1. Saquon Barkley | Penn State RB | Junior | Last week: 1
He put up another two touchdowns, including one set up by a hook-and-ladder where he made an insane hurdle, but Saquon Barkley’s Heisman lead is slipping if not non-existent. Baker Mayfield is right there with Barkley, and Mayfield probably has more big games to finish the year on a very high note with the voters.
Season stats:
166 ATT | 899 YDS | 5.4 AVG | 11 TD
40 REC | 517 YDS | 12.9 AVG | 3 TD
14 RET | 423 YDS | 30.2 AVG | 2 TD
100% | 16 YDS | 1 PASS TD
2. Baker Mayfield | Oklahoma QB | Senior | Last week: 2
Another three touchdowns along with 333 yards passing in another win over a ranked opponent has most people calling Mayfield the easy Heisman choice. It’s certainly no easy selection at this point, but there is a big-time argument for Mayfield at number one. His ability to buy time with his legs while scrambling behind the line of scrimmage before delivering perfect passes to his receivers is difficult for any defense to stop.
Season stats:
71.2% | 3,559 YDS | 31 TD | 5 INT
73 ATT | 231 YDS | 3.2 AVG | 5 TD
3. Lamar Jackson | Louisville QB | Junior | Last week: 4
Because of Louisville’s record and the fact that Jackson had an outstanding Heisman season last year, it seems he’s going under the radar right now. No one talks about it, but Jackson just put up another four-touchdown performance which included 147 yards rushing—and that’s been his lowest rushing in the last four games.
Season stats:
60.2% | 3,003 YDS | 21 TD | 6 INT
178 ATT | 1,176 YDS | 6.6 AVG | 15 TD
4. Bryce Love | Stanford RB | Junior | Last week: 5
A monster performance by Bryce Love led Stanford to their big-time upset at home against Washington, and his Heisman candidacy is back in full swing. Love appears to be fully over his ankle injury, as evident by his 30 carries (which tied a season high) for 166 yards and three touchdowns. Stanford’s finish to the season will likely be huge for Love’s Heisman chances.
Season stats:
181 ATT | 1,622 YDS | 9.0 AVG | 15 TD
5 REC | 31 YDS | 6.2 AVG
5. Kerryon Johnson | Auburn RB | Junior | Last week: NR
Gus Malzahn says his running back should be in the Heisman race, and he’s definitely right. Kerryon Johnson showed his amazing running ability, as he looked a lot like All-Pro running back Le’Veon Bell, which is not a coincidence considering he watches a lot of film on him. Johnson is now up over 1,000 yards for the season, and he had one of his best performances in the awesome win over the number one Georgia Bulldogs
Season stats:
198 ATT | 1,035 YDS | 5.2 AVG | 15 TD
15 REC | 152 YDS | 10.1 AVG | 2 TD
Mayfield #1!!!!