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We have a clear-cut top choice for the Heisman after Week 7 of the 2024 season. We had a stable top 3 heading into the weekend, but an injury to Colorado’s Travis Hunter has altered the picture a bit. Meanwhile, Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel played a masterful game in a 32-31 win over No. 2 Ohio State to surge back up the board at most sports betting apps. Because Gabriel didn’t necessarily have a single game-breaking play in the win over Ohio State, we didn’t necessarily see anyone “win the Heisman” over the weekend.
Still, we have a new top 3. And that top 3 has a little bit of distance between it and a distinct second tier.
Gabriel was the betting favorite entering the season. When Oregon came out of the gates a bit off-kilter, he dipped down the board. Now, with the Ducks up to No. 2 in the country and boasting one of the best wins of the season, he’s right back near the top.
Below is the updated Heisman Trophy race entering Week 8. (You can find last week’s picture here.)
Editor’s note: The rank you see next to each player reflects how a vote for the Heisman would look right now
1. Ashton Jeanty, Boise State RB (LW: 1)
Week 7 results: 28-7 win at Hawaii
Week 7 stats: 31 carries, 217 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown, 3 receptions, 20 receiving yards, 1 receiving touchdown
Season stats: 126 carries, 1,248 rushing yards, 9.9 yards per attempt, 17 rushing touchdowns, 9 receptions, 39 receiving yards. 1 receiving touchdown
One big number: 911 yards after contact
Current odds: +175 (via FanDuel)
Up next: BYE
Jeanty leads the country with 57 missed tackles forced and leads the country in yards after contact (per PFF). He’s averaging 7.2 yards per rushing attempt after contact. To put his after-contact rushing success in perspective: there are only 2 other FBS running backs who currently have more than 800 total rushing yards this season. Against Hawaii, Jeanty posted his third 200-yard game of the season and a season-high 31 rushing attempts.
2. Cam Ward, Miami QB (LW: 2)
Week 7 results: BYE
Week 7 stats: N/A
Season stats: 69.2% completion, 2,219 passing yards, 20 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 161 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
One big number: N/A
Current odds: +800 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at Louisville
Oregon quarterback Dillon Gabriel overtook Ward in the betting markets, but I’m not quite there yet. Yes, Gabriel has a better team win than anything Ward has, but Ward’s statistical profile this season is still outstanding. He has more passing yards than Gabriel, more touchdowns than Gabriel, a better QBR (91.8), and he still leads all FBS quarterbacks in EPA despite not playing in Week 7. Given where the market is currently at (implied 11.1% chance to win the award), Ward has become a pretty valuable Heisman bet.
3. Dillon Gabriel, Oregon QB (LW: 7)
Week 7 results: 32-31 win over No. 2 Ohio State
Week 7 stats: 23-for-34, 341 passing yards, 2 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 4 carries, 32 rushing yards, 1 rushing touchdown
Season stats: 76.1% completion, 1,790 passing yards, 13 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 28 carries, 103 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 0 turnovers vs. Ohio State
Current odds: +320 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at Purdue
Gabriel had gotten a little careless in recent weeks, tossing multiple red zone interceptions in lopsided victories over UCLA and Michigan State. You wondered if he’d continue to be loose with the football or turn up when the lights got hotter. He was outstanding against Ohio State, helping the Ducks to their biggest win of the Dan Lanning era.
4. Cade Klubnik, Clemson QB (LW: 6)
Week 7 results: 49-14 win at Wake Forest
Week 7 stats: 31-for-41, 309 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 0 interceptions, 7 carries, 30 rushing yards
Season stats: 66.8% completion, 1,528 passing yards, 17 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 35 carries, 198 rushing yards, 4 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 88.3 QBR to rank fifth in the country
Current odds: +1200 (via FanDuel)
Up next: vs. Virginia
Klubnik was, at one point in his career, a danger to Clemson in true road games. In back-to-back weeks, he has posted QBRs of 88 or better in true road games. Now, the 2 defenses he has faced are nothing special (Florida State and Wake Forest), but Klubnik has been wonderfully efficient in consecutive weeks. He has just 1 interception since the Georgia game and produced another 3 touchdowns. Clemson has won 5 straight games by at least 2 touchdowns and Klubnik’s efficiency is a huge reason for the surge.
5. Jalen Milroe, Alabama QB (LW: 4)
Week 7 results: 27-25 win over South Carolina
Week 7 stats: 16-for-23, 209 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 2 interceptions, 18 carries, 36 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
Season stats: 72.7% completion, 1,483 passing yards, 12 passing touchdowns, 4 interceptions, 77 carries, 319 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 60.6 passer grade vs. South Carolina (per PFF)
Current odds: +1000 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at No. 11 Tennessee
It was a bad week for Alabama. Jalen Milroe had a season-low 6.7-yard average depth of target. He was picked off for the third straight game. His interception at the end of the first half gave South Carolina a field goal to cut the margin to 2 points. He then was flagged for intention grounding in the endzone to gift the Gamecocks another 2 points. He was sacked a season-high 4 times and carries some of the blame for those pressures that became negative plays. He Ran for 2 touchdowns to get Alabama over the finish line, but he also kept South Carolina in the game. Milroe’s passing left plenty to be desired; for the time being, I’ll chalk it up to a bad week against a great defense. Alabama cannot afford another bad week with what’s coming up.
