{"id":284004,"date":"2025-11-10T21:44:08","date_gmt":"2025-11-10T21:44:08","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/284004\/"},"modified":"2025-11-10T21:44:08","modified_gmt":"2025-11-10T21:44:08","slug":"ranking-every-player-still-in-the-hunt-for-the-heisman-trophy","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/284004\/","title":{"rendered":"Ranking Every Player Still in the Hunt for the Heisman Trophy"},"content":{"rendered":"

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (duplicate jerseys sold separately at USC, where they\u2019re cheating on fake punts and getting away with it<\/a>). First Quarter: Does the College Football Playoff Really Need More Teams?<\/a>\u00a0<\/p>\n

Public consensus tends to narrow the list of contenders for the Heisman Trophy at this point in the season, but The Dash takes the opposite approach. Instead of reducing it to quarterbacks from the top two teams in the country, consider more players. Keep your minds open down the stretch, because things can change.<\/p>\n

So let The Dash turn the Heisman short list into a long list, which is pretty much in order of how I would rank the top 10 contenders:<\/p>\n

Get SI’s College Football Newsletter. dark. FREE. SI College Football Newsletter<\/p>\n

Fernando Mendoza (11), Indiana quarterback<\/p>\n

The stats: Mendoza is second nationally in pass efficiency with a rating of 178.55. Notably, that number soars to 226.57 on third-and-long plays (seven yards or farther). He\u2019s tied for the national lead in touchdown passes with 26, and leads outright in total touchdowns with 31 running and passing.<\/p>\n

In three close Big Ten road games, Mendoza threw a fourth-quarter interception\u2014against Iowa, Oregon and Penn State. In each of those cases, he bounced back to throw a touchdown pass that put the Hoosiers ahead for good. He was at his very best in leading the 80-yard TD drive against the Nittany Lions<\/a>, completing five passes to all parts of the field\u2014including the last one, which looked like it might land in the stands until Omar Cooper Jr. soared for the Catch of the Year.<\/p>\n

Team success: Indiana is 10\u20130 and ranked No. 2 in the nation, the highest ranking in school history.<\/p>\n

The drawback: Mendoza\u2019s putative Heisman moment in State College, Pa., would not have been possible without Cooper making one of the greatest catches anyone has ever seen.<\/p>\n

Julian Sayin (12), Ohio State quarterback<\/p>\n

The stats: In his first season of serious college action, the sophomore leads the nation in efficiency by 14 points over runner-up Mendoza at 192.60, and leads the nation in total offense yards per play (9.10). His 80.9% completion rate is on pace to break the NCAA record of 77.4% set by Mac Jones in 2020. That percentage rises to 81.7 in Big Ten play.<\/p>\n

Prior to a second-half interception against Purdue on Saturday, Sayin had thrown 181 career Big Ten passes without a pick. He\u2019s working on a streak of three straight games with more than 300 yards passing and better than 80% accuracy.<\/p>\n

Team success: Ohio State is 9\u20130 and ranked No. 1 in the nation, having never trailed in the second half.<\/p>\n

The drawback: Sayin is arguably not the best player on his own team<\/a>, or even on the offense. You cannot overlook wide receiver Jeremiah Smith, who is sixth nationally in receptions, fifth in receiving yards per game and tied for second in touchdown catches. Ohio State, understandably and justifiably, has mounted a Heisman campaign for the nation\u2019s best wideout, too. Additionally, the Buckeyes have the nation\u2019s best defense, which has kept Sayin from having to perform any of the dramatics that Mendoza has.<\/p>\n

Diego Pavia (13), Vanderbilt quarterback<\/p>\n

The stats: Nobody is carrying his team more\u2014Pavia\u2019s combined 390 runs and passes are the third-most among power-conference quarterbacks, and the most for any player averaging more than seven yards per play. He\u2019s accounted for 54.9% of Vandy\u2019s total touchdowns and 40.9% of its total yardage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Pavia is fourth nationally in pass efficiency at 166.76, with successive career highs in passing yards (365 against Texas, 377 against Auburn) and total offense (408 yards against the Longhorns, 489 against the Tigers).<\/p>\n

