B/R's 2023 Heisman Trophy Rankings: We Need to Talk About Jayden Daniels
Bo Nix or Michael Penix Jr.? Michael Penix Jr. or Bo Nix? That's basically been the main question of the 2023 Heisman Trophy race as college football's regular season comes to a close.
Jayden Daniels is demanding a place in the discussion anyway.
Historically speaking, LSU's quarterback would be an outlier of a Heisman winner. Only four players—Ricky Williams, Tim Tebow, Robert Griffin III and Lamar Jackson—since 1988 have hoisted the prestigious trophy despite his team losing three regular-season games.
Daniels, Nix and Penix, in some order, are 2023's three remaining challengers for the award, especially now that Florida State's Jordan Travis is out for the season.
Best of all? As of today, there's a logical case for each one.
On the Outside
Jalen Milroe, QB, Alabama: Milroe finished 13-of-16 in a straightforward rout of lower-division Chattanooga. His ascent has helped Alabama rejoin the national championship race, and that's the most important takeaway. He'll probably be included on a few ballots but won't win.
Carson Beck, QB, Georgia: Easily one of the nation's steadiest QBs, Beck has legitimate top-five potential. In hindsight, the problem we constantly mentioned early in the season will be his downfall. Beck, who totaled nine touchdowns in five September games, has accounted for 24 scores—which is at least nine behind Daniels, Nix and Penix.
Blake Corum, RB, Michigan: Corum, on the other hand, has plenty of touchdowns with an FBS-high 20 rushing scores. But it's tough to give a first-place vote to a runner who is 40th nationally in yards (888).
Marvin Harrison Jr., WR, Ohio State: Harrison's reputation and impact will result in some votes, but, again, those largely won't be of the winning variety. While his production—62 receptions for 1,093 yards and 13 touchdowns—is excellent, it's not to the level of surpassing a quarterback.
3. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington
If you've followed the rankings weekly, you know I'd been persistent—defiant, even—about Michael Penix Jr. as the Heisman favorite until last week's update. There is so much to like about his candidacy.
But as Daniels and Nix have bolstered their resumes in November, Penix has basically just been decent.
From a team perspective, perfect. Washington is 11-0 and caps the regular season at home against rival Washington State before meeting either Arizona or Oregon in the Pac-12 Championship Game. Penix is the only Heisman-worthy QB remaining who can finish 13-0.
On a rainy evening in Corvallis, though, he went 13-of-28 for 162 yards and totaled three touchdowns. Meanwhile, both of his key competitors more than doubled that production.
Penix is clearly a high-end contender, but he needs a second win over Nix and Oregon to make the strongest case possible.
2. Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU
You don't get extra credit for walloping Georgia State. But, seriously, eight touchdowns?
That enormous game added to what is already an impressive stat sheet for Jayden Daniels. As a passer, he leads the country with 11.8 yards per attempt and 36 touchdowns. He's third in yards (3,577) and seventh in completion percentage (72.6). Among quarterbacks, Daniels leads the FBS with 1,014 rushing yards and is tied for sixth with 10 more scores.
In total: Daniels stands atop the nation at 4,591 total yards—a staggering 816 more than second-place Caleb Williams, who's played one more game—and 46 combined touchdowns.
He is, in every individual sense, a deserving Heisman winner.
The team-record component, for the record, is a traditional factor and not an official consideration. I believe it will continue to matter, but I'm also fully confident that numerous voters have already determined they will be selecting Daniels as the winner.
1. Bo Nix, QB, Oregon
Late-season games, in a vacuum, should not be more meaningful than September and early October.
Bo Nix is challenging that theory in a massive way.
Particularly since the Ducks' loss to Washington, Oregon has looked like one of the nation's best teams. Nix has spearheaded this dominant stretch, tallying a pair of six-touchdown games in November with a 412-yard, four-score performance against USC in the other game. Oh, and he basically only played one half against Arizona State.
Nix threads the needle of elite individual production and high-level team success. And if Oregon topples rival Oregon State this weekend, the Ducks will head to the Pac-12 Championship Game.
That finale—a rematch with Penix and Washington while Daniels and LSU sit at home—could be a make-or-break moment for Nix.