By Will Helms
After week one, we’ve already seen some major shifts in the Heisman odds. 365Scores has you covered with our post-week 1 Heisman report. Here, we look at three risers and three fallers in the Heisman race. While I’m including the odds and movement, this is more about which players have helped —or hurt— their cases.
Stock Up
Bryce Young, QB- Alabama (+300)
The most noticeable change in odds occured at the top. Within a few hours of actually taking the field, Young and Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud switched spots, with the Alabama signal-caller taking over as the favorite.
The Heisman is about numbers, so let’s look: 18-for-28 (70 percent), 195 yards, five touchdowns. Not bad, good start. Five rushes for 100 yards; wait, what?
Of course, college football takes sack yardage out of a quarterback’s rushing stats, but Young finished last season with 0 rushing yards. His longest ever run was 16 yards. Saturday, he had three rushes longer than that, including a 63-yard scamper.
If Young continues to run the ball like he did last night, just give him the Heisman by October.
Anthony Richardson, QB- Florida (+2000)
Richardson turned hype into reality Saturday against a strong performance against Utah. The redshirt sophomore dazzled with his arm and his legs, completing 70 percent of his passes and scoring three times on the ground.
For Richardson, it’s a matter of traits versus performance. He’s considered a first round pick by many despite entering the season with just 66 career attempts. He has perhaps the best arm in college football and Saturday he showed that he has the mental makeup to match his on-field talent. I’m not sure I like him enough to take him at +2000, but he has a legitimate chance to win.
Drake Maye, QB- North Carolina (+10000)
Look, North Carolina isn’t a good enough football team for Drake Maye to actually win the Heisman, but it would be fun. When I scouted Maye out of high school, I had concerns about his mental makeup and his decision-making, which makes the way he’s gone about things through two games this year.
He’s put up nearly 800 total yards through two games with zero turnover-worthy plays. More than that, he’s only thrown into coverage seven times in 67 attempts and only has 222 yards after the catch, with a average depth of target hovering around 10. I’m not sure if he’ll be able to keep it up against some of the tougher defenses on the schedule, but right now he’s at the top of the list of most impressive players.
Stock Down
CJ Stroud, QB- Ohio State (+350)
Stroud is Saturday’s biggest loser, thanks to a rough three and a half quarters against Notre Dame. He certainly was not helped by the injury to receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, but Stroud looked more pedestrian than Heisman favorite. The odds reflect it as he’s already been jumped by Young in the odds. He’s certainly still a favorite, but if Saturday is any indication, he’s going to need his offense at full strength.
The schedule certainly gets easier, so I could be back in three weeks once again calling him the favorite. Ohio State will factor in at the end of the year, so if Stroud puts up big numbers down the stretch, he’ll have a chance to be in New York for the, ceremony. That being said, he’s going to have to be better if Young plays like he did Saturday.
Will Anderson, Edge- Alabama (+2000)
Anderson is the best player in the country. He had a great game Saturday. His chances at winning the Heisman took a hit last week. All of these things can be true, as defensive players simply do not win the Heisman.
The formula for an edge rusher to win the award is actually relatively simple.
First, that player has to have a historically good season. For Anderson, that would mean exceeding the 17.5 sacks he put up last season, plus adding some takeaways and perhaps a crazy touchdown or two.
Second, it has to be a down year for quarterbacks. So far, that just isn’t the case this year. In addition to Young, Stroud and Richardson, Will Rogers (Mississippi State) has played well and Will Levis (Kentucky) and Tyler Van Dyke (Miami) could go in the first round. If it didn’t happen last year in a relatively tame year for quarterbacks, it’s not happening this year.
Enjoy Will Anderson, but don’t expect him to win the Heisman.
Bijan Robinson, RB- Texas (+2800)
Robinson is my RB1 in the 2023 draft, but he didn’t put up a Heisman-worthy game Saturday, scoring twice on 14 touches. Texas jumped out to a huge lead and Robinson sat most of the second half.
For Robinson to win, Texas is going to have to be good enough to stay relevant late in the season and Robinson is going to have to put up jaw-dropping numbers. With Quinn Ewers at the helm, I think Robinson has a chance to have some high-leverage opportunities. A huge game this week (against Alabama) would go a long way to flip this script, but 71 rushing yards against a bad FBS team will not be enough to move the needle.
Again, appreciate Robinson’s greatness, but don’t expect him to win the Heisman.