Team success: This is where Pavia\u2019s impact is greatest, especially compared to most of his competition. Vanderbilt is 8\u20132 this season and 15\u20138 with him as its starting quarterback; it was 6\u201317 in the last 23 games before he arrived.<\/p>\n

The drawback: Most of the others on this list are on higher-ranked teams. If the Commodores lose either or both of their last two games, which is possible, Pavia could slip out of the spotlight.<\/p>\n

Jacob Rodriguez (14), Texas Tech linebacker<\/p>\n

The stats: Leads the nation in forced fumbles with seven, on a defense that is third nationally in takeaways with 23. Rodriguez also has three of Tech\u2019s 11 interceptions, including one in the rout of BYU on Saturday. He scored a touchdown on a 69-yard fumble return against Oklahoma State. For good measure, he\u2019s tied for eighth nationally in solo tackles with 49.\u00a0<\/p>\n

While the Red Raiders imported a high-priced defensive line, Rodriguez is in his third year with the program after starting his college career as a walk-on quarterback at Virginia. He wound up playing one year for the Cavaliers in a multipurpose role, with 121 yards rushing and receiving.<\/p>\n

Team success: Texas Tech is 9\u20131 and ranked No. 8, its highest ranking in 17 years. The Red Raiders are in prime position for their first College Football Playoff berth.<\/a><\/p>\n

The drawback: Can a linebacker win the Heisman? It\u2019s never happened. Also, like Sayin, Rodriguez might have a teammate on the same side of the ball who is even better\u2014edge rusher David Bailey, who leads the nation in sacks with 11.5.<\/p>\n

Jeremiyah Love (15), Notre Dame running back<\/p>\n

The stats: Tied for the national lead in touchdowns with 16 in nine games, 13 rushing and three receiving. He\u2019s also third nationally in yards from scrimmage per game (138), and he\u2019s the only player with 150 or more runs and receptions to average seven yards per touch.<\/p>\n

Love is the biggest home run hitter in college football<\/a>, with a 94-yard touchdown sprint this season and a 98-yarder last year\u2014the first player in Notre Dame history with two TD runs of longer than 90 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Team success: Notre Dame is 7\u20132 and ranked No. 9 nationally.<\/p>\n

The drawback: It\u2019s hard for a running back to win the Heisman in modern times\u2014last one to do so was Derrick Henry in 2015. Love also shares the position with Jadarian Price, which is why he\u2019s had fewer than 20 touches from scrimmage in six out of nine games. The Fighting Irish also wrap their season Nov. 29, which will give many of his competitors another game in which to leave a lasting impression on voters.<\/p>\n

Haynes King (16), Georgia Tech quarterback<\/p>\n

The stats: He\u2019s third nationally in total offense at 330.3 yards per game. His 754 rushing yards are the most for any non-service academy quarterback (despite missing a game for injury), and his 14 rushing touchdowns are second-most for any player. King has converted 41 third downs into first downs with runs or passes this season, a personal 50.6% conversion rate.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Team success: The Yellow Jackets are 8\u20131 and ranked No. 14. Earlier this season they were No. 7, their highest ranking since 2009. Georgia Tech remains in the thick of the race for the ACC championship game.<\/p>\n

The drawback: King is not a great passer, which leaves him statistically in arrears to many of the other QBs on this list. Also, Tech is another loss or two away from slipping off radar, and it has two losable games remaining\u2014Pittsburgh on Nov. 22 and Georgia on Nov. 29. (On the flip side, if King plays well in those games it vaults his Heisman candidacy forward<\/a>.)<\/p>\n

Ty Simpson (17), Alabama quarterback<\/p>\n

The stats: Simpson has the lowest interception rate of any power-conference QB with at least 200 pass attempts, having thrown just one in 296 passes. (And the one he threw was on a fourth down against Vanderbilt, serving as an effective punt.) He\u2019s third in the SEC in pass efficiency while leading a team that is tied for third nationally in fewest turnovers (six).<\/p>\n

