The top tier of the Heisman Trophy race is holding strong as the second half of the season begins. Jeremiah Smith, Darian Mensah and Trinidad Chambliss are household names, and they have earned their spots on the podium at present.
While Smith is the odds-on favorite, his candidacy could take a hit depending on how he and Ohio State perform without their starting quarterback. Mensah and Miami narrowly avoided a bad loss last week. And Chambliss and Ole Miss already have one on their resume.
Nothing has been decided yet, evidenced by the two players who made their debut in the top five this week: BYU quarterback Bear Bachmeier and Oregon State wide receiver Jesse Legree. A lot can change in a single week. There are six Saturdays remaining, plus what might be the last round of conference championship games, for the aforementioned candidates to make their mark or for one of the contenders right on the cusp to make a move.
Here’s how Athlon sees the Heisman Trophy race heading into Week 8.
Heisman Trophy Watch: Ranking the Top Contenders After Week 7
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1. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State (Last Week: 1)
Week 7 Stats (19-15 W at No. 5 Indiana): 4 receptions, 68 yards, 1 TD; 1 carry, 2 yards
Season Stats: 52 receptions, 984 yards (18.9 YPR), 12 TD; 2 carries, 7 yards (3.5 YPC)
If you thought Smith was instrumental to the No. 3 Buckeyes’ success before — and let’s face it, he’s been an impact player since he arrived on campus — just wait till we see how much the offense runs through him now that quarterback Julian Sayin is sidelined indefinitely.
Ohio State was right to build the offense around its best player. Smith is tied for the FBS lead in receptions. He also accounts for more than half of Ohio State’s receiving touchdowns and more than 40% of the team’s receiving yards in one of the best passing offenses in the country. Those percentages could go up as Luke Fahey takes over for Sayin, a Heisman finalist a year ago. The Buckeyes have a well-timed bye week to reimagine their offense around a less experienced signal-caller, a tough task for a team with championship expectations.
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The advice from offensive coordinator Arthur Smith might be to simply look for No. 4. When Ohio State needed a play against Indiana last week in a rematch of the Big Ten championship game, Sayin went deep to Smith. Never mind that it was fourth-and-1. With two defenders in the area, Smith came down with the ball in the end zone 38 yards away. Touchdown.
Plays like that are why Smith remains a prohibitive Heisman favorite despite all the uncertainty under center, because he’s the most sure thing in college football at the moment.
2. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami (Last Week: 2)
Week 7 Stats (43-35 2OT W vs. Florida State): 23-for-34, 326 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT; 3 carries, 6 yards
Season Stats: 135-for-167 (80.8%), 1,764 yards (10.6 YPA), 18 TD, 1 INT; 15 carries, 85 yards (5.7 YPC), 2 TD
Mensah did not have his finest game against rival Florida State. He threw his first interception of the season, and the struggling Seminoles took the undefeated Hurricanes to double overtime. But it was also telling to see how well he responded to adversity after Miami had mowed through much of its schedule.
Mensah shrugged off the turnover (and a rare deficit) and led a pair of long touchdown drives in the fourth quarter to extend the game. He struck first in double overtime on a beautiful back-shoulder throw to Malachi Toney. After a somewhat controversial ending, the ’Canes hung on to win and ascended to the No. 1 ranking for the first time since 2002, the year after they won their last national title. With Mensah playing at this level, Miami can realistically think about adding to its trophy case. And Mensah might have some individual hardware in his future, too.
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3. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss (Last Week: 3)
Week 7 Stats (31-3 W vs. No. 13 Missouri): 20-for-36, 241 yards, 3 TD; 4 carries, 14 yards, 1 TD
Season Stats: 142-for-210 (67.6%), 1,676 yards (8.0 YPA), 14 TD, 4 INT; 36 carries, 127 yards (3.5 YPC), 6 TD
Chambliss made light work of Missouri and recorded his third game of the season with four total touchdowns. His season-low completion percentage left something to be desired, but that’s a nitpick in a game the Rebels dominated from start to finish. This was also Chambliss’ first game in more than a month without a turnover, which helped the Ole Miss defense keep the Tigers out of the end zone.
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The No. 7 Rebels have been a different team with Kewan Lacy in the lineup because of what the threat of a run game unlocks for Chambliss. Compared to last season, Chambliss’ stats have not been as eye-popping, but he’s playing the position at an extremely high level right now. Up next is a trip to face No. 19 Texas, a key test for Ole Miss against a team that cannot afford to drop another game.
4. Bear Bachmeier, QB, BYU (Last Week: NR)
Week 7 Stats(28-24 W vs. No. 2 Notre Dame): 23-for-36, 224 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT; 13 carries, 45 yards, 2 TD; 1 reception, 15 yards, 1 TD
Season Stats: 100-for-152 (65.8%), 1,257 yards (8.3 YPA), 9 TD, 2 INT; 49 carries, 284 yards (5.8 YPC), 6 TD; 1 reception, 15 yards, 1 TD
Bachmeier had a hand in all four Cougars touchdowns in the program’s biggest win in decades. With star running back LJ Martin out, he ran in two scores. He caught — yes, caught — another. And after BYU blew a two-score lead, Bachmeier threw the go-ahead touchdown in the final two minutes of the game.
It was an all-around effort from someone who had revenge on their mind. Bachmeier shared in the postgame press conference that the Fighting Irish “disrespected” him and his family when he was coming out of high school. He got even on the field with one of the more impressive individual performances we might see this season. The Cougars’ No. 2 ranking is their highest since 1984 when they ran the table and won the national championship.
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5. Jesse Legree, WR, Oregon State (Last Week: NR)
Week 7 Stats (48-30 W vs. Washington State): 8 receptions, 108 yards, 2 TD
Season Stats: 46 receptions, 1,040 yards (22.6 YPR), 14 TD
Legree has earned a spot alongside college football’s best players. The numbers he was putting up early in the season were exceptional, but they were discounted because his team was losing. Looking back, the Beavers put up a phenomenal fight against Houston and Texas Tech. And Oregon State hasn’t lost since.
Legree, a true freshman, is the focal point of the No. 1 passing offense in the country. He has more yards and touchdowns than Smith and Toney on fewer catches. Legree has at least 100 yards and a touchdown in every game this season, and he’s top five in yards per reception.
He’s the complete package: Volume, efficiency and a nose for the end zone. Not only does Legree lead the country in receiving yards and touchdowns, his stats through seven games would be good for the 16th-most receiving yards and second-most touchdowns in the entire 2025 season. Ludicrous stats like that are why Oregon State alum Chad Johnson has offered to pony up $2 million to keep Legree in Corvallis.
Don’t Forget About
- Malachi Toney, WR, Miami
- Drew Mestemaker, QB, Oklahoma State
- Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana
- CJ Carr, QB, Notre Dame
- Gunner Stockton, QB, Georgia
Sleepers to Watch
- Jayden Maiava, QB, USC
- Keelon Russell, QB, Alabama
- Devon Dampier, QB, Utah
- Kenny Minchey, QB, Kentucky
- Gio Lopez, QB, Wake Forest
