The hope of doing a Heisman of the Week feature, horse-race style, is that we end up watching a super interesting race unfold over the course of 14 weeks. But if the past two Saturdays are any indication, we might be looking more at a Secretariat situation.
A week ago, Ohio State's Jeremiah Smith caught 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns, earning co-Heisman of the Week status with Texas' five-sack Colin Simmons. It was Smith's first 200-yard game. Seven days later, he posted his second -- an 11-catch, 206-yard, two-score performance against an Iowa team that has defended the pass about as well as anyone in the sport in the 2020s.
Both Buckeyes quarterback Julian Sayin and the coaches calling the plays seem to have finally internalized that even if defenses are creating unfavorable numbers for Smith, maybe it makes sense to just throw the ball to him anyway. And if this is what we can expect from the junior in the coming weeks, then this won't be much of a race. But it will be a thrill ride all the same.
This season, Heisman is running its Heisman Hopefuls Fan Vote all season long, with a platform that provides statistics, EA Sports ratings and other information. In that vein, I am again awarding the Heisman every single week of the season and doling out weekly points, F1-style (in this case, 10 points for first place, 9 for second, and so on). After five weeks, the leader is clear.
This week's Heisman winner: Jeremiah Smith
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Week 5 numbers: 11 catches for 206 yards and two touchdowns against Iowa
Five weeks into the 2026 season, 23 players have gained at least 423 receiving yards. Some of the most exciting receivers in the country -- Alabama's Ryan Coleman-Williams and Lotzeir Brooks, Notre Dame's Micah Gilbert, USC freshman Kayden Dixon-Wyatt -- have yet to hit that mark. Smith hit it in the past two weeks.
The Ohio State run game hasn't been particularly sharp this season: The Buckeyes are just 57th in rushing success rate* and, with minimal explosiveness, 83rd in yards per carry (no sacks). Their offensive line isn't shining in any category -- 65th in stuff rate (run stops at or behind the line), 53rd in pressure rate, 91st in O-line penalties per game. But it might not matter as long as Smith is on the field.
(* Success rate: how frequently an offense is gaining 50% of necessary yardage on first down, 70% on second or 100% on third or fourth.)
The rest of the top 10
2. Jamal Roberts, Missouri
Week 5 numbers: 24 carries for 211 yards and three touchdowns, plus 29 receiving yards against Florida
Viewers tuning in to Missouri's Saturday afternoon home game against Florida probably expected to see a big-time rushing performance; they just probably expected it to come from the Gators' Jadan Baugh. But after four straight 130-yard performances to start the season, Baugh managed only 13 yards in 12 carries against the Tigers. Roberts, meanwhile, was doing stuff like this.
That run set up his second touchdown of the day. About 80 seconds later, he ripped off his third, an 80-yard romp that turned Mizzou's 45-17 win into a laugher. With Ahmad Hardy still rehabbing and seeming increasingly unlikely to play in 2026, Roberts has been the Tigers' featured back, with at least 22 carries in each of the past four games. And after Saturday's 211-yard performance, he's on pace for a 1,500-yard season.
3. Keelon Russell, Alabama
Week 5 numbers: 16-for-22 passing for 285 yards and three touchdowns, plus 29 non-sack rushing yards and a score against Mississippi State
Russell is not flawless by any means -- he takes a while to get the ball out of his hands and therefore takes a few too many sacks and a bit more contact than is ideal. But the redshirt freshman has been everything Bama needed him to be thus far: He's third in Total QBR, and he's one of only four players currently in the top 15 in both completion rate (71.2%) and yards per completion (15.0).
Russell dramatically outdueled September Heisman winner Kamario Taylor in Saturday's blowout win over Mississippi State. He completed at least one 20-yard pass to five different players, and he was 6-for-7 for 146 yards and two scores on third down. Teams that can't speed up his decision-making have no chance against the Alabama offense.
