There are also three other quarterbacks Klatt noted in Alabama's Ty Simpson, Oklahoma's John Mateer and Texas ' Arch Manning. All three are eligible to declare for the 2026 NFL Draft, with Simpson going in the first round of FOX Sports NFL Draft expert Rob Rang's latest mock draft .

On Dec. 13, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love continued the trend, racing to New York City for the Heisman ceremony ahead of Fernando Mendoza's victory.

On Sunday, Pavia issued an apology for the comment on X.

Diego Pavia is officially listed by Vanderbilt as 6-feet tall, but standing next to the other three Heisman finalists, that measurement seemed dubious

Julian Sayin, Jeremiah Smith and three others are already 2026 Heisman favorites, but five more players that could crash the race.

Pate claims inattentive voters made last-minute decisions based on the Big Ten Championship game, overlooking Pavia's superior season-long performance and reducing the award to "the last shiny object they saw.