ESPN includes 5 SEC players among preseason Heisman Trophy candidates for 2024 (2024)

With approximately 100 days left before the start of the 2024 college football season, ESPN marked the occasion by releasing a series of lists to help preview the upcoming campaign.

As part of the preview piece, ESPN’s Ryan McGee ranked the nation’s top 10 preseason Heisman Trophy candidates for this upcoming campaign. Five players — all quarterbacks — from the SEC made the cut, including a couple at the top of the list.

Georgia’s Carson Beck earned the No. 1 spot in McGee’s ranking, followed by Texas’ Quinn Ewers at No. 3. Beck is widely regarded as one of the top returning passers in the country this season. Here’s McGee’s analysis on Beck’s Heisman candidacy:

The Dawgs are still raw over their lack of a CFP invite and will enter fall with Silicon Valley’s worth of chips on their big ol’ hairy shoulders. It’s the shoulders of Beck that will be asked to dish out that revenge, having made 14 starts one year ago and losing only once. It’s his fifth season in Athens and if he can improve even a little on his numbers — 3,941 yards, 24 TDs, 6 INTs, 72% completion — from a year ago on a CFP team, it’ll be impossible to keep him out of New York in December.

Georgia has not produced a Heisman Trophy winner since running back Herschel Walker took home the prize in 1982.

Alabama’s Jalen Milroe came in at No. 4 on the list with Ole Miss’ Jaxson Dart not far behind at No. 6. LSU’s Garrett Nussmeier was the final SEC player to be mentioned in the top 10 — despite only playing as a backup to this point in his career.

Nussmeier made a big impression in LSU’s bowl game victory over Wisconsin. He threw for 395 yards and 3 touchdowns in that win over the Badgers.

If Nussmeier does win the Heisman this season, LSU would become the first school to produce back-to-back Heisman winners since Alabama did so in 2020 and 2021 with Devonta Smith and Bryce Young. Oklahoma (2017-18) and USC (2004-05) are the only other programs to accomplish that feat since 1974-75 when Ohio State’s Archie Griffin won back-to-back Heismans. He would also become LSU’s third Heisman winner of the past 6 seasons, joining Jayden Daniels (2023) and Joe Burrow (2019)

The 2024 college football season will officially begin in 100 days as Florida State takes on Georgia Tech in Ireland as part of Week 0.

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