Heisman Watch 2018: Top 5 Heisman Trophy hopefuls after Week 1

Every week I’ll name my top five candidates for the 2018 Heisman Trophy, and break down why they make the list.

Maybe you can’t win the Heisman Trophy in September, but you can certainly put your stamp on making the list. Once the voters are watching you, anything can happen.

The full crop of Heisman hopefuls in 2018 is once again very quarterback-heavy, but my top five candidates after the first week of the season have a healthy mix of varied positions and skills.

Much of what we see in the early part of the season won’t matter once November rolls around, but even early Heisman moments can mean a lot in a close race.

The number five Heisman Trophy candidate on my list is a surprise entry, and one of the players I had on my dark-horse candidates to win the award in 2018.

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins had a lot to deal with coming into the season’s opening game against Oregon State. Not only was he stepping in to fill some pretty big shoes, but his head coach had been suspended and his school was under fire from every direction.

Haskins responded with a five-touchdown performance against the Beavers, leading Ohio State to a 77-31 rout, completing 72 percent of his passes for 313 yards.

It wasn’t just stats which impressed me about Haskins’ game, he showed tremendous poise and made a lot of good decisions.

The stakes (and competition) will go up slightly this week for the Buckeyes when they travel to New Jersey to take on the Rutgers Scarlet Knights, but I would probably expect more of the same out of Haskins.

The Buckeyes have themselves a quarterback, and that offense is the real deal. Look for Haskins to only move up in the eyes of Heisman voters as the season wears on.