Top five Pac-12 Heisman candidates for 2023
This will be the year of the quarterback in the Pac. The Pac-12 is simply loaded at college football’s most important position.
Zachary Neel of Ducks Wire wrote:
“It all starts with the quarterback, and unless something abnormal takes place, it usually ends with the quarterback as well. The 2023 season in the Pac-12 is going to be defined by quarterback play, with some of the best passers in the nation getting set out west to try and end the conference drought in the College Football Playoff.
“There are three sure-fire Heisman Trophy contenders, with a fourth or fifth hanging around the fringes. There are offensive masterminds scattered throughout the landscape ready to dial up shots down the field. There’s a chance that, in the final year of the Pac-12 as we know it, we are going to see a better display of quarterback play than we ever have before.”
Be sure to check out Ducks Wire’s Pac-12 team previews:
Arizona — Arizona State — Cal — Colorado — Oregon State — Stanford — UCLA — USC — Utah — Washington — Washington State
Here are the top five Pac-12 Heisman contenders for 2023:
5. Cameron Ward (Washington State)
There’s plenty of good storylines in this year’s QB class but none better than Washington State’s Cam Ward, who went from having zero FBS offers out of HS to having record-setting career at FCS Incarnate Word to being an ascending NFL draft prospect heading into his final season.… pic.twitter.com/pZffG8cAcz
— Jim Nagy (@JimNagy_SB) July 7, 2023
Ward, who transferred from Incarnate Word to Washington State, was largely unknown coming into the 2022 season. Now he will attract everyone’s attention this college football season.
Ward took the Cougars to a 7-6 season in 2022, throwing for 3,231 yards and 23 touchdowns to 9 interceptions on a 64.4 completion percentage.
His first big test will be at No. 18 Wisconsin in Week 2. Late in the season he faces Oregon and Arizona State on the road.
Quarterback | Year | Place |
Ryan Leaf | 1997 | 3rd |
2018 | 5th | |
Jason Gesser | 2002 | 7th |
Timm Rosenbach | 1988 | 7th |
Drew Bledsoe | 1992 | 8th |
Jack Thompson | 1977 | 9th |
4. Michael Penix Jr (Washington)
Washington senior quarterback Michael Penix Jr is among the preseason favorites to win college football’s most coveted honor. Penix finished eighth in Heisman voting in 2022 after setting a Husky single-season record for passing yardage (4,641) and leading the Football Bowl Subdivision in passing yards per game (357).
After four mostly solid seasons at Indiana, Penix ventured to Seattle, where he led the Huskies to an 11-2 record last fall. Among the highlights of his record-setting season was a masterful performance (26-of-35, 408 yards, two TDs, one interception) in a 37-34 win at No. 8 Oregon. A 6-foot-3 left-hander, Penix enters 2023 with 30 career starts and 8,838 passing yards.
3. Cam Rising (Utah)
Cameron Rising will have every opportunity to win the Heisman Trophy this season. Rising and Utah check all of the boxes. He is one of the best quarterbacks in the Kyle Whittingham era, and the Utes could very well be fighting for a chance to play in the College Football Playoff.
With high-profile games against Florida, USC, Oregon and Washington, the sixth-year senior has a chance to gain a lot of momentum and be in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy at the end of the season.
QB1 for the Utes completed 249 of 385 passes in 2022 for 3,024 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions for a 64.7% completion rate. Rising added an additional 465 yards and six touchdowns on the ground off of 77 carries. The talented quarterback ended 2022 as an All-Pac-12 Honorable Mention and the Pac-12 Championship MVP.
2. Bo Nix (Oregon)
After a tremendous campaign in which he led the Ducks to a 10-3 record and a Holiday Bowl victory, everyone in Eugene is thrilled to see Bo Nix return for a final go-round in 2023.
Nix revitalized his college career in 2022 under Kenny Dillingham. He threw for 3,593 yards and 29 touchdowns against just seven interceptions, completing an Oregon single-season record 71.9% of his passes.
No. 10 was also deadly with his legs, rushing for 510 yards and 14 touchdowns to pace all quarterbacks nationally.
1. Caleb Williams (USC)
The college football world will have its eyes on the University of Southern California for the 2023 season. After exceeding many experts’ and pundits’ expectations in 2022, everyone will now have their radar on the Trojans this upcoming season, and it starts at quarterback with Caleb Williams.
Williams lead the Trojans to an 11-3 record, going 8-1 in conference play and throwing for 42 touchdowns. He had a passer rating of 168.5.
If he can beat Utah and Oregon and stay healthy while keeping those numbers, Williams can surely be in New York City for a second year and maybe win the whole thing again.
