Ohio State Buckeyes have four Heisman candidates who are not quarterbacks heading into 2024 college football season

The Heisman Trophy is perhaps the most iconic trophy and award for individual achievement in all of sports. Every year it is awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the United States--or at least that's supposed to be the case. However, in recent years it seems that the trophy often simply goes to the best quarterback on the best team.

In fact, there have only been four non-quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy this century: Devonta Smith (WR, Alabama), Derrick Henry (RB, Alabama), Mark Ingram (RB, Alabama), and Reggie Bush (RB, USC). Three of the four hailing from the prime Alabama years. Reggie Bush of course coming from one of the best college football teams ever assembled.

Will that trend continue again in 2024? Or in a year where we lack clear consensus as to who the best returning quarterbacks in the country are will there be a surprise non-quarterback that takes home the trophy? According to a composite of betting odds across several major sports books there are certainly at least a dozen strong candidates to win the Heisman that do not play quarterback.

Among these top non-quarterbacks are four Ohio State players, a two-way athletic phenom, and some intriguing wide receivers and running backs to watch for this fall. But can any of them win? Let's take a look.

Top 12 Non-Quarterback Heisman Betting Favorites

1. Travis Hunter, WR/CB Colorado +4867
2. Ollie Gordon, RB Oklahoma State +6483
3. Trevor Etienne, RB Georgia, +7417
4. Luther Burden, WR Missouri +7500
5. Quinshon Judkins, RB Ohio State +7583
6. TreVeyon Henderson, RB Ohio State +8875
7. Donovan Edwards, RB Michigan +8900
8. CJ Baxter, RB Texas +9800
9. Emeka Egbuka, WR Ohio State +10000
10. Tetairoa McMillan, WR Arizona +11000
11. Evan Stewart, WR Oregon +11500
12. Jeremiah Smith, WR Ohio State +12500

None of these names should surprise avid college football fans, but the odds are obviously considered rather long for any of them to actually pull off winning the Heisman. Travis Hunter leads the way with what equates to a 2% probability given the presented betting market prices, and even that's probably too high considering how tough Colorado is likely going to have it again this season.

Ollie Gordon is fresh off a 2000-yard season (in yards from scrimmage) where he scored 22 touchdowns. If he does that again and Oklahoma State takes a step forward as a team he's certainly going to be in the mix down the stretch in 2024.

The other top running backs in the mix this year all likely face an uphill climb to bring home the trophy given that Trevor Etienne, Quinshon Judkins, TreVeyon Henderson, Donovan Edwards, and CJ Baxter all live in backfields where there's recent track record of fairly split work among running backs. Plus surrounding talent for each running back somewhat diminishes the perception of individual accomplishment just by default. However, they're all certainly in the mix to be top draft picks in the coming year(s), so they may gain some momentum as the fall progresses.

Related: Former Ohio State Buckeyes football star's son earns scholarship offer and he isn't even in high school yet

Every single one of the wide receivers seem like potential great values. All five of them are attached to incredible projected offenses and quarterbacks who can get rather target-heavy towards their lead wide receiver. If any of their teammates around them go down with injury (similar to Devonta Smith's story in 2020) there could be a real path to winning the Heisman for Luther Burden, Emeka Egbuka, Tetairoa McMillan, Evan Stewart, and Jeremiah Smith (the true freshman).

Ohio State Heisman Favorites

The most likely school to take down a non-quarterback Heisman this year is Ohio State by far. There's not a single school besides the Buckeyes who have multiple Heisman candidates with greater true probability to win it higher than even a half percent. But again, can any of them actually win it?

When you include Will Howard, the likely starting quarterback, the implied odds on the betting market are considered to be over 10% that an Ohio State player wins the Heisman Trophy. However, if you remove him, the odds are less than 5% that any of the four non-quarterback takes down the award.

It would be tough, but there's a good chance Ohio State has the best roster they've had in a decade, and could absolutely destroy much of their schedule this year. Thanks to Chip Kelly's run-heavy focus the best bets may be either Quinshon Judkins or TreVeyon Henderson at running back. Especially since both have put up incredible peak numbers before already. It is important to note though, that Emeka Egbuka was barely second fiddle to Marvin Harrison Jr. just two short years ago. And true freshman Jeremiah Smith is supposed to be the best true freshman wide receiver of all time (and you can see why in his 2023 highlights video below).

Only time will tell if a non-quarterback can actually win the 2024 Heisman Trophy, but in a season where there isn't a clear alpha quarterback it sure does seem like the market may be a bit low on skill position players overall.

We'll be back with more College Football coverage here at A to Z Sports all year long! Follow me (@FF_TravisM) on X (Twitter) for all the latest football news!