2026 Heisman Trophy Odds: Keelon Russell Overtakes Jeremiah Smith As Favorite

Indiana's Fernando Mendoza's 2025 season could not have been more perfect. He led his Hoosiers to an unblemished 16-0 season, captured the national championship in historic fashion and won the 2025 Heisman before being selected first in the 2026 NFL Draft by the Raiders. Now that the path is clear for someone new to leave NYC in December holding the Heisman, who will it be? Miami teammates Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney have made their mark early this season, and Trinidad Chambliss surged after a historic performance against his former coach, Lane Kiffin, and LSU. Last week, Ohio State wide receiver Jeremiah Smith stamped his case to become the first pass-catcher since DeVonta Smith to win the award. But as of Saturday morning, there is a new favorite on the oddsboard. Let's check out the latest Heisman trophy odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as of Oct. 3. This page may contain affiliate links to legal sportsbetting partners. If you sign up or place a wager, FOX Sports may be compensated. Read more about Sports Betting on FOX Sports. Keelon Russell +350 (bet $10 to win $45 totalJeremiah Smith: +360 (bet $10 to win $46 total)Darian Mensah: +500 (bet $10 to win $60 total)CJ Carr: +700 (bet $10 to win $80 total)Trinidad Chambliss: +1100 (bet $10 to win $120 total)Jadan Baugh: +1300 (bet $10 to win $140 total)Kamario Taylor: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Julian Sayin: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Arch Manning: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Malachi Toney: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total)Gunner Stockton: +3000 (bet $10 to win $310 total) Here's what to know about the 2026 Heisman oddsboard: Heading into Saturday, Heisman hype surrounded Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor. Alabama quarterback Keelon Russell stole the show. The sophomore threw for 285 yards and three touchdowns to lead the seventh-ranked Crimson Tide to a 56-23 win over No. 16 Mississippi State in Starkville. After his three touchdowns today, Russell is now the fifth Alabama QB since 2000 to be responsible for 14+ TDs through the team's first five games, joining Tua Tagovailoa (2018, 2019), Ty Simpson (2025), Jalen Milroe (2024), and Bryce Young (2021, 2022). After the performance, Russell's odds jumped from +1600 to the favorite at +350 as he tries to become the latest Crimson Tide quarterback since Bryce Young in 2021 to win the Heisman. Jeremiah Smith continued to torch defenses on his way to a historical output last Saturday against Illinois. Smith set his receiving yards record with 217 yards. He also secured his first-career three touchdown game before halftime, and had 150 receiving yards in the first half. He finished the game with four touchdown catches, becoming the fifth Ohio State wide receiver to do so, after hauling one in early in the fourth quarter. Smith's previous career high came as a true freshman in Ohio State's Rose Bowl victory over Oregon, when he had 187 receiving yards. He's up to 605 yards on the season, and has reached that total with highlight plays. On Saturday, he made Illinois defensive back Mac Resetich look silly on a 72-yard touchdown, and went up to win two jump balls on fade routes in the red zone. He went from third-place with +1000 to the +290 favorite, but now trails Keelon Russell and and enters Ohio State's game against No. 14 Iowa at second place with +360. Mensah's Miami career couldn't have started much better. He immediately silenced the doubters by throwing for 401 yards and five touchdowns against Stanford in Week 1. In the process, Mensah became just the sixth quarterback since 2000 to complete at least 90% of his passes while throwing for 400 or more yards and five touchdowns in a game. He followed that performance by completing 14 of 15 passes for 252 yards and three touchdowns in Miami's 77-7 win over Florida A&M in Week 2. Then, against Wake Forest on Friday night, Mensah completed his first 24 passes, two shy of the record for the most consecutive completions to start a game. Mensah continued on that path with 338 yards and four total touchdowns in Miami's rout of Central Michigan in Week 4. Mensah entered Saturday in second place, but dropped into third place with +500 odds after Russell's early performance. Mensah and the Hurricanes face Clemson at 7:30 p.m. ET. Notre Dame quarterback CJ Carr continued his quiet, but efficient season with 234 yards and four touchdowns as the third-ranked Fighting Irish beat North Carolina 37-26. His odds rose from +1200 to +700 as he's in fourth place, but Carr's Heisman case will remain weak as Notre Dame only has three games against current AP top 25 teams on its schedule. Chambliss delivered a Heisman-worthy performance to beat his former coach Lane Kiffin and LSU in Week 3. But in the following week, Ole Miss and Chambliss fell victim to a trap game. The fourth-ranked Rebels lost 52-28 to No. 21 Florida. Chambliss still delivered a respectable statline with 298 passing yards and three total touchdowns, two of which came on the ground. But he dropped to fourth on the oddsboard at +1100 after the loss, and will need to lead Ole Miss to as many victories throughout the remainder of its SEC schedule, as the Heisman trophy is more than a statistical award. Florida's Jadan Baugh became the first running back to truly enter the 2026 Heisman conversation after a three-touchdown performance against Ole Miss. Baugh lifted Florida to a signature 52-28 win over No. 4 Ole Miss. He also became the sole leader in rushing touchdowns in college football with 11 through four games of the 2026 season. Baugh settled into fifth in the Heisman trophy odds at +1300.