Quarterbacks appear to be calling the signals for the Heisman Trophy.
Three of the four finalists for Saturday’s ceremony, which honors college football’s outstanding player, are quarterbacks -- LSU’s Jayden Daniels, Oregon’s Bo Nix and Washington’s Michael Penix Jr., ESPN reported. The other finalist is Ohio State wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr.
Finalists were named on Monday. The winner will be announced during a live ESPN telecast on Saturday from Jazz at Lincoln Center in New York City. The telecast begins at 8 p.m. EST.
The 2023 Heisman Finalists: pic.twitter.com/xA6XLUqaEp
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) December 4, 2023
According to its website, the Heisman Trophy is “annually awarded to the most outstanding college football player in the United States, whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.”
This century, 19 of the 22 Heismans awarded have gone to quarterbacks, USA Today reported. Southern California quarterback Caleb Williams won last year’s award.
Daniels is looking to become the third player from LSU to win the coveted statue, joining quarterback Joe Burrow in 2019 and running back Billy Cannon in 1959.
Daniels finished with 4,946 total yards and accounted for 50 touchdowns in 2023. That includes 3,812 passing yards and 40 touchdowns through the air; he also ran for 1,134 yards and 10 TDs, according to ESPN.
In the final year of the Pac-12, Penix has led Washington to a 13-0 record and a semifinal berth in the College Football Playoff.
According to the NCAA, Penix is looking to become the first Heisman winner in Washington’s history. If he finishes third, he will become the first Huskies player to achieve the feat
Penix Jr. has passed for 4,218 yards and 33 touchdowns this season.
Nix is hoping to follow in the footsteps of 2014 winner Marcus Mariota and become Oregon’s second Heisman Trophy winner.
Nix threw for 4,145 yards and 40 touchdowns in 2023.
Nix and Penix give the Pac-12 two finalists for the first time since 2010, when Stanford quarterback Andrew Luck and Oregon running back LaMichael James finished second and third, respectively, to Auburn quarterback Cam Newton, ESPN reported.
Harrison could become the eighth Heisman Trophy winner in the history of Ohio State football. According to the NCAA, he is the fifth Buckeye to become a finalist since 2018, joining defensive end Chase Young (2019), who finished fourth; and quarterbacks Dwayne Haskins (2018), Justin Fields (2019) and C.J. Stroud (2022), who all finished third in voting.
Harrison Jr. finished with 1,211 receiving yards and caught 14 touchdowns during the 2023 season.
