Heisman Watch: Week 8

The Heisman Trophy is known as a quarterback’s award, but there have been non-quarterbacks to win the award, with DeVonta Smith being the last non-quarterback to win the award back in 2020.

This year, the quarterback play in college football has been so good, that there may not even be a non-quarterback finalist in the running for this year’s award.

With that being said, let's look at some contenders for the 2023 Heisman Trophy award.

The New Front Runner: Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

It has been a back-and-forth conversation between fans, experts or anyone watching college football. Who is better, Caleb Williams or Michael Penix Jr.?

Week 7 of college football may have given the answer needed. Williams and USC fell to Notre Dame, with Williams and his three first-half interceptions not helping.

Penix and Washington came out of a top-10 matchup against Oregon with a win, and Penix solidified himself as the top dog in the Heisman Trophy race.

Headed into Week 8 of the college football season, Penix is clearly the front-runner, and it seems as if it is his trophy to lose.

A Name to Keep an Eye On: Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oklahoma

Dillon Gabriel and the Oklahoma Sooners were flying under the radar until Week 6 came along and they took down the Texas Longhorns in the Red River Rivalry game.

Since then, the Sooner made a massive jump in the AP Poll, and Gabriel’s name has gained a lot more traction towards the Heisman Trophy.

Gabriel has thrown for 1,878 yards while throwing 16 touchdowns, and only two interceptions. He has a QBR of 91.2, which is good for the third-best in college football.

While Gabriel may not be up there with the front runners, he is running closely behind. With no current ranked teams ahead in the Sooners’ schedule, the path to the Big-12 championship game looks clear, and Gabriel can solidify his chances for the trophy.

Deep Dark Horse: Drew Allar, QB, PSU

Drew Allar and the Penn State Nittany Lions have themselves in an interesting situation

They currently sit at 6-0, ahead of their Week 8 matchup against the No. 3-ranked Ohio State Buckeyes.

Allar is a dark horse for a reason, he’s not even near the conversation right now.

He has only thrown for 1,254 yards and he has 12 touchdowns on the year. But here is where Allar gets interesting. Through six games, he has yet to throw an interception.

Penn State is heading into their “tough” stretch of games, which includes their game against No. 3-ranked Ohio State this coming weekend, and their matchup against No. 2-ranked Michigan in November.

If Allar can somehow make it through the season keeping that interception-less streak alive, as well as leading the Nittany Lions to wins versus OSU and Michigan, Allar will throw his name into the conversation.

William James is a fourth-year majoring in print/digital journalism. To contact him, please email wmj5101@psu.edu.