The Heisman Trophy has been dominated by quarterbacks overall, but wide receiver DeVonta Smith was able to win the award in 2020. A non-quarterback can win the award even if they are long shots. Here are the non-quarterbacks who can compete for the 2023 Heisman Trophy.
Note: Odds found here.
Harrison had a slow start to his college career, because he was behind some talented receivers at Ohio State. He had 11 catches for 139 yards and three touchdowns in 2021. Harrison was one of the more improved players in the entire country in 2022, finishing the year with 77 catches for 1,263 yards and 14 touchdowns. His play helped the Buckeyes reach the College Football Playoff.
It is not often a receiver can win the Heisman Trophy, but DeVonta Smith did it a few years ago. Harrison Jr. will play Notre Dame, Penn State and Michigan this season giving him ample opportunities to prove he is worthy of the award. Ohio State will be feeding him the ball, which should give him a chance to improve on his stats from 2022. He will be working with a new quarterback in Kyle McCord, but he will have chemistry with him, as they played together in high school.
Corum was on the cusp of being a Heisman Finalist last season before tearing his ACL. He rushed for 1,463 yards and 18 touchdowns in 2022, which is more than he had in his career before that. Now, he is trying to come back to the season healthy for another run at the award.
Like other players on this list, Corum will have big games to gain recognition for the award. The Wolverines will play both Ohio State and Penn State this year for marquee games. Corum will have some competition for carries moreso than last year, as Donovan Edwards was injured to start last year, then really showed his worth when Corum went down with injury. If Corum is healthy and still gets a healthy workload, he can still compete for the award.
Judkins burst onto the college football scene last year after he took most of the work out of a talented Ole Miss backfield. He rushed for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns as a true freshman in 2022, helping Ole Miss win eight games.
In 2023, Judkins has plenty of chances to make an impact against good teams. He can draw attention by putting up good performances against Alabama, LSU and Georgia. The real question will not be him having the statistics, but having the team success and recognition to be in contention for the award. He showed he has the talent to be one of the best running backs in the country and can improve this season.
Bowers has put up ridiculous numbers for a tight end. As a freshman in 2021, he had 56 receptions for 882 yards and 13 touchdowns. His play helped the Bulldogs win the National Championship. The Bulldogs repeated as champs in 2022 with Bowers having 63 receptions for 942 yards and seven touchdowns.
It will be hard for a tight end to win the award, as the position is not one where stats come easily at the college level. On top of that, a true tight end hasn’t won the award. He is very talented and is on a great team. Georgia will have big games Tennessee and Florida for Bowers to try to gain traction. He likely won’t win the award, but he will be the best player on what could be the best team in the country.
Allen had a great freshman year in 2021 when he rushed for 1,268 yards and 12 touchdowns. He followed that up in 2022 with 1,242 yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. While the good stats haven’t accounted for the number of wins in a season that the Badgers are accustomed to, new head coach Luke Fickell could help them reach their potential in 2023.
The only massive game on the schedule for Wisconsin is against Ohio State, so Allen is going to have to play well in that game and have the team winning. Allen can put up the stats to get into consideration, but may not have the chance for a true Heisman moment to put him in the minds of voters.
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