Jayden Daniels, Marvin Harrison Jr., Bo Nix, Michael Penix Jr. named finalists for 2023 Heisman Trophy
The 2023 Heisman Trophy finalists have been announced.
LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Ohio State's Marvin Harrison Jr., Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr. were named the four finalists for the award on Monday. The Heisman winner will be announced on Saturday.
All three quarterbacks put up big numbers over the 2023 season and betting odds make it seem like the award is Daniels’ to lose. He’s the overwhelming favorite at BetMGM at -1400, while Penix is at +900 and Nix is at +2200. Harrison, who also put up big numbers at wide receiver, is a long way back at +20000.
Daniels is the only quarterback in the country to throw for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards this season. He was 236-of-327 passing for 3,812 yards and 40 TDs to just four interceptions. His 11.7 yards per attempt led all of college football by a wide margin. Alabama QB Jalen Milroe was No. 2 in the category at 10.4 and only three QBs averaged more than 10 yards a pass.
Daniels also rushed 135 times for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns. That’s a staggering 8.4 yards a carry and the best average of any player in college football with more than 100 rushing attempts. It’s a remarkable figure when you consider that sacks are counted against a quarterback’s rushing total.
Nix leads the country in completions and completion percentage. He is 336-of-435 passing for 4,145 yards and 40 TDs to just three interceptions. He was considered the Heisman frontrunner before Oregon lost to Penix and Washington in the Pac-12 championship game.
Nix is set to play in the Fiesta Bowl against Liberty and has an outside chance at setting the single-season record for completion percentage. Nix was 21-of-34 passing in the loss to Washington and dropped behind former Alabama QB Mac Jones for the record. Jones completed 77.4% of his passes in 2020 while Nix is currently at 77.2%.
No quarterback threw more TD passes this season than Daniels and Nix.
Penix led Washington to an undefeated season and a spot in the College Football Playoff. The Huskies are back in the playoff for the first time since after the 2016 season as Penix has completed 307-of-466 passes for 4,218 yards. He’s also thrown 33 TDs and nine interceptions.
Penix leads the country in passing yards while Nix is second. They’re the only two quarterbacks who have thrown over 4,000 yards this season while Daniels is third with one fewer game played since LSU was not in the SEC championship game.
Harrison is widely considered the best wide receiver in college football, though he’s the biggest long shot to win the award. He has 67 catches for 1,211 yards and 14 TDs and averages over 18 yards a catch. He’s scored 28 TDs over the past two seasons and is a consensus projected top-five pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.
All three quarterbacks are in their second seasons at their current schools after transferring from their original colleges. Daniels started his college career at Arizona State, while Nix began his career at Auburn and Penix originally signed with Indiana. Daniels transferred to LSU after the school hired Brian Kelly, Nix joined Oregon after the school hired Dan Lanning, and Penix signed with Washington after the Huskies hired former Indiana offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer.
Was anyone snubbed?
The list of four finalists wasn't much of a surprise. The only drama heading into Monday's announcement was the fourth finalist. Daniels, Nix and Penix seemed to be locks to attend the ceremony and Harrison emerged as the fourth finalist from a group that included players like Alabama QB Jalen Milroe, Georgia QB Carson Beck, Michigan QB J.J. McCarthy and others.
Milroe is in his first season as Alabama’s starting quarterback and has gotten better as the season has gone on. He’s completing 66% of his passes for 2,718 yards and has thrown 23 TDs to six interceptions. He’s also a dynamic rusher and has run for 468 yards and 12 scores. He clinched the Crimson Tide’s win over Georgia in the SEC championship game with two key runs for first downs in the waning minutes.
McCarthy has orchestrated Michigan’s offense for the past two seasons and has taken a leap as a passer in 2023. He’s 213-of-287 passing for 2,630 yards and 19 TDs to four interceptions. He’s also rushed for three scores, but has thrown just one TD since the month of October.
Beck, meanwhile, has thrown for 3,738 yards with 22 TDs and six interceptions in his first season as Georgia's starting quarterback. He would have been a possible fourth finalist had Georgia beaten Alabama in the SEC title game and the Bulldogs were still chasing a third consecutive title.
