Heisman Watch 2022 – Leading contenders, current odds, key moments and a Q&A with Kansas’ Jalon Daniels

Four weeks into the college football season, we’re officially on Heisman Watch for the 2022 season as September wraps up. From a surprise campaign in Lawrence, Kansas, to a couple of strong cases in Tuscaloosa, we’ve tuned in.

You’ll see our Heisman rankings, September’s best Heisman moments, what to watch for in Week 5, and a Q&A with Kansas QB Jalon Daniels.

Voting methodology: 15 voters ranked their top five candidates, with five points for a first-place vote and one point for a fifth-place vote.

The five best candidates

1. CJ Stroud, QB, Ohio State

Total score: 61 (first place votes: 8)

Remarkable: Stroud finished 22 of 27 for 367 yards and five touchdowns in a win over Toledo on September 17. He has thrown for more than four touchdowns in three of the Buckeyes’ four games and ranks second in QBR with a 95.4.

Heisman Odds: +160

Odds courtesy of Caesars Sportsbook by William Hill

2. Jalon Daniels, QB, Kansas

Total score: 51 (first place votes: 3)

Remarkable: Speaking of QBR, Daniels currently leads the nation with 98.0. He threw for 324 yards and four touchdowns in the Jayhawks’ 35-27 win over Duke on September 24. He also added 83 yards and a touchdown on the ground while leading Kansas to a 4-0 start to the season.

Heisman Quota: +4000

3. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

Total score: 45 (first place votes: 3)

Remarkable: Young delivered his most complete performance on September 24 against Vanderbilt. The 2021 Heisman Trophy winner threw 385 yards and four touchdowns on 25 of 36 passes. Young hasn’t quite matched his performance from last season, but with SEC games here, it looks like his stats are making a comeback.

Heisman Odds: +450

4. Brock Bowers, TE, Georgia

Total score: 20 (first place votes: 1)

Remarkable: Despite being one of the most difficult tight ends to cover in the passing game, Bowers did a lot of his damage on the ground. Bowers rushed for 77 yards and two touchdowns with just two carries in Georgia’s 39-22 win over Kent State on Sept. 24. He has three rushing touchdowns this season and two more through the air.

Heisman Odds: +7500

5. Will Anderson Jr., LB, Alabama

Total score: 14 (First place votes: 0)

Remarkable: Much like Young, Anderson had his best game when the SEC game started. The 2021 Bronko Nagurski Trophy winner recorded 2.5 sacks and five total tackles in Alabama’s win over Vanderbilt. The sack earned his overall grade of 4.5 this season.

Heisman Quota: +4000

Other votes received (total points in parentheses): Caleb Williams, QB, USC (9); Hendon Hooker, QB, Tennessee (7); Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington (7); Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia (6); Mohamed Ibrahim, RB, Minnesota (5)

Questions and Answers with Jalon Daniels

After Kansas’ 35-27 win over Duke at Lawrence, ESPN’s Andrea Adelson sat down with Daniels to discuss the Heisman.

ESPN: Who is your favorite Heisman winner?

JD: Tim Tebow because he could walk a lot in Florida. He made a lot of things possible, especially for how young he was as a quarterback. My second would have to be Bryce Young because he’s also from California and we’re basically in the same class, the same age. You must have support for those California connections.

ESPN: What do you remember from watching Tebow play?

JD: I just see how athletic he is, how he can lengthen plays, get out of the bag and run when he can. He was always someone who could put the ball in the field when he had to. He’s someone I’ve modeled my game after. I actually had the opportunity to meet Tim Tebow at the NIL Summit in Atlanta last summer.

ESPN: Is the Heisman something you thought about before this season or when you came to Kansas?

JD: It’s something every quarterback has dreamed of, being able to pick up any type of awards, especially the Heisman. Being in high school and watching all these quarterbacks get Heisman trophies is definitely something you imagine, but the fact that this is something that’s actually becoming a reality for me is all crazy.

ESPN: When did it become real for you?

JD: I would say last week. A lot of my teammates, a lot of my family members started hitting me and I was like, Heisman that, Heisman that, and I’m just like, “Wow.” Just last year, on that conversation, my name wasn’t even around. It’s just amazing to see the amount of growth along the way.

ESPN: If you could make it to New York, what would be the number 1 thing on your list to see?

JD: Definitely Times Square. This is definitely a place where I want to take pictures.

ESPN: What do you think was the low point of your career in Kansas?

JD: Definitely my freshman year. We went 0-9, and as a freshman actually playing the field it can definitely mess with your head a lot. It starts to make you wonder if you’re even good enough to be in that position. Also, I’m from LA, so it was tough being in Kansas, away from all my family. In all the tough times I’ve had in my career, I can usually just go home, talk to my mom, talk to my dad, and the next morning I usually wake up in a much better mood. But being away from home was definitely not the easiest.

ESPN: When did you have the idea that this season could be something special?

JD: This vision has always been there for us as a team. From the start of this off-season, we knew what preparations we had to make, what steps we had to take to be able to do what we envisioned, which was to go out and play our brand of football and attend every single game.

Dime Droppin 🎯 pic.twitter.com/nSFFLBLyNN

— Kansas Football (@KU_Football) September 24, 2022

The best Heisman moments of the season

1. Everyone knows Brock Bowers is a threat in the passing game, but he’s proven he could be a double threat tight end this season.

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Brock Bowers takes over the handover and makes it 7-0 for the Bulldogs.

2. With 1:29 on the clock, Bryce Young methodically leads the Alabama offense through the field to a comeback win over Texas.

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Bryce Young escapes the Blitz with a big first down, resulting in Alabama’s game-winning field goal.

3. 10-7 at halftime against Notre Dame, CJ Stroud threw a touchdown in the second half and led a 7-minute drive to end the game for the Buckeyes.

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CJ Stroud gets a hit but still manages to deliver a 24-yard touchdown to Xavier Johnson.

Heisman game of the week

No. 2 Alabama at No. 20 Arkansas (Saturday, 3 p.m. ET, CBS)

With two players in the top five, Alabama will be in contention for Heisman Game of the Week. However, an away game in Arkansas poses a threat for both Young and Anderson. Anderson must try to slow down KJ Jefferson and the Razorback offense while Young faces an Arkansas defense that has surpassed 28 points just once this season has allowed.