4. Aiden Flora, Iowa State
Week 5 numbers: 22 carries for 212 yards and three touchdowns, plus 48 passing yards and two touchdowns against West Virginia
Here are the players who have made this list at least twice in 2026: Jeremiah Smith, Keelon Russell, Kamario Taylor, Trinidad Chambliss, Nate Sheppard ... and Aiden Flora. He's listed at 6-foot, but he runs with his entire body within about three feet of the ground, and he reaches track speeds very quickly. And in a track-meet win over West Virginia, he threw two touchdown passes -- the first one hitting his man amazingly in stride -- and then exploded for a 63-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter. He's one of the most enjoyable, and best, players in the country.
5. Braden Atkinson, Oregon State
Week 5 numbers: 31-for-34 passing for 427 yards and five touchdowns, plus 33 non-sack rushing yards against Colorado State
We've been needing to get Atkinson on this list for a while. Only seven FBS passers are averaging more than 300 passing yards per game in 2026, and Drew Mestemaker is second nationally at 317.8 per game. Atkinson is first at 369.6. The distance between Atkinson and Mestemaker is bigger than the distance between Mestemaker and No. 24 JJ Kohl (266.3). Oregon State is playing a different game than the rest of the country, and on Saturday that game produced a 91% completion rate and a defensive coordinator that literally walked off the field.
6. DeSean Bishop, Tennessee
Week 5 numbers: 34 carries for 220 yards and three touchdowns against Auburn
After trailing 7-3 at halftime Saturday, Tennessee came up with a pretty straightforward solution: give the ball to Bishop. The Vols ran only 27 plays in the second half, and Bishop carried the ball on 22 of them, gaining 150 yards, scoring three touchdowns and pacing what turned out to be a semi-comfortable 24-14 win.
7. Santana Hopper, Colorado
Week 5 numbers: 10 tackles -- all against the run -- with five tackles for loss and six run stops against Texas Tech
Colorado's defense deserved better Saturday. The Buffaloes gave up only 315 total yards and made stop after stop, keeping the team within one score until well into the fourth quarter. Hopper was particularly impressive; he was basically a one-man run defense. In the 10 plays in which he was involved in the tackle -- which tied for the team lead -- Tech had minus-5 yards.
8. Ashton Daniels, Florida State
Week 5 numbers: 12-for-19 passing for 183 yards and an interception, plus 168 non-sack rushing yards and five TDs against Virginia
FSU absolutely pummeled favored Virginia on Saturday thanks to 14 tackles for loss on defense and a relentless and efficient performance from Daniels. He took four sacks and completed only 12 passes, but he rushed for nine first downs, and his 81-yard touchdown run in the third quarter basically put away a win that might have rejuvenated the Seminoles' season.
9. Austin Brawley, New Mexico
Week 5 numbers: one tackle, a 65-yard pick-six and a blocked punt for a safety against UTEP
How do you make one tackle but turn in a dominant defensive performance? Well, you start with this:
@BrawleyAustin 𝗔𝗟𝗟. 𝗧𝗛𝗘. 𝗪𝗔𝗬‼️ 📺 MW+ https://t.co/u4a8M7dVjW
— New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) October 3, 2026
And then you do this.
@BrawleyAustin BLOCKS THE PUNT! LOBO SAFETY! 📺 MW+ https://t.co/tP17neEgWD
— New Mexico Football (@UNMLoboFB) October 3, 2026
Only his teammate's clumsiness (and a funky bounce) kept Brawley from maybe scoring twice. New Mexico is up to 25th in SP+ -- highest of any Group of 6 team -- and Brawley and a dominant defense are at the center of the Lobos' success.
10. Turbo Richard, Indiana
Week 5 numbers: 13 carries for 204 yards and a touchdown against Rutgers
A week after teammate Lee Beebe Jr. made this list with 205 yards from scrimmage against Northwestern, it was Richard's turn. The Boston College transfer recorded his third 100-yard performance of the season and had more carries of double-digit yardage (seven) than single-digit yardage (six). In their first two Big Ten games of the season, the defending national champs have rushed for 600 combined yards.
