College Football 2024 Heisman Trophy Watchlist After Week 3

September 17, 2024

Justin's NCAA college football top Heisman Trophy contenders after Week 3 of the 2024 season. Top candidates include Ashton Jeanty and Cam Ward.

Week 3 of the college football season is on in the rearview mirror. It featured a number of big moments, including Arch Manning taking over for an injured Quinn Ewers. Does that impact

No trophy in college sports means as much as the Heisman Trophy, which recognizes the best player in college football. That's why each week I'll be taking stock of the top five contenders for the trophy.

Below are the top 10 Heisman contenders after Week 3 of the college football season. These are the 10 players who I view as having the best shot to win the trophy based on their performances this season.

10. Travis Hunter - WR/DB, Colorado

I have no idea if Travis Hunter will have a viable shot at the Heisman, but there's no one doing what he does. As a receiver, he has five touchdown receptions. As a defender, he's got a TFL and an interception.

Against Colorado State, Hunter finished with 13 catches for 100 yards and two touchdowns while also picking off CSU quarterback Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi. Just a standout game on both sides of the ball for Hunter.

Season Stats: 30 receptions, 342 receiving yards, five touchdowns, 11 tackles, one tackle for loss, one interception

9. Will Howard - QB, Ohio State

Ohio State didn't play this week, so there's not a ton to say about Will Howard. The former Kansas State quarterback has looked really good at the helm of the Buckeyes offense, but he's also faced Akron and Western Michigan. Up next is Marshall. It's going to be a bit before we see if he can keep this up against good opponents.

Season Stats: 64.8% completion rate, 520 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions, one rushing touchdown

8. Ashton Jeanty - RB, Boise State

That's right: a Mountain West running back is a Heisman contender. Not that a player from a non-P4 conference will actually win, but Jeanty deserves respect for how well he's played.

calling on all heisman voters to do the right thing this year. no more record watching. no more picking the quarterback on a great team.

it’s travis hunter & ashton jeanty against each other. barring health, it shouldn’t be contentious. let’s get back to the root of the award.

— Kyron Samuels (@kyronsamuels) September 16, 2024

The Broncos were off this week, but Jeanty had 267 yards and six touchdowns against Georgia Southern to open the season then followed that up with 192 yards and two touchdowns in what was almost an upset win over Oregon.

Season Stats: 45 carries, 459 yards, nine rushing touchdowns

7. Quinn Ewers - QB, Texas

I had Quinn Ewers at No. 1 last week, but he drops all the way down to seventh after exiting the team's win over UTSA with a non-contact oblique strain. There are a few reasons for this.

One is that Ewers is expected to miss the team's next game against UL Monroe, and in a tight Heisman race, missing time hurts. But the bigger reason is that Arch Manning, his backup...might have just been better?

Quinn Ewers is HIM.
Arch Manning is HIM.
Texas will be a PROBLEM for years to come.

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) September 15, 2024

And I'm not saying Ewers is getting benched, but I am saying that narratives matter in college football and if people are like well, Ewers is good, but Manning was better in the UTSA game and in the game he started then that could really impact Ewers's chances.

Season Stats: 73.4% completion rate, 691 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, two interceptions

6. Carson Beck - QB, Georgia

Something's got to change in a hurry if Carson Beck wants to stop freefalling down this list. He threw for a season-low 160 yards and no touchdowns in a narrow win over Kentucky this week and the bulk of his touchdown numbers come from a win over FCS program Tennessee Tech. Georgia also fell from the No. 1 spot in the AP Poll despite winning.

Season Stats: 68.3% completion rate, 680 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, zero interceptions

5. Nico Iamaleava - QB, Tennessee

The Vols have found them a QB. Nico Iamaleava didn't have eye-popping numbers this week against Kent State, going 10-for-16 for 173 yards and one touchdown while rushing for 31 yards, but part of that was because Tennesse built a 37-0 lead in the first quarter. The team had Gaston Moore in at QB before halftime. Don't count these numbers against him.

Season Stats: 71.6% completion rate, 698 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, two interceptions, one rushing touchdown

4. Dillon Gabriel - QB, Oregon

Dillon Gabriel isn't the most exciting Heisman choice, but he's going what needs to be done in this Ducks offense. In this weekend's win over former conference rivals Oregon State, Gabriel was 20-for-24 for 291 yards and two scores while also finding the end zone on the ground.

Season Stats: 84.0% completion rate, 914 passing yards, six passing touchdowns, zero interceptions, two rushing touchdowns

3. Jalen Milroe - QB, Alabama

I had Jalen Milroe just outside the top five last week, but he was just so good against Wisconsin. Milroe was 12-for-17 in that game for 196 yards and three touchdowns and also added 75 rushing yards and two rushing scores.

Probably my favorite throw from Alabama QB Jalen Milroe this past game. Ball is incomplete but it’s put in a perfect spot along the sideline, with PACE.

Big time throw. pic.twitter.com/TY4tH9ekQV

— Ryan Roberts (@RiseNDraft) September 15, 2024

Sure, Wisconsin isn't the program it once was, but Milroe's dominant showing against a Big Ten team is just what his Heisman campaign needed to get him back in the conversation.

Season Stats: 67.3% completion rate, 590 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, zero interceptions, six rushing touchdowns

2. Jaxson Dart - QB, Ole Miss

Jaxson Dart is completing an absurd 83.0% of his pass attempts this season and leads the FBS in passing yards with 1,172. He threw his first pick of the year against Wake Forest this week, but still finished with 377 yards and two scores.

It's still a little bit before Dart faces his toughest tests of the year, so I expect he'll remain a top contender for a while. The Georgia game on Nov. 9 is the one I'd circle as a moment that could make or break his candidacy.

Season Stats: 83.0% completion rate, 1,172 passing yards, eight touchdowns, one interception, three rushing touchdowns

1. Cam Ward - QB, Miami

I've been on the Cam Ward hype train longer than maybe anyone. You can go on Twitter and find clips I tweeted from his very first FCS-level start at Incarnate Word. I went to school with Ward's brother and he posted that Cam was starting in the game and I had nothing else to do, so I tuned in, and I was instantly amazed by what I saw.

Cam Ward in Week 3:

🔸 346 Pass Yds
🔸 5 TD passes@CanesFootball is 3-0 🔥 pic.twitter.com/0q9EfVY14b

— ACC Network (@accnetwork) September 15, 2024

Even considering that, I never thought I'd be talking about Ward as the Heisman favorite, but here we are. He's already thrown 11 touchdown passes through three games for the Hurricanes and threw five touchdowns against Ball State. Ward has thrown for over 300 yards in every game so far.

Season Stats: 73.0% completion rate, 1,035 passing yards, 11 touchdowns, one interception, one rushing touchdown

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