2026 Heisman Trophy Odds: Top 25 Candidates
The Heisman race almost always runs through the quarterback position and a College Football Playoff contender — and the 2026 odds board reflects exactly that. Below is the full top 25 candidate list with current futures odds, followed by our take on where the value is and which long shots are worth a small ticket.
2026 Heisman Odds — Top 25
| # | Player | Team | Odds |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | CJ Carr | Notre Dame | +700 |
| 2 | Arch Manning | Texas | +750 |
| 3 | Dante Moore | Oregon | +1000 |
| 4 | Julian Sayin | Ohio State | +1200 |
| 5 | Darian Mensah | Miami (FL) | +1200 |
| 6 | Trinidad Chambliss | Ole Miss | +1300 |
| 7 | Josh Hoover | Indiana | +1300 |
| 8 | Jeremiah Smith | Ohio State | +1400 |
| 9 | Gunner Stockton | Georgia | +1900 |
| 10 | Sam Leavitt | LSU | +2000 |
| 11 | Marcel Reed | Texas A&M | +2500 |
| 12 | John Mateer | Oklahoma | +2500 |
| 13 | Jayden Maiava | USC | +2500 |
| 14 | Keelon Russell | Alabama | +2800 |
| 15 | Bryce Underwood | Michigan | +3800 |
| 16 | Malachi Toney | Miami (FL) | +3800 |
| 17 | Will Hammond | Texas Tech | +4000 |
| 18 | LaNorris Sellers | South Carolina | +4000 |
| 19 | Byrum Brown | Auburn | +5000 |
| 20 | Bear Bachmeier | BYU | +5500 |
| 21 | Rocco Becht | Penn State | +5500 |
| 22 | Demond Williams | Washington | +5500 |
| 23 | Austin Mack | Alabama | +6500 |
| 24 | Drew Mestemaker | Oklahoma State | +6500 |
| 25 | Aaron Philo | Florida | +7000 |
Odds are preseason futures and move throughout the year. Always shop for the best number.
Where's the real value this season?
Our free preseason power rankings show you which teams — and by extension which contenders — the model is highest on.
Get the Free Rankings →The favorites: two quarterbacks separate from the field
CJ Carr and Arch Manning open at the top of the board, and it makes sense: both play for top-five teams with the offensive talent and playoff path a Heisman winner almost always needs. The award has become a story about the best quarterback on one of the two or three best teams — so the favorites list and the top of a good power rating tend to look a lot alike.
Where the value hides
The best Heisman tickets are usually quarterbacks priced in the +1000 to +2500 range on teams our model rates highly but the public hasn't fully bought yet. That's where a big early-season performance can crash the price. Dante Moore (Oregon), Julian Sayin (Ohio State), and Sam Leavitt (LSU) all fit that profile — strong situations, live playoff odds, and enough room on the number to matter if they hit.
The rare non-quarterback: Jeremiah Smith
Jeremiah Smith at +1400 is the most interesting name on the board because he's not a quarterback. Non-QBs almost never win the Heisman anymore — the last several classes have been all passers — so the odds bake in a steep degree-of-difficulty. That said, a truly generational skill player on a national-title team is the one profile that can break the QB monopoly. It's a long shot, but it's the fun kind.
Long shots worth a look
Further down the board, the names to watch are quarterbacks on teams our ratings like more than the market does. A dark-horse contender needs two things: volume of production and a winning team to give voters a reason to notice. Cross-reference the double-digit-to-one prices against our power rankings and you'll spot the handful of long shots with an actual path rather than just a big number.
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