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Andrea Adelson, Senior Writer, ESPN
Nothing about this Heisman Trophy race followed the script we expected. First of all, there is no representative from the SEC who has won four of the last five trophies.
Perhaps even more surprising is that the same top four players on the midseason list remain on this list, albeit in a slightly different order. Colorado receiver/defensive back Travis Hunter moved up Ashton Jeanty past Boise State for the No. 1 spot. However, the two points are only five points apart, suggesting a tight race that could be at stake.
Both quarterbacks might have something to say about that. Back in 2000, quarterbacks have won the Heisman 20 times. Over the last 14 years, the only non-QBs to win were wide receiver Devonta Smith in 2020 and running back Derrick Henry in 2015. Additionally, no player from outside a power conference has won this award since Ty Detmer in 1990.
Here’s how ESPN writers voted for the top Heisman candidates heading into the final week of the regular season. 10 players received votes in this poll.
To determine the final rankings, 12 voters were asked to select their top five. In the 1st place vote, a total of 5 points were earned, including 4 points for the 2nd place vote, 3 points for the 3rd place vote, 2 points for the 4th place vote, and 1 point for the 5th place vote.
Total score: 56 (1st place votes: 9)
0:31
Travis Hunter strikes a Heisman pose after Colorado’s second TD.
Travis Hunter strikes the Heisman pose after catching his second touchdown in the Colorado vs. Kansas game.
Simply put, no one has done what Hunter has done this season, and that’s the biggest reason why he’s atop the Heisman clock. We’re not just talking about seemingly unprecedented snap counts here. Hunter has played 1,266 snaps, more than any player since ESPN began tracking snap count data in 2018.
He was an elite starter at both positions: receiver and cornerback. Hunter has 82 catches for 1,036 yards and 11 touchdowns this season. His number of receiving touchdowns is tied for the second-most in a season in school history. Defensively, he has three interceptions and is the first player since at least 1980 to have 1,000 receiving yards and three interceptions in a season.
His snap count breakdown is nearly identical. 602 on offense and 640 on defense (plus 24 on special teams). What is the only season since 2018 that someone has played at least 200 snaps on both sides of the ball? Yes, last year’s Travis Hunter (412 offense, 572 defense).
Colorado has played 710 games on offense this season, and Hunter has played in 85% of them, according to ESPN research. On defense, Colorado played 772 plays and Hunter played 83 percent.
For comparison, Charles Woodson, the only defensive player to win the Heisman in 1997, played most of the snaps on defense and only contributed to the offense with 238 yards receiving and three touchdowns.
Is it any wonder Hunter has started striking the Heisman pose in clips much more frequently?
“Travis is the guy,” Colorado coach Deion Sanders said. He also played both ways as a player. “It’s supposed to go to the best college football player. I think it’s over after that. What? Week 2?”
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: -800
Total score: 51 (1st place votes: 3)
0:29
Ashton Jeanty was irrepressible on a thrilling 61-yard TD run.
Ashton Jeanty finds an opening along the offensive line and runs for a 61-yard touchdown to give Boise State the lead over Wyoming.
Jeanty has already reached his 2,000-yard goal in rushing through 11 games this season, and continues to deliver a masterclass in speed, strength and big-play ability every time he touches the ball. He became the first player to rush for 125 or more yards in 11 consecutive games in the same season since Troy Davis did so at Iowa State in 1996.
Jeanty needs three more rushing touchdowns to join Barry Sanders as the only player in FBS history to have 30 rushing touchdowns and 2,000 yards rushing in a single season.
With 2,062 yards rushing so far this season, Jeanty leads the nation in rushing with nearly 600 more yards than his closest competitor. He is also the first player to rush for more than 2,000 yards since 2019.
However, it is a long way from the single-season rushing record (2,850 yards) set by Sanders in 1988. His production also dropped noticeably midway through the season. After averaging 9.9 yards per carry in his first six games, Jeanty has averaged 5.74 yards per carry over his last five games. He had three 200-yard games in the first six games of the season and just one in the last five games.
But even though it slows down, it doesn’t stop completely. Against UNLV, which had season-low yards per carry (128) and yards per carry (3.9), he scored the decisive touchdown in a 29-24 win. In last week’s better-than-expected 17-13 win over Wyoming, Jeanty was taken out of the game and into the medical tent after suffering a hard blow to the leg in the third quarter. He missed one drive but had to rush 53 yards to set up a comeback score.
“This is Game 11, Week 13 of the season,” coach Spencer Danielson said after the win over Wyoming. “He’s an absolute warrior who plays while getting hit.” “We have to be smart with his body and make sure he gets what he needs.”
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +600
Total score: 34
2:19
Cam Ward has a 5TD performance against Duke.
