Caleb Williams - It’s no surprise Williams is at number 1. He won the Heisman last year, is the project first overall pick in the 2024 NFL, and is the betting favorite at +500. The next closest betting favorite is at +1000, being Jordan Travis. Last year, Williams threw for 4,500+ yards and 42 touchdowns, while running 113 times for 382 yards and 10 touchdowns. There is really no bad thing to say about Williams, and hopefully he will be drafted first overall in the upcoming NFL Draft as a two time Heisman finalist.
Drake Maye - Maye had a strong freshman campaign last year, throwing for over 4,000 yards 38 touchdowns, and leading North Carolina in rushing yards, which is just crazy for a freshman quarterback. He finished 10th in heisman voting with 42 votes. As a redshirt sophomore this year, he could declare for the draft early, but I doubt that he does due to Caleb Williams. He has a strong supporting cast for 2023 with his top tight end, Bryson Nesbit and J.J. Jones stepping up at Wide Receiver after Josh Downs and Antoine Green left for the NFL. Obviously some other people on UNC will step up, and Drake Maye will be destined for stardom.
Michael Penix Jr - If I had to describe Penix in one word, it would be explosive. Because he’s simply just that. He threw for over 4,500 yards last season and 31 touchdowns. He also only for less than 300 yards 3 times last year. The head coach of Washington, Kalen DeBoer, was also the offensive coordinator at Indiana in 2019, the year Penix exploded on the scene before he transferred. Along with a the talent and coach, he has a pretty easy schedule, as Washington doesn’t have to play UCLA and a laughable early season schedule. They play Boise State, Tulsa, Michigan State, Cal, and the Arizona. He’s a double threat, and every thing that’s needed for a Heisman Season.
Blake Corum - Corum is the face of the Big Ten right now. C. J. Stroud in now in the NFL, and the Big Ten West is incredibly weak. He is going to carry this Michigan team, as he did last year. 1,463 yards, 18 touchdowns, and an unanimous all American was everything that made up Corum on the field last year. But he did get hurt, and had surgery on his knee, missing the Ohio State game and the Playoff Semifinal against TCU. If he can stay healthy, he’ll have a shot, but an injury could ruin his chance at the Heisman.
Jordan Travis - Travis looked like a Heisman contender at some points last year, like against Florida or Oklahoma. However, he didn’t sometimes. Let’s focus on the positives first. He had a crazy second quarter touchdown run against Florida where he broke 2 sacks, out ran a DE who had an angle on him, and juked out a Florida defender from 2 yards out. He threw for 3,124 yards. 24 touchdowns and rushed for 7 more. He played better in some games than other, such as the game against NC State. He threw for 181 yards, 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, and a 50% completion rate. If he can play more consistently, he has a real chance of winning the Heisman this year.
Jayden Daniels - Daniels took a huge step up last year after transferring out of Arizona State. After throwing 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 2021, while Jayden Daniels had 17 touchdowns and only 3 interceptions in 2022 through the air. He threw for 2,913 yards and ran for 885 yards. He took LSU to the SEC championship game, a stunning upset over Alabama, and a 63-7 route of Purdue in their bowl game. He definitely has the talent, and can bring LSU to another SEC West title. However, he led LSU in both passing and rushing last year. That might not seem like a bad thing, but that much strain on your body is potentially dangerous for Daniels. If he gets injured, that could derail his whole season, just like what happened with Jalon Daniels of Kansas last year.
Bo Nix - Bo Nix is on his 5th year of eligibility. That means he’s been around for a long time. He had his best year in 2022 since his 2019 true freshman year at Auburn. He threw for nearly 3,600 yards, 29 touchdowns, and rushed for 14 more last year, leading Oregon to a holiday bowl game win. Just like Jayden Daniels, he puts a lot of pressure on his body, which could lead to injury and hurt his chances at the Heisman. But, he is an excellent player with lots of talent, and I look forward to see his second year at Oregon.
Quinn Ewers - Even with how good Quinn Ewers was last season, the over looming doubt of Arch Manning replacing Ewers is enough for him to play out of this world. If he doesn’t want to be benched, he will play good. He threw for 2,177 yards, 15 touchdowns and 6 interceptions. He did miss a few games after a shoulder injury against Alabama, a game in which Texas lost by 1, 20-19. He missed 3 games and came back against Oklahoma, throwing for 281 yards and 4 touchdowns, en route to a 49-0 shutout win. If Ewers can stay healthy and play well, he will be in contention for the Heisman and might bring Texas back.
Drew Allar - Allar is an intriguing and interesting choice to put on this list, but I feel like he is seriously ready for big time college football. He rarely played last year while Sean Clifford was at the helm, but he did get in for over a quarter against Indiana, throwing for 75 yards and two touchdowns. He also completed the only touchdown in Penn State’s spring game, throwing for 202 yards. Even though he burned his redshirt last year, he can come in like Drake Maye on his first year starting and exceed our expectations. With a dynamic backfield of Kaytron Allen and Nicolas Singleton, both of which could be Heisman candidates later this season, there’s very little chance of Penn State’s offense from being stopped. However, Allar might not be up for the task, and he could fail our expectations, it’s just a matter of time. We’ll see on September 2nd though.
Cade Klubnik - Unlike Drew Allar, we saw some Cade Klubnik last season. He came in and replaced DJ Uiagalelei for some games, started the last game of the season and Clemson’s bowl game. He is lower on this list that Allar because he still has a lot to work on, Allar had 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, while Klubnik had 2 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. He still has a lot of talent to show off, so I can’t wait to see what he can do this season.
