For the SEC, a 2-year Heisman Trophy drought seems almost as odd as a 3-year national title drought.
The race for the sport’s top player will draw nearly as much attention as the race for top team, and the SEC’s best figure to make a run in 2026.
Here’s a rundown of our top 5 candidates heading into Week 1:
5. Marcel Reed, Texas A&M
Until their final 2 games of the 2025 season, Marcel Reed and the Texas A&M Aggies were flying successfully under the radar as Heisman and CFP sleepers, respectively. But in those last 2 games, Reed had no touchdown passes against 4 interceptions and A&M’s first 2 losses (one at Texas and one in the CFP against Miami).
But the résumé for Reed (and for the Aggies) remains strong. As a sophomore, Reed threw for 3,169 yards and 25 touchdowns and ran for another 493 yards and 6 touchdowns. The No. 8 Aggies should stay in the SEC hunt, which isn’t essential, but certainly won’t hurt Reed’s candidacy. Week 1 (Missouri State) won’t show much, but Reed shouldn’t be slept on.
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4. John Mateer, Oklahoma
Mateer wasn’t flying under the radar, indeed he could have been a Heisman favorite after Oklahoma opened up 2025 with a 5-0 run. But early injuries caught up with Mateer, who threw for 8 touchdowns to 8 picks after the hot start. A 14-to-11 TD/INT ratio won’t get Mateer Heisman consideration, but his dual-threat game (431 yards and 8 TDs on the ground, with 190 yards and 5 scores in that quick start) certainly helps. If the No. 10 Sooners can keep Mateer healthy and he can cut down on the turnovers, he could be right back in the Heisman race.
3. Gunner Stockton, Georgia
Stockton wound up 7th in the Heisman voting a season ago and is being overlooked in favor of more glamorous passers so far in the preseason. After 2 years on the bench, Stockton wound up with 2,894 yards and 24 touchdowns last season. He threw only 5 picks and didn’t throw more than 1 in any game. He quietly rushed for 462 yards and 10 scores more on the ground. Stockton played well in big games, accounting for 3 scores in Georgia‘s SEC title win over Alabama and CFP loss to Ole Miss. The No. 3 Bulldogs will do their part to keep Stockton in the Heisman hunt and if he can up the flash on his game just a bit, Stockton might be a bargain at the current odds.
2. Arch Manning, Texas
Manning is just behind Notre Dame’s C.J. Carr as the relative favorites for the Heisman. A season ago, Manning was the preseason favorite for the Heisman. But the Texas Longhorns came up short for the CFP, in part because Manning played some incredibly uneven football. An 11-for-25 for 114 yards performance against San Jose State in Game 3 should have been a clue that all was not well. Kentucky held Manning to 12-for-27 for 132 yards. Uglier than the numbers were some throws that almost suggested a player with the yips.
The good news for Manning was that he played through those slumps and after the calendar turned to November, he posted 11 touchdowns to a single interception with 1,368 yards and a 62% completion rate. Manning also put up 200 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground in that run, and when he’s at his best, the prototypical QB1 skills still shine through. As long as the late-season Manning shows up in 2026 and the Longhorns don’t have another major stumble, Manning could step up — although that seems a little less certain than the odds would suggest.
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1.Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss
Despite starting the season as a Division II transfer turned backup for a school that had never reached the College Football Playoff, Chambliss finished 8th in the 2025 Heisman vote. Chambliss passed for 3,937 yards and 22 touchdowns and rushed for another 537 yards and 8 scores. He was at his best under the brightest lights, with 921 passing yards and 6 total touchdowns in Ole Miss’s 3 CFP games.
Getting Chambliss and Kewan Lacy back was a massive gain for the Rebels, and with Chambliss preparing for a top 25 matchup in Week 1, he’s the player who everybody will likely be talking about on Monday morning. He’s part of an explosive offense and with a full season ahead of him, so Chambliss’s numbers could outshine even those from last year.
Just Off the Radar
LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina) probably won’t be on a good enough team. Sam Leavitt (LSU) is about to be embroiled in the biggest mess of chaos in college football given his team’s situation, and Keelon Russell (Alabama) needs to at least play a full game to be considered.
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Joe Cox is a columnist for Saturday Down South. He has also written or assisted in writing five books, and his most recent, Almost Perfect (a study of baseball pitchers’ near-miss attempts at perfect games), is available on Amazon or at many local bookstores.
