14 Heisman Trophy contenders in 2023, ranked ahead of college football Week 1

Photo by Rich Graessle/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Let’s count down the biggest contenders for the Heisman Trophy this season.

The first true sign college football is back?

When we start yelling about the Heisman Trophy.

Sure, signs like the first entrance to “Enter Sandman” at Lane Stadium, or the first run down The Hill after rubbing Howard’s Rock, indicate that the sport we all love is back. But while we love college football, we love arguing about awards even more.

With that in mind, we present our first Heisman Ballot of the 2023 CFB season. Given that games have really yet to get going — only two players on this list have played so far — these are rankings as we head into the year.

We’ll yell about fake ballots in weeks to come.

1. Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Let’s start at the top with the reigning Heisman Trophy winner. Williams returns to USC after setting single season USC records for Total Offense and Touchdowns, while throwing for over 4,000 yards. The main reason Williams is on this ballot is because he’s awesome, and should continue to make magical plays when things go wrong (like this play against San Jose State last week). Lincoln Riley is still at the helm calling plays, and Williams is surrounded by a bevy of receiving talent such as super freshman Zachariah Branch and Brenden Rice.

Nobody has repeated as a Heisman winner since Archie Griffin, but Williams looks to be the first and has a great chance of heading back to New York City.

2. Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

With superstar wide receivers being developed quicker than a hiccup at the college level, we’re bound to have another wideout make the trip to New York City after Devonta Smith won the Heisman in 2020. Harrison is next in line of superstar wideouts to potentially be invited to New York, and for good reason. He put up over 1200 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, but now he’s without a surefire top QB prospect or Heisman candidate in starter Kyle McCord (they did go to high school together, so be prepared for that to be mentioned 4959404928593594 times). He’ll still be splitting targets with Emeka Egbuka and Carnell Tate, who looks to be the next Super Saiyan WR the Buckeyes have, but make no mistake about it. Harrison Jr. is the best wide receiver in college football, and if he puts up big numbers, he’ll be in NYC.

3. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

Bowers is less college student and more titan shifter from Attack on Titan. His versatility in the Georgia offense is almost unparalleled to anyone we’ve seen at the position, and Georgian knows this as well. Observe:

The Colorado State Rams finished the 2022 season with four (4) rushing touchdowns.

Brock Bowers had three rushing TDs by himself, as a TE.

The Iowa Hawkeyes finished 2022 with seven (7) receiving touchdowns.

Brock Bowers finished 2022 with seven receiving TDs by himself.

Yeah, he’s pretty good, and for a team that is bringing in a new QB and has to fill a lot of production spots, Bowers will see a lot of targets.

4. Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU

Every year there are a few QBs who ride a hot wave of momentum ending the previous season into a Heisman campaign the next year. This year, one of those signal callers is LSU QB Jayden Daniels. Daniels and the Tigers finished the season on a high note, making the SEC Title game in Brian Kelly’s first year as head coach. Daniels will be behind an offensive line that’s going to be even better this year, with another year under offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock. He also can run the ball really well, so putting up insane numbers while leading an upstart LSU team to another SEC title game could be enough to get him into the Heisman conversation.

5. Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State

Another one of those QBs riding a massive wave of momentum into 2023 is Florida State’s Jordan Travis. The Noles finally put it all together last year, finishing the season 10-3. This year, they have CFP aspirations behind more strong portal play by head coach Mike Norvell, and Travis, who returns for his final year in Tallahassee. Travis is a legitimate dual threat, who learned how to operate from the pocket last year to complement his magician style of play outside the pocket. If this season goes the way that most analysts expect for FSU, Travis should be a lock to get an invite to NYC.

6. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon

“This is the year. Bo Nix has improved so much under this new offense. He’s focused. He’s having fun. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s a dark horse for the Heisman.” —an oracle for 2023, sent to us from the year 2021.

7. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

Much like Travis and Daniels, Penix is a senior QB who is going into his final year of college riding a massive wave of momentum. After throwing for 4,641 yards and 31 TDs last year for Washington, Penix returns with a trio of very talented wideouts and his offensive braintrust in offensive coordinator Ryan Grubb and head coach Kalen DeBoer. The UW offense is explosive, high flying and dynamic with Penix Jr. at the helm, and this year should be no different. In a conference littered with top QBs, he’ll have the chance to put together a Heisman worthy highlight tape against quality competition.

8. Drake Maye, QB, North Carolina

Drake Maye has put himself into the QB1 discussion for the 2024 NFL Draft, and with good reason.

The Heisman Trophy, however, is a different conversation.

With many looking at Clemson and Florida State as the cream of the crop in the ACC, UNC faces an uphill climb in the conference. Maye is going to put up numbers — he threw for 4,321 yards and 38 touchdowns in his first year as a starter last season — and there certainly is a world where a team at the top of the draft prefers him to Caleb Williams.

