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We now know who the Heisman Trophy finalists are, with four players making this year's list of candidates for the coveted prize. The finalists are LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels, Oregon quarterback Bo Nix, Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr., and Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Out of those four players, one will be awarded as “the most outstanding college football player in the United States, whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work,” according to the Heisman Trophy Trust mission statement.
But like the rest of this year's college football season, where parity has come in abundance, the same can be said for these finalists who have a bold claim to be awarded this year's trophy. However, with the way in which the conference championship weekend played out, specifically the Pac-12 Championship Game, Jayden Daniels may have placed his name atop as the soon-to-be winner. And he did it all by sitting at home.
The Pac-12 title game was supposed to determine the Heisman Trophy winner
The perceived notion going into the Pac-12 title game was that Bo Nix, the nation's leader in completion percentage, passing yards, and interceptions, was the leading favorite up to that point and was going to lead Oregon to a conference championship, thereby propelling the Ducks into the College Football Playoff. The Ducks, after all, were almost a 10-point favorite over the Huskies. In the end, it was Penix that helped lead Washington to a 34-31 victory and into the playoff, with the Huskies quarterback winning the conference MVP award and reaffirming his status as one of the Heisman favorites.
It was in Washington and Oregon's first matchup earlier in the season where Penix earned his Heisman favoritism to begin with. His 302 yards, four touchdowns, and one interception were good enough to remind everyone of that in the rematch. But was his performance good enough to win him the award after weeks of less than stellar play?
After his first five weeks of the season completing 70% of his passes, Penix only had two more weeks the rest of the season where he hit 60% or higher. He also threw just two interceptions before the first game against Oregon, but threw five over the next six games, while his average three touchdowns per game diminished to two.
If the Heisman is an MVP award, then Jayden Daniels fits the bill
That's where Jayden Daniels comes in, who is now the favorite. It goes without saying that each and every one of these players is arguably the best talent on their respective teams. So, if the Heisman is more or less considered that of the Most Valuable Player award in college football, no one was more valuable to their team than Daniels was to LSU this season.
LSU would have been a six or seven-win team this season at best if not for Daniels' extraordinary play. The Tigers finished at 9-3, and even then were barely able to escape thanks to their 101st ranked overall total defense. Daniels was often left to rally the Tigers back late in games, moving the offense down the field at rapid rates just to keep pace in games where the defense continuously gave up an average of 417.3 yards and 29.4 points per game, according to Team Rankings.
Daniels did virtually everything he could to get LSU back in the SEC Championship, but had to settle for third in the west. Some voters will likely gaze down upon that with reluctance to vote Daniels as the winner, but his numbers say otherwise.
Daniels completed 236 of his 327 pass attempts for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. He is the leader in passing efficiency (208.01), fifth in interceptions thrown (4), third in passing yards, tied for first with passing touchdowns. But that's just his passing numbers. Daniels was one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the country.
Daniels carried the ball 135 times this season for 1,134 rushing yards, averaging 8.4 yards per carry, scoring 10 touchdowns. His rushing yards were good enough for 22nd best in the country, the highest quarterback in that category, behind Texas running back Jonathon Brooks. He's tied at 43rd in rushing touchdowns, with only six quarterbacks ahead in that statistic.
That's what makes Daniels so special; he can create plays in multiple ways. He was by far one of the most dynamic players in the country this season, who now, after Nix and Oregon faltered in the Pac-12 title game, should make him the 86th winner of the Heisman Trophy.
With that being said, the final Heisman Trophy rankings should play out as follows:
2023 Heisman Trophy prediction rankings
- Jayden Daniels
- Michael Penix Jr.
- Bo Nix
- Marvin Harrison Jr.
Why not Marvin Harrison Jr.?
Marvin Harrison Jr. will go down as one of the most dynamic playmaking wide receivers in recent memory. A lot of times, he was the catalyst for Ohio State's offensive production. Through no fault of his own, though, his quarterback situation with Kyle McCord, who was still solid, maybe didn't help Harrison reach the Heisman-level numbers or even highlights he needed. As we've seen so often through the years of Heisman voting, quarterbacks are highly favored over wide receivers and virtually every other position.
