The Heisman Trophy is one of the most significant achievements a player can win during their college football career. We have seen many all-time great players win this award and go on to have great careers in the NFL. Now that we are in November, just a month away from the Heisman Trophy ceremony, four players have given themselves a legit chance to be invited to the ceremony in New York. Let’s look at this year’s contenders for college football's biggest individual prize.
Ashton Jeanty
Ashton Jeanty has taken the nation by storm with his powerful running and breakaway abilities. He has been the focal point of Boise State's run-first offense. Jeanty has already rushed for 1,734 yards and 23 touchdowns. Jeanty is averaging 7.7 yards per carry and 192.6 yards per game. Jeanty's impressive season has Boise State running for a playoff spot in the newly expanded College Football Playoff, which is set to debut this season, including 12 teams in total instead of four, as we have seen in previous seasons. With Jeanty being on pace for 2000 yards rushing and 30 touchdowns, it will take a lot of work to beat those stats.
Dillon Gabriel
Dillon Gabriel is in his first year at Oregon as the quarterback transferred from Oklahoma during the offseason, and Gabriel hasn’t looked back. Gabriel is having a career year as he has completed 74 % of his passes, throwing 2,848 yards and 22 touchdowns while running for six. This season, the Ducks are undefeated and ranked number one in both the AP Polls and College Football Playoff rankings, and a lot can be attributed to Gabriel's play for where the Ducks are at this point of the season. With a major win under his belt with Oregon already beating Ohio State this season, Gabriel has thrown his name into the thick of the Heisman Trophy race.
Cam Ward
Another transfer quarterback who’s having a Heisman-like season is Miami’s Cam Ward. After spending the previous two seasons with Washington State, Ward moved to South Florida to play for the Hurricanes. Ward has not disappointed, as he’s completing 66% of his passes while throwing 32 touchdowns in the process. Ward has been Miami's saving grace this season, with numerous second-half comebacks to help Miami stay undefeated until this past weekend’s loss to Georgia Tech. Even with the loss, Miami is still in the hunt for their first-ever ACC championship, and if Miami can pull it off Ward’s resume and numbers, it would be hard to beat.
Travis Hunter
Travis Hunter, this has been all over the field for Deion Sanders and Colorado this season. Hunter entered college as the number one player in the class of 2022 as a cornerback, but since first playing for Deion Sanders at Jackson State, Hunter has seen significant playing time lining up as a wide receiver. Hunter is doing something we haven’t seen since Charles Woodson's Heisman campaign, where a player is its team-best offensive and defensive weapon. Hunter, on the season, has 856 receiving yards while catching nine touchdowns. Hunter also is one of the nation's top corners, with seven pass breakups and two interceptions. Hunter and his teammate Shedeur Sanders have formed one of the best quarterback and wide-receiver duos in all of college football, and Hunter's ability to give the same amount of effort on the offensive side of the ball as he does on defense. With Colorado still in the thick of things in the Big 12 title game race, Hunter should like his odds of being invited to New York as things stand.
留言