Now that Caleb Williams has won the 2022 Heisman Trophy, here is a look at some of the top contenders for the award in 2023.
On Saturday night, Caleb Williams became the eighth USC Trojan to win the Heisman Trophy award. Max Duggan finished second and it was a wild race.
There were ups and downs, key injuries and despite Bryce Young winning it a year ago, he didn’t even finish in the top five this time around.
Williams didn’t make the College Football Playoff and the Trojans lost their last game but he was incredible all season long and the Heisman Trophy voters rewarded him for his role in USC’s incredible turnaround.
Winning the Heisman Trophy award in back-to-back years has proven to be very difficult. Young was thought to have as good a shot as anyone to be the first since Archie Griffin.
Now, it will be Williams’s turn to make a run at it, and with that in mind, here are the top contenders for the 2023 Heisman Trophy.
Caleb Williams, USC
Some of the receivers might be different but Caleb Williams is going to have weapons and it’s not hard to see him putting up big numbers again next year under Lincoln Riley.
Williams and the Trojans announced they are back this season as a college football power and next season, they will be looking to get the playoff.
If Williams has big numbers again and the Trojans are able to win the Pac-12 championship, he will definitely be in the mix to win the award again. He’s an incredible passer but his ability as a runner and to avoid the pass rush, adds to his candidacy even more.
Drake Maye
Maye was in the Heisman Trophy mix until a couple of late losses but he put up huge numbers this past season. The North Carolina OC Phil Longo just left for Wisconsin so it will be interesting to see how that could impact Maye.
There have been rumors about leaving for a different program but nothing has happened and it looks like he will be sticking around.
Mack Brown has coached a Heisman Trophy winner before and after 42 total touchdowns this season and more than 4,700 total yards, Maye is a viable contender.
The award has basically turned into one for quarterbacks with the top six finishers in the 2022 Heisman Trophy voting being quarterbacks. So as long as the Tar Heels can make a solid hire at offensive coordinator, Maye should put up big numbers.
The Tar Heels will need to replace Josh Downs too who is headed to the NFL draft but that shouldn’t be an issue.
It also shouldn’t be hard to find an OC that wants to work with Maye. That would be my top agenda item if I was Mack Brown because keeping Maye happy and away from the transfer portal should be the top priority.
Cade Klubnik, Clemson
Cade Klubnik didn’t even start the ACC championship game against North Carolina but completed 20-of-24 passes for 275 yards and also ran for 30 yards. He accounted for two touchdowns and did enough to finally be named the starter.
Clemson won the ACC championship with its five-star freshman and now he will take on the role full-time in 2023.
The running game should be really good and the passing weapons are going to be stellar. Dabo Swinney isn’t afraid to open up with the offense with an outstanding quarterback and Klubnik should prove to be a big upgrade.
This season, in limited snaps, he completed 67 percent of his passes and averaged eight yards per pass. He also has the ability to run and the Tigers are going to be formidable next season, which is another reason why he’s a name to watch in the 2023 Heisman Trophy race.
Michael Penix Jr.
It’s amazing what a transfer can do. Sometimes, a player needs to find the right coach and the right system and Michael Penix Jr. did that at Washington.
He threw for over 4,500 yards this season as Washington posted a 10-2 record. If USC had beaten Utah and clinched a playoff berth, the Huskies would be headed to the Rose Bowl.
Everyone wants to talk about USC and how quickly the Trojans turned things around after a 4-win season but Washington was pretty bad in 2021 too. Remember losing to Montana?
Jimmy Lake was fired and it seemed like it was going to take to rebuild what Chris Petersen had constructed. Turns out, an elite quarterback will go a long way.
Penix Jr. finished in the top 10 of the Heisman Trophy voting this time around and just missed being a finalist. If he played at a different school, he probably would have been among the top 4 and he should have been over Stetson Bennett.
Team success matters and the bottom line is that if Penix played at USC, Georgia, or Alabama, he might be holding the Heisman Trophy right now. Yet, there is still time, and next season, people should be more aware of what he can do.
Donovan Edwards or Blake Corum
This is a quarterback award for the most part but if there is one running back capable of winning it next season, it’s going to be a Michigan Wolverine.
I say that because while Donovan Edwards is an obvious Heisman Trophy candidate, it kind of depends on what Blake Corum does.
Following his injury, it’s not out of the realm of possibility that he returns. He is going to be 100 percent within a few months and definitely by next season but his pre-draft process could be interrupted.
If Corum returns, the No. 7 vote-getter in 2022 would be high on the list of favorites. If not, Edwards, who leads college football with four 60-yard runs this season would certainly have a chance.
Edwards had 225 total yards and two scores against Ohio State, 185 rushing yards against Purdue, and also 173 yards and two touchdowns against Penn State. Edwards also had a 47-yard run against Rutgers and had four games with at least one reception of 20 yards.
He’s an explosive play waiting to happen and if Corum leaves for the NFL, he will take center stage as Michigan’s Heisman Trophy candidate at running back.
J.J. McCarthy
If you haven’t guessed it, Michigan should be really good next season and that sets up well for quarterback J.J. McCarthy to be a Heisman Trophy candidate.
The Wolverines relied heavily on Blake Corum this past season and part of that had to do with McCarthy still learning the position, especially at this level.
But when Corum went out, McCarthy had to take on a bigger role and he’s done that. He led the Wolverines to a come-from-behind win over Illinois with a last-second field goal.
McCarthy then threw three touchdowns of 45 yards or more against Ohio State, while also adding a rushing touchdown. The passing game should open up next season and McCarthy is dynamic.
He’s going to have some of those wow moments and after already beating Ohio State on the road (Michigan’s first win in Columbus in 22 years) and winning a second Big Ten title, he shows up in big games too which is a requirement to win the Heisman Trophy.
Marvin Harrison Jr.
DeVonta Smith showed a few years ago that non-quarterbacks can still win the Heisman Trophy award. But they have to be off the charts and dominant from the get-go.
Marvin Harrison Jr. dominated this season for the Buckeyes and emerged as the No. 1 target of C.J. Stroud who was a Heisman Trophy finalist for the second straight year.
Stroud was great. But the best player on the Buckeyes this season, at least down the stretch, was Harrison who totaled 1,157 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
Yet, in the last five games, Harrison Jr. averaged 112 yards per game and I see no reason that number can be even higher in 2023.
Ohio State will have a new starting quarterback but whether it’s Kyle McCord or Devin Brown, the Buckeyes will be just fine and Harrison Jr. should put up big numbers.
Winning the Heisman might take 150 receiving yards per game or something closer to 2,000 than 1,000 but if any wideout can do it, Harrison is it.
Jayden Daniels
Before a loss late in the season to Texas A&M, Jayden Daniels was starting to gain some momentum as a 2022 Heisman Trophy candidate and it was easy to see why.
The passing numbers weren’t eye-popping like Hendon Hooker, but he threw for over 2,700 yards and 16 touchdown passes while also running for 818 yards and 11 touchdowns. There was also the clutch play in the win over Alabama including a game-winning two-point conversion.
Daniels hasn’t said if he’s coming back for next season or not but the Tigers found a good thing in 2023 and another year with Brian Kelly should be a good thing for the former Arizona State QB.
I don’t see NFL teams beating down his door. He needs to improve as a passer yet with his dual-threat ability, he could put up some gaudy numbers and if he can lead LSU to another win over Alabama, you never know what could happen.