Every football player grows up dreaming of one day lifting the bronze statue in New York signifying they won the most recognized individual award in all of sports. Each College Football season we begin the year with what we think is a clear list of Heisman Trophy contenders but, as the chaos of the season begins all expectations fly out the window.
Travis Hunter, Jayden Daniels, and DeVonta Smith as of late have come from off the radar to Heisman Trophy winners while players everyone has penciled in for the award have fallen short. While it's still early in the season, through three games, the Heisman Trophy list has seen some crash and burn while others have risen to the top of the list.
The 5 biggest Heisman Trophy Risers
Nothing can help a Heisman Trophy campaign like putting together a great performance in a massive primetime game. Marcel Reed's 4th and Goal game winning touchdown may be too early in the season to be considered a Heisman moment but, it's certainly enough to make him a serious contender. Reed ranks third in the SEC in passing completing 58.6% of his passes for 869 yards and 9 touchdowns with an interception while rushing for 142 yards and a score. If Reed can keep up his production in SEC play, he may at worst be in New York as a finalist.
The Oklahoma Sooners look leaps and bounds better than they were on offense last season thanks to the addition of quarterback John Mateer. The lone concern has been interceptions but, John Mateer already has 944 yards and 5 touchdowns with 3 interceptions while rushing for 161 yards and 4 touchdowns. Having the win over Michigan is key and if Mateer can continue to play at a high level he'll be one of the front runners the rest of the way.
Baylor's quarterback is quietly going from Heisman Darkhorse to contender as he's been on fire to start the season. Robertson ranks second in the Country with 1,070 yards passing and 10 touchdowns while only throwing 2 interceptions. The key to becoming a real Heisman contender is going to be using his legs more often as we haven't seen the same ability to pick up chunk plays with his legs like we saw last season.
The new look Missouri Tigers have been one of the Country's most exciting teams through the start of the season as the duo of Beau Pribula and Ahmad Hardy has taken over. Pribula has been beyond impressive as a starter completing 76.4% of his passes for 791 yards and 7 touchdowns with an interception. Pribula hasn't been running as much as he did at Penn State but, he's picked up 76 yards on the ground and 3 touchdowns which only helps his case.
The running back with the best chance of winning the Heisman isn't Jeremiyah Love but, it's Missouri star Ahmad Hardy. The UL Monroe transfer leads all Power 4 running backs with 462 yards on 57 carries with 5 touchdowns while averaging 8.1 yards per carry. Hardy is going to have to keep the same level of production in SEC play but, he's got the best chance of any Non-Quarterback.
The Heisman Trophy Fallers
There hasn't been a player who has done as much damage to their Heisman stock as quickly as Arch Manning has this season. Through three games, two of which came against far inferior opponents, Manning has completed just 55.3% of his passes for 579 yards and 6 touchdowns with 3 interceptions while rushing for 112 yards and 3 touchdowns. If Manning can't turn his seaosn around quickly, there is going to be more talk about him being benched than there will be about him as a Heisman contender.
At this point in the season, Garrett Nussmeier hasn't done anything to severely damage his Heisman Trophy stock but, he's had every opportunity to make it his race to lose and he hasn't done so. Through three games, Nussmeier has completed just 65.1% of his passes for 689 yards with 3 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. The Tigers have won two big games but, both were with defense, if he's going to remain in the Heisman race it has to start with padding his stats against Southeastern Louisiana.
The Clemson Tigers are off to a 1-2 start and it's in massive part due to the fact that their Heisman contending quarterback Cade Klubnik hasn't met the expectations. In the Tigers first three games, Klubnik has just 3 touchdowns and 3 interceptions while completing a career low 59.1% of his passes. It would take a miracle at this point for Klubnik and Clemson to get to where their goals were.
South Carolina's star quarterback came into the season with incredible hype and while he left this weekend's game with a concussion, the Gamecocks offense hadn't clicked all year before then. In 2 and a half games, Sellers only has 431 yards and 2 touchdowns with an interception passing while rushing for 45 yards and a touchdown. When Sellers returns, the offense has to find any type of rhythm if this isn't going to be a lost season.
While his backup Beau Pribula has flown up the Heisman watchlists, Drew Allar hasn't done anything to help his case through three games. Despite playing three far inferior opponents, Allar has thrown for just 626 yards and 4 touchdowns with an interception. Maybe facing tougher opponents will bring the best out of Allar but, he practically wasted his stat padding games.