Justin Fields, QB | Ohio State (+900)



Fields is the hopeful with the most question marks. The Georgia transfer arrives in Columbus having completed 70% of his passes with eight combined touchdowns in limited duty, and will immediately get the keys to an offense that averaged 535 total yards per game. That is the same offense that Dwayne Haskins threw for 4,800 yards and 50 touchdowns in, but can Fields see that same success? Can he come close to a Heisman stat line without Paris Cambell, Terry McLaurin, or even Urban Meyer for that matter? Ryan Day moves up from the O-Coordinator role to Head Coach, and Day has previously coached QBs at the NFL level – so Fields is in good hands, as is the offense in general. Legitimate playmakers are a little light in Columbus at the moment, with J.K. Dobbins and K.J. Hill the only known commodities. But, OSU is never really short on recruits ready to step in. Fields was the top rated dual threat QB in 2018, so he has the raw materials, and he has late season contests with Penn State and Michigan to wow voters when it matters most.

Jalen Hurts, QB | Oklahoma (+1000)



Can the Sooners really make it three Heisman winning QBs in a row? A lot of the numbers say they can, given OU has averaged 575 yards per game over the last two seasons, and set an NCAA record in averaging nearly nine yards per play under Kyler Murray. Hurts might not have that elite gear that Mayfield and Murray showed, but he does have a winning pedigree above all others, including SEC and National Championship game experience. The Big-12 defenses are much softer than what Hurts was used to in the SEC, so look for a significant uptick in both his passing and running stats. In relief duty last season, Hurts completed 75% of his passes for eight touchdowns, and ‘Bama actually played him enough to stay sharp. He has 21 rushing touchdowns as a starter over his career, and Lincoln Riley knows how to run his QBs to produce those Heisman level stats. Marquise Brown is gone, but CeeDee Lamb returns to build on his 1,158 yard, 11 touchdown receiving effort to give Hurts a big play target.

Adrian Martinez, QB | Nebraska (+1200)



The buzz around Martinez for 2019 is making Vegas a little nervous, as the Husker QB is getting 6 to 1 odds to win the Heisman, while his online value is sometimes double that. If you are on the Martinez train now, go ahead and bet him, as any early season success is going to hurt his potential return on investment. Martinez was only able to lead Nebraska to a 4-8 record last season, but he did set a school record for rushing yards (629) by a freshman QB, and led the Huskers to 36 points per game over the last six contests. Nebraska’s offensive line was a mess last season, and led to Martinez running for his life on many occasions, but three starters return to that line which showed improvement late. A cleaner pocket should allow Martinez to improve on his 2,617 passing yards and 17 scores from 2018, and consistent line play should keep him healthy as well. Nebraska was dominated in the two games Martinez missed with a knee injury last year. The Big Ten is projected to be tough, with seven teams in the preseason Top 25, but a Week 5 tilt against Ohio State will serve a Martinez’ big test. An upset there with a big stat line should propel both him, and the Huskers, to big things.

D’Andre Swift, RB | Georgia (+2500)

Well, we finally get away from the quarterbacks, but I do have to mention that signal callers have won eight of the last ten Heisman Trophies. The other two did go to running backs, Alabama running backs to be specific, so can D’Andre Swift pick up the torch from Mark Ingram and Derrick Henry? Those backs averaged over 2,100 yards from scrimmage in their Heisman campaigns, and Swift has a chance to reach that 2K plateau now that he is not splitting time with Elijah Holyfield. Swift was also dealing with a bad groin in 2018, but all that is behind now as he leads a running game that averaged 240 yards per game last year. Georgia QB Jake Fromm is not a running threat, so Swift doesn’t need to worry about losing carries to literally anyone. If Swift takes just half of the carries left by Holyfield, and maintains the same 6.4 yards per carry average, he should cruise past 1,500 rushing yards. Swift was active as a receiver with 32 catches for 297 yards last season, and any increase there will have that 2,000 total yard goal within reach. Georgia is scheduled to win the SEC East, and that will help prop up Swift as potentially the best offensive player on a team headed to the Playoff.

Jonathan Taylor, RB | Wisconsin (+3000)



Taylor makes this list as the only player to gain at least one first place Heisman vote in 2017 and 2018. The Badger back finished 9th in the Heisman voting last year, 6th in 2017, and owns the NCAA record for most rushing yards in a freshman and sophomore season. His two-year average has him on pace for 2,064 rushing yards in 2019, which would move him to #6 on the all-time NCAA list – ahead of guys like DeAngelo Williams, LaDainian Tomlinson, and fellow Badger Melvin Gordon. Will that level of career success be enough to sway Heisman voters? Another 2,000 yard season by itself is not likely enough to get Taylor a trip to New York, but anything north of 2,000 yards and wins against Michigan, Ohio State, and Nebraska could make Taylor’s case a lot more compelling. He could see the most action of his career, as Wisconsin is unsure about either Jack Coan or true freshman Graham Mertz at quarterback, and there are no threats in the backfield to siphon off consistent carries. Paul Chryst is looking to improve Taylor’s draft stock by involving him in the passing game more, and that would be a big Heisman boost as well.