2019 Heisman Trophy favorites and odds

The Associated Press’ prestigious NFL MVP honor has been awarded to a quarterback 11 of the past 12 seasons. This positional trend come award season has trickled down to the collegiate level too. Alabama running back Derrick Henry is the only non-quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy (2015) this decade and based on the 2019 preseason Heisman favorites, we should expect the pattern to continue this December.

Odds: Bovada

Odds: +10,000
Position: QB – senior
2018 stats: 2.894 pass yards, 16 TDs and five INTs | 399 rush yards and seven TDs

Burrow missed LSU’s first inner-squad scrimmage due to a minor injury but isn’t expected to be out long ahead of the Tigers’ season opener on Aug. 31. Although he missed the scrimmage, all eyes remain on the new-look Tigers offense, as head coach Ed Orgeron flipped the script and hired former New Orleans Saints offensive assistant Joe Brady to come in and create a run-pass option (RPO) system for Burrows and Co. With Burrows’ mobility and the fact his top four receivers return this season, the Tigers bread-and-butter run-first offense appears determined to (finally) add some flash downfield.

Odds: +4,500
Position:  WR – junior
2018 stats: 68 receptions, 1,315 receiving yards and 14 TDs

In one of its recent 2020 mock NFL Drafts, Pro Football Focus deemed Jeudy a top-five pick. While three of Alabama’s top receivers return, Jeudy led the team with 68 receptions last season, while the next closest returning target finished with 46. There’s little doubt Jeudy’s skills will translate at the next level, but unless he touches the ball 80-plus times this season, it’s hard to imagine him winning the Heisman.

Odds: +4,000
Position: RB – junior
2018 stats: 1,108 rush yards and 10 TDs (in 10 games)

As a freshman, Dillon rushed 300 times for 1,589 yards and 14 touchdowns with one lost fumble. As a sophomore, Dillon rushed 227 times for 1,108 yards and 10 touchdowns with no lost fumbles despite missing two games. With that type of consistency, one should expect more of the same this season, right? Well, aside from concerns about Dillon’s heavy workload through the first two seasons, Boston College’s offensive coordinator, Scot Loeffler, left the Eagles to take Bowling Green’s head coaching gig. Former Tampa Bay quarterbacks coach Mike Bajakian assumes the OC role this season. So in addition to a new quarterback-friendly OC, Dillon’s offensive line returns only one starter from last year. If he stays healthy, this Hesiman Trophy campaign will be an uphill slog.

Odds: +3,000
Position:  RB – junior
2018 stats: 1,658 rush yards and 24 TDs

Etienne’s 8.13 yards per rush ranked seventh nationally last season but was trumped slightly by teammate Lyn-J Dixon’s 8.82 YPR. Granted Dixon finished with only 62 rush attempts compared to Etienne’s 204, but both should eat well this season as Clemson’s offensive line boasts four returning starters. So Entienne’s Heisman chances just come down to staying healthy, fending off Dixon for touches and, oh yeah, Trevor Lawrence turning into a pumpkin. He’s 30-to-1 for a reason.

Odds: +3,000
Position: RB – junior
2018 stats: 2,194 rush yards, 16 TDs and eight INTs

Wisconsin’s running back led the nation in rushing as a sophomore last season when he averaged 169 rush yards per game. If there’s a knock on his Heisman chances heading into the 2019 season, it’s ball security. He lost four fumbles last season and six as a true freshman. When you consider the current stranglehold quarterbacks possess on the Heisman Trophy, Taylor must limit these types of statistical blemishes. He’ll have to accomplish all of this behind an inexperienced line that returns only one starter from last season.

Odds: +2,500
Position: QB – senior
2018 stats: 2,600 pass yards, 22 TDs and seven INTs

Patterson’s second season with the maize and blue will look much different than his first. Michigan hired former Alabama co-offensive coordinator and wide receivers coach Josh Gattis to run the Wolverines offense. His spread schemes conjure up memories of Rich Rodriguez, but a system Patterson seems to prefer. Michigan’s senior trigger will be protected by a veteran offensive line that returns all but one starter from last year’s squad. While Patterson did lose comfort of his top two running backs, his top two receivers, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Nico Collins, return for their junior seasons. As is often the case, Patterson’s shot at a Heisman Trophy are directly linked to a trip to the College Football Playoff, and that trip is typically linked to a win over rival Ohio State come late November.

Odds: +2,500
Position:  RB – junior
2018 stats: 1,049 rush yards and 10 TDs | 297 rec. yards and three TDs

The Bulldogs backfield timeshare looked like this at the end of the season:

D’Andre Swift: 163 rush attempts and 6.4 YPR
Elijah Holyfield: 159 rush attempts and 6.4 YPR

With Holyfield now a member of the Carolina Panthers, Swift’s role will no doubt expand in the run and pass game, as he finished with the third-most receptions on the team last season. In fact, of Georgia’s top four leading receivers of a season ago, Swift is Jake Fromm’s only returning target.

Odds: +2,000
Position: QB – senior
2018 stats: 3,151 pass yards, 29 TDs and eight INTs

On paper and up until recently, Herbert’s offense boasted 11 other returning starters. However, senior receiver and special teams star Brenden Schooler is out until at least early October with a foot injury. The good news is three of his four leading receivers remain healthy ahead of the season opener against Auburn. Many scouts believe Herbert would have trumped Kyler Murray as the overall No. 1 draft pick had he not returned for his senior season. It’s evident that despite his receivers dropping a reported 52 passes in 13 games last season, Herbert’s NFL Draft and Heisman stock remain high.

