With the college football season at the midway point, it’s a good time to take a look at the nation’s top performers. The Heisman Trophy is the most prestigious individual award handed out each season. One of the top players in the nation will have their names etched to the game’s all-time greats. Today, we’re looking at the top five contenders for the Heisman and reviewing how their season has played out thus far:
5. QB Dillon Gabriel — Oregon
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It’d be difficult to leave Oregon’s QB off this list after a signature win over Ohio State. The top-5 matchup served as a sort of eliminator between Gabriel and Ohio State QB Will Howard. In his first year with the Ducks, Gabriel has continued to air out at a high rate. He’s completing 76-percent of his passes — first among QBs who have started every game for their team this season. He’s also thrown for 1,790 yards and 13 TDs. Against the Buckeyes, Gabriel finished with 341 passing yards and 3 TDs (one rushing). With the game up for grabs, Gabriel led back-to-back scoring drives on Oregon’s final two possessions. We’ve seen Gabriel get off to hot starts before at Oklahoma and UCF, but this is the best team he’s played for.
4. QB Kurtis Rourke — Indiana
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Last season, the Indiana Hoosiers ranked 105th in the nation scoring 22.2 PPG. They’ve more than doubled the scoring output in 2024. Through six games, the Hoosiers are averaging 47.5 PPG — second in the country. The turnaround can be primarily attributed to Ohio transfer Kurtis Rourke who has been outstanding for his new team. Rourke has thrown for 1,758 yards and 14 TDs while completing 74.2-percent of his passes. The Hoosiers sit at 6-0 in the Big Ten with three wins over conference opponents. Rourke has been able to limit mistakes, having only thrown two interceptions and absorbing less than one sack per game. He threw for a season-high 380 yards in a win over Northwestern last week. If the Hoosiers keep it up, Rourke will be in the discussion to become the first Heisman trophy winner in the program’s history.
3. QB Cam Ward — Miami
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Cam Ward has completely flipped the script at the University of Miami in just half a season. The Hurricanes finished 7-6 last year. They haven’t won 10 games in a season since 2017. They’ve never won the ACC since joining the conference in 2004. That appears all to be changing under Ward’s watch. After breezing through the first four games, Ward and the ‘Canes faced tests against Virginia Tech and California. Ward led late comebacks in both games with exceptional performances down the stretch. He’s thrown for 2,219 yards and leads the nation with 20 TD passes. The Hurricanes rank first in PPG at 47.7. Miami’s confident leader has them firmly in the discussion to make the College Football Playoff.
2. WR/CB Travis Hunter — Colorado
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What Travis Hunter is doing cannot be understated. We’ve seen players take snaps on both sides of the ball before. We haven’t seen someone who is arguably top-10 at two separate premier positions. Hunter ranks 10th in the nation with 587 receiving yards — and he was forced to exit last week’s loss to Kansas State due to injury. Defensively, Hunter has collected two interceptions and forced a crucial fumble at the goal line in Colorado’s win over Baylor. His health will be something to monitor as the season advances, but Hunter is the nation’s most unique player and is putting together an unforgettable campaign.
1. RB Ashton Jeanty — Boise State
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Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty has been unstoppable. The nation’s top running back is on pace for a historic season. Through six games, Jeanty has run for 1,248 yards and 17 TDs. No, that is not a typo. Jeanty is averaging over 200 yards per game and 9.9 yards per carry. His lowest yardage total of the season was 127 (he was pulled from the game at halftime). He ran for 217 yards in Boise State’s most recent game against Hawaii. And, he’s not doing it for some lousy team. The Broncos are 5-1 with their lone loss coming against the No. 2 ranked Oregon Ducks (Jeanty ran for 192 yards and 3 TDs in that game). There’s a solid chance Boise State sneaks into the playoff field. If he keeps up the current pace, Jeanty would break Barry Sanders’ single-season record for rushing yards (2,628). He’s (literally) running away with the award.