College football 2024: Top 5 favorites for Heisman Trophy

Quarterbacks have dominated the award recently, winning 20 of the last 24 Heisman's since the turn of the century.

Gabriel's recent emergence as a Heisman Trophy contender has taken many by surprise. The Bo Nix successor has been one of the top quarterbacks in college football over the past few seasons. Now in his sixth year as a senior, he's starting for an Oregon team that is among the leading contenders for the national championship in 2024, making his rise to Heisman favorite logical.

Gabriel made the move to Eugene after an impressive season at Oklahoma, where he threw for 3,660 yards, 30 touchdowns, and six interceptions, while also rushing for 12 touchdowns. He guided the Sooners to a 9-3 record.

Another interesting fact is that he was recently ranked as the fourth-highest-rated quarterback in the much-anticipated "College Football 25" video game, so that definitely counts for something.

The Alabama Crimson Tide hasn't been the focus of much conversation this season, largely due to the retirement of Nick Saban after 17 years at the helm, during which he guided the Tide to six national championships.

However, Alabama is bringing back a wealth of talent on both offense and defense. On the offensive side in particular, the team is loaded with skill, led by starting quarterback Jalen Milroe, who is poised to win the Heisman Trophy in 2024.

Milroe finished sixth in the Heisman Trophy voting last season despite early season struggles. In his first year starting for the Tide in 2023, the 21-year-old threw for 2,834 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions. He would rush for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns.

In the first seven games of the 2023 season, the dual-threat Milroe didn't come close to rushing for 100 yards in any game. However, he made a significant impact in the latter part of the season, surpassing 100 rushing yards twice against SEC rivals LSU and Auburn.

There has been much hype about Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders entering next season.

Shedeur was a warrior last season. He put together an incredible junior season at Colorado, throwing for 3,230 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only three interceptions on a 69.3% competition percentage that ended with him missing the finale in Utah with a fractured back. However, Sanders failed to lead the Buffaloes to much team success, as Colorado finished the season 4-8.

Still, many feel things could be different in 2024 and emerge as a QB who could easily win the Heisman and claim the number one spot in the 2025 NFL draft.

Colorado joins the Big 12 conference in 2024 with a bigger stage for the Buffs QB to stand on. Coach Prime has assembled a dominant offensive line, which means Shedeur will be unstoppable with versatile cornerback-cum-wide receiver Travis Hunter bursting down the flank.

Texas faces an early challenge at Michigan and will square off against Oklahoma and Georgia in back-to-back weeks in mid-October. In other words, we’ll quickly get a sense of where Quinn Ewers stands in the Heisman race.

Last season, he threw for 3,479 yards and 22 touchdowns with just six interceptions, leading Texas to a Big 12 championship. Now, he'll be steering the Longhorns as they make their debut in the SEC.

Ewers returns to Austin this fall without his top receivers—Xavier Worthy, Adonai Mitchell, and Ja'Tavion Sanders—who all departed for the NFL. However, Texas was active in the transfer portal, bringing in Isaiah Bond (Alabama), Matthew Golden (Houston), and Silas Bolden (Oregon State) to fill the void.

Ewers improved his passing in every category and became a bigger threat in the running game last season. He is considered one of the top quarterback prospects this fall, alongside Beck. The two will go head-to-head on October 19 in what will be Texas' biggest game of the season. Strong showings against Georgia and Michigan will be crucial for boosting his Heisman candidacy.

Kirby Smart and Georgia are renowned for their defense, which might explain why the young, relatively unnoticed Beck flew under the radar in 2023.

Last season, Beck threw for 3,941 yards at 9.5 yards per attempt, with 24 touchdowns and six interceptions. He led the Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season before they fell in the SEC Championship Game. With a tougher schedule ahead in 2024, Beck is likely to gain significant attention if Georgia excels again.

His Total QBR of 85.2 ranked seventh among all college quarterbacks in 2023, and three of the six players ahead of him have already been drafted.

The biggest hurdle Beck faces in the Heisman race is perception. Ask a casual college football fan to name an offensive player from Georgia's 2023 squad, and the most common answer is likely to be tight end Brock Bowers.

This poses a challenge for any quarterback with Heisman ambitions. But if you perform at a high level consistently, eventually, the right people take notice.