Here’s my 2026 Heisman ballot if the season ended today, entering Week 7 of the college football slate.

The obvious pick at No. 1 is Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, and I don’t think it’s particularly close right now. Behind him, the Heisman Trophy race gets a lot more fun, with a freshman receiver nobody saw coming making some serious noise, and two quarterbacks who have started to make their case in very different ways.

Jeremiah Smith is still the No. 1 pick to win the Heisman

Jeremiah Smith had another fantastic game against Maryland. That’s true even though he finished with a sub-100-yard performance, and even though the statistical output didn’t match what people have become accustomed to seeing from him.

And you may say, Tegan, how is a sub-100-yard day a fantastic game for a Heisman frontrunner? Here’s why. Smith still had the moments that pop up all over social media, like his one-handed catch, and he still scored two magnificent touchdowns against a bad Maryland defense.

Heisman voters remember those moments. The box score doesn’t always tell the whole story with a player like Smith, and his highlight plays keep him at the center of the national conversation.

Now, he has a great opportunity against Indiana next week, and it remains an open question whether he holds onto this spot for the rest of the year. I’m not handing him the trophy in October. With that being said, if the season ended today, Smith would be my No. 1 pick.

Jesse Legree is making his way into this conversation

For the rest of the field, the name everybody needs to know is Jesse Legree. The Oregon State wide receiver is breaking college football right now.

This is a freshman receiver who is matching the statistical output of Jeremiah Smith, and he’s doing it at Oregon State. His story is ridiculous. The Beavers originally slated him to be a special teamer. He got an opportunity at receiver, and now he is dominating college football. He leads the FBS with 932 yards and 12 touchdowns on 10 less receptions than Smith going into the seventh game of the season.

I don’t care that Oregon State isn’t a household Power 4 blue blood brand. Should that keep a freshman putting up Jeremiah Smith numbers out of the Heisman race? Absolutely not. Legree has to be in this conversation, and if voters ignore him because of the logo on his helmet, that’s on them. But, who would be surprised if they did?

Darian Mensah and Gunner Stockton surprisingly round out the ballot, as of right now

For the final two spots, I’m going with a pair of quarterbacks.

Darian Mensah, the quarterback at Miami, is your standard pick. It feels eerily similar to Cam Ward. He has been very consistent and has put up great statistical numbers. Mensah hasn’t had that true Heisman moment yet, the kind of play that defines a season, but he has absolutely done enough to be on this ballot. The consistency alone earns him a spot.

And lastly, I’m going to have to put Gunner Stockton on my ballot. After the Alabama-Georgia game, I said the quarterback who played the best in that matchup would absolutely be in this conversation. Stockton delivered. Time and time again, when Georgia needed him to make a play on third down, he was remarkable. That’s the type of performance that sticks with voters in a game of that magnitude.

Now, to be honest, I wouldn’t expect Stockton to get an invite to New York by the end of the season. The quarterback field will get crowded, and he’ll need more big moments to stay in the mix. I’ll live with that. But he earned a spot on this ballot with how he played against the Crimson Tide, and if the season ended today, he would get an invite.

Where the Heisman race should stand after Week 6

Smith sits at the top, Legree is the best story in the sport, Mensah is the steady hand, and Stockton has the signature win. Six weeks in, that’s my ballot, and I feel good about it.

That means I am not inviting the likes of Trinidad Chambliss, Jadan Baugh, and Kamario Taylor as of right now. Those players could easily find themselves back in the mix by the end of the season, though, with some more strong performances in big games.

A lot can change after Week 7, especially with Smith facing Indiana. A Heisman race that has a freshman special teamer turned star receiver sitting right behind the best player in college football is exactly what makes this sport so fantastic. Smith is still the guy to beat. Legree is the guy to start watching to see if he can keep this up.