$1.3 million college football WR named unlikely Heisman Trophy front runner

A wide receiver at a major college football program has been named a dark horse candidate for the Heisman Trophy in 2026.

Panelists Brady Quinn (left) and Mark Ingram speak during FOX's Big Noon Kickoff football pregame show at Texas Tech University, Saturday, November 9, 2024 at Jones AT&T Stadium. | Nathan Giese/Avalanche-Journal / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Nearly two weeks have passed since the 2025 college football season ended. An extensive offseason lies between the beginning of February and the first Saturday of the 2026 college football season.

In the weeks after every college football season, the media begins to make way too early predictions for what may happen in the following season. This includes early Heisman Trophy odds, top 25 rankings and College Football Playoff bracket projections.

Former Alabama Heisman Trophy-winning running back and FOX Sports college football analyst Mark Ingram named his Heisman Trophy favorite heading into the 2026 season.

In a recent edition of The Triple Option Podcast, Ingram predicted that Miami wide receiver Malachi Toney would take home the award in his sophomore season, citing the multitude of elements he brings to the Hurricanes.

"He goes up and blocks linebackers. He blocks safeties, he got skills, and he got the wheels too," Ingram said. "He returns punts. He could throw the ball. I'm talking about a jack-of-all-trades, a real-deal baller."

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (10) carries the ball against the Ole Miss Rebels | Rob Schumacher/The Republic / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

The 5-foot-11, 188-pounder reclassified from the 2026 recruiting class to the 2025 recruiting class, joining Miami as a three-star recruit.

Toney immediately made an impact for the Hurricanes, catching 109 passes for 1,211 yards and 10 touchdowns, running the ball 23 times for 113 yards and a touchdown and returning 23 punts for 298 yards. He eclipsed the 100-yard mark through the air in five games, including a 122-yard outing in the College Football Playoff National Championship.

The ACC named Toney Rookie of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year and All-ACC First Team. The Associated Press, The Athletic and The Sporting News named Toney All-America Second Team as a wide receiver, while CBS Sports named him to the All-America Second Team as an all-purpose player.

The Heisman Trophy is a traditionally challenging award for wide receivers to win. Only five wide receivers have ever hoisted the Heisman Trophy, two of which were featured in other positions in Desmond Howard (punt returner) and Travis Hunter (cornerback).

The luck for wide receivers looking to win the Heisman Trophy has been better over the past six seasons. DeVonta Smith won the Heisman Trophy during his 1,856-yard, 23-touchdown campaign at Alabama in 2020, and Hunter received the award at Colorado in 2024.

The biggest deciding factor for wide receivers competing for Heisman Trophies is the play of the best quarterbacks in college football. 21 of the 26 players who have won the Heisman Trophy since 2000 are quarterbacks. The three other non-wide receiver recipients since 2000 have been running backs, although none of them have won the award in the last decade.

Miami Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney (10) celebrates after scoring a touchdown against the Indiana Hoosiers | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images