But as far as the Heisman goes, there are some players ahead of him who look to have an easier path.

9. Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame

This goes beyond the fact that Hartman made his Notre Dame debut with a necklace featuring part of his surgically-removed rib around his neck.

But that does help …

Beyond that fact, if Hartman’s debut against Navy is any indication, he is going to produce for the Fighting Irish this season. The Wake Forest transfer hit on 19-of-23 passes against Navy for 251 yards and four touchdowns, as Notre Dame rolled to a 42-3 win in Dublin. That performance gave a big boost to Hartman’s Heisman odds, and with some games coming up against Tennessee State and Central Michigan, Hartman might only see those odds continue to improve.

Furthermore, he has some potential “Heisman Moment” games coming up. On September 23 Notre Dame welcomes Marvin Harrison Jr. and the Ohio State Buckeyes to South Bend. A win in that game might propel Hartman up near Caleb Williams at the top of these rankings.

Who Hartman will face in the middle of October.

10. J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan

Jim Harbaugh showed up at Big Ten media day and dropped some thermonuclear takes regarding his quarterback.

“I have searched my memory for somebody who has been a first-time starter and had a better first year as a first-time starter, and I can’t come up with one,” Harbaugh said back in July. “He’s a once-in-a-generational type of quarterback at Michigan, and his progress continues to grow. Daily, he’s at the top of his game right now, really in all aspects.”

He was just warming up.

“I think some compare him to Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, would be two,” Harbaugh said. “And I know there’s others that have that level of talent plus the quarterback position willing to do anything for their team. I base that off of watching the way that Patrick Mahomes interacts with his teammates, what he says about his teammates, what they say about him. Josh Allen, what he says about his teammates, what they say about him. So just looking through the keyhole that way, but that’s what I see in J.J. McCarthy every single day.”

So … yeah.

But with Michigan expected to win the Big Ten for the second-straight year, we might see McCarthy rise up these rankings as the season unfolds.

Even if he cannot live up to those lofty comparisons.

11. Quinn Ewers, QB, Texas

A year ago, Texas almost knocked off Alabama at home after Ewers went down early in the game with a shoulder injury.

He gets his shot at revenge early in the season, as Texas travels to Tuscaloosa to take on Nick Saban and the Crimson Tide on September 9 in a matchup of two teams ranked in the Top-15.

Should Ewers go into Tuscaloosa and help Texas pull out the win, it won’t just help answer the age-old question of whether Texas is back, but it might also propel him into the Heisman conversation.

And there are reasons to believe Texas could very well be back. They have a talented group of pass catchers at Ewers’ disposal, and reports out of Austin indicate that Ewers had a tremendous spring, and is ready to enjoy a huge season in 2023.

12. Kyle McCord, QB, Ohio State

Hey did you know that he went to high school with Marvin Harrison Jr.?

Newly-minted Ohio State starting QB Kyle McCord has some big shoes to fill, stepping into the lineup as C.J. Stroud takes over for the Houston Texans. But McCord has one thing working in his favor that the other QBs on this list lack.

The ability to throw passes to the best college WR in the game.

Of course, that might just propel Harrison to the top of the Heisman board when things are all said and done, but 39 QBs have won the award, opposed to just 5 wide receivers.

If Ohio State has a good year and McCord and Harrison both put up big numbers, McCord might get the nod as a result.

13. Nick Singleton, RB, Penn State

Nick Singleton was one of the top recruits in the 2022 recruiting cycle, with offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, and Alabama. But he stayed close to home, committing to Penn State.

It seems to pay off, as Singleton was an impact player the moment he stepped on campus. The former five-star recruit and top RB in the 2022 class led the Nittany Lions in rushing yards with 941, and in rushing touchdowns with 10. He was also a game-changing player on special teams, averaging over 25 yards per kickoff return.

His 100-yard touchdown against Rutgers was one of his many highlights from last year:

Expectations are high in Happy Valley this year, with good reason. Penn State debuts at No. 7 in the AP Top-25, and they feature a stout offensive line led by Olu Fashanu, a left tackle many believed would be a first-round pick a year ago. If Penn State lives up to such expectations, it is very likely that Singleton plays a huge role.

Which would certainly help his Heisman chances.

14. Blake Corum, RB, Michigan

Four players on this list received Heisman votes a season ago: Williams, Penix, Maye, and Blake Corum.

Last year the Michigan running back finished seventh in the voting, ahead of both Penix and Maye. He rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns, despite missing the majority of the Ohio State game, as well as the entirety of the Big Ten Championship game and Michigan’s Playoff game.

But Corum is back, cleared to return after his knee injury and set for another big season. Another strong campaign could see him improve on that seventh-place finish a season ago.