Heisman straw poll: Ashton Jeanty sprints to the lead, Dillon Gabriel appears

Travis Hunter got injured, left early and watched his team lose a good one. That’s no reason for anyone who thought the Colorado cornerback/receiver was the best player in college football coming into Saturday to feel differently when he comes out Saturday.

But the Heisman Trophy can’t just be about him. It’s about doing, and no one does more to get voters to notice on a weekly basis than Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty. So as the pool of candidates expands The Athletics‘s Heisman straw poll — up to a season high of nine this week — Jeanty also boasts the most points earned by any candidate.

After rushing for 217 yards and a touchdown, plus catching a touchdown, Jeanty received 20 first-place votes and 74 points in Boise State’s 28-7 win over Hawaii. That’s up from 10 first-place votes and 58 points a week ago. Hunter came in second with six first-place votes and 52 points, after leading the poll last week with 15 first-place votes and 67 points.

The Athletics follows the same voting protocol as the Heisman: three points for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote, one point for a third-place vote.

Miami quarterback Cam Ward remained in third place with 21 points, once again taking sole possession of the top spot after a down week for the Hurricanes. The new name this week is Dillon Gabriel, the Oregon quarterback who came up huge in a top-five battle that lived up to expectations: 341 yards passing and two touchdowns, plus a 27-yard touchdown run, to put Ohio State with 32 meters to beat. 31.

He has been spectacular for what is now the No. 2 team in the country, and he has games against Illinois, Michigan, Wisconsin and Washington coming up that could strengthen his case. This case could be made in a potential Big Ten Championship Game rematch with Ohio State, if Gabriel can maintain a high level of play to that point and secure a second win against the Buckeyes.

Ward doesn’t have as many opportunities in the regular season, but has been the more dynamic player, and a potential ACC title game matchup with Clemson could be a big moment for him.

These two are joined by three other quarterbacks in the straw poll: Vanderbilt’s Diego Pavia, who followed up a shocking upset by No. 1 Alabama by controlling the game in another win at Kentucky; Alabama’s Jalen Milroe, who could give himself a blow this week in Tennessee; and Indiana’s Kurtis Rourke, whose 6-0 Hoosiers have a huge chance at home against Nebraska.

Ohio State freshman receiver Jeremiah Smith was voted in after another stellar performance, nine catches for 100 yards and a touchdown in the dramatic loss at Oregon. He had a late catch that could have led to a game-winning field goal being wiped out due to offensive pass interference, but a freshman doing that against a defensive back will still end up on a highlight reel.

Iowa running back Kaleb Johnson is a vote-getter for the first time after rushing 21 times for 166 yards and two touchdowns in a 40-16 loss at Washington. Johnson ranks second nationally with 937 rushing yards and 156.2 rushing yards per game. Jeanty leads both categories, with 1,248 yards and 208.0 per game. He also leads the nation with 17 rushing touchdowns and is averaging 9.9 yards per carry.

If The Athletics‘s Stewart Mandel pointed out that Jeanty is on his way to 2,704 yards if Boise State can reach the Mountain West title game. That would beat Barry Sanders’ FBS record of 2,628 yards from 1988. Yes, Sanders did it in just eleven games and against powerhouses like Oklahoma and Nebraska. But Jeanty outgained Oregon for 192 yards and three touchdowns, and anything close to the record will make him tough to beat. Unless a quarterback has a dominant position from here, in terms of individual success and team success. Or when Hunter does great things to remind everyone what a great and unique player he is.

(Photo: Marco Garcia / Imagn Images)