On3 Heisman Trophy Poll: Top 10 player rankings after Week 12

After a thrilling weekend of college football action we once again have a consensus No. 1 pick for the Heisman Trophy winner from the experts at On3.

On3’s national experts have been closely monitoring some of the biggest outings of the season and have looked for consistency from week to week. Today, they compile their poll of the top 10 candidates.

Each of the four national experts submitted a ballot with his top 10 players on it, and we’ve compiled the results to create a complete ranking using points — 10 points for a first-place vote, nine for second, etc. Let’s get into how the rankings unfolded below.

1. CB/WR Travis Hunter, Colorado – 40 points

Hunter continues to do ridiculous things on a weekly basis. This week it was a circus catch on fourth down, coupled with an interception on the defensive side of the ball. What more can you say about his two-way ability?

Here are the stats through Week 12: 74 catches for 911 yards and nine touchdowns, as well as two carries for five yards and a touchdown. On defense: 23 tackles, a tackle for a loss, a forced fumble, three interceptions and eight passes defended.

2. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State – 36

As ridiculous as Hunter has been, Jeanty has been right there with him. It’s no surprise he’s a consensus No. 2 among the On3 experts this week. Jeanty ran for 159 yards and three touchdowns against San Jose State.

On the season, Jeanty is now up to 1,893 yards and 26 touchdowns on the ground. He’s even chipped in 98 receiving yards and another touchdown there.

3. QB Cam Ward, Miami – 32

Another unanimous selection at No. 3 in this week’s Heisman Trophy poll for the On3 crew, Ward was off this weekend. He’s coming off a great game individually, but one that left Miami with its first loss of the season.

Something tells us Ward will bounce back quite nicely. As far as his resume, it’s loaded: 3,494 yards passing and 32 touchdowns, against just six interceptions, as well as 182 yards and three touchdowns on the ground.

4. QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon – 25

Gabriel’s Heisman Trophy chances might have ended on Saturday, when he struggled a bit in a clunker against Wisconsin. Oregon did manage to pull out the win, which was the most important thing, but it sure wasn’t pretty.

The Oklahoma transfer finished with 218 yards and didn’t account for a touchdown, while he did throw one interception. Still, he’s got an 11:3 touchdown to interception ratio on the season. That’ll do just fine.

5. QB Kurtis Rourke, Indiana – 21

Rourke and the Hoosiers were off this week, which was a good chance for the quarterback to get all the way back to 100%. If he’s been bothered by the injury that briefly sidelined him a couple weeks back, it hasn’t shown.

The case for Rourke is based more on his elevation of Indiana as a program than the production, though the production itself is plenty respectable. Rourke has thrown for 2,410 yards and 21 touchdowns, against four interceptions. He also has two rushing touchdowns.

6. TE Tyler Warren, Penn State – 15

Arguably one of the most versatile players in the college game, Warren has been a Swiss Army knife for the Nittany Lions. He showed that again in a win at Purdue, rushing for 63 yards and a touchdown and catching eight passes for 127 yards.

His receiving numbers alone are enough to get him a look as one of the best in the country at his position. He now has 67 catches for 808 yards and five touchdowns. Then you add the rushing — 157 yards and four touchdowns — and the case is pretty compelling.

7. QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss – 13

Like Rourke, Dart was on a bye this week after a scintillating performance in a massive win over Georgia. And that performance came after Dart was injured and had to briefly leave the contest. He’s gritty.

On the season, Dart has thrown for 3,409 yards and 22 touchdowns, against just four interceptions. He ranks third nationally in passing yardage per game and that’s enough to get you on the Heisman Trophy radar.

8. QB Shedeur Sanders, Colorado – 10

Speaking of players who help elevate their teams, can you get much better than Sanders at Colorado? He’s been incredible in helping turn around a program that was absolutely in the dumps a couple years ago.

Above and beyond the sheer production, it’s the leadership and maturity that stand out about Sanders. That said, 3,222 yards passing and 27 touchdowns ain’t too shabby either.

9. QB Diego Pavia, Vanderbilt – 8

Yet another quarterback that has a case based on how well he has elevated his team. Pavia doesn’t have nearly the supporting cast that some others on this list have, but he’s made it work for him anyway.

The dual-threat quarterback has run for 628 yards and five scores, while passing for 1,843 yards and 15 touchdowns. Take him away and the Vanderbilt offense immediately takes a big step backward. He’s that influential.

10. QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama – 7

It was a short day’s work for Milroe in a game against Mercer; Alabama actually played four different quarterbacks in the contest. But Milroe was solid in his limited action. He threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns and ran for another score.

Milroe’s dual-threat ability is as good as anyone in the country. He has more rushing touchdowns (17) than passing touchdowns (15) at this point. Moreover, he’s an absolute nightmare to gameplan for.

Others Receiving Heisman Trophy Votes

WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State – 4
QB Bryson Daily, Army – 3
RB Dylan Sampson, Tennessee – 2
QB Riley Leonard, Notre Dame – 1

A handful of others have garnered some Heisman Trophy votes from the experts at On3, including the electric freshman receiver from Ohio State. Then there’s the gritty quarterback who has Army unbeaten and headed for a showdown with Notre Dame this week. As well as the Notre Dame quarterback himself. A good set of candidates, even this far down the list.