By Robert Sanchez
With the month of August coming to an end that means two things: Summer is almost over and college football is back.
With returning players such as Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr. as well as newcomers like Cade Klubnik itching to get in the mix, the season is shaping up to be another wild ride.
But before the season’s first snap, let’s look at this year’s best Heisman Trophy candidates.
Considering a quarterback has won the Heisman Trophy 18 out of the last 22 years, history says to go with a quarterback. The obvious choices under center are clearly C.J. Stroud (+220) and Bryce Young (+380).
However, while Stroud will be playing in a high-powered offense at Ohio State, he’ll also have some Heisman competition in WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and RB Treveyon Henderson.
As for Young, he took home the award last season and there hasn’t been a repeat winner since Archie Griffin, a running back, did it in 1974-75.
Also, at those odds, for a season-long award, I’m looking to find better value and put my money elsewhere.
Tyler Van Dyke – QB, Miami +4000 (FanDuel)
That’s right, I’m going longshot for the first pick. After taking over for an injured D’Eriq King last season, Van Dyke threw for 2,931 yards and had 25 passing touchdowns and six interceptions in nine games.
The sophomore will look to expand on those numbers this season and with an improved offensive line that was much better in the second half last season, Van Dyke figures to have protection around him and time to throw the ball.
With Mario Cristobal leading the way in his first year as Miami’s head coach, the Hurricanes have a lot of hype surrounding them this season. If Van Dyke can rise above the noise and lead Miami back to glory, he has an excellent shot at holding the hardware after the regular season.
The value is simply too high to ignore here.
Caleb Williams – QB, USC +700 (DraftKings)
Yes, I’m coming back down to earth a little bit for this one. Make no mistake, Williams balled out for Oklahoma when he took over the starting job from Spencer Rattler in October, throwing for 1,912 yards and 21 touchdowns to just four interceptions.
Following head coach Lincoln Riley’s pass-heavy offense from Oklahoma to USC, Williams will have all the tools to succeed in Los Angeles, including new wide receiver Jordan Addison who transferred from Pittsburgh.
The sophomore did have some growing pains as a true freshman last year but still had a phenomenal season. Now, with a season under his belt and another year with Riley, Williams has the keys to take USC to former greatness.
With all eyes on the Trojans this season, Williams is sure to have a great deal of attention around him.
Will Anderson Jr. – LB, Alabama +3000 (FanDuel)
The first non-QB on this list, Anderson is a beast. The 2021 SEC Defensive Player of the Year had a season for the ages last year, racking up 101 tackles, including 31 tackles for loss, and 17.5 sacks as a sophomore.
Yes, I’m aware a defensive player hasn’t won the Heisman since 1997 when Charles Woodson won the award as a cornerback for Michigan. But, if it’s a down year for quarterbacks and Anderson continues to improve, the committee might have no choice but to give him the trophy.
The closest a defensive player has come to winning the Heisman in recent memory was Notre Dame’s Manti Te’o in 2012 where he finished with 113 tackles, seven interceptions and 1.5 sacks.
Anderson will likely have to have a few key interceptions to his name, something he’s yet to accomplish in his career, but if his sack total continues to increase and he resumes to wreak havoc on the defensive side of the ball playing for Alabama, he has as good a shot as anybody to hear his name called.
Dillon Gabriel – QB, Oklahoma +3000 (DraftKings)
Playing for UCF during his first three seasons, Gabriel will now assume the starting job for the Sooners. The senior only played in three games for the Golden Knights last year after suffering a broken clavicle, but in his career he’s thrown for 8,037 yards with 70 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.
Assuming he’s fully healthy, Gabriel’s style of offense should fit in perfectly in the Big 12, especially at Oklahoma where he’ll meet up with former UCF offensive coordinator Jeff Lebby who led the Golden Knights to a top-10 offense during Gabriel’s freshman season in 2019. Even with Brent Venables, the former defensive coordinator at Clemson, now the head coach, the Sooners will still need to put up points in the offense-driven Big 12.
Despite teams like Oklahoma State, Baylor and Texas gunning to dethrone Oklahoma as the preeminent team in the Big 12, the road to the conference championship still runs through Norman, Oklahoma and Gabriel looks to be a big reason why.
Bijan Robinson – RB, Texas +4000 (FanDuel)
Speaking of Texas, Robinson could be the best running back in the country this season — or at least the one with the best chance of winning the Heisman.
It’s either between him and Treveyon Henderson, but with Henderson likely playing second or third fiddle to C.J. Stroud and Jaxon Smith-Njigba at Ohio State, Robinson has the better chance to win the trophy.
As a sophomore last season, Robinson rushed for 1,127 yards and had 11 touchdowns. He added 26 receptions for 295 yards and four touchdowns in the air.
This season, the Longhorns have a quarterback competition between Hudson Card and Quinn Ewers, neither of whom have much experience and will likely lean on Robinson for offense. If Robinson is up for the task, he could have some eye-popping numbers this season as he’s steadily improved each year at Texas.
For what it’s worth, of the four times a quarterback hasn’t won the Heisman Trophy in the last 22 years, a running back has won three times with Derrick Henry the last to do it in 2015.
