RJ Young's Heisman Candidates: Who Can Catch CJ Stroud?

We are gearing up for Week 7. college football This season, Ohio State quarterback CJ Stroud looks like the clear leader for the Heisman Trophy, the most prestigious individual award in sports. But when you’re ready to step into the heart of conference play, a lot can change.

Michigan‘s Blake Colm has put in a strong charge over the past two weeks, including an impressive 124-yard, 1-touchdown performance in last weekend’s Wolverines’ 31-10 win over Indiana.

Current Heisman Prize Winner Alabama QBs Bryce Young, was one of the early favorites to take home the award, but a shoulder injury meant he missed the second half against Arkansas and last Saturday’s 24–20 win against Texas A&M. How will that affect his chances?

FOX Sports College Football Writer RJ Young reveals the top five Heisman Trophy contenders on the latest episode of the podcast, “The Number One College Football Show.”

1. Ohio QB CJ Stroud

Statistics for 2022: 1,737 passing yards, 24 touchdowns and 3 interceptions.

Fun facts: Stroud is the only quarterback with five or more touchdown passes in three games this season.

What Young said: “He’s played flawless football all year. If Ohio State allowed him to play every minute of every game, the numbers he would have put out would be even more ridiculous. “He’s the best player of the best team.”

2. Michigan RB Break Column

Statistics for 2022: 735 rushing yards, 11 rushing touchdowns, 4 catches, 20 yards.

Fun facts: Corum is one of only two players in the nation to record at least 700 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns this season.

What Young said: “He’s been a stellar player all year. It’s amazing what he’s done and what the offensive line has done for him is amazing. He took what looked like short runs and turned them around. What was designed to go 3, 4, or 5 yards, he’s turning them into explosive plays.

3. Georgia QBs Stetson Bennett

Statistics for 2022: 1,744 passing yards, 5 passing touchdowns, 1 interception, 106 rushing yards, and 5 rushing touchdowns.

Fun facts: Bennett is one of only three quarterbacks in the nation to record 1,500-plus passing yards, 100-plus rushing yards and five rushing touchdowns.

What Young said: “I go back and forth on this one because Stetson Bennett is clearly not the best player at the University of Georgia. If anything, Jalen Carter has a lot to say about it. He can really complement the rest of the offense in a way that I think Kirby Smart really likes. He’s a man who plays with confidence that I didn’t know.

Four. Tennessee QBs Hendon hooker

Statistics for 2022: 1,432 passing yards, 10 touchdowns, zero interceptions, 231 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

Fun facts: Hooker now threw 212 consecutive passes without an interception. This is a Tennessee program record. He is also the only QB in the country to start every game and have a completion percentage above his 70% with no interceptions.

What Young said: “If you can handle football well, you can do whatever you want with Warpspeed. For the first time since 2016, I think we can talk about Tennessee the way Phil Fulmer wanted to talk about Tennessee Volunteers.”

Five. USC QBs Caleb Williams

Statistics for 2022: 1,590 passing yards, 14 touchdowns, 1 interception, 178 rushing yards and 3 rushing touchdowns.

Fun facts: Williams is the only Power 5 quarterback with over 1500 passing yards and a TD-INT ratio of at least 10.

What Young said: “He’s here because USC is undefeated. I think for Caleb Williams to go up, he has to get back on the horse and start running 300 yards and scoring four TD games when he’s on, when JJ McCarthy is on. ”

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