College Football: 5 2023 Heisman Trophy Hopefuls
By Tyler Kruse
The college football season is approaching alarmingly fast, and with that, I wanted to dive into some obvious, and not so obvious, Heisman Trophy hopefuls for the 2023 season. Some familiar faces will be seen, but I will try to take a shot at a few relatively speaking dark-horse candidates who could surprise some. First up is the top dog himself, Caleb Williams.
Also, let’s be clear: there are plenty of other studs that will be competing for the top award in college football, including Bo Nix, Jayden Daniels, Marvin Harrison Jr., Jordan Travis, and plenty of others.
College Football Heisman Trophy Hopeful: Caleb Williams QB – USC
Let’s start with the absolute favorite in most college football fans’ eyes: USC quarterback Caleb Williams. The Sooners recruit turned Trojan will be tough to beat out following an incredible run that saw him win the award in 2022. Through 14 games total last season, Williams had an absurd stat line, completing 66.6% of his passes, throwing for 4537 yards, and compiling 52 total touchdowns to 5 interceptions.
It’s easy to see why Williams won the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious award. While it’s tough to win the award twice or repeat, it has been done once by Ohio State star running back Archie Griffin. Williams may have the best shot of anyone doing so in quite some time.
Recently, Lamar Jackson may have had the best shot at it in 2017, though he finished 3rd to Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and Stanford running back Bryce Love. If I were a betting man, I’d certainly take a shot at Williams, given the team and weapons he has around him and his comfortability in Lincoln Riley’s offense.
According to Chase Kiddy of BetMGM, Williams has +500 odds as of right now. I know earlier this year, his odds were as high as +350, but they have since dipped a bit, given the star power lurking behind him.
While it’s one of the rarest achievements in college football, and doing it back-to-back is nearly impossible, Williams has the tools to make it happen. It’s tough to bank on, but it wouldn’t be the worst bet you could make.