All selections and placements are based on how I believe the voters will view these players and not my own personal opinions.
The list has been shortened to three selections because as the season goes on it becomes more and more obvious who is actually competing for the Heisman and who doesn’t have a chance.
1. Ashton Jeanty | RB | Boise State
Stats: 256 carries, 1,893 yards, 26 touchdowns
As the season has gone on, and more and more people continue to catch on to what is happening in Boise, Idaho, Ashton Jeanty has become the phenomenon that he deserves to be. The workhorse for a #12 ranked Boise State team, Jeanty has put up historic numbers that cannot be compared to winners of the Heisman at his position. However, Jeanty’s Heisman hopes are heavily threatened by a guy doing something similarly historical, if not more so. For now, Jeanty retains his number one spot and will attempt to outlast the guy in second place.
2. Travis Hunter | WR/DB | Colorado
Stats: WR | 74 catches, 911 yards, 9 touchdowns
CB | 24 tackles, 8 passes defended, 3 interceptions
I have Hunter in second place right now. However, his case for Heisman keeps growing and his momentum is the highest it has been. In his most recent game, Travis totaled 55 receiving yards, one rushing touchdown and an interception. These games seem to come every other week for Hunter and are the foundation in which his case is built on. If you took his receiving stats and defensive stats separately, then you would still have great players but it is not nearly as impressive as doing both consistently. Hunter’s stamina is his superpower, and it could lead to a two-way Heisman for the first time since Rod Woodson.
3. Cam Ward | QB | Miami
Stats: 3,494 yards, 32 touchdowns (3 rushing TDs), 6 interceptions
Surprisingly, the only quarterback on this list. Ward is a playmaker and has the clutch ability that the two ahead of him cannot make up for. However, Ward seems to be on the outside looking in at this point. He will be in New York for the Heisman ceremony, but the real competition is between the two at the top. Ward’s hopes took a big hit after Miami fell to unranked Georgia Tech, a game in which Ward fumbled the ball on Miami’s last drive. Outside of this costly mistake, Ward had been money in clutch situations. Winning in come from behind fashion in games against Cal, Louisville and Duke. Ward has the inherent advantage of being a quarterback, a position that can win these kinds of awards with ease depending on the year, but that is not the case this year.
