This story was originally published by Dead Spin
Remember 12 months ago when then-USC quarterback Caleb Williams was going to stroll to his second straight Heisman Trophy?
Six quarterbacks finished in the Top 10 of last year’s balloting. Williams wasn’t one of them.Â
Even three running backs and one receiver were part of the Top 10.
Williams and the Trojans started 6-0. Then the Heisman repeat hopes went down the drain when he threw three interceptions during a 48-20 loss to Notre Dame. USC lost five of Williams’ last six college starts as part of an embarrassing collapse.
This season, guys like Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, Georgia’s Carson Beck and Texas’ Quinn Ewers should be in the mix throughout the season. Perhaps there will be a surprise entrant like Utah’s Cameron Rising, back from major knee surgery.
But some players won’t live up to the hype. Some campaigns will be done early. Here are five players who could see their Heisman hopes derailed in the first month of the season:
JAXSON DART, OLE MISS (+1400)
PHOTO USA Today Sports Images The Rebels have a soft schedule, so Dart needs to pile up the stats to prove he’s a serious contender. Furman, Middle Tennessee and Georgia Southern represent three of Ole Miss’s first four games, not exactly the caliber of clubs a Heisman contender should be facing. If he has a couple underwhelming games due to performance or early exits — Wake Forest is the Week 3 opponent — Dart could fall out of the race with a subpar game against Kentucky on Sept. 28 in the Rebels’ first SEC clash. Watch for coach Lane Kiffin to try to pile up numbers in the first half of games to help Dart’s chances.
NICO IAMALEAVA, TENNESSEE (+1500)
Nov 25, 2023; Knoxville, Tennessee, USA; Tennessee Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava (8) passes the ball against the Vanderbilt Commodores during the second half at Neyland Stadium. credits: Randy Sartin-USA TODAY Sports He might be rated too high considering he enters the season with one career start and doesn’t turn 20 until Monday. Tennessee has featured high-profile offenses under coach Josh Heupel, and that has helped push Iamaleava up the charts. He passed for 151 yards against Iowa in the Citrus Bowl last season but displayed inexperience by being sacked six times. The Volunteers will get a good test in their second game against North Carolina State, but the one that determines Iamaleava’s Heisman bid will be the visit to Oklahoma in Week 4. If the Sooners bottle him up, it’s wait until next year. And next year, he could deservedly be one of the top candidates.
CAM WARD, MIAMI (+1500)
Former Washington State QB Cam Ward is now with the Miami Hurricanes. credits: Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports Put up great numbers at Washington State the past two seasons but still comes across as a prove-it-to-us candidate. That means Saturday’s season opener against Florida is huge per determining what level of candidate he is. Struggle mightily in his Miami debut and he sinks down the list. The Hurricanes’ next two opponents are Florida A&M and Ball State, and it doesn’t matter if he puts up pinball numbers against them. The fourth opponent is South Florida, and Ward will certainly need to be stellar against the Bulls.
RILEY LEONARD, NOTRE DAME (+2200)
Former Duke quarterback Riley Leonard has transferred to Notre Dame. credits: Jamie Rhodes-USA TODAY Sports We know why he’s on the list—the transfer to Notre Dame. He was having a meager season at Duke last season, even before the season-ending toe injury that limited him to seven games. If he had remained with the Blue Devils, he wouldn’t be this high. The most interesting thing about Leonard’s candidacy is that Notre Dame opens the season against Texas A&M, and new Aggies coach Mike Elko was Leonard’s coach at Duke. Can you imagine the former coach delivering a crushing opening salvo to Leonard’s candidacy? The Fighting Irish also have September games against Purdue and Louisville.
SHEDEUR SANDERS, COLORADO (+3500)
Nov 11, 2023; Boulder, Colorado, USA; Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders (2) at the line of scrimmage in the first half against the Arizona Wildcats at Folsom Field. credits: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports Remember all the early season hype he received last season during the Buffaloes’ stunning 3-0 start? This year, there is little buzz about Sanders, even though he threw 27 touchdown passes against just three interceptions. Part of that is because 17 of the touchdowns came in four games. Some of that is certainly due to Colorado finishing just 4-8. Plus, the move to the Big 12 will be challenging. Colorado opens with North Dakota State, and the Bison have been known to post upsets against FBS schools. Regardless, Sanders needs another hot start to be part of this discussion for long.
