Bryce Young enters spring practice as Heisman favorite

Las Vegas oddsmakers have updated their Heisman Trophy odds as college football enters the spring practice portion of the offseason. And after bringing home the award during a wild 2021 season, Bryce Young remains a sizable favorite to win it again in 2022. According to the latest update from VegasInsider.com on Sunday, the Alabama quarterback is a +200 to repeat, which means bettors will only have to risk $100 to try and win $200.

If Young is able to bring the Heisman back to Tuscaloosa for a second straight season, that will make him the first back-to-back winner since former Ohio State running back Archie Griffin did it in 1974-75. In fact, Griffin is the only player to ever win the award twice. That’d put Young in rare company.

The rising junior is more than capable of pulling off a second straight Heisman campaign, too.

Yes, the Crimson Tide offense is losing its top three wide receivers in Jameson Williams, John Metchie and Slade Bolden. That trio combined for an impressive 3,122 receiving yards and 26 touchdowns in 2021. And yes, the team’s top offensive lineman, former five-star Evan Neal, is off to be a top-5 pick in the 2022 NFL Draft. But Young has proven to be an elite, playmaking signal-caller, and Alabama should once again have the talent to put around him.

During his first season as the starter, Young completed 66.9% of his passes for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns. He also added another three scores on the ground, bringing his total to 50 touchdowns. This was after a freshman season that only saw the California native attempt 22 passes. In other words, Young proved to be an instant star for the Tide once being named the starting quarterback.

With all that being said, there’s a reason Heisman winners don’t typically repeat. As the favorite, it’s difficult to live up to the lofty expectations set week-in and week-out. Voters can quickly grow bored with those already expected to shine and look for the shiny new toy. We’ve seen it countless times over the years. That’s why it was such an impressive feat for Young to win in 2021 after being a favorite since the preseason.

In addition to Young, Alabama outside linebacker Will Anderson is also heavily in the mix.

His current odds sit at +3000, which is tied with others such as Ohio State running back TreVeyon Henderson and new Ole Miss quarterback Jaxson Dart. Those three, along with four other players, are tied for having the sixth-highest odds. Anderson finished No. 5 in the Heisman voting last year after logging 101 tackles, 33.5 tackles for loss and 17.5 sacks. That leaves a lot of us wondering what numbers the junior will need to put up this season to have a chance.

Here’s a complete list of the Heisman odds, according to VegasInsider.com:

Spring 2022 Heisman Trophy Favorites

Bryce Young, Alabama – QB +200
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State – QB +400
Caleb Williams, USC – QB +900
Bijan Robinson, Texas – RB +1500
D.J. Uiagalelei, Clemson – QB +2000
Will Anderson, Jr, Alabama – LB +3000
Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma – QB +3000
TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State – RB +3000
Tyler Van Dyke, Miami – QB +3000
J.T. Daniels, Georgia – QB +3000
Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss – QB +3000
Spencer Rattler, South Carolina – QB +3000
Quinn Ewers, Texas – QB +4000
Kedon Slovis, Pittsburgh – QB +4000
Braelon Allen, Wisconsin – RB +4000

Early Longshots

Jarek Broussard, Michigan – RB +5000
Brennan Armstrong, Virginia – QB +5000
Anthony Richardson, Florida – QB +5000
Sam Hartman, Wake Forest – QB +5000
Tank Bigbsy, Auburn – RB +5000
Jaxson Smith-Njigba, Ohio State – WR +5000
Malik Cunningham, Louisville – QB +6000
Max Johnson, Texas – QB +6600
Jayden Daniels, Arizona State – QB +7500
Bo Nix, Oregon – QB +7500
Travis Dye, Oregon – RB +7500
Casey Thompson, Nebraska – QB +7500
Will Levis, Kentucky – QB +8000
Hendon Hooker, Tennessee – QB +8000
Phil Jurkovec, Boston College – QB +8000
Will Rogers, Mississippi State – QB +9000
Jake Haener, Fresno – QB +10000
Cam Rising, Utah – QB +10000
Zach Charbonnet, UCLA – RB +10000
Deuce Vaughn, Kansas State – RB +10000
Myles Brennan, LSU – QB +10000
Cameron Ward, Washington State – WR +10000
Trey Sanders, Alabama – RB +10000
Blake Corum, Michigan – RB +10000
Luke Altmyer, Mississippi – QB +10000
Jack Miller, Phoenix – QB +10000
Roydell Williams, Alabama – RB +10000
Grayson McCall, Coastal Carolina – QB +10000
Jordan Addison, Pittsburgh – WR +10000