With the Big Ten entering play, the Heisman race suddenly is even more crowded, with a bunch of players just missing the top five, which remains the same from last week. Unfortunately, Alabama star receiver Jaylen Waddle is now out of the mix after his season-ending injury, though.
1. Trevor Lawrence | Clemson QB | Junior | Last week: 1
It wasn’t a remarkable performance by Trevor Lawrence, but he’s played well enough this season to retain the No. 1 spot in the Heisman race. Lawrence admitted the energy was low early against Syracuse, so he and Clemson will look to have a stronger outing from the jump this Saturday.
Season stats:
70.7% | 1,833 PASS YDS | 17 PASS TD | 2 INT
29 CAR | 71 RUSH YDS | 4 RUSH TD | 2.4 AVG
2. Mac Jones | Alabama QB | Junior | Last week: 2
Mac Jones neared 400 passing yards (throwing for 387 versus Tennessee) for the fourth consecutive game, but he surprisingly didn’t throw any touchdowns in Bama’s victory. Still, with the way Jones is slinging the ball around, you could make a case for him in the pole position one month into the SEC season.
Season stats:
78.8% | 1,905 PASS YDS | 12 PASS TD | 2 INT
14 CAR | -13 RUSH YDS | 1 RUSH TD | -0.9 AVG
3. Travis Etienne | Clemson RB | Senior | Last week: 3
Another week, another highlight reel play for Travis Etienne:
TOUCHDOWN TIGERS!
Another ridiculous run from Travis Etienne — 25 yards with a spin to the house!
Clemson 17, Syracuse 0#ALLIN 🐅 🐾 pic.twitter.com/Tr3r4OGAPs
— Clemson Football (@ClemsonFB) October 24, 2020
Plays like those help put a stamp on a Heisman candidacy, and Etienne found the end zone three times for the 6-0 Tigers last week.
Season stats:
83 CAR | 522 RUSH YDS | 8 RUSH TD | 6.3 AVG
22 REC | 294 REC YDS | 1 REC TD | 13.4 AVG
4. Najee Harris | Alabama RB | Senior | Last week: 4
Justin Fields will likely work his way into the mix, but it’s been the quarterback-running back headliners for No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama that continue to pace the Heisman race. Like Etienne, Najee Harris also scored three touchdowns over the weekend, and he’s up to 14 touchdowns through five games this season.
Season stats:
103 CAR | 595 RUSH YDS | 14 RUSH TD | 5.8 AVG
14 REC | 147 REC YDS | 10.5 AVG
5. Zach Wilson | BYU QB | Junior | Last week: 5
The level of competition hasn’t been there for Zach Wilson to leap the Clemson and Bama stars, but the BYU gunslinger will be in the mix as long as his team remains unbeaten and he does serious harm to defenses. Wilson threw for touchdowns in the Cougars’ rout of Texas State.
Season stats:
78.3% | 1,928 PASS YDS | 16 PASS TD | 1 INT
36 CAR | 115 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 3.2 AVG
Just missed:
Wisconsin QB Graham Mertz
Ohio State QB Justin Fields
Florida QB Kyle Trask
Florida TE Kyle Pitts
Texas A&M RB Isaiah Spiller