Will Howard leads a loaded group of Ohio State players in 2024's first installment of Heisman Watch ahead of the Buckeyes' season opener.
| Player | Odds |
|---|---|
| QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon | +550 |
| QB Carson Beck, Georgia | +800 |
| QB Quinn Ewers, Texas | +1200 |
| QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama | +1400 |
| QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss | +1400 |
| QB Will Howard, Ohio State | +1450 |
| QB Cam Ward, Miami (Florida) | +1450 |
| QB Nico Iamaleava, Tennessee | +1450 |
| QB Garrett Nussmeier, LSU | +2000 |
| QB Riley Leonard, Notre Dame | +2600 |
Following a few games in Week 0 this past weekend, the college football season officially kicks off for most teams this week, including Ohio State's home opener against Akron Saturday afternoon.
Ahead of the Buckeyes' season opener, we take a look at OSU's players currently among the top Heisman candidates entering Week 1. Will Howard (+1450) leads Ohio State players, coming in with the sixth-best odds in the country, according to consensus odds from DraftKings and FanDuel.
In what has essentially become a quarterback's award – 20 of the past 24 Heisman winners have been quarterbacks dating back to the 2000 season – this year seems to be no different, as the 20 players with the best odds on DraftKings and top 24 players on FanDuel are all quarterbacks. Colorado's do-it-all wide receiver and cornerback Travis Hunter (+5000 on DraftKings, +6000 on FanDuel) leads the list of non-quarterbacks.
With that, Howard has a shot to continue Ohio State's streak of having at least one Heisman Trophy finalist while also looking to end the Buckeyes' drought for the most prestigious individual award in college football.
The fifth-year senior threw for 5,786 yards, 48 touchdowns and 25 interceptions while completing 58.8% of his passes during his time at Kansas State, including 2,643 yards, 24 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while completing a career-best 61.3% of his passes last season. He also ran for 921 yards and 19 touchdowns as a Wildcat, including 351 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground in 2023. That said, he has never had as good of playmakers as he will have in Columbus. It's one of the many reasons Ohio State's starting signal-caller is among the players with the best odds to win the Heisman Trophy at season's end.
Quinshon Judkins (+7500 on DraftKings, +10000 on FanDuel), TreVeyon Henderson (+8000, +12000), Julian Sayin (+10000, +15000), Devin Brown (+10000, +30000), Emeka Egbuka (+12000, +12000), Jeremiah Smith (+13000, +15000), Carnell Tate (+20000 on DraftKings), Caleb Downs (+30000 on FanDuel) and JT Tuimoloau (+30000, +30000) are the other Buckeyes on the board.
Let's take a look at the five players who sit above Howard on the odds board before Week 1:
QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon (+550)
The sixth-year senior spent time at UCF (three seasons) and Oklahoma (two) before transferring to the Ducks for his final season of eligibility. With plenty of experience under his belt, the left-handed, dual-threat quarterback had the best season of his career in 2023, completing 266-of-384 passes (69.3%) for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns and six interceptions while also running for 373 yards and 12 touchdowns as well.
QB Carson Beck, Georgia (+800)
In his first season as Georgia's starting quarterback last year, Beck completed 302-of-417 passes (72.4%) for 3,941 yards, 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 116 yards and four touchdowns.
With a year of experience and the Bulldogs ranked among the top two teams entering the season, Beck is expected to improve on his impressive first season leading Georgia as a second-year starter in 2024.
QB Quinn Ewers, Texas (+1200)
Ewers had an impressive 2023 season, completing 272-of-394 passes (69%) for 3,479 yards, 22 touchdowns and six interceptions while adding 75 rushing yards and five touchdowns on the ground. Now in his third year at Texas after transferring from Ohio State, Ewers appears to be better than ever entering his senior season with the Longhorns.
QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama (+1400)
After playing sparingly in his first two seasons in Tuscaloosa, Milroe's first season as Alabama's starting quarterback began in a bad way, as he was benched in the Crimson Tide's Week 2 loss against Texas and didn't play the following week against South Florida.
He responded well, though, completing 187-of-284 passes (65.8%) for 2,834 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. He also ran for 161 yards and an impressive 12 touchdowns as he led the Crimson Tide to an SEC championship and College Football Playoff berth.
With a new head coach and Kalen DeBoer's new-look offense at Alabama, Milroe has the potential to put up big numbers through the air and on the ground.
QB Jaxson Dart, Ole Miss (+1400)
Entering his third year as a full-time starter at Ole Miss after transferring from USC following his freshman season, Dart has shown he is among the best quarterbacks in the country. As a junior, the 6-foot-2 dual-threat signal-caller completed 233-of-358 passes (65.1%) for 3,364 yards, 23 touchdowns and five interceptions. He also ran for 389 yards and eight touchdowns.
The Buckeyes haven't had a Heisman winner since 2006, when Troy Smith brought the award back to Columbus. Since Archie Griffin won back-to-back trophies in 1974 and 1975, Ohio State has had just two Heisman Trophy winners: Smith and Eddie George (1995).
Ohio State has had at least one Heisman finalist in five of the last six seasons, with Marvin Harrison Jr. earning a trip to New York in 2023. C.J. Stroud (2021 and 2022), Justin Fields (2019), Chase Young (2019) and Dwayne Haskins (2018) are the other Buckeyes who were finalists over the last six years.
