Top 5 Heisman candidates at college football's midway point

The Heisman Trophy is awarded to college football’s most outstanding player. Entering this season, three quarterbacks — including last year’s winner — were favored to earn this prestigious honor. It’s Week 8 and that trio of QBs are each building a strong case. But they’re joined by two other standouts that could make this an even more crowded race in the coming weeks.

Here are our top 5 Heisman candidates:

USC’s sophomore QB Caleb Williams has been everything the Trojans could have wanted and more this 2022 season. A transfer from Oklahoma, Williams has looked extremely comfortable in his second year in the Lincoln Riley offense. Williams has thrown for 1,971 yards, rushed for 235 yards, and accounted for 22 touchdowns. His 19 passing touchdowns rank sixth in the country, and his one interception ranks third.

Some recent struggles have him down at No. 5 on this list, but he’s been worth the investment for the 6-1 Trojans who finished last season at 4-8. He has USC square in the mix for a New Year’s Six bowl game, and on the outside looking in for the College Football Playoff. Williams is looking to become the seventh Trojan to secure a Heisman trophy (eighth if you count Reggie Bush, whose win was vacated).

The only non-quarterback on this list, junior running back Blake Corum is the best player on a 7-0 Michigan squad. Corum ranks second in the country with 901 rushing yards, and first in the nation with 13 rushing touchdowns, leading the way for one of the top-ranked scoring offenses in college football.

Michigan’s offense will continue to lean on Corum in the second half of the season, giving him a real possibility of taking home the award, last won back a Wolverine by Charles Woodson in 1997. And if Corum does, he’d become the first running back since Alabama’s Derrick Henry (2015) to win the Heisman.

Alabama’s junior QB is having another impressive season for the Crimson Tide. The 2021 Heisman winner missed a game-and-a-half, which keeps him at the No. 3 spot on this list for now. But in the five-plus games he’s played this season, he’s looked incredible — 1,657 yards passing, and 16 touchdowns to just three interceptions.

If Young takes home the award, he will become the second player ever to win the Heisman twice, joining Ohio State back Archie Griffin who won the award in 1974 and 1975.

Young is already among the elite company. Another Heisman would only solidify his status as one of the best college football players ever.

The biggest surprise on this list is Tennessee’s sixth-year senior QB Hendon Hooker. Hooker’s preseason odds to win this award were +5000. But after throwing for 1,817 yards and 15 TDs — to only one pick — and leading Tennessee to a huge win over Alabama, Hooker is right in the thick of this race.

The dual-threat QB — who transferred to Rocky Top from Virginia Tech in 2020 — has also rushed for 285 yards, added three scores on the ground, and has firmly positioned Tennessee in the mix for a trip to the College Football Playoff. Thanks to Hooker, Tennessee has the No. 2 ranked scoring offense in the country, and the No. 1 offense in the country in terms of total yards. He’s looking to become UT’s first Heisman winner.

Ohio State’s third-year QB entered the 2022 season as arguably the best player in college football. Seven weeks into the season, he’s basically justified that assessment. Stroud has thrown for 1,734 yards, 24 touchdowns — tied for the nation’s best — to just three picks. He’s looked every bit the top prospect he’s expected to be in the 2023 NFL Draft, and has led the 6-0 Buckeyes to the No. 2 spot in the AP Poll.

Ohio State enters Week 8 with the No. 1 scoring offense in the country, and the No. 2 offense in terms of total yards. If Stroud continues to play at this level, he should be the favorite to take home the award, and become the first Ohio State player since Troy Smith in 2006 to win the Heisman.