In the current era of college football, it is nearly a given that a quarterback will win the Heisman Trophy. In the past 15 years, just one running back (Derrick Henry in 2015) and just one wide receiver (DeVonta Smith in 2020) have won the award. Every other winner over the span was a quarterback.
It is still only September, but this season’s Heisman race is shaping up to be quite interesting. Yes, you’ll continue to see and hear about the big-name quarterbacks. Through four games, Miami’s Cam Ward has already thrown for nearly 1,500 yards and 18 touchdowns (to go along with just two interceptions). He led the ‘Canes past a good USF team last weekend and is a huge reason why Miami is the current favorite to win the ACC. Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart has thrown for 1,554 yards and is completing nearly 80 percent of his passes as he leads an offense that tends to steamroll its opponents. And Jalen Milroe, who heads into a monster matchup against Georgia this weekend off an idle week, will have the nation’s attention this Saturday.
So, of course those are all quarterbacks that remain on my list of Heisman Trophy candidates.
But where this year’s Heisman race gets interesting is its non-quarterback contenders. As I wrote last week, Colorado’s outstanding receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter deserves Heisman consideration no matter how many wins or losses the Buffs have at the end of the season. And I wrote that before he had his fourth 100-yard game as a receiver ... and forced the game-winning fumble on his 147th snap of the game. He’s just an unbelievable talent handling an unprecedented workload, and it still feels like he’s underrated because we are seeing him do things on a weekly basis that we have no frame of reference for. I’ve moved him up a few spots this week in my ranking to reflect that.
Meanwhile, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty is another non-quarterback who deserves our attention. Through 2.5 games — he sat the entire second half of the Broncos’ win over Portland State last weekend — he’s rushed for 586 yards and nine touchdowns. The last time he played in the national spotlight against Oregon, he dazzled to the tune of 192 rushing yards and three scores while helping Boise State nearly upset the Ducks. Jeanty will be top of mind again in a high-profile (albeit late-night) game against unbeaten Washington State. Pour some coffee or grab an energy drink. You’ll want to stay up to watch one of the best players in the country against one of the nation’s most entertaining teams.