Dan Mullen reveals his three favorites to win the Heisman

Current ESPN analyst — and former Florida and Mississippi State head coach — Dan Mullen dropped his Heisman favorites on Wednesday, and his three choices at the top weren’t surprising: Bryce Young, CJ Stroud and Will Anderson.

The order, on the other hand, is where things get spicier. Mullen has Anderson, the Alabama edge rusher, as his favorite ahead Ohio State’s Stroud, the betting favorite, and Young, the reigning winner of the Heisman.

He also named his sleepers — and his second choice in that group leads to a fair bit of intrigue.

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— Dan Mullen (@CoachDanMullen) August 31, 2022

With Michigan edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson finishing second in the voting a year ago, it’s not unreasonable to think Anderson could finally breakthrough as the second defender to win the award, 25 years after Charles Woodson was the first. In 2021, Anderson wracked up an eye-popping 17.5 sacks, terrorizing opposing quarterbacks off the edge for the Crimson Tide. He finished fifth in the voting a year ago — it’s not crazy to think with another year of improvement and a bump in stats that Anderson would be awarded as “the most outstanding player in college football” come season’s end.

Having Stroud second over Young for the Heisman might actually become a point of bigger contention. While Stroud is poised to have a monster season playing in a loaded Ohio State offense alongside running back TreVeyon Henderson and receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Young and Alabama’s offense are stocked with talent, too. While Young nabbed the award last year, Stroud finished in fourth behind Pitt’s Kenny Pickett.

In terms of counting stats, Young just beat out Stroud in 2021 — albeit with more games — but also guided Alabama to the playoff and SEC title, while Ohio State went 10-2 in the regular season. There’s no doubt that this award could come down to these two quarterbacks and that the final margin could be razor thin.

They’re both more than capable of showing they deserve it. So is Anderson. Mullen might not have cut against the grain with his three choices, but picking the defender over the gunslingers to lift the Heisman come December is certainly bold.