Odds: +1,500
Position: QB – junior
2018 stats: 3,292 pass yards, 25 TDs and five INTs | 482 rush yards and 16 TDs

Texas scored 435 points last year. Via the pass and the run, Ehlinger accounted for 246 of those points,or 56.5 percent. Now if you think his Heisman Trophy chances improve because his run-pass cumulative eye-candy stats will rise as a junior, think again. The Longhorns starting quarterback missed two games last season due to injuries sustained running the rock. If his team has any aspirations of reaching the College Football Playoff, it needs Ehlinger upright for the entire regular season and, thus, may reduce his workload on the ground. This isn’t to say Ehlinger doesn’t deserve to be a Heisman favorite. It’s to say he may not produce Lamar Jackson stats this season.

Odds: +1,400
Position: QB – junior
2018 stats: 2,761 pass yards, 30 TDs and six INTs

Justin Fields knew who was head and shoulders above the quarterback depth chart. Fromm’s 2018 production and grasp of the offense was enough to force Georgia’s second-string quarterback to transfer to Ohio State. Heisman Trophies are great, but when one’s play on the field forces a fellow competitor to adjust his career arc, it shouldn’t be dismissed. As for 2019, Fromm has some work to do, as he lost three of his top four receivers of a year ago, and lead running back D’Andre Swift is going to want to eat more in this his junior season. In recent interviews, Fromm claims this incoming receiving corps is ready to compete on Saturdays, but it’ll likely take a trip to the College Football Playoff for this quarterback to become one of three Heisman Trophy finalists.

Odds: +1,200
Position: QB – sophomore
2018 Stats: 2,617 pass yards, 17 pass TDs, eight INTs and 629 rush yards with eight rush TDs

What does Martinez have in common with seven of the past nine Heisman Trophy winners? They were known for their ability to make plays with their arm and with their legs . The Cornhuskers experienced some growing pains in Year 1 under first-year head coach Scott Frost, but if Martinez flips the script during his sophomore season and Nebraska goes from 4-8 to 8-4 or better, this quarterback will be headed to New York. While he did lose top receiver Stanley Morgan Jr. (1,004 rec. yards and seven TDs), two of his top three receivers return. Whether he remains in the Heisman conversation will come down to wins and losses AND if he continues to dazzle us with his mobility out of the pocket. At 12-to-1, I’d jump on these odds.

Odds: +1,000
Position:  QB – senior
2017 stats:  2,081 pass yards, 17 TDs and one INT (last full season)

Oklahoma’s string of luck at quarterback is uncanny. First, Baker Mayfield transfers, earns the starting gig and wins a Heisman Trophy. Next, Kyler Murray transfers, earns the starting gig and wins the Heisman Trophy. This year, head coach Lincoln Riley struck gold again when former Alabama starting quarterback Jalen Hurts decided to leave the Tide for greener pastures. He was 26-2 as Alabama’s starter but joins an Oklahoma offense that returns only four starters. The good news is one of those starters is the team’s second-leading receiver, CeeDee Lamb (1,158 and 11 TDs), and another is running back Trey Sermon, who led the team with 164 carries and 13 rushing touchdowns last season. Plus — and you can’t discredit this come Heisman Trophy time — it’ll be a miracle if the Sooners fix their 130 ^th-ranked pass and 114^th total defense in one season. So the pressure will be on Hurts to deliver all four quarters, which will only boost his Heisman stock if and when he leads the Sooners to the win.

Odds: +900
Position: QB – sophomore
2018 stats: 328 pass yards and four TDs on 39 attempts and 266 rush yards and four TDs on 42 attempts

Two years ago Fields was a top-five national football recruit headed to Georgia. Jake Fromm has the Bulldogs starting quarterback gig on lock, which ultimately led to Fields’ transfer to Ohio State. In limited action as a true freshman, Fields lived up to the 5-star recruit hype. He now joins a new-look Buckeyes offense that returns only one starting offensive lineman. So Fields’ mobility may be tested throughout the season. That mobility may unintentionally ding running back J.K. Dobbins’ Heisman hopes as the junior tailback racked up 1,053 yards and 10 touchdowns last season while Dwayne Haskins was slinging the pigskin all over the field. In other words, Dobbins benefited from a pocket passer, where Fields is likely going to be the team’s second-leading rusher.

Odds: +275
Position: QB – sophomore
2018 Stats: 3,280 pass yards, 30 pass TDs and four INTs

This picture from Clemson’s spring game says it all: Hands off the future NFL quarterback . Dabo Swinney may have lost some talent on the defensive side of the ball, but offensively all of Lawrence’s top options return. In addition to four starting senior linemen protecting his butt, the true sophomore quarterback gets three of his top four receivers back, led by fellow sophomore Justyn Ross who racked up 1,000 receiving yards and nine scores last year. Fellow Heisman hopeful, junior running back Travis Etienne, leads a stacked backfield that should open up the passing game. Pending any injuries, Lawrence is all but a lock for a trip to the PlayStation Theater this December.

Odds: +260
Position: QB – junior
2018 stats: 3,996 pass yards, 43 pass TDs (five rush TDs) and six INTs

Alabama’s starting quarterback was one of three 2018 Heisman finalists but finished second to Oklahoma’s Kyler Murray. Although it’s no consolation to losing the hardware and national championship game, with 299 first-place and 431 second-place votes, Tagovailoa became the Heisman runner-up with the most points ever. The 2019 offensive line has some holes to fill, but Tua should pick up right where he left off as his top receiver — and fellow Heisman favorite — Jerry Jeudy (1,315 and 14 TDs) returns along with the second and third leading receiver from a year ago. Behind him, junior running back Najee Harris (783 and four TDs) looks to keep defensive front sevens honest.