On3 Heisman Trophy Poll: Top 10 player rankings after Week 1
With week one complete, all of the best players in college football have a game and stats on record for this fall. This provides an early opportunity at the start of September to see who could win The Heisman Trophy come December.
On3’s experts know what it’s like to vote for the top award in the sport so, as such, they’ve assembled to start this season with a vote to best determine what the picture looks like after the openers. Each voter ranked their Top-10 players nationally with an assigned point value set for each position. For example, a first-place was worth 10 points while a tenth-place vote was worth one.
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With that, here’s how On3’s panel projects the running for The Heisman Trophy as of September 2nd following week one.
1. QB Cam Ward – Miami Hurricanes (48 points)
Whether you knew it coming into this season or not, Cam Ward had been one of the better quarterbacks in the country with what he did while at Washington State in the last two seasons. He then proved it in a primetime spot with what he did in his debut with the Miami Hurricanes on Saturday.
In a 41-17 rivalry win in The Swamp over Florida, Ward went 26-35 (74.3%) overall for 385 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. It was one of the best games of his collegiate career to this point as Ward and The ‘U proved that they could be legitimate this season, especially with him leading at No. 1 in the debut of this poll.
2. WR/CB Travis Hunter – Colorado Buffaloes (45)
Most already realized just how impressive Travis Hunter is as a two-way player for the Buffaloes. He just further bolded and underlined that fact, though, with what he did in their opener last week.
Hunter finished with seven catches for 132 yards and three scores, which was his best career game at a receiver, while also posting three tackles amidst defensive coverage at corner in the 31-26 win for Colorado over North Dakota State. If that’s what he does for the rest of his junior year, he, regardless of what the Buffs do the rest of the way, will have a Heisman case as a potential candidate in New York.
3. WR Tetairoa McMillan – Arizona Wildcats (33)
After his first two seasons in Tucson, McMillan was already one of the best receivers and better players in the entire sport. The start of his third season proved no different with what he finished with statistically in Arizona’s opener against New Mexico.
McMillian caught 10 passes for 304 yards and four touchdowns in the 61-39 win for the Wildcats. That record-breaking outing both for the program and in their new conference already was more than enough to put him this high in the poll after the first week of the fall.
4. RB Ashton Jeanty – Boise State Broncos (24)
Jeanty put up massive numbers as well for his own case for the Heisman in the 56-45 victory for Boise State over Georgia Southern.
Jeanty finished with 267 yards on the ground off 20 carries, good for 13.4 a touch, in scoring six rushing touchdowns for the Broncos. That was a program record for yardage and touchdowns with the scores also tying a record in the Mountain West.
5. QB Jalen Milroe – Alabama Crimson Tide (21)
While much was made of Jalen Milroe’s possible fit in the new offense in Tuscaloosa, he was still projected as one of the best players and quarterbacks nationally for this season. That was the case too with his numbers from the 63-0 opener for the Crimson Tide over Western Kentucky.
Milroe finished just 7-9 (77.8%) for 200 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing 10 times for 79 yards and a pair of additional scores. That’ll do for the next quarterback under Kalen DeBoer after he had the runner-up for the Heisman last season in Washington’s Michael Penix Jr..
6. QB Miller Moss – USC Trojans (19)
Lincoln Riley knows as much about Heisman winners with him coaching three of the last seven. Now, after one game, he could actually have the fourth of the last eight in the running with Miller Moss.
Moss went 27-36 (75%) for 378 yards and a touchdown and was clutch late in the 27-20 win for the Trojans over LSU on Sunday in Las Vegas. That has now proven him quite capable at quarterback through two career starts as the next possible contender for this award under Riley.
7. QB Jaxson Dart – Ole Miss Rebels (16)
Jaxson Dart didn’t even need a full game to make it on this list after a 76-0 win for Ole Miss over Furman.
In the first half, Dart went 22-27 (81.5%) for 418 yards and five touchdowns along with a rushing score. That made it a career outing for him in just 30 minutes of play as he exited with the Rebels having a 52-0 lead over the Paladins in the opener.
8. QB Carson Beck – Georgia Bulldogs (15)
Carson Beck enters his fifth season but his first with true experience on his resumé after last year. That showed too during the 34-3 win for Georgia in Atlanta on Saturday over Clemson.
Beck started off the campaign by going 23-33 (69.7%) for 278 yards and two touchdowns against the Tigers. It was all the more impressive too against one of the nation’s better defenses and while working with some newer weapons on the offense for the ‘Dawgs.
9. QB Nico Iamaleava – Tennessee Volunteers (11)
Nico Iamaleava has been long-awaited for as the Volunteers’ quarterback on Rocky Top. Tennessee got a glimpse to end last season and got even more of one on Saturday in a 69-3 win over Chattanooga.
Iamaleava only played in the first half against the Mocs but was efficient in it as he went 22-28 (78.6%) for 314 yards and a trio of scores. That was the redshirt freshman certainly looking the part again to this point in Knoxville to start his first full collegiate season.
10. QB Quinn Ewers – Texas Longhorns (9)
Quinn Ewers rounds out the Top-10 as the fifth quarterback from the SEC. He does so after leading the Longhorns in their 52-0 win over Colorado State.
Ewers finished the game by going 20-27 (74.1%) for 260 yards, three touchdowns, and an interception. That was enough for the fourth-year junior before his well-known backup, Arch Manning, got to close the game off on The 40 Acres.
Honorable Mentions (in order):
Colorado QB Shedeur Sanders
Vanderbilt QB Diego Pavia
Michigan CB Will Johnson
Notre Dame CB Benjamin Morrison
Penn State QB Drew Allar
LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier
Nebraska QB Dylan Raiola
This is as early as you can start to make guesses for The Heisman Trophy with only a weekend’s worth of games to work with. Still, several of these players will expect to maintain their spots in hopes of being one of the four finalists or the eventual winner at the ceremony towards the end of the season.