There are always some surprises when it comes to the Heisman Trophy race with players coming out of "nowhere" making it to the finals in New York, but this year has been a bit different.
Normally there are a handful of quarterbacks jockeying for position, changing places seemingly every week. Not so, this year. A two-way offensive and defensive star, a running back looking to break Barry Sanders' records, and just one quarterback have all but locked up their spot as finalists for the Heisman Trophy this year.
Real Midseason Heisman Candidates
Cameron Ward, QB Miami
There hasn't been a more consistently impressive quarterback in all of college football than Cameron Ward. According to the A to Z Sports College Football QB Performance Model he is the number one quarterback in the nation by a good margin.
Why?
He's first in passing yards per game, total yards per game, total touchdowns per game, second in yards per play, second in QBR, second in total adjusted net yards per play, and fourth in EPA per play. And he makes absurd plays like the one against Florida in the post below.
Cameron Ward was a wildly inconsistent passer in every year prior to this one, but just like the huge jump we saw from Jayden Daniels last year at LSU, Ward's deep accuracy and consistency has leaped forward exponentially for Miami. He's on pace for nearly 4500 yards passing and 46 total touchdowns on the year with nation-leading pass efficiency marks.
Ashton Jeanty, RB Boise State
Through six games Ashton Jeanty already has more rushing yards than 109 entire teams have across all of FBS. He's logged 1,248 rushing yards on 126 carries, averaging nearly 10 yards per carry. If he speeds things up just a bit he'll break Barry Sanders' all-time single season record of 2,628 rushing yards. And Jeanty will have done it on perhaps 100 fewer carries. He's the best running back in the country by far.
Jeanty has broken off 18 carries of over 15 yards on the season. He's averaging 7.25 yards after contact per carry. Read that again. 7.25 yards after contact per carry. There hasn't been a running back quite like Jeanty in the history of college football.
Travis Hunter, CB/WR Colorado
Speaking of unique players, Travis Hunter is a unicorn. He's logged nearly 700 total snaps already through six games and that's with him missing some time against Kansas State. Hunter is Top 10 in the nation for receiving yards with just shy of 600. And at the same time he's allowing just 7.9 yards per reception in coverage. There are certainly going to be plenty of debates surrounding which position he should choose in the NFL for the next several months.
Hunter's ball skills, production, athleticism, and importance to his team make an unbelievably good case for Travis Hunter to win the Heisman this season. The key for him will be staying healthy given his wild snap count totals every week. Hunter struggled at times staying on the field in 2023 and he just missed his first significant snaps last week.
Related: College Football 2024 Midseason All-Americans List features far too many SEC and Big Ten star players
Midseason Heisman Honorable Mentions
Kurtis Rourke, QB Indiana
Indiana has played one of the softest schedules in the country, but Kurtis Rourke's high level pass efficiency numbers are near perfection. First in QBR. First in yards per play. First in total adjusted net yards per pass attempt. However, he's going to have a tough time winning the award playing for Indiana. And it's likely he slips up against some real opponents soon.
Jaxson Dart, QB Ole Miss
Surprisingly Jaxson Dart hasn't logged a true "down" game, but the two losses really hurt his chances at winning the Heisman Trophy. He still sits top five for most meaningful rate stats like passer rating, adjusted yards per pass attempt, and yards per play, but his raw totals might not get where they need to be as his SEC schedule ramps up the difficulty.
Jalen Milroe, QB Alabama
Jalen Milroe's big play potential through the air and on the ground give him one of the highest NFL ceilings for a quarterback in college football, but his decision-making in some key moments this year has disappointed. He's still tied for most total touchdowns per game, but his key stats aren't quite on Heisman pace and a loss to Vanderbilt is crippling for his chances.
Dillon Gabriel, QB Oregon
The best argument for Dillon Gabriel to win the Heisman right now is that he just beat Ohio State and is in prime position to possibly win the Big Ten Championship this year with Oregon. The only real statistical edge he holds is via his completion percentage thanks to the Ducks' schematic tendency to pepper targets underneath. He's a very good college quarterback, but his play shouldn't likely make him a finalist for the Heisman Trophy.
Winner: Ashton Jeanty, RB Boise State
While it's true, we haven't seen a player quite like Travis Hunter succeed to the degree he does on both sides of the ball , the Heisman Trophy isn't awarded to the most unique player in college football. It goes to the best. And Ashton Jeanty is simply the best, not only at his position this year, but perhaps ever in terms of college football production in a single season.
The last three running backs to win the award were Derrick Henry in 2015, Mark Ingram in 2009, and Reggie Bush in 2005. Henry logged 2200 rushing yards and 28 touchdowns. Ingram and Bush were both impressive all-purpose weapons who tallied around 2000+ yards from scrimmage as well. Jeanty is on pace to crush every single one of those seasons. He's the winner.
Related: Colorado star Travis Hunter bashes Ashton Jeanty's Heisman Trophy case in favor of his own
Be looking for more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) and A to Z Sports (@AtoZSportsNFL) on X for all the latest football news!
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