ESPN names 6 SEC players among ‘way-too-early’ Heisman contenders for 2026
By Sydney Hunte
Published:
After Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman Trophy in December, who will be the next to be named college football’s most outstanding player? The SEC has been shut out in back-to-back years, but will be looking to tie the Big Ten’s mark of 18 winners in 2026.
ESPN’s Mark Schlabach is looking at six (potentially five) SEC players as part of his “way-too-early” Heisman list released on Monday. The “potential” candidate is Trinidad Chambliss, who isn’t even guaranteed to be playing collegiately in 2026 as he and Ole Miss continue to push for a sixth year of eligibility.
While we don’t know what Chambliss’s ultimate status will be, we do know that Marcel Reed will run it back one final time for Texas A&M. The Aggies quarterback helped lead his team to their first-ever College Football Playoff appearance. Texas‘s Arch Manning, who came on strong at the back end of the season, will be looked at as a much more legitimate Heisman candidate in 2026, with Georgia‘s Gunner Stockton in the hunt as well, per Schlabach.
As far as running backs are concerned, Mizzou’s Ahmad Hardy, the nation’s second-leading rusher in 2025, is on Schlabach’s list, as is Ole Miss’s Kewan Lacy.
Schlabach has several other SEC players as “others to watch.” That includes a trio of quarterbacks in LSU‘s Sam Leavitt, Oklahoma‘s John Mateer, and South Carolina‘s LaNorris Sellers, as well as Georgia RB Nate Frazier and Texas WR Cam Coleman.
Here’s a look at Kalshi‘s marketplace for the 2026 Heisman:
Sydney is an Atlanta-based journalist who has covered everything from SEC and ACC football to MLS, the U.S. men's national soccer team and professional tennis. His work has appeared on such platforms as SB Nation, Cox Media Group and FanSided.
