will be the true freshman Fahey, who entered the game against Indiana, though Ryan Day has not announced a starter for Saturday’s game at the Trojans.
The quarterback change shouldn’t change Smith’s role in the offense much—he was already the dominant force with Sayin, one of the nation’s most reliable signal-callers, and opposing defenses have had little to no ability to stop him. A lesser, inexperienced quarterback may not be able to feed him quite the same way, however, so his grasp on the No. 1 spot here is definitely tenuous until we see what he and the Ohio State offense look like in a post-Sayin world.
Week 8: Beat Pitt, 52–23—16 receptions, 194 yards, three TDs
Season: 66 receptions, 952 yards, 11 TDs; three carries, 50 yards
A quiet game against a good Clemson defense was a blip, not a slump. Toney is back to going supernova against all comers, erupting for a career-high in receptions as well as his second-highest yardage total and second three-touchdown outing of the fall. The Canes have other talented weapons, but as with Smith and Ohio State, the offense truly runs through Toney, who has proven to be an impossible cover for nearly two seasons now. Toney’s 1,050 yards from scrimmage account for more than 27% of Miami’s total output, a shade under Smith’s mark with the Buckeyes (29.7%). With another dominant performance, he shouldn’t be considered that far out of Smith’s tier.
Week 8: Beat Pitt, 52–23—31 for 37, 387 yards, four TDs
Season: 166 for 204 (81.4%%), 2,151 yards, 22 TDs, one INT; 20 carries, 73 yards, two TDs
A week after needing a bit of help to get by rival Florida State, Mensah and the Hurricanes were back to their world-beating form against an underhanded Panthers squad without their own talented signal-caller, Mason Heintschel. Even if he had played, Pitt’s defense had nothing for Mensah and Toney, who connected for three touchdowns, even while holding the Canes offense to just 3.1 yards per carry. Mensah posted his fourth performance with a quarterback rating over 200 this season.
Week 8: Bye (Week 9: at Fresno State)
Season: 46 receptions, 1,040 yards, 14 touchdowns
Even after a bye, Legree maintains a 56-yard, two-touchdown edge on Smith for the FBS receiving category leads. His 22.6 yards per reception are good for seventh nationally, while he has at least double the number of catches as any player ahead of him in that category. Legree made the fans in Corvallis, Ore., very happy during the bye week. During a trip back to his hometown of Baltimore, the lightly recruited wide receiver had the commitment ceremony he never got in high school, pledging a return to the Beavers for the 2027 season. Even without a game over the weekend, JaMarcus Shephard’s program scored a huge win.
Week 8: Lost to Texas, 34–27—25 for 52, 250 yards, two TDs, three INTs; five carries, seven yards
Season: 167 for 262 (63.7%), 1,926 yards, 16 TDs, seven INTs; 41 carries, 134 yards, six TDs
Chambliss has become an SEC phenomenon over the last two years because of his ability to change a game with huge, gutsy plays, but he is underrated for what a steady presence he is under center. At least, most of the time. On Saturday against the Longhorns, Chambliss put forth the most mistake-filled game of his college career, throwing a pair of first-half interceptions that helped Texas jump out to a big lead, and one final pick to seal the Rebels’ fate after a valiant comeback. Chambliss posted the first multi-interception game of his career at Mississippi, throwing as many picks in one night as he did all of last season.
The second loss casts doubt on the Rebels’ ability to compete for a CFP spot, and is the biggest mark against Chambliss this year in the Heisman race. His quarterback counterpart Arch Manning also played a messy game, but ultimately made enough big plays to outgun the normally unflappable Chambliss.
Week 8: Beat Colorado, 57–24—21 for 36, 386 yards, four TDs; eight carries, eight yards
Season: 157 for 23 (65.7%), 2,326 yards, 20 TDs, six INTs; 29 carries, 150 yards, two TDs
In terms of raw numbers, Mestemaker is doing exactly what Cowboys fans envisioned when he joined the program from North Texas. Mestemaker hasn’t been held under 300 yards since the Week 1 loss to Tulsa. He’s thrown for at least two touchdowns in every game since that stunning debut loss, and he has just two interceptions since Week 2, after throwing four in his first two games in orange and black. He’s had sharper games than his outing against the Buffaloes, but still shredded a pretty good defense for 57 yards and four touchdowns.
