In the modern college football era, quarterbacks have dominated the list of Heisman Trophy winners. In fact, 12 of the last 14 winners have been QB’s and only historic seasons from Alabama wideout DeVonta Smith (2020) and Alabama RB Derrick Henry (2015) were good enough to sway voters.
Ahead of the 2024 season, quarterbacks like Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel (+725 consensus), Georgia’s Carson Beck (+775) and Texas’ Quinn Ewers (+913) are atop this market, but as seen last year with LSU’s Jayden Daniels (who opened at +1600ish depending on the sportsbook), this is an award market where we can capture solid value. There are stellar options in that same range up top, but let’s go way down the board and explain why there are four other guys you should consider getting action on. Let’s get into it.
Liberty Junior QB Kaidon Salter (+35000, BetRivers)
2023 Stats: 61.0% completion, 2,876 pass yards, 32 pass TD, 6 INT, 1,089 rush yards (6.7 YPC), 12 rush TD
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Analysis: Last season, Kaidon Salter led Liberty to a 13-0 season and even though they got massacred by Oregon in the Fiesta Bowl, he will be an absolute force once again this year and should put up huge numbers for a team that has a great chance to go undefeated once again. Accounting for 44 touchdowns (32 passing, 12 rushing) last season, Salter should continue to benefit from head coach Jamey Chadwell’s up-tempo offense and will also benefit from a very weak schedule. That could, of course, hurt him when it comes to the Heisman, but if he accounts for something like 55-plus total touchdowns in a 13-0 campaign, he should be in contention. I don’t think that’s outside the realm of possibilities.
Memphis Senior QB Seth Henigan (+15000, Caesars Sportsbook)
2023 Stats: 66.8% completion, 3,883 pass yards, 32 pass TD, 9 INT, 274 rush yards (2.9 YPC), 5 rush TD
Analysis: Coming off a 10-3 year with a Liberty Bowl win, veteran Seth Henigan will return with a loaded cast of weapons at the skill positions to use within his offense. As the American Athletic Conference favorites, Henigan should be expected to build on the 37 total touchdowns he amassed last season (32 passing, five rushing) and if he can lead his team to an upset win over Florida State on the road early in the season, he could work his way into the conversation with his high-volume passing role within a high-powered offense. He’s thrown 393, 446 and 476 passes in his first three years at the helm of this offense, accumulating 79 touchdowns and 25 interceptions. If he gets into the 40’s with his passing touchdowns and also leads the Tigers to an undefeated or one-loss campaign, he should be in the conversation.
Clemson Senior RB Phil Mafah (+25000, Consensus)
2023 Stats: 965 rush yards (5.4 YPC), 13 rush TD, 21 receptions, 108 receiving yards
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Analysis: Essentially splitting carries with Will Shipley last season, the 6’1, 230-pound Phil Mafah was very efficient, averaging 5.4 yards per carry for 965 rushing yards with 13 scores. Now with Shipley gone, Mafah should carry the rushing load and take his four-touchdown performance against Kentucky in the Gator Bowl as momentum heading into the new year behind a typically-elite offensive line. The schedule is an absolutely brutal one, but as he showed last year against a ranked Notre Dame squad (36 carries, 186 yards, two touchdowns), he is a force to be reckoned with once he starts running downhill. Clemson will have to be ranked high and win at least one of the matchups against Georgia and Florida State, but if Mafah can rush for something around 1,500 yards with 20ish rushing scores, he should certainly be in the conversation.
North Carolina Junior RB Omarion Hampton (+20000, BetRivers)
2023 Stats: 1,504 rush yards (5.9 YPC), 15 rush TD, 29 receptions, 222 receiving yards, 1 receiving TD
Analysis: This junior put up insane numbers as a sophomore last year: 1,504 rushing yards, 222 receiving yards and 16 total touchdowns. Omarion Hampton‘s rushing yards and yards per carry (5.9) both ranked 5th nationally and he earned a spot on the Second-Team All-American team, so voters are very familiar with him. Heading into the new year, he could be relied upon even more with former QB Drake Maye in the NFL and he wants to showcase even more of his skills, particularly as a pass-catcher.
“I just want to show that I’m an all-around back, like Christian McCaffrey on Sundays,” Hampton said this summer, per ABC News 4. “I want to catch the ball more, have more receiving yards and get better at pass blocking, because I know that is what they want in the National Football League. Doing that, it will expand my game.”
He also told reporters that he wanted to be the first UNC running back to surpass 2,000 rushing yards in a single season. If he does that and the Tar Heels navigate their schedule, he will absolutely work his way into the Heisman conversation.
