An announcement came Monday following the weekend’s conference championships that listed Georgia’s Stetson Bennett, TCU’s Max Duggan, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, and USC’s Caleb Williams as the 2022 Heisman Trophy finalists. A player will be handed the Heisman Trophy on Saturday, December 10th, at a ceremony in New York City, New York.
With the four players announced, let’s take a look at each player’s accolades and who is most likely to hoist the trophy Saturday night with our Heisman trophy prediction.
Stetson Bennett – Georgia (+3000)
A surprise finalist to some, if you take the Heisman Trophy as an award given to a player who epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work, then Bennett is a worthy candidate. Statistics aside, Bennett has guided the Georgia Bulldogs to an undefeated season and the top spot in the College Football Playoffs.
On the stat sheet, the senior completed 68.1% of his passes for 3,425 yards in NCAAF games. Bennett threw 20 touchdowns to six interceptions and found the endzone seven times with his legs.
Like many on the finalist list, Bennett is a betting longshot to win, but it is a deserving honor to the former walk-on and junior college product. Stetson is the least likely to win and last on our list in our Heisman Trophy prediction, but he’ll leave UGA as a national champion and possible back-to-back champion.
C.J. Stroud – Ohio State (+4000)
The preseason college football picks favorite to hoist the Heisman Trophy at the beginning of the season has fallen to the no. 3 slot at +4000. C.J. Stroud, a junior quarterback for the Ohio State Buckeyes, took a step back from his 2021 numbers but still lit up the box score. Stroud was a Heisman Trophy finalist last season, finishing fourth in the voting.
After a stellar sophomore campaign that saw Stroud throw for 4,435 yards and 44 touchdowns, completing 71.9% of his throws. This year, his completion percentage dipped to 66.2% while passing for 37 touchdowns and throwing for 3,340 yards.
Stroud is most likely going to be left at the Heisman altar for a second year in a row, and while he could come back next year and try to win it again, it is more than likely the talented player will be the top in next year’s NFL draft.
Max Duggan – TCU (+1600)
Senior TCU quarterback Max Duggan wasn’t on many, if any, preseason Heisman Trophy ballots heading into the season. Duggan earned recognition and an invite to New York with his play, however, leading the Horned Frogs to the school’s first CFP birth.
On the NCAAF schedule, Duggan was extremely efficient throwing the football, completing 64.9% of his passes for 3,321 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only four interceptions. He also was a willing runner, adding 404 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. He won college football fans over with his gutsy performance in the Big 12 Championship contest.
Our Heisman Trophy prediction isn’t going to casted to Duggan, but the quarterback definitely checks all the boxes of what the trophy stands for. When it is all said and done, look for Duggan to finish runner-up in the voting behind the next quarterback below.
Caleb Williams – USC (-1600)
The runaway NCAAF odds favorite heading into Saturday night’s ceremony, Southern Cal quarterback Caleb Williams is the betting favorite and our Heisman Trophy prediction selection. Williams jumped to USC from Oklahoma when head coach Lincoln Riley took the job and made an immediate NCAAF standings impact in Los Angeles, leading the Trojans to a berth in the Pac-12 Championship.
Williams finished the season ranked fourth in the NCAA, throwing for 4,075 yards. He threw 37 touchdowns to only four interceptions while completing 66.1% of his passes. Another dual-threat signal-caller, Williams added 372 yards on the ground and ten rushing scores.
The sophomore should walk up on stage as the Heisman Trophy winner on Saturday night, barring any crazy scenarios.
Williams will become the eighth Trojan to win the award, joining the likes of Mike Garrett (1965), O.J. Simpson (1968), Charles White (1979), Marcus Allen (1981), Carson Palmer (2002), Matt Leinhart (2004) and Reggie Bush (2005, later vacated). Barring any college football injuries, he’ll enter 2023 as the favorite to become just the second player in the award’s history to repeat.
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