Back in the preseason, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel was considered one of the favorites to win the Heisman Trophy, college football’s most prestigious individual award. The Oklahoma transfer was one of the most experienced signal-callers in the country, and he was pairing up with the offensive coordinator who’d helped Michael Penix Jr. earn a trip to New York City. As far as way-too-early bets go, his was about as safe as one could be.
So, I chose Gabriel as my preseason Heisman pick. It went hand-in-hand with my preseason national champion pick — Gabriel’s Ducks. If Oregon was truly a title contender, I figured, its quarterback had a great chance to win the Heisman.
I still believe this. Gabriel is the current betting favorite to win the award, per BetMGM, and he’s been skyrocketing up most pundits’ lists of contenders ever since the Ducks’ monster win over Ohio State in a top-three showdown. And all he’s done since is take care of business convincingly in blowout wins over Purdue and Illinois. It’s taken the better part of two months to get to this point, but I think most of us who have watched this team do believe it’s one of the most complete teams in the nation. I personally think it is, and this team is a far cry from the one that struggled at times in its first two games, a too-close-for-comfort win over Idaho, followed by a three-point win over Boise State — a win that looks better now, considering how well the Broncos and their star running back have played since). Our early-season impression of the Ducks was one of disjointedness and a shaky offensive line; both of those issues were addressed, reworked and fixed.
Gabriel has thrown for 2,371 yards and 18 touchdowns through eight games. He leads FBS in completion percentage, and he’s actually completing a higher percentage of his passes on the road (80.0) than he is at home (74.1). In the win over Ohio State, Gabriel threw for 341 yards and accounted for three total touchdowns. He ranks among the nation’s best in yardage per game and yards per attempt. The Oregon offense has been humming as of late, especially its passing attack — which is why Gabriel is near the top of my Heisman candidate list this week.
Gabriel is not sitting in that top spot, however. I’ve still got it reserved for Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, who averages nearly 200 yards per game. He’s rushed for 18 touchdowns through seven games, and he averages 8.65 yards per carry (and 6.42 yards per carry after contact, per PFF). He’s explosive, with 29 rushes of more than 10 yards on the year and a run of at least 50 yards in all but one of his games this season.
All that to say, Jeanty is a beast. He’s as special a running back as we’ve seen in college football, and he’s become a household name because he is appointment viewing. And in the biggest game of the season so far for Boise State — against UNLV last weekend — he rushed for 128 yards and scored the game-winning touchdown. His stat line looked underwhelming by his own insanely high standards, but it’s clear to anyone who watched that Jeanty was a difference-maker. I’m not knocking him off his perch atop my list after working so hard for every yard he earned in a game that the Broncos needed to win to position themselves well for the 12-team College Football Playoff.
Meanwhile, you’ll see familiar names in this top five, as Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter is fully healthy and back to dominating games on both sides of the ball, with 137 snaps in the Buffs’ win over Cincinnati, per PFF. Hunter had nine catches for 153 receiving yards and two touchdowns; afterward Colorado coach Deion Sanders called Hunter “the best college football player in the country” and asked (rhetorically) why it’s even up for debate. Hunter was extremely limited in the two previous games due to injury, but it’s great to have him back and fully in the mix for this award again. And, of course, Cam Ward, Miami’s magician of a quarterback, checks in at No. 4 after leading the ‘Canes to an 8-0 start, with seven of those wins featuring 300-plus passing yards from Ward himself. He’s simply electric, and as Miami stays in the hunt for a CFP bid, he’ll continue to play on big stages.
The newcomer to my top five is Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik. While most of the nation wrote off the Tigers after their Week 1 loss to Georgia, Klubnik and his offense went back to work. And he’s reeled off seven consecutive wins, throwing for 1,694 yards and 20 touchdowns to just two interceptions during that span. Clemson could very well play for an ACC title in a few weeks, and Klubnik’s play is a huge reason way. It’s time to pay attention to one of Dabo Swinney‘s quarterbacks once again (for good reasons this time).
