The days of running backs regularly winning the Heisman Trophy are long gone.
Ten Heismans were won by running backs in the 1980s and 1990s. In the 24 years since, just three running backs have won the award: Reggie Bush in 2005, Mark Ingram in 2009 and Derrick Henry in 2015.
The Heisman has become an award dominated by quarterbacks as DeVonta Smith is the only other non-QB to win since Wisconsin RB Ron Dayne won in 1999.
Simply put, it’s extremely unlikely the Heisman Trophy will be won by a non-QB in 2024. And that QB will come from a power conference school. But if there’s a player at another position who is going to win the award in 2024, the best early season candidate comes from a team looking to crash the College Football Playoff party.
Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty has put up an absolutely absurd stat line so far this season. In Week 1, Jeanty ran like he was playing the College Football 25 video game on the easiest difficulty setting. In a win over Georgia Southern, Jeanty had 20 carries for 267 yards and six touchdowns.
Oregon was a much tougher opponent in Week 2, and Jeanty still put up ridiculous numbers. He rushed 25 times for 192 yards and three touchdowns against the Ducks as Oregon needed a very late field goal to beat the Broncos, 37-34.
Jeanty’s nine touchdowns this season are by far the most of any skill position player in college football. UCF’s R.J. Harvey has scored six TDs through two games this season and no other player has more than five. Just 16 players across all of college football have scored more than three rushing and receiving touchdowns.
The junior may be the best running back in college football and is a big reason why Boise State has a great chance to make the College Football Playoff if it wins the Mountain West. The Broncos went toe-to-toe with the Ducks late Saturday night and Jeanty is performing without an explosive passing game to back him up. Boise State QB Maddux Madsen has thrown for 31 fewer yards than Jeanty has rushed for on 71 pass attempts.
Jeanty has rushed the ball 45 times and is averaging over 10 yards a carry.
Jeanty’s production will assuredly slow down — it’s impossible to average 4.5 TDs a game over the entirety of a college football season. But more than 25 touchdowns this season is not out of the question. If he threatens the 2,000-yard mark and Boise State makes the playoff, don’t be surprised if he’s a Heisman finalist at the end of the season.
Here are the other players at the top of the Heisman race after the first two weeks of the season.
Georgia QB Carson Beck
The senior opened as the betting favorite to win the Heisman and has done nothing to show that he won’t be a serious contender at the end of the season. Beck picked apart Clemson’s defense in Week 1 and feasted on Tennessee Tech in Week 2. As the best offensive player on what could be the best team in college football, Beck is going to be in the thick of the Heisman race all season long.
Ole Miss QB Jaxson Dart
The Rebels QB’s stats also look like they’re straight from a video game, though it’s worth pointing out that Ole Miss’ schedule has been a lot easier than Boise State’s. In games against Furman and Middle Tennessee State, Dart has completed 87% of his passes for six TDs. He’s also rushed for two other scores.
Texas QB Quinn Ewers
The Longhorns QB attacked Michigan’s defense early and often in Texas’ 31-12 Week 2 win over the defending national champions. Ewers finished the game 24-of-36 passing for 246 yards and three touchdowns. The performance has made Ewers the favorite for the Heisman at BetMGM, and he’ll probably stay there for at least a couple more weeks.
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel
The former Oklahoma QB passed Beck as the Heisman favorite over the summer as he joined an offense that features a lot of high-percentage short throws. Gabriel is completing 84% of his passes over two games and was 18-of-21 for 243 yards and two scores against Boise State. However, Oregon has dropped nine spots in the AP poll from the start of the season and the offensive line isn’t as good as it was a season ago.
