Since 2000, there have been just four non-quarterbacks to win College Football’s most prestigious individual award, the Heisman Trophy. Mark Ingram became the first Alabama player ever to win the award in 2009. Derrick Henry followed suit six years later from the same position. DeVonta Smith repped the Tide in 2020, becoming the first wide receiver honored since 1991.
The point being, when considering your college football picks for a particular season, especially a futures bet on the Heisman winner, it’s often wise to start with the quarterbacks since they’ve won the hardware 18 times since the turn of the century.
It’s become increasingly apparent that quarterback is not only the most important position in football but in all sports. The NFL's emphasis on the position has obviously trickled down to the college level, and so on and so forth. So that’s why, as we look at the potential stars of the future on the college gridiron, it starts at stops under center.
If we went beyond the current rosters in college football, Arch Manning would be at the top of the list considering the publicity he’s received during his recruiting process.
The nephew of Peyton and Eli ultimately committed to the University of Texas, ending months and months of hype, where he’ll play for Steve Sarkisian in Austin.
It won’t be easy for Arch, though, as Quinn Ewers (a highly-touted high school player in his own right) transferred from Ohio State and Maalik Murphy signed out of California with lofty expectations. All three of those names could have landed in this piece at one point or another.
So for the purposes of this article, we’re going to highlight the players that are currently enrolled in a college or university on a team with the chance to be the face of the sport one, two, or three years from now. And players that will likely influence your wagers when making college football picks against the spread
Drew Allar - Penn State
Allar will not be the starting quarterback in Happy Valley to start the 2002 campaign. That distinction will clearly go to Sean Clifford. But Clifford will have to fend off the freshman, even after the season has started, to stay in the top spot.
Allar was named Mr. Football in Ohio and ranked as the fourth best quarterback in the country, entering the next level. He should no doubt see mop-up duty at the very least, but this is one name to circle when considering your college football predictions for individual players over the next few years.
Holden Geriner - Auburn
Again, it’s not likely that Geriner will be under center for the Tigers’ first snap of the season, but it will be only a matter of time until this true freshman steps in on a full-time basis. The Georgia native threw for 70 touchdowns during his high school career and may have an earlier opportunity than Allar.
Bo Nix’s departure left a huge void in the quarterback room at Auburn. Nix went to Oregon, opening up a huge competition that Geriner was able to step into right out of the gates. Either TJ Finley or Zach Calzada will likely win out and get the majority of the snaps in ‘22, but Geriner is the long-term solution in a loaded conference.
Walker Howard - LSU
Joe Burrow led these Tigers to a National Championship and took home the first Heisman in LSU history since 1959, ultimately leading to his name being called first in the 2020 NFL Draft.
Things seemed great in Baton Rouge... Until they weren’t. Ed Orgeron went from a cult hero to unemployed in just under two years, leading to several recruits decommitting and enrolling elsewhere to play football.
Howard was not one of those, as new head coach Brian Kelly made it a priority to keep the former Louisiana Gatorade Player of the Year.
Howard likely starts 2022 third on the depth chart with Myles Brennan set to kick off this new era, but Howard has the potential not only to be the face in the Bayou but across the entire nation.
