2021 Heisman Trophy: Breaking down finalists plus a final prediction

The four finalists for the 2021 Heisman Trophy have been named and here’s where the race stands with Bryce Young, Aidan Hutchinson, Kenny Pickett, and C.J. Stroud headed to New York.

Bryce Young of Alabama is the heavy favorite to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy award but he will be joined by three others in New York for the final presentation at the Downtown Athletic Club.

The Heisman candidates that would join Young were the subject of much debate. Many wondered if Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson would get an invite and after four sacks against Iowa and Ohio State the last two weeks, he got a much-deserved invitation.

Hutchinson probably isn’t going to beat out Young, who led Alabama to a 41-24 win over Georgia last week with 421 passing yards and three touchdowns — but he also engineered a late comeback against Auburn the week before the SEC title game to keep the Tide’s national title hopes alive.

Now that he has had defining moments in back-to-back weeks — three in a row actually if you count the Arkansas game — Young will be hard to unseat.

However, Hutchinson has made a strong case. He’s likely going to be the No. 1 pick of the 2022 NFL draft in April and is the most impactful defender in all of college football.

Alabama wouldn’t be in the College Football Playoff without Bryce Young but the Wolverines wouldn’t have won the Big Ten or made the playoff without Hutch either.

And you have to admit, “Hutch for Heisman” has a nice ring to it.

C.J. Stroud, the talented Ohio State quarterback, also got an invitation, as did Kenny Pickett, who led Pittsburgh to the ACC championship this weekend a win over Wake Forest.

Predicting the order of the 2021 Heisman Trophy race

While Young is the favorite to win the award, and it would be stunning if he didn’t, I have a strong feeling that Hutchinson will take second.

It doesn’t make sense that Stroud would pass Hutchinson. The Michigan defensive end was the best player in the Big Ten and the proof was in the pudding last Saturday.

Hutchinson’s team won “The Game” and won the Big Ten title. Stroud had good numbers against Michigan but they were empty. Hutch also sacked him three times.

So my predicted order of finish for the 2021 Heisman Trophy is Young, Hutchinson, Stroud, and Pickett. Kenneth Walker is the only thing close to a snub in terms of finalists and I’d expect him to be fifth in the voting when it’s all said and done.