The 2022 Heisman Trophy ballots will be counted pretty soon, and the Heisman Trophy winner will be announced in a few days’ time. Less than a handful of contenders remain in a race that was pretty wide open for most of this 2022 college football season. For whatever it’s worth, all who remain are quarterbacks. Michigan’s Blake Corum is out. Ditto with Alabama RB Jahmyr Gibbs and teammate Will Anderson Jr. Now, with Week 13 or championship week already done and dusted, we’ll soon know who the most outstanding player in college football is. Here we will discuss Caleb Williams, Max Duggan, and 2 other college football Heisman Trophy candidates for this season.
The top Heisman Trophy hopefuls are out of time to add anything to their resumes. They’ve played all the games and snaps that will matter when it comes to the Heisman Trophy voting. Even if these players still have Bowl games or the College Football Playoff to look forward to, those won’t matter anymore when it comes to the Heisman.
Keep in mind that due to a compressed slate of games, only three players in contention for the award got the opportunity to make a final impression in Week 13. Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, USC’s Caleb Williams, and TCU’s Max Duggan all suited up. Meanwhile, CJ Stroud of Ohio State sat out.
Now let us look at and rank these four college football Heisman Trophy candidates for this season.
4. Stetson Bennett of Georgia
In the 2022 SEC championship game, Georgia Bulldogs QB Stetson Bennett completed 23-of-29 passes for 274 yards and four touchdowns. All four of his TDs came in the first half of Georgia’s thrashing of LSU. It was actually Bennett’s finest game since the season opener against Oregon when he threw for 368 yards and three touchdowns. He was also not sacked by LSU, which marked the ninth time that happened this season.
As the season wound down, Bennett finished his campaign with 3,425 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. He also recorded six interceptions and seven rushing TDs. His stats, however, aren’t bolstered by any true Heisman Trophy moments. Take note that Bennett did not score a touchdown against Kentucky and Missouri, which were Georgia’s only two games decided by 10 points or fewer. That could mean that Bennett just doesn’t have enough of “big time” or “clutch” in his genes — at least not as much as the other three guys on this list.
Stetson Bennett: "I ain't that bad at football either."
Stetson for Heisman. pic.twitter.com/cx0VGiehmw
— UGA Football Live (@UGAfootballLive) December 4, 2022
3. CJ Stroud of Ohio State
Ohio State Buckeyes QB CJ Stroud is unique in that he is the only one who has never played in a conference championship game. Sure, he’s had big moments, but he’s never won or even played in a conference title game. Voters will take that into account just as much as Stroud’s 349-yard, two-touchdown, two-interception performance in the Buckeyes’ huge 45-32 loss to rivals Michigan last Nov. 26.
Remember also that Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist last year. That’s one reason he was an easy pick to be among the favorites this year, too. However, his inconsistent play in November, along with a late push by the other guys on this list have pulled him down a bit.
For the 2022 College Football Season, Stroud put up 3,340 yards, 37 touchdowns, and six interceptions in 12 games. It would not be surprising if Stroud were invited to the Dec. 10 ceremony in New York, but it would be surprising if he actually won. Keep in mind that the last time a Heisman winner did not play in his conference championship game was in 2016. That was when Lamar Jackson won the award while playing for a 9-3 Louisville team.
Will lightning strike again here? We don’t think so.
Having said that, Stroud is likely to finish higher in Heisman voting than he did last year when he finished fourth.
2. Max Duggan of TCU
Things would be easier had Max Duggan led the TCU Horned Frogs to the Big 12 championship. Alas, the Kansas State Wildcats had something to say about that. Still, even in TCU’s loss to Kansas State this weekend, Duggan had a Heisman-worthy performance.
With the Horned Frogs behind by eight points in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter, Duggan led TCU on a game-tying drive that included a fourth-down convert, a 40-yard run, and a rushing touchdown. After the touchdown, Duggan, exhausted and all, still converted a two-point try to tie the game.
Again, the Big 12 title would certainly have bolstered his Heisman Trophy bid. However, his overall performance Saturday should still raise his Heisman stock. Duggan, after all, still finished with 251 yards passing, 110 yards rushing, and two touchdowns.
He also has the storyline of a Heisman winner. Take note that Duggan started the season as TCU’s backup quarterback before taking over in Week 1 for an injured Chandler Morris. Duggan and the Horned Frogs never looked back after that. He successfully guided them to an unblemished regular season that included victories over several nationally-ranked opponents. He finished the season with 3,321 passing yards, 30 touchdown passes, and four interceptions. He also added 404 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns. What a guy, right?
I interrupt national programming to emphatically proclaim that @TCUFootball, Max Duggan, should absolutely be a Heisman finalist. pic.twitter.com/Yf6jckWYYi
— Emmanuel Acho (@EmmanuelAcho) November 27, 2022
1. Caleb Williams of USC
USC Trojans QB Caleb Williams has seen his Heisman Trophy stock sharply rise in the past few weeks. That’s because has put together a streak of excellent performances. Take note that he had three or more touchdown passes in four straight games. That was before throwing for 470 yards and two touchdowns in the Trojans’ convincing win over UCLA last Saturday.
As such, Williams seemed almost a shoo-in to win the Heisman Trophy. That is until the Trojans entered Friday’s Pac-12 Championship Game against Utah. In that matchup, Williams and the Trojans just could not regain their form after he strained his hamstring in the first half. USC saw a double-digit lead turn into a 23-point loss. That surely knocked USC out of the College Football Playoff, but it may have also affected Williams’ Heisman odds.
He still finished the game with a solid sheet — 28-of-41 for 363 yards and three touchdowns. However, taking seven sacks is never good. Also, turning the ball over on consecutive possessions in the fourth quarter is quite bad. We don’t think he is still the overwhelming favorite, but we do still think he’s the top choice for a good number of voters.
That’s mainly because he has arguably the best numbers of any guy on this list. Williams passed for 4,075 yards, ran for 372 yards, and scored a school-record 47 touchdowns this season. He also committed only five turnovers in total. That should be enough to win the Heisman Trophy, even if Williams doesn’t have the Pac-12 title in his trophy cabinet.
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