College Football Is 99 Days Out; Heisman Chatter Is Always With Us

There are 99 days until the return of college football. That is, If you’re reading this today. If you’re reading this tomorrow, as in, May 23, there’s 98. If you stumbled upon this in early July, there is some 50-plus days to go. (Lucky you, the season is almost here!)

We are also 203 days away from announcing the winner of the 92nd Heisman Trophy, which seems like a long way away. And it is, unless you’re a parent of a young child and you know that 203 days can go by in a blink, like fourth grade.

Before you know it, your fourth grader has graduated from high school, earned a scholarship to California and quickly got a degree with full honors, went to grad school at Indiana and is starting his first job in Las Vegas.

They grow up so fast. It feels like just yesterday that Fernando Mendoza won the 2025 Heisman and here he is now with his first company head shot.

In fact, it’s been just over 160 days since Mendoza claimed the Heisman in New York last December after leading Indiana to the national title, but he’s well on way at his new job as a Raiders quarterback.

Mendoza has participated in all of the Raiders’ OTAs (organized team activities) with team minicamps coming June 9-11. He’ll get about 5 weeks off before training camp opens in the back half of July.

By that time, dozens of 2026 Heisman hopefuls — and hundreds of other dreamers — will be neck deep in conditioning workouts ahead of the opening of their own collegiate camps.

Mendoza’s younger brother, Alberto, watched him win the Heisman up close as a Hoosier teammate and backup last season. He has since transferred to Georgia Tech and is now under the tutelage of Fernando’s fellow Heisman winner, Chris Weinke, the Yellow Jackets’ assistant head coach and offensive coordinator.

Alberto still has a quarterback job in Atlanta to win as Georgia Tech replaces 2025 Heisman 10th-place finisher Haynes King. We’ll Alberto under the category of Heisman dreamer. For now.

ESPN listed an early list of top 10 Heisman favorites on Thursday, which includes the four returning 2025 Heisman Top 10 finishers — Ohio State quarterback Julian Sayin (fourth in voting) and wide receiver teammate Jeremiah Smith (sixth), Georgia QB Gunner Stockton (seventh) and Mississippi QB Trinidad Chambliss (eighth).

Another familiar name on the top 10 list included Texas QB Arch Manning and it doesn’t get more familiar than that. Also on the list was Oklahoma QB John Mateer, who was an early 2025 Heisman favorite until injuries derailed his campaign and returning Notre Dame and Oregon starting QBs CJ Carr and Dante Moore, respectively.

An interesting name floating in the Heisman hopeful stratosphere is Sam Leavitt, the former Arizona State signal caller who transferred to LSU. Three seasons ago, that storyline led Sun Devil-turned-Tiger QB Jayden Daniels to the 2023 Heisman. New LSU Coach Lane Kiffin hopes to repeat the trick.

Speaking of catching lightning in a bottle, Indiana Coach Curt Cignetti is turning over Mendoza’s Hoosier crown to his third veteran transfer QB in a row in former TCU Horned Frog Josh Hoover.

Two years ago, Kurtis Rourke took a flyer on then first-year Hoosier coach Cignetti while Cignetti did the same with Rourke, an Ohio University transfer. Rourke led Indiana into the CFP while finishing ninth in the 2024 Heisman balloting.

Last year, Mendoza-mania took over the nation. Will Hoover have similar success? We’re definitely not betting against him.

USC boasts the most Heisman Trophy winners — eight — in the history of the game, most recently Caleb Williams in 2022. Fifth-year head coach Lincoln Riley returns Heisman hopeful QB Jayden Maiava and five offensive line starters as well as a pair of running backs and a revamped defense. That could all spell another Trojan run at a Heisman.

Texas A&M hasn’t won a Heisman since Johnny Manziel. Returning QB Marcell Reed was knee deep in the Heisman chat in 2025 and could emerge as a frontrunner in 2026.

There’s a bit of a dearth of running backs on this list. Let’s fix that. Missouri’s Ahmad Hardy saw his Heisman star shine in 2025 and is back to lead the Tigers. Fellow returning 1,000-yard rushers LJ Martin (BYU), Cam Dickey (Texas Tech), Jadan Baugh (Florida), Kewan Lacey (Mississippi) and DeSean Bishop (Tennessee) also return as rising stars, not to mention new Oklahoma State RB Caleb Hawkins, who ran for over 1,400 yards at North Texas last year.

The Heisman hopeful front always includes a mix of defensive players, offensive linemen and tight ends who are all — let’s face it — long shots. We’re self aware to admit that. But we’ve seen one wide receiver and a wideout/cornerback among our last six award winners and two defensive players finished in the top 10 last season.

So dream away everyone! You never know.