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Writer's pictureJake Faigus

The Heisman Report - Looking at the early leaders through Week 2 of the season


We may only be through two weeks of the college football season, but it's never too early to look at the Heisman Trophy picture.

Every week we'll look at where things stand, and who is in position to potentially land an invite to New York, and maybe, possibly even win the award.


To be clear, this isn't just a list of who the favorites are - but who are making big moves.


Also, speaking of Heisman, a reminder: Former Heisman Trophy winner Tim Tebow joined Aaron Torres on his podcast, which you can you download below



Now, to this week's Heisman report.


Odds are provided by DraftKings Sportsbook:


Caleb Williams (+400): Although plenty of other teams and players have received more hype - through three weeks, Caleb Williams has been the best player in college football, and it hasn’t been close. He already has 878 passing yards and has 12 passing touchdowns to zero interceptions. He also has a 78.6% completion percentage. The USC offense has been spread around with Tahj Washington, Duce Robinson, Brenden Rice, Dorian Singer, Mario Williams, and Zachariah Branch all making plays, and seven different players catching at least one TD.



At this point it isn't whether Williams is going to be in the running for the Heisman, but if anyone can top him. He’s going to have to get knocked off this list because his level of play has been unrivaled so far. He’s cleared the field in college football so far, but time will tell if he can repeat.


Jordan Travis (+900): Jordan Travis is in a three-way tie for second place in the Heisman odds, thanks in large part to his statement game against LSU. We all watched the Week 1 beat down of the Tigers, but it still remained impressive, with Travis throwing for four touchdowns and running for another. On the season, he has 517 passing yards, six touchdown passes, one interception, and he has a 63.3 % completion percentage. He also has 58 rushing yards and on rushing touchdown. Keon Coleman and Johnny Wilson are great targets for him to spread it out too and if Travis keeps this level of play up, he’ll at least get an invite to New York and could win it over Williams, and it will help with FSU becoming relevant again.


Quinn Ewers (+900): While we all knew the name Quinn Ewers, there's no doubt that Saturday was his national breakout performance. Ewers had success against Bama last year obviously, but the ability to stay healthy and lead the Longhorns to the stunning win ensured he'd see his Heisman stock rise. He finished the game with 349 passing yards, three touchdown passes, zero interceptions and a 63.2% completion percentage. The stage he was on really put him in the mix.



Just how good was Ewers performance? So good, that some sportsbooks pulled his teammate, Arch Manning off the Heisman betting board all together following the win. The key now for Ewers? To consistently do it week-in and week-out, something he hasn't always been able to do throughout his career.


Michael Penix Jr. (+900): Michael Penix Jr. is in the perfect offense for him at Washington and its showing. He has 859 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, one interception and a 73.1 % completion percentage. Washington’s schedule is going to ramp up, but the Huskies should stay relevant and Penix Jr. is the difference for them. He’s next to Caleb Williams with the best quarterback in the Pac-12 and will continue to pad his numbers. He’s the engine that makes Washington go.


JJ McCarthy (+1600): Michigan has quietly jumped out to a 2-0 start in two relatively off-the-radar games, but it doesn't change the fact that McCarthy has absurd stats through two games. He has 558 passing yards, five touchdown passes, zero interceptions, and an insane 87.3% completion percentage. He’s been able to stack his numbers against weak competition and will be in this conversation for now, but it will come down to how well he does against better competition, especially Penn State and Ohio State at the end of the season.


Shedeur Sanders (+1800): While we all knew his famous father and teammate Travis Hunter, what's indisputable is that Shedeur Sanders has become the breakout surprise for Colorado's early season success. Maybe we shouldn't be surprised after he threw for 40 touchdowns on 70% completion percentage last year, but what he has done through two games for Colorado is staggering, as he's currently completing 77.5 percent of his passes, with six touchdown passes and zero interceptions. The Buffs will have even more show case games going forward, including head-to-head matchups with fellow Heisman candidates Bo Nix in Week 4 and Caleb Williams in Week 5. Get your popcorn ready!


Others worth noting:


Bo Nix, QB, Oregon (+2000)

Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame (+2000)

Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State (+2800)

Travis Hunter, CB/WR, Colorado (+3500)




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