Heisman Watch: Week 2

With Week 2 of the NCAA FBS season coming to an end this past weekend, the Heisman race continues to get tighter and tighter with familiar faces still on top, and new faces slowly creeping into the picture.

Here are some players to watch for the famed Heisman trophy, and yes, there will be someone other than a quarterback mentioned.

Caleb Williams, QB, USC

Last year’s Heisman winner continues to impress across the board at USC.

The team’s third game of the year was, coincidentally, their third blow-out win of the year as USC took down Stanford, 56-10.

In the game, Williams accounted for 281 yards and three touchdowns, continuing to show why he’s the clear front-runner for this prestigious award.

This is Williams’ award to lose, so it’ll be interesting to see who else gives him competition.

Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

The Indiana transfer continues to carry this Washington offense on his back as the face of their team.

Like USC, the Huskies also are undefeated on the season and all their wins have also come in blow-out wins. Penix’s stat line was 409 yards with three touchdowns in a 43-10 win over Tulsa.

While he may not be second in terms of odds for the Heisman, I think this past weekend’s performance makes him a clear favorite for this trophy.

Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame

After leaving Wake Forest, Hartman is having another career year. Hartman, in his sixth year of college, threw for four touchdowns in his first win vs. NC State (he was previously 0-2 before).

The most impressive part of this stat line? Hartman threw three of those touchdowns in one half.

While he does have slow starts sometimes, Hartman is definitely in the hunt for the Heisman.

Jordan Travis, QB, Florida State

While I have Travis somewhat lower on this list than most, he is in no way a dark horse in this Heisman race.

Travis had a somewhat quiet Saturday in FSU’s win over Southern Miss, 66-13. However, this was more so because his backup QB came in during the second half (the game was a 45-3 blowout at the time).

I still want to see more from him before I put him higher on this list. He’ll have a tough test in the coming weeks though as FSU plays Clemson in two weeks.

Drew Allar, QB, Penn State

A largely unknown and untested player coming into the season, Allar is proving why he’s a five-star athlete.

Allar, who had a break-out game vs. West Virginia in Week 1, continued to show his domination this past Saturday against Delaware.

He’s been skyrocketing up the Heisman list and will look to continue to do so this coming weekend vs. Illinois.

Allar has thrown for over 200 yards in both games this season but will have to wait for a true test until the Ohio State and Michigan games.

Non-Quarterback Candidate: Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State

Harrison didn’t start the year well, but neither did the entire Ohio State team. With that in mind, Harrison seemed to return to natural form this past weekend vs. Youngstown State.

Harrison had seven catches for 160 yards and two touchdowns in OSU’s 35-7 win.

While the QB situation may be somewhat uncertain in Columbus, Harrison has the chance to show off his raw talent by succeeding despite the QB room.

Ethan Ellis is a third-year student majoring in broadcast journalism. To contact him, please email ece5133@psu.edu.