I’d like to preface this article by saying that these rankings are not my own personal rankings on who I believe should win the Heisman. Instead, these rankings are based on how I think the voters will view these players as the season goes on.
Ashton Jeanty | RB | Boise State (+1)
Jeanty returns to his rightful place at the top after a monster performance this past weekend against Washington State. After a measly 127-yard performance and a bye week, some were ready to count Jeanty out as a Heisman contender. That’s just life as a running back in 2024. If you are not constantly in the public eye and perfect while you are at it, then you can kiss any major awards goodbye. However, Jeanty brought everyone back to reality this past weekend; that reality is that his talent is levels above anyone else on this list besides maybe Travis Hunter, but we will get to him later. Jeanty consistently makes the team he plays on any given week look like a junior varsity team, and Washington State was not the exception. Jeanty put up a stat line of 259 yards and four touchdowns on just 26 carries against the Cougars, even striking the Heisman pose after one of his four touchdowns. That stat line keeps him on pace to break the NCAA single season rushing record set by Hall of Famer and Detroit Lions legend Barry Sanders in 1988. Jeanty will likely need to break that record if he wants to be holding the Heisman trophy, and not just the pose.
Jalen Milroe | QB | Alabama (new)
Milroe, who made a brief appearance on this list in week four, has cemented himself as a Heisman contender following the best game of his career against number four Georgia. Milroe welcomed Georgia onto Saban field for the first time, and they will never forget it. Milroe dominated the game with his arm and legs, throwing for 374 yards (career high) on 81.8% completion percentage with two touchdowns and running for 117 yards while tacking on two more touchdowns. In fact, Milroe has ran for two touchdowns and thrown for at least two touchdowns in every single game this season. The best part of Milroe’s Heisman case is that his path only gets easier from here. The only other great team Alabama will play is Tennessee. Having your best performance and best win come early in the season will have Milroe in contention for the rest of the year.
Cam Ward | QB | Miami (-2)
Ward falls from his spot last week at number one due to his performance this past weekend not being up to par, compared to his previous weeks. However, Ward still made plays for Miami when his name was called, and making plays will always keep a player in the race. Ward’s stats are still phenomenal, with 20 total touchdowns and 1,782 yards to his name; you cannot count out Ward. However, against Virginia Tech this weekend, Ward had his shakiest game yet. You will never shake your head at five touchdowns and 400 yards, but Ward had some costly turnovers that allowed Virginia Tech to have Miami up against the ropes. Fortunately for Miami though, they have Cam Ward. Despite the two turnovers, Ward led Miami all the way back to beat the Hokies 38-34. Hopefully, moving on Ward and the Hurricanes can take this game as a learning experience and continue their domination of the ACC.
Travis Hunter | DB/WR | Colorado (+1)
Hunter continued his All-American level play on both sides of the ball this weekend which moves him up one spot in the Heisman rankings going into week six. Hunter continued his streak of elite offensive and defensive play this past weekend against UCF. Through the air, Hunter had nine catches for 89 yards and a touchdown. Hunter also added an interception on defense. Hunter’s impact on a game-by-game basis is comparable only to quarterbacks in this day and age. Due to his high percentage of snaps per game, Hunter has a disproportionately high impact on games compared to his wide receiver and cornerback counterparts. Hunter marks the end of what most experts determine to be the main contenders for the Heisman trophy so far.
Quinn Ewers | QB | Texas (-2)
Ewers is where this list takes a step down. While Ewers is still an amazing player when healthy, he simply hasn’t played enough and has not played to the level of the other four on this list. Ewers missed his second full game last week to an abdominal injury suffered against UTSA during week three. In his most recent press conference regarding Ewers’ injury status, head coach Steve Sarkisian said, “… I want to make sure he’s healthy enough to play at a high level. Can he operate the game plan we have in place for him?” Every game that Ewers misses, his Heisman odds drop. It has been said many times, but that is all you can say when a player isn’t touching the field. If Ewers misses the Red River Rivalry game against Oklahoma, he will probably have missed too many games to be a Heisman contender. In fact, the last time a player won the Heisman missing multiple games was USC running back Charles White in 1979.