6. Kurtis Rourke, Indiana QB (LW: 8)
Week 7 results: BYE
Week 7 stats: N/A
Season stats: 73.8% completion, 1,752 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 44 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
One big number: N/A
Current odds: +5000 (via FanDuel)
Up next: vs. Nebraska
Rourke has the second-best QBR in the country and he’s fourth in EPA. He leads the second-ranked scoring offense in college football and has the Hoosiers breaking off 7.6 yards per play, a top-5 clip. With a spotlight game against a brand name, Rourke will get his first real opportunity of the season to show the country who he is. Indiana will be featured on the Big Noon Kickoff show on FOX before its game against the Huskers is broadcast to a national TV audience. This is a huge chance to make a statement.
7. Carson Beck, Georgia QB (LW: 9)
Week 7 results: 41-31 win over Mississippi State
Week 7 stats: 36-for-48, 459 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 1 carry, 8 rushing yards
Season stats: 67.9% completion, 1,818 passing yards, 15 passing touchdowns, 5 interceptions, 23 carries, 57 rushing yards, 0 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 9 turnover-worthy plays in 6 games
Current odds: +1200 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at No. 1 Texas
I’m not sure how to view Beck this season. He has made enough plays with his arm to get Georgia 5 wins and get Georgia close to a sixth. He has 12 big-time throws (graded by PFF), and all of those have come in the last 4 games. (Only 12 FBS passers have more, for reference.) Beck had 5 big-time throws against Alabama and 4 against Mississippi State this past weekend. But Beck has also made enough uncharacteristic mistakes this season that Georgia hasn’t really buried an opponent the way we’ve grown accustomed to seeing. Beck now has 9 turnover-worthy plays, with 2 in the win over Mississippi State. Both of his interceptions were costly in a game that never should have been as close as it was. I still think Beck is missing Brock Bowers. Beyond that, he has just felt off.
8. Garrett Nussmeier, LSU QB (LW: NR)
Week 7 results: 29-26 win over No. 9 Ole Miss
Week 7 stats: 22-for-51, 337 passing yards, 3 passing touchdowns, 2 interceptions, 2 carries, 16 rushing yards
Season stats: 64.3% completion, 1,989 passing yards, 18 passing touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 8 carries, 11 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
One big number: 44.3 EPA to rank eighth nationally
Current odds: +2800 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at Arkansas
There’s so much NFL buzz about Jalen Milroe at Alabama, but I think the truly overlooked first-round talent in the SEC is Nussmeier. He’s been outstanding this season, making consistently wonderful throws, navigating pockets, keeping his eyes downfield, and avoiding danger. Against Ole Miss, Nussmeier was brilliant with the game on the line. Per PFF, Nussmeier has been money on intermediate (10-19 yards) and deep (20-plus) throws over the middle of the field. He’s 31-for-49 on those throws, with 4 touchdowns, 6 big-time throws, and only 2 turnover-worthy plays. The seam ball that tied the game against Ole Miss and forced overtime was a perfect throw. The throw on the run to Mason Taylor in the final 2 minutes was another dart. If LSU keeps protecting Nussmeier (he’s been sacked twice) and wins 10 games, it might send consecutive quarterbacks to NYC at the end of the season.
9. Travis Hunter, Colorado WR/DB (LW: 3)
Week 7 results: 31-28 loss to No. 18 Kansas State
Week 7 stats: 3 receptions, 26 receiving yards, 1 tackle
Season stats: 49 receptions, 587 receiving yards, 6 receiving touchdowns, 17 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 3 pass breakups, 2 interceptions, 1 forced fumble
One big number: season-low 43 snaps vs. Kansas State
Current odds: +2500 (via FanDuel)
Up next: at Arizona
Hunter left Colorado’s loss to Kansas State in the second quarter with an apparent shoulder injury. He went to the locker room in the second quarter, returned to the sideline in the third, but never came back into the game. After, coach Deion Sanders did not have an update on his star 2-way player. If Hunter misses any time, he becomes a longshot to make it to New York City as a Heisman finalist. When he comes back, Colorado might also ease him into things and limit his snaps. I’m not ready to take him off the board completely, but if he misses a couple of games, it’ll be hard to recover.
10. Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss QB (LW: 5)
Week 7 results: 29-26 loss (OT) at No. 13 LSU
Week 7 stats: 24-for-42, 284 passing yards, 1 passing touchdown, 1 interception, 15 carries, 27 yards
Season stats: 70.2% completion, 2,384 passing yards, 14 passing touchdowns, 3 interceptions, 59 carries, 183 rushing yards, 3 rushing touchdowns
One big number: season-worst 4 turnover-worthy plays against LSU
Current odds: +3500 (via FanDuel)
Up next: BYE
After throwing all over his first 4 opponents, Dart has been held under 300 yards through the air in every league game and has now gone consecutive weeks with a sub-60% completion rate. He was sacked 6 times against LSU and 4 times against Kentucky — both of the Rebels’ losses. Against the Tigers, the pressure was a massive issue and Dart responded with his worst game of the season (52.4 QBR). Barring a heroic performance in a win over Georgia later this year, Dart is fading.
Derek Peterson does a bit of everything, not unlike Taysom Hill. He has covered Oklahoma, Nebraska, the Pac-12, and now delivers CFB-wide content.
