2022 Heisman Trophy Watch: Top 5 candidates heading into Week 10

4. Bryce Young

Young has a lot of work to do but I’m not ready to rule him out of the 2022 Heisman Trophy race just yet. He was stellar in the loss to Tennessee and if Alabama had made its field goal and won the game, he would be ahead of Hooker in this race.

That’s how fickle the Heisman Trophy race can be. It’s about individual achievement, but it’s also a team award, especially when there are so many good candidates. Guys that didn’t make this list were Chase Brown, Drake Maye, and Bo Nix.

All of those players could make it to New York. But unless Brown’s team wins the Big Ten or Maye’s wins the ACC, it won’t happen. Same with Nix and the Oregon Ducks in the Pac-12.

That’s why I’m not counting out Young just yet. He’s 18th in passing yards and 7th in QBR which ranks ahead of Williams and Duggan. He also threw for 455 yards against Tennessee and was only under 300 against Mississippi State because it was a blowout.

If Young dominates and leads Alabama to a win over LSU, Ole Miss, Auburn, and Tennessee, or Georgia, he’ll be right where he needs to be. Remember, at this time a year ago, Aidan Hutchinson wasn’t even talked about as a Heisman Trophy contender and he took second.

Things change quickly and if Young delivers and Alabama wins the SEC, I think there’s a chance he could win it again.