2026 Heisman Trophy Predictions: CJ Carr Aiming for the Top Spot as Arch Manning Follows Close Behind
The race for the prestigious Heisman Trophy is heating up with CJ Carr leading the odds, followed closely by Arch Manning and other notable contenders.
The dust has hardly settled on the 2025 season for Heisman Trophy winner Fernando Mendoza, but the search for his successor as the best player in college football is already on. Most of the stars who finished behind the Indiana star in this year’s voting are off to the NFL, but returning finalist Julian Sayin will be back at Ohio State as a Heisman contender once again and a number of rising standouts will join him in the race for the sport’s highest honor.
Among those up-and-comers is CJ Carr, the quarterback from Notre Dame, who generated buzz early in his first season as the starter and is the betting favorite to win the award in 2026, per FanDuel. Just behind Carr on the odds board is Arch Manning, quarterback for Texas, poised for a breakout campaign due to his name recognition and talent.
Trends suggest that a quarterback will hoist the trophy, and many transfers will also be in the mix. Traditionally, most of the recent winners have been quarterbacks, with only one of the last five and two out of the last ten playing positions other than quarterback. Preseason favorites often fail to deliver on expectations, while recent winners have often surprised.
Here are the 2026 Heisman Trophy odds at the beginning of the offseason:
Odds via FanDuel
- QB CJ Carr, Notre Dame (+800)
- QB Arch Manning, Texas (+850)
- WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State (+1100)
- QB Julian Sayin, Ohio State (+1100)
- QB Josh Hoover, Indiana (+1100)
- QB Dante Moore, Oregon (+1100)
- QB Gunner Stockton, Georgia (+1300)
- …
The landscape is vibrant with potential candidates, and as they embark on this new season, all eyes will be on who can emerge from the shadows to claim college football’s most hallowed individual honor.
