Early 2019 Heisman Trophy Favorites

Kyler Murray made it two straight Oklahoma Sooners quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy. He’s headed to either the Athletics or the NFL after the season, so there’ll be another new Heisman winner crowned next season. A lot can change, but these are the early 2019 Heisman favorites. [NOTE: 2018 season stats are before bowl games.]

 

1. Tua Tagovailoa | Alabama QB

If not for getting injured during the SEC Championship Game in which Jalen Hurts came in and led the Crimson Tide to victory over Georgia, Tua Tagovailoa might already have Heisman Trophy. The sophomore quarterback had the second-most voting points for a Heisman runner-up in history, and he’ll be the heavy favorite in his second full season as the starter for Alabama next year.

 

2018 season stats:

67.7% | 3,353 YDS | 37 TD | 4 INT

48 ATT | 290 YDS | 5 TD | 4.0 AVG

 

2. Dwayne Haskins | Ohio State QB

As a redshirt sophomore, Dwayne Haskins might make the jump to the NFL after the Rose Bowl, in which case he obviously won’t be in the running for the Heisman in 2019. But if he returns to Ohio State for another season, he’ll obviously be among the Heisman favorites coming off a year where he set Ohio State and Big Ten records and put up over 50 total touchdowns. Also, soon-to-be new Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day might want to set the tone and put up monster numbers in his first year running the program.

 

2018 season stats:

70.2% | 4,580 YDS | 47 TD | 8 INT

73 ATT | 122 YDS | 4 TD | 1.7 AVG

 

3. Jonathan Taylor | Wisconsin RB

Assuming the bowl game against Miami doesn’t go very poorly for himself and Wisconsin, Jonathan Taylor should eclipse 2,000 rushing yards rushing on the season, and he could get up over the 2,100- or 2,200-yard mark if he has one of his huge games. The Badgers must bounce back as a team in 2019, but Taylor will make a strong push for well over 2,000 yards no matter how good the team is next season.

 

2018 season stats:

280 ATT | 1,989 YDS | 15 TD | 7.1 AVG

8 REC | 60 YDS | 7.5 AVG

 

4. Jake Fromm | Georgia QB

Next season, Jake Fromm will be entering his third year as the starter and an experienced and accomplished player with two SEC title game appearances and one conference title. If the offense is opened up and allows Fromm to sling it around like he did against Alabama in the tough conference championship loss, he could push for 35-40+ passing touchdowns for one of the better teams in the nation. Teammate D’Andre Swift should also be in the mix as a potential candidate.

 

2018 season stats:

68.4% | 2,537 YDS | 27 TD | 5 INT

 

5. Trevor Lawrence | Clemson QB

Trevor Lawrence will enter 2019 as the unquestioned starter not needing to split time or practice reps like he did with Kelly Bryant entering this season. The six-foot-six phenom has plenty of talent, and he has plenty of weapons around him to make gamebreaking plays. As is the case with Fromm, his top running back (Travis Etienne) will also be strongly in the mix for the prestigious honor. It helps that Lawrence plays for a Clemson team that’ll probably be near the top of the rankings all next year.

 

2018 season stats:

64.8% | 2,606 YDS | 24 TD | 4 INT

47 ATT | 151 YDS | 1 TD | 3.2 AVG