3 Dark Horse Picks To Win The 2024 Heisman Trophy

11/16/2024 07:56 PM

All season long, the Heisman trophy race has been centered around two of the best players in the country, and rightfully so.

Colorado's Travis Hunter and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty have taken the college football world by storm with epic performances week after week.

Hunter may be the best pure football player in the country, as he's just as good on offense as he is on defense. He's been able to play both wide receiver and cornerback at a high level, reminding fans of the last defensive player to win the Heisman: Charles Woodson.

Jeanty is the country's best running back, with the potential to break Barry Sanders' single-season FBS rushing record. His stats look more like numbers from College Football 25 than the typical box score.

As excellent as Hunter and Jeanty have been, there are other players who are worthy of an invite to New York at the end of the season. 

Here are three of the best players in the country that could end up lifting the Heisman trophy at the end of the year.

Dillon Gabriel

Season Stats: 2,848 passing yards, 22 TD, 74.1% completion (through 9 games)

Sometimes the most simple solution is the correct one. Gabriel has been the best player on the best team in the country, which is usually enough to easily win the Heisman.

The only problem is that this isn't a normal college football season. Hunter and Jeanty appear to be having once-in-a-generation seasons, while Gabriel will have to settle for simply being great.

Great has been enough to win the Heisman in the past, especially for quarterbacks. Seven of the last eight winners have been quarterbacks, including each of the last three.

Many have said that the Heisman has become the "best quarterback on the best team award." If that's true, it's Gabriel's to lose in 2024.

Cam Ward

Season Stats: 3,494 yards, 32 TD, 66.8% completion (through 10 games)

Ward entered the season as the prohibitive favorite to win the award. Hunter and Jeanty have eclipsed him among oddsmakers to win, but Ward is still a very popular pick to take home the trophy.

He's still putting up great numbers on a great team, and as with Gabriel, will benefit from playing a Heisman-friendly position. 

Miami has games against two unranked opponents to end the regular season, giving Ward a chance to separate himself from the other two quarterbacks who will be up for the award.

Kurtis Rourke

Season Stats: 2,410 passing yards, 21 TD, 71.8% completion (through 10 games)

Rourke is the most accurate representation of a "dark horse" candidate to win the Heisman Trophy. He may not have the stats and amazing plays of Ward and Gabriel, but he's proven himself to be a winner at every turn this season.

Indiana hasn't had the most impressive schedule this year, but they are undefeated. If they can defeat Ohio State and Purdue to run the table, Rourke should at least receive an invite to New York.

If they're somehow able to win the Big Ten championship and go into the College Football Playoff as an undefeated top seed, there would be a real case for him to emerge as the winner.

We'll see which players are invited to the ceremony, but the long list of potential winners proves that this has been one of the most exciting college football seasons of all time.

Related: There's A Heavy Favorite To Win 2024 Heisman Trophy