Wide receivers don't win the Heisman Trophy. Only five receivers have ever won the award. In fact, it's incredibly rare for a quarterback not to win it. You need a lot of things to go in your favor to have a shot at winning it without throwing passes. Jeremiah Smith might be the guy to be able to do it.
First, let's look at the five wide receivers who have won the Heisman. Johnny Rodgers won the Heisman for Nebraska in 1972. In 1971, Rodgers led the country in all the major statistical categories. He was one of the stars of the sport coming into 1972, and he went on to lead the nation in receiving yards and touchdowns, while also rushing for 267 yards and 7 touchdowns.
Nebraska had a down year by their standards, but the Cornhuskers were coming off back-to-back national titles, and Rodgers was on TV every week in an era where not every game was accessible like it is today.
Tim Brown won the Heisman for Notre Dame in 1987. Playing for Notre Dame was the best way to get on TV back then, and Brown put up almost 1,500 yards from scrimmage and carried the Fighting Irish to an 8-4 record.
Desmond Howard won the Heisman for Michigan in 1991. He led the league in yards, catches, and touchdowns one year after leading the country in yards and touchdowns. He also had 165 yards and two touchdowns rushing, while being the best punt returner in college football. His famous Heisman moment was returning a punt for a touchdown against Ohio State. He did all of this while taking the Wolverines to a Big Ten title and a Rose Bowl appearance.
Devonta Smith won the Heisman for Alabama in 2020. The Crimson Tide played just 11 games, and Smith led the country in every major statistical category. He was Alabama's entire passing offense after teammate Jaylen Waddle suffered a season-ending injury. He finished four touchdowns shy of the single-season NCAA record in a COVID-shortened season, as he led the Crimson Tide to an undefeated season and a national title.
The most recent wide receiver to win the Heisman was Travis Hunter for Colorado in 2024. He led the nation in catches and receiving touchdowns, but Hunter won this award because he was a two-way player. He was the best cornerback in the country while being the Buffaloes' best offensive player, and he almost never came off the field.
There are a few similarities among all of these guys. They were all famous college football stars because of their production in previous seasons. Jeremiah Smith was the number one recruit in the country and the best offensive player on a national championship team as a freshman.
They have to put up big numbers that put them at the top of the leaderboards. Smith currently leads the nation in yards and touchdowns and is fourth in catches, just two behind the lead. They need to carry their offense. Jeremiah Smith doesn't have the help of Emeka Egbuka or Carnell Tate anymore, and Ohio State has struggled to run the ball, making Smith the key piece of their offense. You need to win a lot of games. Ohio State should be at the top of the polls all year long and compete for a national title.
Smith has all of the prerequisites required to win college football's most prestigious award while not playing the sport's most important position. To capitalize on this, he has to put up numbers in the games that everyone is watching. The numbers he put up this past Saturday against Illinois are ones that you rarely see in video games, as he put up career highs in catches, yards, and touchdowns, but not many people were watching that game as it was going up against Texas-Tennessee.
He needs more games like what he had in Austin, Texas, when he went for 164 yards in one of the most-watched college football games in recent years. He gets another opportunity this Saturday in Iowa City. Ohio State and Iowa are playing in the biggest game of the week in college football, with little competition in the 3:30 window.
They will have a few more of those games coming up. Their game at Indiana will be the biggest game of that week and likely have little competition in the noon window. Their game at USC is on a week light of big games. Their game against Oregon comes during one of the biggest weeks of the college football season, but it is two major brands and will draw a ton of eyes, and of course, the game at the end of the season against Michigan will be a big draw.
The final chance to make a Heisman impression could come in Indianapolis on the first Saturday in December, which will be one of the most-watched games of the season.
All of that said, the Heisman is still a quarterback award. No quarterback has fully separated himself in the race, but there is a group of guys who will have that opportunity. Trinidad Chambliss, Keelon Russell, C.J. Carr, Darian Mensah, Arch Manning, and Gunnar Stockton have all put up big numbers for the best teams in the country.
Kamario Taylor and Drew Mestemaker have also put up big numbers for teams that could make a playoff push. Malachi Toney could also be a contender, but he hasn't had to carry Miami's offense and will lose votes to his quarterback. If a team goes undefeated with big numbers from their quarterback, it's going to be really hard for Jeremiah to win the award no matter what his stats are.
Jeremiah Smith has always been a big-game player. Either he is going to put up huge numbers, or he will draw so much attention from the defense that he allows everyone else to thrive. He's the best player in college football, the most famous player in college football, and will have plenty of chances to show the world his greatness. I believe he will win the Heisman Trophy if Ohio State wins the rest of their games, but he will certainly be in New York as a finalist.
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