By Jacob Bugarin
The Hesiman trophy is a very prestigious award awarded to the top player in college football. This year is one of the best races the college football community has ever seen in a while. Here are some of the top candidates for Hesiman.
Notably, this year’s candidates include players from a range of positions, not just quarterbacks, who traditionally win the Heisman race.
RB–Ashton Jeanty: Boise State
This running back from Boise state has taken the league by storm these past few games. These last 8 games, Ashton Jeanty has rushed for 1,525 yards and 20 TDs. He is currently on pace to break another former Hesiman Winner, Barry Sanders who ran for 2,628 yards and 37 touchdowns in his Heisman year. If Ashton Jeanty surpasses Sanders’ record, he will be unanimously the Heisman Winner due to him dominating the league while also having his team ranked 12 in the college football league.
WR/CB–Travis Hunter: Colorado
Travis Hunter has been making waves as a two-way player, excelling at both wide receiver and cornerback—an uncommon feat in college football. Hunter has been proving that narrative wrong, being able to record 60 receptions, 757 yards, and 8 TDS as a wide receiver, then 21 tackles, 2 interceptions, and 7 passes defended at the cornerback position. These are some pretty good stats for playing both offense and defense, while also being on a college football team ranked 21st.
QB–Cam Ward: Miami
The nonchalant quarterback Cam Ward has been leading Miami to an 9-0 record in the ACC (Atlantic Coast Conference). Through the last nine games he has recorded 3,146 yards, 29 touchdows, 6 interceptions, and a 91.7 quarterback rating which is the first in the league. With Cam Ward leading Miami to being fourth ranked in the whole college football league, he has a chance of being this year’s Heisman.
Who’s going to win the Heisman?
Currently, the race is neck and neck between Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty. Though Jeanty’s stats are way better than Travis, he does play in a weaker conference, with the only good competition being Oregon (the number one ranked team).
Boise State plays in the Mountain West, which is a weaker competition—not having a lot of ranked teams, while Colorado, where Travis plays, is in the Big 12—which has more ranked teams. Despite these factors, my vote goes to Ashton Jeanty winning the Hesiman.
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