Preseason Heisman Favorites & Sleepers
The Off The Charts Football Podcast is going to venture into college football a bit more this season and it got started by doing a deep dive on the Heisman Trophy hopefuls heading into the 2026 season, both from a scouting and statistical perspective.
They explained why CJ Carr might not be the favorite and why Arch Manning might not be a great pick either. Who did they like? Dante Moore of Oregon, Darian Mensah at Miami and maybe a few others too.
A selection of comments from the episode:
Ryan Rubinstein on Manning: “There are not as many stats that actually suggest that he should be up there with these favorites, but I think a lot of people are counting on the addition of Cam Coleman from Auburn in the transfer portal as someone else that he can just get the ball to and be able to make plays for him, boost those passing numbers even more and help him make that jump even more as a passer.”
Alex Vigderman on Trinidad Chambliss: “ He was better against good defenses last year and it was a pretty balanced schedule. Some guys have a lot of games against tough competition or a lot of games against easier competition. He was pretty balanced and did meaningfully better against the good defenses.”
Jeff Dean on Moore: “So we have a perfect storm of everything required for a Heisman candidate right here. Plays on a big spotlight, is gonna have all the attention on him, has proven production, played a ton of really good defenses last year, and maybe didn't play quite as well as he did against the weaker competition, but he played well against those teams. They’re gonna be a national title contender. They spent a lot of money this off-season to put a lot of great players again around him.”
The NFL Draft Website has scouting reports for more than 400 of the top players. With that, we’ve got ratings and rankings. It’s basically everything a GM would want to know about the NFL’s top rookies heading into the 2026 season.
Our statistical information package includes Total Points, our proprietary metric that values everything that happens on the field, as well as position-specific performance data in the form of raw totals, averages, and percentile rankings. And we explain our stats in our glossary.
Also From SIS
We have Brandon Lowe in both print and podcast form talking about a maneuver he added that has made a big difference for him defensively. He’s joined on the podcast by Guardians catcher Austin Hedges, who explained the strategy behind pitch challenges.
“Vahn Lackey also fared very well in our “expected stats.” He had the fourth-highest xSlug* of any player we tracked (.470).” - Mark Simon on the top players in the Draft.
What We’re Reading/Watching
“Could you draw the conclusion that it's possible to win the Super Bowl without a quarterback drafted at the very top of the first round? Absolutely.” - Bill Barnwell, ESPN
The issue in question is a high chase percentage and a high rate of being pitched out of the strike zone, per Chase Owens of Fansided.
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More from the SIS Community
On Off the Charts, members of the R&D team, and special guests dig into statistical insights, tactical analysis, and personal opinions, aimed at providing listeners with a comprehensive understanding of the week's key matchups and the intricacies of the sport. On The SIS Baseball Podcast, we interview current players and coaches about defensive excellence and review the latest baseball news.
The Fielding Bible Website
The FieldingBible.com website is a great resource for your defensive stat needs. It features player and team stats, Defensive Runs Saved leaderboards, and more.
