6 Longshots With A Realistic Chance To Win the Heisman Trophy
You probably know the frontline favorites to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy at this point: Sam Howell of North Carolina, Spencer Rattler of Oklahoma, D’Eriq King of Miami, D.J. Uiagalelei of Clemson, Bryce Young of Alabama, Chris Olave of Ohio State, J.T. Daniels of Georgia, and a few other players who could be mentioned in the same breath. However, there are other candidates who are lower on the odds list who could still make noise and build a legitimate candidacy. They aren’t likely to win, but if everything breaks right for them, they could get an invitation to New York as a Heisman finalist and pull off a surprise when the voting is fully tabulated. Here are six longshots with a realistic chance of winning the 2021 Heisman Trophy with the odds coming from MyBookie. And you can see a full MyBookie review by following the link.
Matt Corral, Ole Miss
Odds To Win Heisman: +2000
These various “outsider” candidates all need things to break right for them, as said above. What would that look like for each of them? Let’s go through the checklist of items for Corral, the Ole Miss quarterback who is returning for another season under Lane Kiffin. First, his team needs to win at least 10 games. Ole Miss would have to become a huge surprise in the SEC West, because that is the only way an Ole Miss player will receive considerable national recognition. Ole Miss going 9-3 wouldn’t create nearly enough of a national splash to get the media coverage needed to convince voters to vote for him.
Also on the checklist, and in a related development, Ole Miss would need to finish second in the SEC West behind only Alabama. Finishing third behind LSU or Texas A&M wouldn’t garner enough notice, and it wouldn’t convince a significant segment of voters that Corral was an especially elite player.
What also has to break right is that individual candidates – J.T. Daniels at Georgia, Bryce Young at Alabama – falter. Is this out of the question? Not at all. However, it is certainly true that for these longshot candidates, many different things have to happen within the same season. You can see the many dominoes that have to fall for Corral to rise to the top tier of the Heisman race and gain a real chance to come away with the trophy.
Brock Purdy, Iowa State
Odds To Win Heisman: +3000
The quarterback of the Iowa State Cyclones very nearly led a comeback against the Oklahoma Sooners in last season’s Big 12 Championship Game. Iowa State was denied in the final minutes of regulation. In order for Purdy to have a realistic chance at winning the award, Iowa State will need to beat Oklahoma for the Big 12 title in 2021. That could lift Purdy above Spencer Rattler in the Heisman race. If Iowa State wins the Big 12 and loses only one game next season, national voters will be able to think about Purdy as a serious contender for the award. If Iowa State loses two or three games, even a Big 12 title probably won’t be good enough. Other candidates from schools such as Ohio State, Clemson, or Alabama might have too strong an argument… but that brings up another point: Those Ohio State, Clemson or Alabama players will need to stumble to enable Purdy to get inside the door.
Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati
Odds To Win Heisman: +3000
The Cincinnati Bearcats made a New Year’s Six bowl last season, gaining a Peach Bowl bid. The Bearcats were the Group of Five champion, and were nationally ranked throughout the season. Ridder will need to bring Cincinnati another Group of Five championship (which includes an AAC championship) and put up bigger numbers than he did a year ago. Cincinnati sometimes flourished on offense in 2020, but the team’s defense was its strongest suit. In order for Ridder to make a serious Heisman run, he can’t have off days. That might seem harsh, but it’s true. Playing for a Group of Five program, Ridder doesn’t have the same margin for error that a quarterback for Alabama (Bryce Young) or Clemson (Uiagalelei) has. Ridder has to be sensational, Cincinnati needs to be undefeated, and the top contenders (this applies to every longshot) have to stumble at some point. If Cincinnati loses even one game – just one – Ridder will not win the award.
Kedon Slovis, USC
Odds To Win Heisman: +3000
Kedon Slovis has a simple advantage: He plays for USC. Quarterbacks at a number of schools do not receive a lot of Heisman attention even when they are putting up great numbers. USC, though, is the exception. The Trojans do well in Heisman votes when one of their players makes a serious run at the stiff-arm trophy. Matt Leinart won the Heisman in 2004. Carson Palmer won it in 2002. The problem with USC is not its reputation, but its recent performance. The Trojans have won one conference championship in the past 13 years. That has to change. If Kedon Slovis has a brilliant statistical year and leads USC to the Pac-12 Championship, he will be right in the middle of the mix for the Heisman.
Emory Jones, Florida
Odds To Win Heisman: +4000
The rise of Kyle Trask from backup to Heisman finalist at the University of Florida was an amazing transformation from obscurity to excellence. The Florida Gators hope that Emory Jones can produce a similar journey. Jones is, right now, a running quarterback, but if head coach Dan Mullen can turn him into a good passer, he could change the narrative around his career sooner than many people think. If Florida wins the SEC championship, Jones would gain instant credibility as a top-of-the-line Heisman contender.
Sean Clifford, Penn State
Odds To Win Heisman: +5000
Sean Clifford had a brutal 2020 for Penn State, but if he bounces back and leads the Nittany Lions to an 11-win season, reviving the program in the process, he will get a lot of Heisman attention. Penn State was revived by coach James Fraiklin a few years ago. Saquon Barkley and Trace McSorley got Heisman attention for what they did in State College. Clifford could get the same attention if he leads Penn State back to the center of the conversation in the Big Ten Conference.
- Payton O'Brien, Gambling911.com