Honorable mention:
• Dylone Brooks, Louisiana Tech (seven carries for 119 yards and two touchdowns, plus 81 receiving yards and a score against Army).
• Xavier Esqillion, Georgia State (six tackles, three sacks and two forced fumbles against Old Dominion).
• Michael Hawkins Jr., West Virginia (11-for-23 passing for 227 yards and two touchdowns, plus 159 non-sack rushing yards and two scores against Iowa State).
• Caleb Komolafe, Northwestern (25 carries for 188 yards and a touchdown, plus 14 receiving yards against Penn State).
• George Pettaway, James Madison (14 carries for 206 yards and two touchdowns against Marshall)
• Austin Simmons, Missouri (23-for-30 passing for 340 yards and two touchdowns against Florida).
• Daniel Sparks, Virginia (seven punts, 56.7 average, four punts inside the 20, two inside the 10 against Florida State).
• Marcus Stokes, Memphis (20-for-25 passing for 318 yards and five touchdowns, plus 82 non-sack rushing yards against Charlotte).
• Jahiem White, North Texas (32 carries for 219 yards and a touchdown, plus 12 receiving yards against Tulsa).
• Marques White, SMU (seven tackles, three sacks, a forced fumble and a run stop against Boston College).
Point totals and current odds
Through five weeks, here are your points leaders. As always, players who are also in the top 10 in DraftKings' betting odds are in bold.
1. Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (27.5 points)
2. Keelon Russell, Alabama (25 points)
3. Kamario Taylor, Mississippi State (20 points)
4. Trinidad Chambliss, Ole Miss (15 points)
5. Nate Sheppard, Duke (13 points)
6T. Drew Mestemaker, Oklahoma State (10 points)
6T. Malachi Toney, Miami (10 points)
8. Colin Simmons, Texas (9.5 points)
9T. Devon Dampier, Utah (9 points)
9T. Mason Heintschel, Pitt (9 points)
9T. Jamal Roberts, Missouri (9 points)
The Heisman odds have shifted dramatically in Smith's favor -- his +110 odds per DraftKings are equivalent to a 48% chance of winning -- and it's not hard to see why. Can Russell, Chambliss or another star quarterback such as Miami's Darian Mensah, Notre Dame's CJ Carr or Georgia's Gunner Stockton make a push? Will Big Ten defenses help out by at least occasionally breaking up a pass or two to Smith?
Gordie Lockbaum of the week: Trey Feeney, Saint John's
Week 5 numbers: 38-for-43 passing for 355 yards and six touchdowns against Bethel
Our weekly hat tip to a smaller-school standout, named after the Holy Cross two-way legend who finished in the Heisman top five twice in the 1980s.
Mentioning just one smaller-school star per week is getting increasingly difficult -- I keep finding more and more players I want to celebrate. But with apologies to Wisconsin-Oshkosh's Demir Ashiru (228 passing yards and 209 rushing yards against Wisconsin-La Crosse), Eastern Washington's Nate Bell (413 passing yards and 135 non-sack rushing yards against UC Davis), Hendrix College's Jake Blice (448 yards and five touchdowns in a 22-point comeback against Schreiner) and Morgan State's Cameron Edge (444 passing yards and five total scores against Villanova), we're giving this week's honors to Feeney.
In a battle of top-10 teams Saturday in rainy Collegeville, Minnesota -- No. 8 Bethel at No. 5 Saint John's in front of a crowd of 13,661 -- Feeney completed his first 15 passes and threw for scores on each of the Johnnies' first three drives. Up 21-7 at halftime, they kept pouring it on: Feeney's sixth and final touchdown pass of the day (his third to Thomas Jacobs) made the score 42-10 midway through the fourth quarter. Saint John's moved to 4-0 with a 24-point win, and Feeney earned a Lockbaum.