Lately it’s seemed as if the Heisman is a quarterback award… so we played along… here’s who leads the pack
Yes, yes, we understand it’s too early to make predictions. But when has that ever stopped us? We’re well into showcase bowl season and as 2022’s NFL Draft entrants bid adieu to their college football careers, we look ahead to next season’s signal callers. 2023’s version is quite the bunch, filled with media drama kings to a Heisman Trophy winner.
Here are our bold predictions for next season, and we didn’t hold back on the spiciness of it all. The ’23 season holds a bag full of questions, here are our best shots at answering them. We wouldn’t bet on us though.
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Caleb Williams Can’t Recreate His Heisman Performance
Don’t get us wrong, Caleb Williams will still be one of the top dogs amongst the college football landscape in 2023. However, his Heisman performance this year was so sublime, it’ll be hard to top that performance. Instead, Williams will regress a tad bit, but still be a top draft pick when he enters the draft.
William’s 2022 season brough USC to life, taking them to a New Years Six bowl game. In 2023, there’s no reason he can’t take them further with a playoff berth baring any crazy losses. Williams leaves the Trojans right before they’re set to enter the Big 10, posting a great season, with 4,000+ yards, but not the 4,537 he put up in 2022. It felt at times he was carrying the team on his back, something that will be hard to imagine in 2023 with the loads of talent the Trojans have with Lincoln Riley’s recruiting MO.
Drake Maye Might Be the Kingpin of College Football
Drake Maye rose the ranks as a dark horse candidate for Heisman this year. His progression during his time at Chapel Hill has been astounding to say the least. His ceiling is untapped, and that’s why he’s our prediction for Heisman this early on. He finished the season on a low note with a loss in the Holiday Bowl to Bo Nix and the Oregon Ducks, yet still managed to impress despite rumors of a potential transfer.
His announcement to stay in North Carolina only will rally the troops around him to put together another great season. Maye’s 66.2% completion rating for 4,321 yards proves that he has a lot left in the tank. A wrench in the plans might be the loss of number one receiver and Maye’s trusted man Josh Downs to the NFL Draft. Even so, UNC has a lot of wide receiver talent– amongst college football’s finest, and will seek to be a force to be reckoned with in the relatively weak ACC.
Ohio State’s Quarterback Woes Get Off to a Rocky Start
The departure of CJ Stroud for the ranks of the big leagues puts Ohio State in serious trouble. With two viable options at left at quarterback, Kyle McCord and freshman Devin Brown, the Buckeyes are in a state of turmoil over who will get to be under center come fall. We can’t imagine a scenario where either one sits atop college football as a consensus all-star, it’d be hard, especially when both quarterbacks lack game reps and situational awareness in relation to full speed.
DIG DEEPER: CJ Stroud’s Declaration For NFL Draft Shakes Up Ohio State’s Future
Neither one stood out as a frontrunner for the gig, although Kyle McCord has seniority. The two will duke it out throughout spring ball and a crucial fall camp for the starting gig. Yet, we can’t see Ohio State being as dominant in previous years in a loaded Big 10, and a even more stacked conference in 2024 with the arrival of USC and UCLA. Either quarterback faces intra-conference friction for the ‘Best QB’ award with their friendly neighbors to the north in JJ McCarthy already shaping up to be the talk of the Big 10.
J.J. McCarthy Runs ‘The Game’
It’s hard to envision a scenario where this doesn’t happen. A team suffering quarterback attrition is no match for JJ McCarthy and the powerhouse Michigan Wolverines. 2023 might’ve gotten off to a terrible start following Michigan’s loss to TCU in the College Football Playoff, yet it should only fuel McCarthy’s revenge tour that much more. Jim Harbaugh’s return to Ann Arbor only solidifies that this team is sticking together.
McCarthy receives wide receiver Cornelius Johnson back, following a state of limbo where the NFL Draft seemed like an option as well as running back Blake Corum, a pass catching threat that will set McCarthy up. The quarterback’s performance in “The Game” versus Ohio State last season was one of a teach tape, 12/24 for 263 yards and 3 touchdowns. If football was art, he would’ve been Van Gogh painting on his easel. McCarthy seemed to improve throughout the season, and he has showed no signs of stopping after eclipsing quarterback Cade McNamara on the roster early in 2022.
Carson Beck Keeps Georgia’s Legacy Alive… Barely
There is no question in the world that Georgia will regress after the loss of Stetson Bennett. The question is, how much. The man in Athens is all but confirmed, Carson Beck will take the reins for the Bulldogs in 2023. The rising junior still has three years of eligibility left and is looking to pick up where Bennett left off– a 65-7 drubbing of TCU in the National Championship Game.
Going to be hard to beat.
Beck is a prolific passer that epitomizes the Georgia Bulldogs in a way that not many others can. He was a Kirby Smart recruiting product, one of a high level. A transfer isn’t in the cards, so the steering wheel is all Beck’s. Beck will take them to the playoffs again, but won’t win it, his experience is shoddy at best in the college football space and doesn’t bring the experience that Bennett possessed to win it all in dominating fashion. Make no mistake, Beck is a dude, but has a lot to grow.
Nebraska Has an Identity Crisis
Nebraska in one phrase? Disappointingly average. And thus is the reputation Casey Thompson has set out to change. Matt Rhule’s arrival in Omaha means a regime change. And with that, means a quarterback battle. A sense of foreboding washes across campus.
Thompson and Jeff Sims from Georgia Tech are set to duke it out in Cornhusker fashion. Sims will get the majority of the reps in the spring due to a Thompson shoulder injury, but Rhule needs to make an impact fast. Changing the culture means Sims has to perform well and start. Jeff Sims’ playing style proves that Rhule has flipped the page on a somber Scott Frost era and is willing to convert the program into a winning one. Sims’ dual threat ability gives the team more flexibility, something not present under Thompson’s seemingly pedestrian performances.
Spencer Rattler Takes South Carolina to New Heights
Coming off sharp criticism and cynical acclaim from his attitude at the University of Oklahoma, another good season at South Carolina might be just what the doctor ordered for Spencer Rattler’s draft stock. Rattler came on strong towards the end of the 2022 season, beating Tennessee and Clemson to close out the regular season. He’s showing signs of growth, both on and off the field, proving that he can take USC to much bigger goals than the Gator Bowl.
Lock in South Carolina as a dark horse candidate for the College Football Playoff thanks to Rattler, or at the very least a New Years Six bowl. Rattler’s performance dictates his position in the 2024 NFL Draft, so he must tread with caution.
