College Football 2024 Heisman Trophy Watchlist After Week 5

Justin's NCAA college football top Heisman Trophy contenders after Week 5 of the 2024 season. Top candidates include Jalen Milroe and Cam Ward.

Week 5 of the college football season is on in the rearview mirror. More than any week so far, this weekend shook up the Heisman battle.

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 10 contenders for the trophy.

Below are the top 10 Heisman contenders after Week 5 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. Miller Moss - QB, USC

One player fell out of the top 10 this week, with Carson Beck finally dropping completely from this list after trending down for weeks. Beck just isn't doing it at Georgia.

Miller Moss is ranked #1 in the BIG10 in passing yards per game with a
299.5 avg.⚔️

🚀💪

Fight On!✌️ pic.twitter.com/ASIkMEXXmb

— Trojan Football ✌️fan (@TrojanFBx) October 1, 2024

The new addition is USC quarterback Miller Moss. After three years spent mostly on the bench, Moss took over as the starter this year and currently leads the Big Ten in passing yards per game. Moss threw three touchdowns this week in a win over Wisconsin.

Season Stats: 65.4% completion rate, 1,198 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions, one rushing touchdown,

9. Will Howard - QB, Ohio State

Will Howard still hasn't faced elite competition yet, but he opened Big Ten play with two passing touchdowns and a rushing score in a dominant 38-7 win over Michigan State. It might not have been the strongest possible showing, but it was enough for him to maintain this spot.

Season Stats: 68.6% completion rate, 1,039 yards, eight touchdowns, two interceptions, three rushing touchdowns

8. Jaxson Dart - QB, Ole Miss

Jaxson Dart was really, really good over the first four games of the season, but he struggled in this week's 20-17 loss to Kentucky. Dart still leads the SEC in completion percentage, but it dropped a bit after he completed a season-low 66.7% of the passes in the defeat.

If Ole Miss wants to avoid a further backslide after this game, Dart's got to step up and show he can be more than just Lane Kiffin's system. With LSU, Oklahoma, and Georgia all still on the docket, Dart will at least have those opportunities.

Season Stats: 77.4% completion rate, 1,815 yards, 13 touchdowns, two interceptions, three rushing touchdowns

7. Quinn Ewers - QB, Texas

I didn't want to drop Quinn Ewers because he still has a case to make, even after missing his second game in a row. Still, any viable shot at the Heisman kind of goes out the window if Ewers is somehow unable to go against Oklahoma on Oct. 12.

Props to Arch Manning for leading the Horns to a win over Mississippi State in the team's first SEC game. He was 26-for-31 for 324 yards and two touchdowns in the win. At this time next year, you'll be reading his name on 2025 Heisman lists.

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

6. Dillon Gabriel - QB, Oregon

Dillon Gabriel completed 75.6% of his passing yards this week in a win over UCLA, which is a really good number! But it actually dropped his overall season average by 2.5% because Gabriel hasn't completed under 83% in any game this year.

Gabriel dropping one spot really says more about the strength of other candidates than it says anything negative about Gabriel. I know some people have been disappointed by Gabriel this year, but he's doing what the Ducks need him to do.

Season Stats: 81.5% completion rate, 1,192 passing yards, nine passing touchdowns, one interception, two rushing touchdowns

5. Nico Iamaleava - QB, Tennessee

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava drops one spot here after the Vols were off this week. The week before, Iamaleava had his second game in a row with under 200 passing yards, but he still led the Volunteers to a win over Oklahoma.

The Vols are 4-0 on the season and have a fairly easy schedule coming up. Even if Iamaleava doesn't have the top statistical Heisman case, he'll get plenty of credit if this team keeps winning football games.

Season Stats: 69.3% completion rate, 892 passing yards, seven passing touchdowns, two interceptions, one rushing touchdown

4. Ashton Jeanty - RB, Boise State

Last week, I mentioned that "a non-power conference player hasn't won since Ty Detmer for BYU way back in 1990." That was my main reasoning for ranking Ashton Jeanty 10th. But this can't be denied any more. Jeanty might be the best player in the country.

Ashton Jeanty is on pace to run for 3,380 yards + 52 TDs while averaging 10.3 per carry.

His 588 rushing yards after contact alone would put him 6th in the country in rushing + his 43 forced missed tackles leads the country.

All-time season. Heisman.pic.twitter.com/NgxQx7iPpJ

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 29, 2024

Through four games, Jeanty is averaging an absurd 211.3 rushing yards per contest. Against Washington State, he carried the ball 26 times for 259 yards and four touchdowns. This now gives him three multiple-touchdown games already this season. Jeanty is just an unstoppable force out there.

Season Stats: 82 carries, 845 rushing yards, 13 touchdowns

3. Travis Hunter - WR/DB, Colorado

We have another huge jump here because Travis Hunter has become undeniable. In this week's 48-21 win over UCF, Hunter failed to hit the 100-yard mark for the first time all season, but he caught nine passes for 89 yards and a touchdown, giving him six scores on the year.

Oh, and he also picked off his second pass of the year and had a pass deflection as well. This is now three games in a row where Hunter has forced a turnover. No n0n-QB impacts the game more than Hunter because he makes huge plays on both sides of the football.

Season Stats: 46 receptions, 561 receiving yards, six receiving touchdowns, 16 tackles, two interceptions

2. Cam Ward - QB, Miami

I hate dropping Cam Ward one spot. He threw a couple of interceptions and the Hurricanes just barely scraped past Virginia Tech, but Ward still threw four touchdowns and ran for one, so even his worst game of the year still saw things mostly go his way.

He now has an FBS-high 18 touchdown passes this season, with at least three in each game. Miami is 5-0 on the year and just won the exact kind of game this team had gotten so familiar with losing.

Season Stats: 70.2% completion rate, 1,782 passing yards, 18 touchdowns, four interceptions, two rushing touchdowns

1. Jalen Milroe - QB, Alabama

You hear so much about Heisman moments. Jalen Milroe had his on Saturday with a 75-yard touchdown pass to Ryan Williams with 2:18 to play to put Alabama back in front against Georgia.

Jalen Milroe’s explosiveness and elusiveness are such a cheat code in Kalen DeBoer’s offense. Can just feel his NFL draft stock going up pic.twitter.com/eAjlMN3hXL

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 28, 2024

The Tide had a 30-7 lad at one point, fueled by two touchdown runs for Milroe. Georgia clawed its way back, but Milroe was able to right the ship and get the victory. He's the best dual-threat QB in the country.

Season Stats: 72.9% completion rate, 964 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, one interception, eight rushing touchdowns

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