Breaking Down Early Heisman Contenders: Who’s Already Lighting Up the Field This Season?

The always informative/entertaining Stewart Mandel of The Athletic handled a question in his Mailbag that deserves commentary.

He starts, as I would, with Ohio State superstar receiver Jeremiah Smith.Sign up for our daily Illini football newsletter hereOf course, there is always a chance someone new could jump into the race. Like, say, Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer.He seems to have smart fans and one of them asked for his four Heisman finalists.My list at the moment, would scratch Klubnik and Mateer — both fine prospects — and replace them with Notre Dame tailback Jeremiyah Love and Penn State running back Nick Singleton. Love is a better candidate by a smidge because Singleton is going to be sharing the ball with Kaytron Allen.Mandel stared his answer by pointing out the folly of a prediction now, mentioning all the recent finalists who came from far deep on the list of potential contenders, including the guy who got my vote in 2024: Boise State tailback Ashton Jeanty.Mandel also went with Texas quarterback Arch Manning, Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik and Oklahoma quarterback John Mateer.When the chatter heats up around the next Heisman Trophy front-runners, it’s always a mix of excitement and a pinch of “wait and see” skepticism. Stewart Mandel from The Athletic recently tossed out a thought-provoking lineup in his Mailbag, blending the expected names with some intriguing possibilities. Sure, predicting Heisman finalists this early might sound like chasing shadows — remember Ashton Jeanty, the Boise State tailback who sneaked up last year? — yet the conversation itself is a thrill. At the top of the heap sits Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, a receiver with the talent and time to potentially carve his name alongside legends. Then you have Texas’s Arch Manning, Clemson’s Cade Klubnik, and Oklahoma’s John Mateer making a solid case. But mixing it up a bit, I’d swap out a couple to bring in Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love and Penn State’s Nick Singleton — the ball-sharing factor matters more than you might think. And hey, don’t count out a dark horse, like Illinois’s Luke Altmyer, who could shake things up in ways only fall Saturdays can reveal. The drama is just getting started… LEARN MOREGreetings from “Can’t Wait For Saturday,” your morning morsel of college football, courtesy of longtime Illini beat writer, AP Top 25 voter and Heisman state rep Bob Asmussen. He’ll give you his views each day on the game he loves.***Remember, Ohio State and Texas open at Columbus, so there will be some clarity in the Smith-Manning race before Labor Day.The cool thing, unless the rules change, is that Smith has two more years with the Buckeyes. So, he could potentially match Buckeyes legend Archie Griffin as a two-time winner. Sorry, cart before the horse.After that reminder, Mandel came up with a logical, reasonable list.