Week 5 2026 Heisman candidates: Jeremiah Smith excellence makes convincing case, Indiana RB enters discussion and more

The early season Heisman picture received a shake-up on Saturday.

A new front-runner emerged, an SEC quarterback firmly entered the discussion and a dark-horse Big Ten running back raced into frame. Below, we share our favorites for this year's honor after Week 5.

The leader: Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith

After Saturday, Smith is Associated Press No. 5 Ohio State's all-time leader in receptions, receiving yards and receiving touchdowns. And with more than half a season remaining until possibly becoming the No. 1 overall pick in the 2027 NFL Draft — the Los Angeles Chargers are doing their best to make that a reality — he's on track to create enormous space between himself and others on the leaderboard.

Smith, who has 823 receiving yards, is also distancing himself from the pack in the Heisman race. Through five games, he's significantly outpacing the last wide receiver (excluding wideout/cornerback Travis Hunter) to win the Heisman, DeVonta Smith. He had 556 receiving yards during the same span before going off for 955 yards and 13 touchdowns over his next six games ahead of the 2020 ceremony.

Based on his remarkable start, there's no reason to believe Jeremiah Smith will slow down over the second half of the season. He's put up his best numbers against power conference opponents, including consecutive 200-yard games to open Big Ten play and 164 yards at Associated Press No. 1 Texas. By the end of the year, Smith may have removed any suspense from the Heisman race. All voters will need to do is sit back and enjoy the show.

Finalists: Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah • Alabama Crimson Tide quarterback Keelon Russell • Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss

Mensah has been the best transfer-portal addition of the offseason, keeping Miami from taking a step back after last year's national runner-up finish. The junior has thrown for 1,438 yards (10.8 yards per attempt) and 15 touchdowns. Per Stathead, his 84.2 percent completion rate is the highest by a quarterback with at least 125 pass attempts through five games since at least 1995. Of the four previous qualifying players to complete at least 80 percent of their passes through five games, three (Robert Griffin III, Bo Nix, Julian Sayin) received Heisman invites, with Griffin winning in 2011.

Russell is set for a massive showdown against No. 2 Georgia in Week 6. He's settled in as a passer over his last three games, including Saturday's road trip to No. 16 Mississippi State. Since Sept. 19 (a span of three games), Russell is 60-of-79 (75.9 percent) for 970 yards and 13 total touchdowns (10 passing, three rushing) while adding 107 rushing yards on 16 carries.

A Week 4 loss at Florida, which ranked No. 8 in the AP poll before a humbling 45-17 loss at No. 25 Missouri on Saturday, was a hit to Chambliss' Heisman candidacy. But one team setback in a game in which the star quarterback completed 73.5 percent of his passes and threw for 298 yards shouldn't be enough to prevent Chambliss from being on the invite list with the second half of the regular season approaching.

Dark horse: Indiana Hoosiers running back Turbo Richard

Indiana has worked smart, not hard, to start 2026, opening the year facing teams with a combined .435 win percentage (10-13). But things are about to get significantly more difficult for the Hoosiers, beginning in Week 6 with a trip to the undefeated Nebraska Cornhuskers (5-0, 2-0 in Big Ten).

Indiana's next six opponents, who also include Ohio State (4-1, 2-0 in Big Ten) and No. 18 USC (5-1, 2-1 in Big Ten), closed Week 5 with a combined 24-7 record (.774), giving the team's stars several chances over the next month-plus to enter the Heisman conversation. 

Quarterback Josh Hoover (15 touchdowns, no interceptions) is a strong candidate, but we want to highlight Richard, a Boston College transfer coming off a ridiculous performance against Rutgers. He finished Saturday's 47-15 win with 13 carries, 204 rushing yards and a touchdown, putting him up to 587 yards on 63 rush attempts (9.3 yards per carry) and five touchdowns through five games.

Derrick Henry, the last Heisman-winning running back, had 570 rushing yards through his first five games in 2015 but clinched the award by playing his best in Alabama's biggest games down the stretch. Richard may be sprinting down a similar track.