Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud, Max Duggan & Stetson Bennett Named 2022 Heisman Trophy Finalists

With 2022 Heisman Trophy voting closing on Monday, the finalists for the Stiff Arm Trophy were announced. This year it is four quarterbacks in the running to take home the biggest individual award in college football when it’s announced on Saturday. USC QB Caleb Williams is the big favorite with the sportsbooks to take home the trophy. Georgia QB Stetson Bennett, Ohio State QB CJ Stroud, and TCU QB Max Duggan are the others heading to New York for the ceremony. Unlike Williams, they will all be appearing in this year’s College Football Playoff.

Final four heading to New York

The final four candidates for the Heisman Trophy were announced on Monday and four quarterbacks will be heading to New York for the ceremony. Caleb Williams, CJ Stroud, Max Duggan, and Stetson Bennett led their team to successful seasons from under center.

The fact that voters left the likes of Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker out, did not sit well with some critics. Some think that quarterbacks of the best teams are simply getting in based on team performance and it is devaluing an individual award. But that won’t stop the ceremony and should not take away from the four finalists who have all had good seasons in their own right.

Hendon Hooker should have been invited to New York.

— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) December 5, 2022

How do the finalists’ stats stack up?

When we look at that statistics of the four finalists, it does appear the Caleb Williams is a big favorite for good reason. He has thrown for more yards and rushed for more touchdowns than his fellow finalists. He is also tied with one other for most passing touchdowns and least interceptions.

It could be argued that Williams had to do more because the USC defense kept opponents in games, but his stats are convincingly above the rest of the finalists. He played ridiculous football down the stretch. At one point he accounted for five total touchdowns in four straight games.

While USC won’t be in the College Football Playoff, the other three will. Stetson Bennett’s numbers don’t quite stack up with the others in the running, but he has led his Georgia team to an unbeaten season which sees them ranked number one in college football.

Max Duggan has at times, single-handedly dragged TCU to victories this season, and CJ Stroud has been super efficient but struggled in the biggest game of the year. However, both he and Duggan are definitely worthy of their spot in the final, but will likely ultimately come up just short of winning.

Best player in the country

Despite the outcry from the critics, the best player in college football this year will likely win the Heisman. Williams is the deserving odds on favorites and very likely winner of the 2022 Heisman Trophy.

The Heisman Trophy Award Ceremony can be viewed on ESPN at 8 p.m. Saturday, December 10, 2022.