Like the rivalry between the Longhorns and the Sooners, competition for the Heisman trophy is fierce. Even though college football is only in Week 5 and there are still more opportunities for players to shine in the next two months, here are several players to watch out for in the Heisman race.
Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma
Coming up in eighth place on Fox Sports’ Heisman watch, Oklahoma quarterback Dillon Gabriel walked away from Iowa State with an impressive 50-20 win, throwing for 366 yards and three touchdowns.
In his journey from Hawaii to Florida to Oklahoma, the redshirt senior has progressed to become one of the top quarterbacks in the Big 12. Gabriel spent most of his college career at UCF, where he started 25 out of 26 games and threw for 8,037 yards. In 2022, Gabriel transferred to Oklahoma, receiving the Big 12 Offensive Newcomer of the Year by the league’s coaches.
Jordan Travis, Florida State
Selling Tiger King inspired shirts for his two victories against LSU and Clemson, Jordan Travis has won the accolade by leading his team to victory in several tough games. Although the 289 yards Travis threw against Clemson is on the lower end of some of the other players on the list, Travis threw the second passing touchdown in overtime to win the game. Travis also rushed for a touchdown despite nursing a hurt shoulder from the previous week, a performance that made ESPN stick Travis in the fourth place spot on its watch list.
Travis has stuck with the Seminoles throughout his college career and has been their champion quarterback, holding FSU career records in quarterback rushing yards and quarterback rushing touchdowns. As another redshirt senior on this list, Travis is in his last year of eligibility and in his last chance to receive the Heisman trophy.
Jayden Daniels, LSU
Despite losing 49-55 to No. 20 Ole Miss, LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels pulled his weight to help the Tigers. Throwing for 414 yards and four touchdowns, redshirt senior Daniels has a 73.1% completion percentage this year. So far this season, Daniels has thrown 1,710 passing yards. Similar to Dillon Gabriel, Daniels spent the first three years at another college, ASU, before transferring in 2022. This is also Daniels’ last opportunity to win the Heisman trophy.
Cam Ward, Washington State
Ranking fifth on the ESPN Heisman watch list, Washington State quarterback Cam Ward had an impressive game against Oregon State, throwing 404 yards and four passing touchdowns. Ward also got a rushing score to get his second win against ranked opponents within three weeks.
Even though Ward is the youngest player out of the four listed, Ward also transferred in 2022 from Incarnate Word. Ward was named a semifinalist for the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award in 2022, given every year to the top offensive player originally from Texas. This year, Ward has an opportunity to take home a new award: the Heisman.
