Robert Griffin III has worn many hats as a great player who won the Heisman Trophy and then ultimately as a college football analyst. His assessment of the Heisman field is particularly noteworthy, as Griffin gets a Heisman vote as a former winner. He checked in with his weekly update After Wwek 8.

RG3's Heisman Favorite

The Heisman favorite-- for Griffin and likely so for most other voters-- remains Ohio State star WR Jeremiah Smith. Not only is Ohio State very much in the national championship picture, but Smith is both the likely best player in the nation and has spent much of 2026 re-writing the Ohio State record book.

At this point, Smith has the OSU career mark for catches, receiving yards, and receiving touchdowns. On the season, Smith's 52 catches is 10th nationally and his 984 yards and 12 touchdowns are each second nationally only to Oregon State's Jesse Legree.

New This Week

New to Griffin's top five since last week are No. 4 Malachi Toney and No. 5 Braden Atkinson. Toney, a star Miami receiver, is up there with Smith in competing for most of the statistical honors in the nation. His 66 receptions leads the nation, while his 952 yards and 11 touchdowns are both third nationally.

Atkinson is a bit more of a deep dive. The Oregon State QB leads the nation in passing yards (2,604) and touchdown passes (24), while throwing just a pair of interceptions so far. Atkinson is averaging 372 yards per game in passing.

Moving On Up

Two repeat performers on Griffin's list who both moved up are QB Darian Mensah (2nd) and WR Jesse Legree (3rd). Last week, Mensah was third and Legree was fifth, but BYU's Bear Bachmeier and Ole Miss's Trinidad Chambliss both fell off of Griffin's Top 5 list.

Mensah currently leads all of FBS in QB rating and has thrown 22 touchdowns to just a single interception for Miami. His 2,151 passing yards is ninth in the country and with Miami also in the middle of the national title hunt, Mensah sticking around would not be surprising.

Legree has been one of the biggest surprises in college football. The freshman wide receiver has been an immediate difference maker at Oregon State. Legree leads the nation with 1,040 receving yards and 14 touchdowns, which he has amassed on 46 overall receptions so far. Last week, Legree announced his signing to return to the Beavers next season.