Shedeur Sanders is the beginning QB for Colorado. PHOTO USA At this time Sports activities Pictures Bear in mind 12 months in the past when then-USC quarterback Caleb Williams was going to walk to his second straight Heisman Trophy?
Six quarterbacks completed within the Prime 10 of final 12 months’s balloting. Williams wasn’t considered one of them.
Even three working backs and one receiver have been a part of the Prime 10.
Williams and the Trojans began 6-0. Then the Heisman repeat hopes went down the drain when he threw three interceptions throughout a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame. USC misplaced 5 of Williams’ final six school begins as a part of an embarrassing collapse.
This season, guys like Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Texas’ Quinn Ewers needs to be within the combine all through the season. Maybe there shall be a shock entrant like Utah’s Cameron Rising, again from main knee surgical procedure.
However some gamers will not reside as much as the hype. Some campaigns shall be accomplished early. Listed below are 5 gamers who might see their Heisman hopes derailed within the first month of the season:
JAXSON DART, OLE MISS (+1400)
PHOTO USA At this time Sports activities Pictures The Rebels have a comfortable schedule, so Dart must pile up the stats to show he is a severe contender. Furman, Center Tennessee and Georgia Southern characterize three of Ole Miss’s first 4 video games, not precisely the caliber of golf equipment a Heisman contender needs to be going through. If he has a pair underwhelming video games attributable to efficiency or early exits — Wake Forest is the Week 3 opponent — Dart might fall out of the race with a subpar recreation towards Kentucky on Sept. 28 within the Rebels’ first SEC conflict. Look ahead to coach Lane Kiffin to attempt to pile up numbers within the first half of video games to assist Dart’s possibilities.
NICO IAMALEAVA, TENNESSEE (+1500)
Nov 25, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) passes the ball towards the Vanderbilt Commodores throughout the second half at Neyland Stadium. credit: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports activities He is perhaps rated too excessive contemplating he enters the season with one profession begin and would not flip 20 till Monday. Tennessee has featured high-profile offenses underneath coach Josh Heupel, and that has helped push Iamaleava up the charts. He handed for 151 yards towards Iowa within the Citrus Bowl final season however displayed inexperience by being sacked six instances. The Volunteers will get an excellent take a look at of their second recreation towards North Carolina State, however the one which determines Iamaleava’s Heisman bid would be the go to to Oklahoma in Week 4. If the Sooners bottle him up, it is wait till subsequent 12 months. And subsequent 12 months, he might deservedly be one of many prime candidates.
CAM WARD, MIAMI (+1500)
Former Washington State QB Cam Ward is now with the Miami Hurricanes. credit: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports activities Put up nice numbers at Washington State the previous two seasons however nonetheless comes throughout as a prove-it-to-us candidate. Which means Saturday’s season opener towards Florida is large per figuring out what degree of candidate he’s. Wrestle mightily in his Miami debut and he sinks down the listing. The Hurricanes’ subsequent two opponents are Florida A&M and Ball State, and it would not matter if he places up pinball numbers towards them. The fourth opponent is South Florida, and Ward will definitely have to be stellar towards the Bulls.
RILEY LEONARD, NOTRE DAME (+2200)
Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard has transferred to Notre Dame. credit: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports activities We all know why he is on the listing—the switch to Notre Dame. He was having a meager season at Duke final season, even earlier than the season-ending toe harm that restricted him to seven video games. If he had remained with the Blue Devils, he would not be this excessive. Essentially the most fascinating factor about Leonard’s candidacy is that Notre Dame opens the season towards Texas A&M, and new Aggies coach Mike Elko was Leonard’s coach at Duke. Are you able to think about the previous coach delivering a crushing opening salvo to Leonard’s candidacy? The Combating Irish even have September video games towards Purdue and Louisville.
SHEDEUR SANDERS, COLORADO (+3500)
Nov 11, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) on the line of scrimmage within the first half towards the Arizona Wildcats at Folsom Subject. credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports activities Bear in mind all of the early season hype he acquired final season throughout the Buffaloes’ beautiful 3-0 begin? This 12 months, there’s little buzz about Sanders, although he threw 27 landing passes towards simply three interceptions. A part of that’s as a result of 17 of the touchdowns got here in 4 video games. A few of that’s definitely attributable to Colorado ending simply 4-8. Plus, the transfer to the Massive 12 shall be difficult. Colorado opens with North Dakota State, and the Bison have been recognized to submit upsets towards FBS faculties. Regardless, Sanders wants one other sizzling begin to be a part of this dialogue for lengthy.