Tim Tebow reveals Top 3 Heisman Trophy finalists ahead of Week 9

Through eight weeks of the college football season, the Heisman Trophy race is starting to heat up. Some big games await as October wraps up and November approaches, and Tim Tebow has declared his top three finalists ahead of Week 9.

During ESPN’s “Heisman Trophy Midseason Preview Show” Thursday night, Tebow pointed out how tight the competition is with “eight or nine guys still in the running” for the award. He listed multiple quarterbacks in the running — including Oklahoma’s Dillon Gabriel, Florida State’s Jordan Travis and LSU’s Jayden Daniels. He also declared Caleb Williams as someone in the mix, as well, even after two straight losses.

However, none of those names made Tebow’s top three. He named Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy, Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. and Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. as his top contenders for a trip to New York.

“If I have to go with my top three finalists right now projecting forward, I’m going to go with J.J. McCarthy out of Michigan,” Tebow said. “Doing so much with his arm, with his legs and leading them right now to an undefeated season. Marvin Harrison Jr. from Ohio State, oh my goodness. I just think he’s probably the best individual overall player out there. He’s doing so much, dominating in so many ways and he cannot be covered.

“And then, out of UW, Michael Penix Jr. They’re undefeated, he has a great comeback win against Oregon. Didn’t have his best win last week, but he’s going to have a lot of opportunities to make his mark down the stretch, playing in a lot of big games. So right now, projecting forward, those would be my three finalists.”

More on Tim Tebow’s Top 3 Heisman Trophy finalists, what the Las Vegas oddsmakers say

McCarthy has been on a steady rise up the Heisman odds board this season, and it’s starting to pay off. After Week 8, he emerged as the slight favorite at +240, according to BetMGM. That put him just in front of Penix, who sat at +300 after a rough performance against Arizona State.

McCarthy has been one of the top passers in the country this year, ranking second in the nation in completion percentage. He also leads the Big Ten with 18 touchdowns while averaging 245.9 total yards of offense per game.

As for Penix, he has also put up huge numbers this year, even despite a tough showing last week. His 368 passing yards per game leads the FBS, and he also has 20 passing touchdowns to his name, as well. Washington sits atop the Pac-12, but the schedule is going to ramp up in a big way after this week’s game against Stanford.

Harrison is a bit farther down the odds board — he came in at +1800 after Week 8 — but his Heisman hype is starting to gain more traction after a monster few weeks. Against Penn State, he was the X-Factor for Ohio State’s struggling offense, hauling in 11 receptions for 162 yards and a touchdown to help the Buckeyes get the 20-12 victory. Harrison is likely to be a top NFL Draft pick, as well, and he could find himself in New York if he stays on this pace.