Before the dust settles on this year’s ceremony, let’s look ahead to next season. Who could take home the trophy?
LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels captured the 89th Heisman Trophy in New York on Saturday night, appearing on 90% of the ballots.
With Daniels and fellow finalists Marvin Harrison Jr. of Ohio State, Bo Nix of Oregon and Michael Penix Jr. of Washington expected to move on to the NFL after this season, who are the top contenders in 2024?
Will it be a returning quarterback such as Alabama’s Jalen Milroe or Texas’ Quinn Ewers? Or a sleeper who comes out of nowhere? Or a transfer playing at a new school?
Here are the top Heisman Trophy contenders for 2024:
Benched after a home loss to Texas in Week 2, Milroe regained the starting job and led the Crimson Tide to another SEC championship and CFP appearance. He has a rare combination of size (6-foot-2, 220 pounds), speed and arm strength, and he became a more effective pocket passer throughout the 2024 season. Milroe should flourish even more in offensive coordinator Tommy Rees’ offense in Year 2.
The Cowboys’ offense didn’t ride on Gordon’s shoulders until the fourth game, and the sophomore had six straight games with 100 rushing yards or more once it did. In back-to-back victories over Cincinnati and West Virginia, Gordon had 271 and 282 yards, respectively. He led the FBS with 1,614 rushing yards and was No. 2 with 20 rushing touchdowns during the regular season.
Ewers ended up being the quarterback who finally brought Texas back to the sport’s upper echelon. The Longhorns could be right back in the mix if he returns, as expected, in 2024. This past season, Ewers threw for 3,161 yards with 21 touchdowns and six interceptions, while completing 70.7% of his passes in 11 games. In a 49-21 victory against Oklahoma State in the Big 12 championship game, Ewers threw for 452 yards with four scores. Texas tailback Jonathan Brooks (1,139 yards with 10 touchdowns) is another potential contender if he returns healthy from a torn ACL and doesn’t enter the NFL draft.
Sanders is considered a potential first-round pick in the NFL draft, so it’s unclear whether he’ll return to play for his father, Deion, for another season. Sanders showed plenty of guts playing behind a dreadful offensive line this past season, throwing for 3,230 yards with 27 touchdowns and three interceptions.
