The race for the Heisman Trophy is heating up as college football’s regular season nears its close.
Big Ten and SEC quarterbacks have made up the great majority of Heisman discussions throughout the season, which remains the case, but some interesting candidates on both sides of the ball are building résumés that are hard to look away from.
In Week 12, there was no better Heisman statement than Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez getting in at QB for a play and scoring the first offensive touchdown of his career. Red Raiders coach Joey McGuire put Rodriguez in on offense because QBs were getting all of the Heisman talk. Rodriguez is having an unbelievable season defensively, so McGuire decided to take matters into his own hands by putting his star on the other side of the ball, even if it was just for a play.
Elsewhere, Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love ran all over the field once again, finding the end zone for the 14th time this season and the ninth game in a row.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson was a mainstay in Heisman talks throughout the Crimson Tide’s eight-game winning streak with his extremely clean passing, but their 23-21 loss to No. 11 Oklahoma this week where he lost a fumble for the fifth game in a row hurts his case in a big way. Not to fear, there’s another SEC quarterback here. Georgia’s Gunner Stockton accounted for five touchdowns as the Bulldogs handily defeated No. 10 Texas 35-10.
Plus, Indiana’s Fernando Mendoza had a big day against Wisconsin, throwing four touchdowns to make a clean 30 thus far over the Hoosiers’ magical season.
With Week 12 behind us, here are the top five candidates for college football’s highest honor:
5. Jacob Rodriguez — LB, Texas Tech
Defensive players have an uphill climb in the race for the Heisman Trophy, but Rodriguez deserves to be in the conversation. The Red Raiders are 10-1 and dominated UCF this week after they decisively beat then undefeated BYU in their last game.
Against UCF, Rodriguez scored his first career offensive touchdown and rightfully hit the Heisman pose to celebrate.
After the win, Texas Tech coach Joey McGuire said he put Rodriguez at quarterback for a play and the rushing score because “everybody is talking about quarterbacks for Heisman,” so he put his best player in at QB.
That’s quite the statement amid an incredible season for Rodriguez and the Red Raiders.
4. Gunner Stockton — QB, Georgia
Stockton has been around the Heisman race throughout the season, but his five-touchdown performance in Georgia’s big win over No. 10 Texas puts him firmly in the chase for college football’s top honor. The Bulldogs have won six in a row after their only blemish of the season, which came on Sept. 27 to Alabama. Through the streak, Georgia has wins over Ole Miss and now Texas with the junior quarterback leading the way.
The Bulldogs finish their regular season schedule with Charlotte next week before a tough finale against 9-1 Georgia Tech. Should Stockton continue his strong play, he has a strong case to make it to New York as a Heisman finalist.
3. Marcel Reed — QB, Texas A&M
Against all odds, Texas A&M remained undefeated after they trailed South Carolina 30-3 at halftime in a truly bizarre game. Mike Elko’s Aggies didn’t give up a point in the second half and Marcel Reed threw three touchdowns in the third quarter. Reed’s day was far from perfect, as he threw two picks and coughed up a fumble that the Gamecocks returned for a touchdown at the end of the first quarter.
Nevertheless, he threw for 439 yards and the three scores, sparking the Aggies’ improbable comeback. They finish the regular season with games against Samford and Texas. The Longhorns were defeated by Georgia Saturday, but they are clearly Texas A&M’s toughest test in the quest to stay undefeated. Although the South Carolina game wasn’t pretty, Reed remains a true Heisman candidate, especially when you consider the remarkable recovery.
2. Julian Sayin — QB, Ohio State
Julian Sayin’s numbers from Ohio State’s blowout win against UCLA won’t wow you, but the star sophomore QB continues to be the nation’s most efficient passer while leading the top-ranked team. He has completed 80.1% of his passes this year, which is the best mark across college football. His 25 touchdown throws are behind only Mendoza and Baylor’s Sawyer Robertson.
He’s coming off consecutive games with four touchdown passes apiece before throwing one score this week against the Bruins. The Buckeyes finish their season with Rutgers and Michigan. If Sayin is able to keep OSU perfect and lead them to the first victory over the Wolverines in four years, he’ll continue to sit at the top of the Heisman chase alongside the Big Ten’s other star QB in Mendoza.
1. Fernando Mendoza — QB, Indiana
Mendoza threw for four scores Saturday in Indiana’s win over Wisconsin, which made him the first QB to reach 30 touchdown passes this season. The Hoosiers are 11-0 and only need a victory over Purdue on the road to finish their regular-season slate perfect. Although they survived a true scare against Penn State last week, the narrow 27-24 victory included one of the top Heisman moments this season as Mendoza led an incredible game-winning drive that was capped off by an unbelievable touchdown catch by Omar Cooper Jr. to win the game.
Indiana’s storybook season behind Mendoza and coach Curt Cignetti rolls on, with the junior California transfer starting to separate himself from the other QBs vying for the Heisman Trophy.
Others considered: Jeremiyah Love (RB, Notre Dame), Diego Pavia (QB, Vanderbilt), Haynes King (QB, Georgia Tech), Ty Simpson (QB, Alabama)
Under-the-radar candidate: Drew Mestemaker (QB, North Texas)
