The Heisman Trophy has been awarded annually to the best player in college football and has been since 1935. Some of the most notable previous Heisman winners include Barry Sanders in 1988, Herschel Walker in 1982, or more recently Joe Burrow in 2019. The Heisman Trophy continues to be considered the most decorated award in all of college sports and 2024 may just end up being the best race we have ever seen.
In recent years the Heisman has been awarded mostly to quarterbacks as they are considered the most important players on every team. This year however the two current favorites are Colorado’s Travis Hunter (wide receiver and cornerback) and Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty (running back). Travis Hunter has been getting it done on both sides of the ball with 561 yards receiving and 6 touchdowns along with 13 tackles, 2 interceptions, and a forced fumble. On the other hand Ashton Jeanty has been tearing it up on the ground with 1,031 yards rushing and 16 touchdowns in only 5 games. On top of these impressive stats, both Hunter and Jeanty have led their teams to 4-1 records so far this season.
The quarterbacks, however, have been similarly spectacular this year. Alabama star Jalen Milroe has been lights out both through the air and on the ground with 1,274 yards passing and 11 touchdowns as well as 283 yards rushing and another 9 touchdowns. Miami’s Cam Ward, Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, and Ole Miss’s Jaxson Dart are also all great candidates for this year’s Heisman Trophy. Ward currently has 23 total touchdowns on top of his 2,219 yards passing and 161 rushing. Gabriel has also started off the season strong with his 1,520 all purpose yards and 14 total touchdowns. Dart, similar to Ward, has just broken the 2,000 passing yard mark with 2,100 to go along with his 13 passing and 3 rushing touchdowns. All four of these quarterbacks have great arguments for why they should be the Heisman this year; however, winning is a huge deciding factor. Ward is currently 6-0; however, Miami has not been playing their greatest football, almost losing to unranked teams Cal Berkley and Virginia Tech in weeks 4 and 5. Gabriel is also undefeated, beating a very good Boise State team in week 2 and winning every other game by double digits. Milroe and Dart on the other hand both have one loss. Milroe looked like the clear favorite for the Heisman after soaring past a #2 ranked Georgia totaling 4 touchdowns and just under 500 yards however after being upset by an unranked Vanderbilt team there are some concerns. Questions about Jaxson Dart and Ole Miss have also been raised after they lost to Kentucky in week 4 despite winning their first 3 games by more than 35 points.
While these 6 players are the current favorites, a few other names have emerged as real candidates. Clemson’s Cade Klubnik and Georgia’s Carson Beck are two quarterbacks that have had great starts to the season and could become real contenders with big performances going forward. Texas’s Quinn Ewers was the favorite for the award coming into the season; however, after an oblique injury has fallen down the rankings. With a quick recovery however he could once again become a true candidate for the Heisman Trophy this year. Freshman stars Nico Iamaleava from Tennessee and Ryan Williams from Alabama are also two big names that have had incredible success so far and if continued could definitely be in the conversation.
As we near the halfway point of this year’s college football season the question remains, “Who will win the 2024 Heisman Memorial Trophy?” Will it be Milroe, Ward, Gabriel, Dart or any of the other star quarterbacks or will it be one the current favorites Jeanty or Hunter and become just the third non-quarterback to win the award since 2010? Either way this year’s Heisman race is shaping out to be a great one, so stay tuned and find out who will win in 2024.
