The College Football season is right around the corner and it’s time to start talking long shot Heisman hopefuls. Every week of the season I breakdown the Heisman race with my top five rankings, plus whose stock is up and whose went down. To start the season, let’s go over my top five long shots for the 2026 Heisman!
You can read my top 10 entering Week 0 for the Heisman here. All betting odds are courtesy of DraftKings. It’s worth noting that odds do not impact my order, but are noteworthy. Let’s get started!
2025 Stats: 3,169 pass yds | 31 total TDs | 12 INTs | 493 rush yds
In the last two games, Marcel Reed threw four interceptions and totaled zero touchdowns versus Texas and Miami. Reed slumped to end the season in what overall was a stellar year for Reed and the Aggies. Reed threw a game-winner at Notre Dame, which highlighted his season and gave A&M the edge over Notre Dame when it came to the playoff committee.
This season, Texas A&M goes to LSU, Alabama, and Oklahoma and has home games against Tennessee and Texas as the coin flips. Reed had four games with four total touchdowns in 2025 and three games with three touchdowns. Reed has Heisman potential to rack up the stats as an explosive dual-threat quarterback in the SEC, but if A&M doesn’t go 11-1 or 12-0, then Reed likely won’t have a chance.
2025 Stats: 3,711 pass yards | 65.8 comp% | 30 total TDs | 10 INTs
In 2025, Jayden Maiava dominated at home. He recorded 20 total touchdowns to four interceptions and 2,085 yards. USC went 7-0 in those games and beat #15 Michigan and #21 Iowa. On the road, USC went 2-3 with losses to #23 Illinois, #13 Notre Dame, and #7 Oregon.
This year, USC hosts #1 Ohio State, #2 Oregon, and #17 Washington, plus road trips to #6 Indiana and #18 Penn State. There’s plenty of chances for Maiava to win the Heisman, but there’s also plenty of opportunities to be an afterthought. Maiava won’t have Makai Lemon, the 2025 Fred Biletnikoff Award winner, so repeating his six games of at least 295 passing yards or nine games of two or more touchdowns will be difficult to repeat.
2025 Stats: 3,158 pass yds | 66.3 comp% | 42 total TDs | 7 INT
One of the quarterbacks with the highest ceiling in the SEC is Byrum Brown. At USF, Brown had seasons with 37 and 42 total touchdowns in 2023 and 2025 with over 4,000 yards in both campaigns, including 809 and 1,008 rushing yards.
Auburn has had a losing season every year since 2021 going 5-7 or 6-7. Auburn has only made a bowl game twice in the past five years and lost both. This feels like the Tigers first winning season since 2020 and first bowl win since 2018, but the schedule isn’t forgiving.
The Tigers go to #20 Tennessee, #3 Georgia, #9 Ole Miss, #13 Alabama, and Mississippi State. It’s safe to say Auburn will have to accumulate most of its wins at home. Auburn hosts Southern Miss, Samford, Florida, Vanderbilt, Arkansas, and #11 LSU, plus a neutral site contest with Baylor to open the season. With only one ranked home game, most of Auburn’s wins will come at Jordan-Hare Stadium and Brown’s Heisman case will come down to what he does on the road.
2025 Stats: 680 pass yds | 63.3 comp% | 12 total TDs | 3 INT
Will Hammond spent most of 2025 as Beheren Morton’s backup, but showed signs of promise when his number was called, specifically against Utah. In a 10-3 game during the third quarter that Tech was leading, Morton was injured and Hammond stepped in and stepped up with four scoring drives in the fourth quarter totaling two passing scores and 230 total yards in a 34-10 win. That was the first glimpse of what Hammond could be.
However, a road loss at Arizona State (3 TDs, 1 INT) where he averaged 4.5 yards per completion showed us there is still plenty of room for growth. If Texas Tech goes 11-1 or 12-0 and Hammond has a season where he clears 20 passing touchdowns and 10 rushing scores with minimal turnovers, which he can do, then he has a chance.
Texas Tech is rumored to be signing former Florida State quarterback Tommy Castellanos to backup Hammond. Castellanos was apart of a group of players that were granted an injunction to return to college football a week before the season starts. Castellanos recorded 28, 19, and 24 total touchdowns over the past three seasons, so Texas Tech is even more dangerous now.
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2025 Stats: 2,428 pass yds | 60.3 comp% | 17 total TDs | 11 INT
Bryce Underwood had a rocky true freshman season with all the hype surrounding him, but the potential was evident. Underwood rushed for 392 yards and six touchdowns, plus seven games of 200-plus passing yards. The problem was Underwood against big time competition, but more specifically in the four losses he took.
At Oklahoma | 9-of-24 | 142 yards | 0 TDs | 0 INT |
At USC | 15-of-24 | 207 yards | 2 TDs | 1 INT |
Vs Ohio State | 8-of-18 | 63 yards | 0 TDs | 1 INT |
Vs Texas (Bowl Game) | 23-of-42 | 199 yards | 3 TDs | 3 INT |
Underwood played beyond poorly in those four games with a 50.9 completion percentage, 152.7 passing yards per game, five touchdowns and five interceptions. This season, Underwood has more opportunities to change that narrative.
Michigan will have home games against #10 Oklahoma, #22 Iowa, #18 Penn State, and #6 Indiana, plus road games at #2 Oregon and #1 Ohio State. That is six ranked opponents and four of them are in Ann Arbor. Will there be a sophomore slump for the five star quarterback or will he rise to the occasion? I can’t wait to find out!
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