Heisman Trophy watch 2021: Top 5 candidates after Week 1

The first full week of college football is now in the books which makes it a perfect time to update the top five candidates in the Heisman Trophy race for 2021.

One of the most exciting aspects of the college football season is the Heisman Trophy race. There isn’t another award like it in sports and after Week 1 of the season, the campaign is on.

Just like with any political campaign, there are early risers and fallers. There are candidates that fare better than expected and some who have a gaffe they just can’t recover from.

Sam Howell comes to mind in that department. One of the early-season favorites to win the Heisman Trophy fell flat on his face with three interceptions against Virginia Tech, in a game the Tar Heels ended up losing.

And if there’s one thing that’s worse than a poor performance, it’s a poor performance in a high-profile loss. North Carolina can recover and Howell can in the Heisman Trophy race too but it won’t be easy and will take some impressive performances along the way.

Not every Heisman contender played well, which can be expected in the first week of the college football season. But as we all know, every game matters in the playoff race and the race for the Heisman Trophy.

So here’s our top five after Week 1:

Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral has been a trendy Heisman pick all offseason and there’s no doubt that he’s going to put up huge numbers this season in Lane Kiffin’s offense.

He stole the show in Monday’s win over Louisville, throwing for 381 yards and one touchdown. He’ll need to throw more TDs but he will and he’s going to have a chance to face some high-profile opponents.

Corral isn’t likely to be on a team that contends for a playoff berth but as Johnny Football showed us, one spectacular season, coupled with an extraordinary upset, can do wonders for a Heisman Trophy campaign.

While Corral shined in Week 1, others such as Howell struggled, so he makes our first list of top-five contenders.