Week 8: Bye (Week 9: vs. Navy in Foxborough, Mass.)
Season: 129 for 193 (66.9%), 1,639 yards, 16 TDs, one INT; 23 carries, 82 yards, three TDs
Notre Dame had the chance to rest up coming off of its first loss of the season at BYU in Week 7. That gave Carr the chance to see his little brother, Tommy Carr, make his starting quarterback debut for Michigan in their tough overtime loss to Indiana. CJ should have a chance to feast in this weekend’s neutral-site rivalry game against Navy, which fields the 123rd-ranked defense against the pass—a warmup for a potentially season-defining showdown with Miami in Week 10.
Week 8: Bye (Week 9: vs. Florida in Atlanta)
Season: 117 for 158 (74.1%), 1,570 yards, 16 touchdowns, four INTs; 35 carries, 160 yards, one TD
The Dawgs had a chance to lick their wounds in Week 8 coming off of their upset loss to Auburn, before a date with a Florida squad that got back in the win column against Texas in its last game. The Gators’ pass defense had been very poor before holding Manning to 173 yards in a 27–24 win, though as we’ve come to learn, Manning’s play can vacillate wildly from week-to-week. Struggled against the Tigers aside, Stockton is a much steadier player. His play against Florida should teach us plenty about both teams.
Week 7: Beat Texas A&M, 31–20—19 for 30, 311 yards, three TDs, one INT; nine carries, 20 yards
Season: 148 for 221 (67.5%), 2,057 yards, 15 TDs, five INTs; 66 carries, 251 yards, five TDs
After an up-and-down first half, there were legitimate concerns that the wheels might be coming off of what had been a sterling freshman campaign for Russell. The freshman had strong moments against Georgia but ultimately lost his first game to the Bulldogs, and followed it up with a rough two-interception outing against Tennessee. Alabama entered the fourth quarter trailing an Aggies team that has bottomed out this year, but Russell took control of the game, completing 9-of-12 throws for 150 yards and a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns. It was the kind of response to adversity that Kalen DeBoer has to love with the pressure in Tuscaloosa, Ala., mounting. Russell’s running out of time to vault himself back into the top of this race, but a big game at LSU on Nov. 7 coming off of this week’s bye would go a long way.
Week 8: Beat Michigan, 13–6 (OT)—8 for 18, 81 yards, one INT; four carries, seven yards, one TD
Season: 116 for 187 (62%) for 1,741 yards, 18 TDs, one INT; 30 carries, 52 yards, two TDs
For the second consecutive week, Hoover and the Hoosiers took on a brand-name Big Ten in a deeply ugly contest. Unlike last week’s tight loss to Ohio State, he and Indiana were able to score a win at the Big House—a first for the Indiana program in 59 years. And it was Hoover who scored the deciding touchdown in overtime, punching one in from four yards out after completing a 21-yard pass to Brock Schott to set up the score.
The pass to Schott was Hoover’s first and only completion after halftime. The quarterback, clearly nursing an injury, dropped back just twice in the second half, throwing his first interception of the year on his only passing attempt and getting sacked on the other. It was a gutsy performance by Hoover to stay out there and lead his team to victory, but he clearly hasn’t been right for a few weeks now, calling into question whether he’ll be able to keep pace in this Heisman race.
Week 8: Lost to Oklahoma, 23–15: 2 for 5, 10 yards
Season: 102 for 154 (66.2%), 1,460 yards, 17 TDs, four INTs; 46 carries, 147 yards, one TD
After missing the team’s loss to LSU, Taylor attempted to come back for the Bulldogs against the Sooners, but his day was cut well short. Taylor lasted a quarter before he had to exit the game. It’s a real shame, because he was putting together a special season before the injuries, which first crept up late in Mississippi State’s win against MIssouri. Now, with the program staring down a rough end to a once-promising season, Taylor is being shut down for the rest of the fall—probably the correct decision for his future, but a tough one nevertheless. A long, long offseason for the Bulldogs is beginning a bit early, even with a bunch of games left to play.
PODCAST: Listen to Sports Illustrated’s college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, hosted by Pat Forde, on Apple and. Watch the show on SI’s college YouTube channel or on SI TV.
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