Miami’s Darian Mensah is now the clear Heisman Trophy favorite, leading his Hurricanes to an undefeated 8-0 record and the No. 1 spot in the country. The path to the Heisman is wide open after Fernando Mendoza’s perfect 2025 season with Indiana, but no one could’ve predicted this kind of early season dominance.
Mensah Takes the Top Spot, And He’s Unstoppable Against the Blitz
Yeah, Mensah has officially leaped over Ohio State’s Jeremiah Smith, hitting +160 on the Heisman odds board after a huge performance against North Carolina. He carved up the Tar Heels, completing 22 of 29 passes for 274 yards, throwing three touchdowns, and crucially, no interceptions. For the season, this dude’s got 25 touchdown passes and just one pick. Are you kidding me? But here’s the wild part, the thing that tells you everything you need to know: Mensah is absolutely unreal when teams try to blitz him. He’s completed 58 of 66 passes against the blitz, an insane 87.9% completion rate, racking up an FBS-high 15 touchdowns without a single interception. He literally has more touchdown passes against the blitz than incompletions. That’s unheard of! This guy doesn’t just manage the pressure, he turns it into points. The upcoming matchup against Notre Dame is gonna be massive, like, make-or-break for his Heisman campaign. You know all eyes will be on that game.
Toney Rises, While Smith Stumbles From The Top
It’s not just Mensah making moves for the Hurricanes, his teammate, wide receiver Malachi Toney, is also making a serious run. Toney jumped Jeremiah Smith on the odds board too, now sitting at +300, trailing only his quarterback. Against North Carolina, Toney grabbed seven passes for 75 yards and two touchdowns. That put his season total at 13 receiving touchdowns, tying Leonard Hankerson’s Miami single-season record from way back in 2010. And get this, he did it in just eight games! His 23 career receiving touchdowns also tie him with Lamar Thomas for second in school history, with only Michael Irvin’s 26 ahead of him. That’s legendary company.
Meanwhile, the guy who was supposed to run away with it, Jeremiah Smith, is now third at +325. Smith made some history of his own, passing Braylon Edwards for the most career receiving touchdowns in Big Ten history with 40. He also holds Ohio State career records for receptions and receiving yards, which is insane. But Ohio State’s loss to USC absolutely crushed his Heisman chances, knocking him from the top spot. Add to that the fact that quarterback Julian Sayin is still sidelined and could be out for a while, and Smith’s path to the Heisman just got a whole lot tougher. It’s a brutal break.
Carr Eyes A Climb As The Season Heats Up
Don’t count out Notre Dame’s CJ Carr, though. He’s sitting fourth on the odds board at +1275 after a solid bounce-back win against Navy. Carr completed 19 of 29 passes for 210 yards, threw two touchdowns, and had zero interceptions in that game. He’s already thrown 18 touchdowns this season. That Notre Dame game next week against Miami? It’s not just big for Mensah, it’s huge for Carr, too. This Heisman race is officially on fire, and you won’t want to miss what happens next.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Fox Sports.
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