Heisman Race News and Notes After Week 2
September favorites in the race for the Heisman Trophy get shuffled around more than a deck of cards on an Atlantic City blackjack table — or more than rosters in the current incarnation of NCAA transfer rules.
And in that regard, it makes sense. Players that looked like Heisman favorites one week appeared more human the next. And some players that showed rust in Week 1 played with more polish in Week 2. Rosters, teams, offensive schemes and defensive gameplans are in flux more than ever, so it makes sense that results will be, too.
With that, let’s dive into what the college football media landscape is chattering about now that 120 hours of tape is out there on most teams.
Heisman Trophy Podcast week 1 guest John Mateer is off to a fast start in his first season as a Sooner and led Oklahoma to a 24-13 win over visiting Michigan on Saturday.
The Washington State transfer quarterback ran for two touchdowns and threw for another, moving No. 18 OU to 2-0 following its frustrating 6-7 2024 season.
FoxSports.com placed Mateer atop its Heisman watch here, noting his 344 combined yards, including his team-leading 74 rushing yards.
Bumping elbows with Mateer in FoxSports.com‘s estimation was LSU quarterback Garrett Nussmeier, who lifted No. 3 LSU to a 23-7 over surprising Louisiana Tech. Nussmeier threw for 237 yards and a score and has the Tigers at 2-0.
Also high on the list was former Georgia Bulldog and first-year Miami starting QB Carson Beck, who guided the Hurricanes to a breezy 45-3 win over Bethune-Cookman. Beck threw for 267 yards on 22-of-24 passing and two scores.
The win over Bethune-Cookman marks the first of four straight games for Miami against Sunshine state schools as Beck will get a chance to solidify his Heisman bonafides in the coming weeks against South Florida, Florida and Florida State.
Over at on3.com, their latest Heisman poll listed Mateer first with Florida State QB Tommy Castellanos — the orchestrator of the Week 1 Alabama upset — second and Nussmeier third.
Utah QB and Week 3 Heisman Podcast guest Devon Dampier was listed fourth, Beck fifth and South Carolina QB Lanorris Sellers sixth. Dampier passed for three scores in the Utes blowout of Cal Poly while Sellers had a modest game with one scoring pass.
ESPN’s Bill Connelly is awarding his own Heisman Award each week in his weekly column while also posting his top 10 performers. He handed his mythical trophy to Baylor QB Sawyer Robertson this week after the Bears’ senior signalcaller passed for 440 yards and four TDs in an overtime win over No. 17 SMU. Robertson has the Bears at 2-0 and boasts a national-best 429.5 yards passing per game in the two wins.
Alabama QB Ty Simpson bounced back from a Week 1 loss with a 17-of-17 performance and three TDs against an admittedly outmanned Louisiana-Monroe squad to earn third on Connelly’s chart. Fourth was USC QB Jayden Maiava, the Trojans’ first-year starting QB.
Maiva passed for 412 yards and four scores on just 16-of-24 passing, leading USC to a blowout of Georgia Southern en route to a 2-0 start. He’s third nationally in passing yards per game (353.5) but takes a major step up in competition this week with the Trojans’ Big Ten opener at Purdue.
Another QB getting some swirl this week has been Missouri’s Beau Pribula, who led the Tigers to a come-from-behind 42-31 win over Kansas on Saturday. The former Penn State backup QB completed 30-of-39 passes for 334 yards and three TDs.
Finally, let’s not forget two players who were top-billed as Week 1 Heisman favorites, Texas QB Arch Manning and Ohio State receiver Jeremiah Smith. Both got untracked this weekend, albeit against overmatched foes.
Manning, after a tough week one loss at the Buckeyes, threw for 295 yards and four scores and ran for a TD in a 38-7 over San Jose State. Smith helped Ohio State’s 70-0 win over Grambling with five catches for 119 yards and two TDs.
