Making the Case for All Four of the 2022 Heisman Candidates
This week, the 2022 Heisman candidates were announced, and boy is there a lot to talk about here. The candidates are as follows:
- Caleb Williams, QB, USC
- Max Duggan, QB, TCU
- C.J. Stroud, QB, Ohio State
- Stetson Bennett, QB, Georgia
One of these guys just doesn’t belong here. Honestly, two of these players don’t. In no way does Stroud or Bennett deserve to be going to New York City for the Heisman ceremony. Those two spots could be taken by a number of guys: Blake Corum, Hendon Hooker, Bryce Young, Drake Maye and Marvin Harrison Jr., to name a few.
But alas, this is not an article arguing who should be in and who shouldn’t be, someone else already did that. We are here today to make the case as to why each player deserves to take home the stiff-arm trophy. I will do my best to be impartial and without bias (as I am a USC fan).
Caleb Williams
- 66.1% completion percentage
- 4,075 yards
- 37 touchdowns to four interceptions
- 372 yards rushing for 10 touchdowns
The consensus favorite out of the 2022 Heisman candidates is the quarterback from USC, Caleb Williams.
The Oklahoma transfer followed Lincoln Riley to USC this offseason and they did not disappoint in their first year. USC finished with an 11-1 record in the regular season, clinching a berth in the Pac-12 championship game, before falling to Utah.
Williams was explosive both in the air and on the ground. Williams has the ability to escape the pocket and make a play out of nothing. He came into the year with the most hype and expectations out of the four guys here and you could argue he delivered the most as well. USC had the fifth-best offense in the country with Williams, averaging 499 yards a game.
Max Duggan
- 64.9% completion percentage
- 3,321 yards
- 30 touchdowns to four interceptions
- 404 yards rushing and six touchdowns
There might not be a player that means more to their program than Max Duggan means to TCU. Duggan took the TCU Horned Frogs from a pre-season unranked team (not even a single vote for the Top 25) all the way to a College Football Playoff berth. Duggan showed in the Big 12 championship game against Kansas State that he was willing to let it all hang out and leave everything on the field.
Duggan has a beautiful deep ball, especially to his favorite target Quentin Johnston. Duggan can get it done through the air and on the ground, similar to Williams mentioned above. If you take Duggan off this team, they aren’t a playoff contender. That is what being a 2022 Heisman candidate is all about.
C.J. Stroud
- 66.2% completion percentage
- 3,340 yards
- 37 touchdowns to six interceptions
Don’t get me wrong. C.J. Stroud deserves *some* flowers. He is tied for first in touchdown passes this year, that has to mean something, right? He did lead the sixth best offense in the country that averaged 492 yards per game. Also, should count for something.
Ohio State went 11-1 on the year, with their loss being a beat down at home by their arch-rival, Michigan. Losing Jaxon Smith-Njigba for most of the year definitely hurt but establishing the connection he did with Marvin Harrison Jr. certainly helped ease that pain. Look for Harrison to be a Heisman candidate in 2023.
Stetson Bennett
- 68.1% completion percentage
- 3,425 yards
- 20 touchdowns to six interceptions
- 184 yards rushing for seven touchdowns
I have a hard time writing about someone as a 2022 Heisman candidate that only had 27 total touchdowns on the year compared to the rest of the field. I digress.
Look, I have to say positive things about Bennett.
I won’t mention that he finished tied for 36th in total touchdowns this year, finishing behind players who play for UTSA, North Texas, James Madison, Florida Atlantic, Georgia Southern, and many others. I won’t mention that he has absolutely zero skills or traits that translate to the next level, leaving him un-draftable. I certainly won’t mention that towards the end of the year he was being outplayed by Spencer Rattler, someone who almost everyone had written off. I wouldn’t dream of mentioning that stuff.
Whoops, I ran out of room for Bennett. What a shame.
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