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Top 12 Heisman Trophy contenders after one month of college football
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Top 12 Heisman Trophy contenders after one month of college football

We’re through the first month of the 2024 college football season and some favorites have begun to emerge for sports’ biggest prize: the Heisman Trophy. In the preseason I listed the main contenders for the award, but now we have a clearer view of the games played on the field.

The race for the 2024 Heisman is still open, but here are the players who have begun to separate themselves from the rest.

The first four classified

QB Jalen Milroe | Alabama

Jalen Milroe moved into first place among Heisman-contending quarterbacks after leading Alabama to a victory over Georgia. He threw for two touchdowns and ran for two touchdowns in the win, completing 82 percent of his passes and accounting for 491 yards of offense. Milroe had his best performance of the season when the lights were brightest, putting him at or near the top of the Heisman race.

ROLL TIDE: No. 4 Alabama stops No. 2 Georgia’s comeback effort and wins 41-34

WR/CB Travis Hunter | Colorado

Travis Hunter at wide receiver has 46 receptions for 561 yards and six touchdowns. That’s the fifth-most receiving yards and third-most receiving receptions and touchdowns. Hunter is on pace for 110 receptions, over 1,300 yards and 14 touchdown receptions. As a wide receiver alone, those projected numbers are below DeVonta Smith’s 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns he had as the last wide receiver to win the Heisman. But Hunter doesn’t just play wide receiver; He also plays defense.

Defensively, Hunter has three pass deflections, two interceptions and a forced fumble. When Charles Woodson, the last defensive player to win, won the Heisman, he had seven interceptions. Hunter projects just under five interceptions on the season, but he’s ruining Woodson’s receiving stats from his Heisman season.

Hunter has been spectacular on both sides of the ball, but the other problem he will face in his bid for the award is whether his team wins. Colorado is currently 4-1 and, according to ESPN’s Football Power Index, the Buffaloes are projected to win only, at best, eight games total. That means Hunter and Colorado would finish with four losses, something a Heisman winner hasn’t had since 1969. Only Tim Tebow, Robert Griffin III and Lamar Jackson have won the Heisman with three losses this century.

While the Heisman is an individual award and Hunter is spectacular individually on the field, history says he may face an uphill battle to win the award if Colorado doesn’t exceed expectations.

QB Chamber Room | Miami (Florida)

In Cam Ward’s first year in Miami, “The U” has returned to winning ways with a sense of championship contention not felt since the early 2000s. Ward has the second-most passing yards and the most passing touchdowns in the country after five games. He is the reason Miami is undefeated, and as long as he stays that way, he will remain in contention for the Heisman.

However, while Ward is likely to increase his passing numbers down the stretch, he may struggle to have the big games that can lead to a Heisman moment with a regular season in a weakened ACC. That could be what keeps this year’s Heisman race close.

STREAK: College football’s longest active regular-season winning streaks

RB Ashton Jeanty | Boise State

Remember the 1997 Heisman race? No. I’m not born yet. However, history shows that there was a spectacular offensive skill position athlete who was setting FBS touchdown records at a non-power conference school that was competing for the prize against a two-way, two-quarterback superstar.

That athlete was Randy Moss at Marshall, and you might get some Ashton Jeanty deja vu this year at Boise State. Jeanty has 845 rushing yards and 13 rushing touchdowns on 82 carries (an average of 10.3 yards per pop) in four games. That puts the Boise State superstar on pace for 2,535 rushing yards and 39 rushing touchdowns on the season. That’s close to Barry Sanders’ 1988 Heisman-winning season, when he set FBS records with 2,628 rushing yards and beyond his 37 touchdowns.

If Jeanty continues to dominate, he should be in the Heisman conversation like Randy Moss was in 1997.

Unlike Moss, however, Jeanty will benefit from a boost in the College Football Playoffs thanks to this year’s 12-team expansion. As long as Boise State keeps winning (which we know will require Jeanty to crunch the numbers), Jeanty’s Heisman case will live on.

TOP FINISHERS: The top three Heisman Trophy finishers every year since 1935

The quarterbacks who could make a push

QB Jaxson Dart | old miss

A poor performance in a loss to Kentucky eliminated Jaxson Dart from the upper echelon of Heisman contenders. However, Dart has a chance to bounce back from that game during the rest of SEC play. Dart currently leads the FBS in passing yards and we know he will continue to add to the numbers in Lane Kiffin’s offense. A push for the SEC title can easily put Dart back in the conversation with the favorites.

Quarterback Quinn Ewers | Texas

Quinn Ewers hasn’t played in weeks due to injury, but in the last game he finished, he went into the Big House and defeated Michigan. All reports say he will start when healthy, and it looks like it will be the Red River Rivalry. In the next match they will face Georgia at home. Two big games for Quinn Ewers in his return could launch him back into Heisman contention.

PRELUDE: Examining the statistics of Heisman Trophy winners the year before they won the award

QB Dillon Gabriel | Oregon

Oregon is undefeated and Dillon Gabriel is the starting quarterback. He’s got the numbers, backed by an 82 percent completion percentage, and he’s playing against Ohio State, Illinois and Michigan. If Oregon keeps winning, it will have a chance for multiple Heisman moments.

Field Marshal Nico Iamaleava | Tennessee

Nico Iamaleava has looked good in his first season as a starter at Tennessee. He has led an explosive offense full of noteworthy plays. The Vols are ranked No. 4 in the country, and if Iamaleava can lead them to wins over Alabama and Georgia, he could lift the Heisman Trophy when it’s all said and done.

LEAGUE WITH HIM: Every Heisman winner will be selected No. 1 overall in the NFL draft

Quarterback Miller Moss | southern california

Miller Moss didn’t play his best in the loss to Michigan earlier this year. However, he bounced back with a four-touchdown outing against Wisconsin. Lincoln Riley has coached Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray and Caleb Williams to Heisman trophies, and all of those quarterbacks had one loss or more. Moss can’t be ruled out just yet.

WINNERS: College football teams with the most Heisman Trophy winners

Undefeated sleepers

QB Kurtis Rourke | Indiana

Don’t let Kurtis Rourke be a potential Heisman candidate. He has Indiana undefeated through October, and Rourke won’t face a ranked opponent until November, when he plays back-to-back weeks against Michigan and Ohio State. Indiana could be undefeated entering those games. That could set up Rourke’s Heisman moment.

Quarterback Eli Holstein | pittsburgh

Could Eli Holstein follow in Kenny Pickett’s footsteps and become a Heisman finalist? Holstein has Pitt undefeated and, like Indiana’s Rourke, won’t face a ranked opponent until November.

Holstein has a 12-2 touchdown-to-interception ratio and is second behind Pitt in rushing attempts. He will have plenty of opportunities to add to his numbers and the focus will shift to him if Pitt continues to win.

CFP: How the 12-team College Football Playoff will work

Quarterback Maalik Murphy | Duke

Duke is 5-0 and Texas transfer quarterback Malik Murphy is a big reason why. He helped the Blue Devils rally from a 20-0 second-half deficit against North Carolina, threw a winning touchdown in overtime against Northwestern and led a fourth-quarter comeback against UConn. Murphy has made big plays at big moments all season long. More of the same could lead to a late Heisman push.

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