Cam Ward went 25-for-41 for 400 yards and five touchdowns to push the Hurricanes past the Blue Devils.
Miami built a football dynasty with a string of elite quarterbacks who earned the nickname “Quarterback U.” But it’s been more than 20 years since the Hurricanes won a championship and a quarterback went to New York as a finalist for the Heisman.
Ward shows up right before he changes everything. He wasn’t perfect, but Ward was quite simply the most stellar quarterback in college football this season. Some of his plays are almost incomprehensible, from unnoticed shovel passes to big throws across his body, but others are routine throws that are necessary to get the job done. Ward is completing a career-high 67.2% of his passes and the Hurricanes are averaging 541.5 yards per game, ranking first in the nation in total offense.
In the process, he reset single-season school records for touchdown passes (34 or more), passing yards (3,774) and completions (268), while earning widespread praise from coaches and teammates for his unflappable display. The latter two marks were set by Bernie Kosar in 1984. There hasn’t been so much excitement about the quarterback position in Miami since Ken Dorsey went to New York in 2001 and 2002.
Ward was hopeful that the program had turned things around. Saturday’s win over Syracuse placed the Hurricanes in the ACC Championship Game and kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Ward lost 28-23 to Georgia Tech on Nov. 9. In that game, he fumbled on the final drive and followed it up with a 280-yard, two-touchdown performance in a 42-14 win over Wake. Saturday’s forest. He knows the Hurricanes will have to do everything they can to achieve the goals they set at the start of the season.
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +1200
Total score: 26
0:25
Dillon Gabriel becomes FBS all-time TD leader in passes to lineman
Dillon Gabriel found Gernorris Wilson in the end zone, passing Case Keenum as the all-time touchdown leader in FBS history.
Gabriel has done exactly what he has done throughout his six-year career. That means throwing for a lot of yards and scoring a lot of touchdowns. In fact, he passed for over 3,000 yards for the fifth time in his career (the only exception coming in 2021 when he went down with a season-ending injury early in the year at UCF). Gabriel also set the NCAA FBS record for total touchdowns (179) earlier this month, so there’s no denying his productivity and longevity.
The difference this year is that his veteran presence, savvy playmaking and surprising accuracy have vaulted Oregon into first place as the only undefeated team left in the country.
That’s no coincidence. Gabriel methodically guides the offense, completing a career-high 73.8% of his passes and ranking fifth in the country in QBR. Even at the halfway point of the season, Gabriel ranked 4th in this poll. They will need to do more in the last two games to go any higher. Last game against Wisconsin, he failed to throw a touchdown for the first time this season as Oregon scored a season-low 16 points. Nonetheless, Gabriel led the Ducks to a 16-13 fourth quarter win, outscoring the Badgers 10-0.
Against Maryland on November 9, Gabriel threw three touchdown passes, but only passed for 183 yards. In the last two games, his QBR has been well below his season average. A chance in the Big Ten Championship Game against Washington could potentially be the difference-maker in the Heisman race.
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: +5000
Total score: 8
0:30
Cam Skattebo celebrates his 3rd TD by signing a football.
Arizona State’s Cam Skattebo immediately signed a football after scoring his third rushing touchdown of the game.
As Arizona State began to grow, so did Skattebo. Skattebo, who received zero votes in the mid-season poll, ranked fifth thanks to his impact on the Sun Devils’ offense. He ranked second nationally behind Jeanty in all-purpose yards with 1,681 yards (1,221 rushing and 460 receiving).
At 5-foot-11 and 215 pounds, he plays like a battering ram and is one of the hardest players to take down in college football.
According to TruMedia, Skattebo ranks second in the nation in forced missed tackles on rushes, behind Jeanty, with a whopping 86 through Week 12. (Also consider: He has 49 fewer points than Jeanty.) Another particularly impressive stat: Skattebo was most effective in the fourth quarter. In that quarter, Skattebo rushed for 337 yards, more than any other quarter. That’s surprising, especially considering he missed one game and didn’t play in the fourth quarter of two blowout wins.
Skattebo also averaged the highest yards per carry (6.1) in the fourth quarter and had more than 10 yards more runs in the fourth quarter than any other quarter.
There was something endearing about his rise to national fame. He secured a NIL deal for his signature “Skatteburger” at a local restaurant chain, with a portion of the proceeds being donated to Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
ESPN BET Heisman Odds: Not applicable
Also receiving votes: Omarion Hampton, North Carolina, RB (1 point); Kyle Kennard, Delaware, South Carolina (1); Bryson Daily, Army, QB (1); Harold Fannin Jr., Bowling Green, TE (1); Tyler Warren, Penn State, TE (1)
