Welcome to Hunting the Heisman, a weekly column covering the most prestigious trophy in college football. Each week, this column will highlight my top three contenders for the Heisman Trophy, as well as an extra, Heisman-related topic. At the end of the year, we’ll compare each edition’s results with who actually wins to see how accurate I was.
Without further delay, let’s get into the first volume of Hunting the Heisman!
This week’s top three
Travis Hunter, Colorado, WR/CB
The Swiss army knife, also known as Travis Hunter, jumps off the page as someone who has made a huge impact under Coach Prime for the Colorado Buffaloes. Hunter has done amazing things this season, but the forced fumble that secured Colorado’s win over Baylor instantly put him at the top of this list.
With Colorado scoring on their first possession in overtime, it was up to the Buffaloes defense to hold it down. Baylor pushed the ball to Colorado’s two-yard line, then handed the ball off to running back Dominic Richardson for what could have been the game-tying touchdown. Instead, Hunter put his shoulder straight into the ball, jarring it loose and into the back of the endzone.
Along with being one of the most feared corners in the league, Hunter is also consistently the top receiver for not only the Buffaloes, but one of the best in all of college football. In each game this season, he has amassed 100-plus yards, totalling 472 yards on 37 receptions. Those stats place him at sixth place in receiving yards and fourth in receptions. His five touchdowns are also good for tied-fourth in FBS football.
The Iron Man has played 532 snaps this season so far, and some wonder if it is possible to keep up. It’s certainly early in the process, but at this point, the only way that Hunter is not the favorite to win the trophy is if the Buffaloes fail to win any games the rest of this season or if the lights become too bright and Hunter folds under the pressure.
Cam Ward, Miami (FL), QB
Many people may disagree with not having the Hurricane’s Cam Ward at the top of this list, but against the teams that he has played, Ward has not done enough. This is not to say that he hasn’t been a fantastic quarterback, but he’s benefitted from playing three poor teams in Florida A&M, Ball State and South Florida. He did merely what was expected of him in those three games: against the Rattlers, he had 304 yards and three touchdowns on 26 pass attempts; against the Cardinals he threw for 346 yards with five touchdowns on 28 attempts; and against the Bulls he threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns on 34 attempts. As great as he looked in those games, he will need to show that he can reproduce what he did in week one at Florida against a full ACC schedule.
While the Florida Gators are having a year from hell so far, Ward did ball out in a week one thriller when Miami traveled to Gainesville to decimate the Gators 41-17. In said game, Ward threw for 385 yards and three touchdowns. Senior wide receiver Xavier Restrepo and Ward have been a dynamic duo, connecting for over 360 yards and five touchdowns. The two have helped Miami jump from an initial No. 19 ranking in the AP poll up to No. 7 this past week.
Looking ahead, Ward needs to continue putting up video game-like numbers against every team he plays to be considered a top choice and the team cannot afford to drop any games. Although being undefeated is always a challenge, the Hurricanes have the schedule to do it. The only tough matchups will be a sneaky California Golden Bears team in Berkeley and No. 15 Louisville—currently the only ranked team on Miami’s schedule. Georgia Tech, who took down an admittedly overrated Florida State team, could also be a challenge for the Canes.
Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee, QB
Unlike Ward, quarterback Nico Iamaleava will have multiple big games to prove he should win the trophy this season, as the Tennessee Volunteers schedule is loaded. They’re coming off a huge away win over the Oklahoma Sooners and still have to play the Alabama Crimson Tide and the Georgia Bulldogs.
The first three weeks were a walk in the park for Iamaleava and the Volunteers, outscoring Chattanooga, NC State and Kent State by a total of 178 points. In each of these games, Iamaleava was subbed out early to give some playing time to Gaston Moore and Jake Marklinger, which slightly skews his statistics. He did, however, show that he is a legitimate top-level quarterback this past week against the Sooners. In their 25-15 victory, he threw for 194 yards and one touchdown. Those numbers don’t jump off the page, but as a redshirt freshman in his first big away game, his solid performance helped secure a crucial win.
For Iamaleava to carry the trophy, he will need to lead the Volunteers to no more than three losses and make sure that his statistics rise against the Tide and Bulldogs. The SEC is undeniably one of the top two conferences in football, which gives Iamaleava plenty of opportunities to show off his talents.
An honorable mention
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss, QB
When I talked earlier about Ward not putting up the numbers he needed against bad teams, I was comparing him to Jaxson Dart. While head coach Lane Kiffin has given some time to backup Austin Simmons, Dart still averages 388.5 yards per game and three passing touchdowns. In his last game, against Furman, he threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns.
Now, paying 3.7 million dollars, according to Sports Illustrated, to build a weak non-conference schedule should not necessarily win Dart the Heisman. However, their upcoming conference schedule certainly might. Ole Miss will have their first big challenge against No. 14 LSU in Tiger Stadium, followed by a tough game against the Sooners. The biggest game for Dart will be against Georgia to see how he competes against the cream of the crop. Even if he continues at 75% of the passing yards he is currently throwing, Dart will be one of the finalists on the stage.