Team success: Alabama is 8\u20131 and ranked No. 4 in the nation, very much on track to play in the SEC championship game and make the playoff.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The drawback: The bar is set very high for an Alabama quarterback<\/a>, with every starter from 2018 to \u201923 recording an efficiency rating of at least 163. Simpson\u2019s is currently 159, after a couple of pretty pedestrian games against South Carolina and LSU. As the season has progressed, the Crimson Tide defense has overshadowed its offense.<\/p>\n

Dante Moore (18), Oregon quarterback<\/p>\n

The stats: He\u2019s seventh nationally in efficiency at 164.72, ninth in completion percentage at 70.5 and 20th in total offense yards per play at 7.69. As a unit, the Ducks are sixth in yards per play at 7.28.<\/p>\n

Moore hadn\u2019t played well the last two games\u2014until he absolutely, positively had to at Iowa on Saturday. Trailing 16\u201315, he guided the Ducks on a 54-yard drive in a cold rain for the winning field goal. Moore completed 5 of 7 passes on the drive, including an impeccably placed shot down the sideline to Malik Benson for 24 yards.<\/p>\n

Team success: Oregon is 8\u20131 and ranked No. 7, firmly in the playoff mix and angling for a potential first-round home game.<\/p>\n

The drawback: Moore\u2019s numbers don\u2019t pop like Sayin\u2019s and he was outplayed by Mendoza in Eugene, Ore., in October. He also isn\u2019t the runner that Pavia or King are.<\/p>\n

Byrum Brown (19), South Florida quarterback<\/p>\n

The stats: Fifth nationally in total offense at 323.1 yards per game, and right behind King in rushing yards for a QB at 705. He\u2019s on a five-game streak with at least 325 yards total offense and six-game streak with at least three total touchdowns running and passing.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Team success: South Florida is 8\u20132 and ranked No. 25, in the hunt for the American Conference title and CFP bid, enjoying its best season since 2017 at least.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The drawback: Boise State\u2019s Ashton Jeanty gave it a good run last year, but nobody from outside the power-conference cabal has won the Heisman since Ty Detmer of BYU in 1990 (BYU was in the WAC at the time).\u00a0<\/p>\n

Emmett Johnson (20), Nebraska running back<\/p>\n

The stats: Johnson is the only power-conference running back producing more yards from scrimmage than Love, averaging 143.1 per game. He had a 232-yard, three-touchdown tour de force Saturday night against UCLA, delivering one big play after another for an offense that was without standout quarterback Dylan Raiola. Johnson is old-school durable, averaging 23.9 touches from scrimmage per game.<\/p>\n

Team success: Nebraska is 7\u20133, its highest regular-season victory total since 2016.<\/p>\n

The drawback: Also-ran status in the playoff race doesn\u2019t help, nor does being a running back. It will be hard to push his way up the contender list with just two games remaining.<\/p>\n

Others who could crash the list in the closing weeks: Texas A&M edge rusher Cashius Howell; Mississippi quarterback Trinidad Chambliss; USC receiver Makai Lemon (or quarterback Jayden Maiava); Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton; Michigan running back Justice Haynes.<\/p>\n

More College Football on Sports Illustrated<\/p>\n

Listen to SI\u2019s new college sports podcast, Others Receiving Votes, below or on Apple<\/a> and Spotify<\/a>. Watch the show on SI\u2019s YouTube channel<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football (duplicate jerseys sold separately at USC, where…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":284005,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[67],"tags":[399,398,396,397,99],"class_list":{"0":"post-284004","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-ncaa-football","8":"tag-football","9":"tag-ncaa","10":"tag-ncaa-football","11":"tag-ncaafootball","12":"tag-sports"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284004","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=284004"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/284004\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/284005"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=284004"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=284004"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=284004"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}