Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is the unanimous No. 1 player on the Game Day Collective Week 4 Heisman board. His performance against LSU gave him a statement win, while Mississippi State’s Kamario Taylor and Miami’s Darian Mensah emerged as his closest challengers in the GDC team’s collective vote.
The GDC team ranks 10 players on each ballot. A first-place vote earns 10 points, a second-place vote earns nine, and the scale continues through one point for 10th. We combine those points to form the weekly Top 10. The rankings below reflect GDC’s view of the race entering Week 4; they are not official Heisman Trophy voting.
GDC used its editorial order to separate players tied on points.
1. Trinidad Chambliss, QB, Ole Miss — 20 points
Chambliss earned every available point after leading Ole Miss past LSU, 32–24. He completed 33 of 48 passes for 363 yards and two touchdowns, then scored on a fourth-quarter run after LSU tied the game. It was the kind of high-stakes performance that can define an early Heisman race: production, a ranked opponent and a decisive play when Ole Miss needed one.
2. Kamario Taylor, QB, Mississippi State — 16 points
Taylor has Mississippi State in the national conversation after a 41–34 road win at South Carolina. His four touchdown passes helped the Bulldogs overcome an early deficit and win their SEC opener. Taylor sits only four points behind Chambliss on the GDC board, with another opportunity to strengthen his case as conference play continues.
3. Darian Mensah, QB, Miami — 15 points
Mensah remains firmly in the top tier. In Miami’s 33–20 win at Wake Forest, he set an ACC single-game record for consecutive completions and connected with fellow GDC Top 10 member Malachi Toney for a touchdown. The one-point gap between Mensah and Taylor shows how close the race is behind Chambliss.
4. Jadan Baugh, RB, Florida — 11 points
Baugh gives the top four a running back after another attention-grabbing performance. He rushed for 164 yards and three touchdowns in Florida’s 44–39 win over Auburn, helping the Gators secure a road SEC victory. That is a strong answer to the question every non-quarterback candidate faces: can he shape the outcome of a major game?
5. Malachi Toney, WR, Miami — 10 points
Miami has two players in GDC’s Top 10 because its passing game has given voters more than one standout. Toney caught a touchdown from Mensah at Wake Forest and holds a narrow editorial edge over Jeremiah Smith after both finished with 10 points. Their shared total makes this one of the closest calls on the board.
6. Jeremiah Smith, WR, Ohio State — 10 points
Smith remains a serious contender despite the difficulty receivers face in a quarterback-heavy race. He had five catches for 85 yards against Kent State and broke Ohio State’s career receiving yards record in the process. His place on this list reflects both his current impact and the standard he has set for the Buckeyes.
7. Nate Sheppard, RB, Duke — 8 points
Sheppard’s case keeps growing. After opening the season with 227 rushing yards against Tulane, he scored three touchdowns in Duke’s 35–7 ACC-opening win over Stanford. He received strong support on the GDC board and adds another running back capable of forcing his way into the discussion.
8. Jayden Maiava, QB, USC — 7 points
Maiava helped USC win 42–35 at Rutgers with 277 passing yards and two touchdowns. He has the production to climb, and the Trojans’ upcoming games will give GDC a clearer measure of where he belongs among the quarterbacks ahead of him.
9. Arch Manning, QB, Texas — 4 points
Manning appears on multiple GDC ballots, which gives him the edge among the players tied at four points. Texas remains squarely in the national spotlight, but Manning has ground to make up on this board. Week 4 offers another chance to turn team expectations into an individual Heisman statement.
10. Josh Hoover, QB, Indiana — 4 points
Hoover takes the final spot after helping Indiana build momentum entering Big Ten play. He threw two touchdown passes against Western Kentucky in Week 3. Keelon Russell also received four points and narrowly missed the Top 10 in GDC’s final editorial order.
The Week 4 takeaway
Chambliss has the clearest lead, but GDC’s vote shows several paths to the top. Taylor and Mensah are close behind at quarterback. Baugh and Sheppard are making their cases from the backfield. Toney and Smith keep two receivers in contention. One more big weekend could quickly change the order.
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