It's Time to Add Jawhar Jordan to the Heisman Trophy Conversation

The Louisville running back has established himself as not only one of the best at his position, but one of the most explosive and dynamic players in all of college football

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - As we approach the midway point of the 2023 college football season, the race for the Heisman Trophy is starting to take shape.

Reigning winner USC quarterback Caleb Williams is certainly putting himself in a good position to repeat. Other quarterbacks such as Washington's Michael Pennix Jr., Oklahoma's Dillon Gabriel and Oregon's Bo Nix are starting to make their case as well. Non-quarterback options such as Georgia tight end Brock Bowers and Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden have also impressed up to this point.

But with six weeks of college football under our belts, there's another player out there that deserves to have his name in the discussion for the Heisman Trophy: Louisville running back Jawhar Jordan.

"He is a fantastic player," head coach Jeff Brohm said of Jordan following the Cardinals' win over Notre dame. "Once again unselfish, we have other running backs too and he doesn't care who is in there, he just wants to win. But he was fantastic today as well.”

Heading into the season, many assumed that given Brohm's M.O. as a coach, Louisville's offense would be dictated by a prolific passing attack. Through six weeks, the Cardinals are averaging 36.3 points and 467.3 yards per game, both of which are No. 20 in the FBS, but this has been largely due to their efforts on the ground, and specifically due to Jordan.

In six games, the 5-foot-10, 185-pound all-purpose back has collected 653 rushing yards on 87 attempts, as well as eight rushing touchdowns. The rushing yardage mark is good for fifth in the Power Five and ninth nationally, while he is tied for fourth nationally and is second in the Power Five in rushing touchdowns.

Additionally, his astounding 7.51 yards per carry is ninth nationally and sixth in the Power Five among players with at least 50 rushing attempts.

While there are a handful of players ahead of him in the rushing yards and rushing touchdown leaderboards, there is an important distinction here. When you combine both, the only player in the Power Five with as many touchdowns and yards as Jordan is Kentucky running back Re'Mahn "Ray" Davis, and both have the same yardage and touchdown total. The only players in the FBS with both more yards and touchdowns (or at least matching his rushing TD total) are Texas State's Ismail Mahdi and Boise State's Ashton Jeanty.

As deadly as he is on the ground, he has proven to be a factor in the receiving game as well, hauling in nine receptions for 168 yards and a touchdown. With 821 yards from scrimmage so far this season, he is currently sixth nationally in this category, and third in the Power Five behind Texas running back Jonathan Brooks (847) and Davis (835). His nine touchdowns from scrimmage is also tied for fourth nationally, trailing only Jeanty (12), Davis (12) and Michigan's Blake Corum (10).

He's also proven to be a threat anytime he touches the ball. He leads all of the FBS in scrimmages plays of 70+ yards (3), is the co-leader at 60+ yards (3), is tied for third-most at 40+ yards (5) and 30+ yards (5), and is tied for seventh-most at 20+ yards (11).

While Jordan hasn't had as many kickoff return responsibilities this season, he has returned a pair for 63 yards. With that also in mind, his 884 all-purpose yards comes in at fifth nationally, and trails only Arizona State wide receiver Elijhah Badger's 913 for the most in the Power Five.

Finally, every Heisman Trophy candidate has their prototypical "Heisman Moment." For Lamar Jackson, it was his performance on the national stage against Florida State. Jordan also already has his.

In front of a national television audience, facing one of the best teams in college football, Jordan took advantage of the moment. Against No. 10 Notre Dame, he tallied 143 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 attempts, helping give Louisville a 33-20 victory to move to 6-0. Jordan became only the third running back in the last 10 years to run for 140 yards and two touchdowns against the Fighting Irish, joining Ezekiel Elliott and Leonard Fournette.

"I'm just doing what God gave me the ability to do, and that's just go out there and play football, play fast and physical," Jordan said after the game. "I stand on what I said two weeks ago, I feel like I'm one of the best backs in the nation. We have one of the better running back rooms as well."

While there's still an entire half of college football left to play out where anything can happen, at this point in time, Jordan deserves a seat at the table when having a discussion regarding Heisman Trophy candidates.

(Photo of Jawhar Jordan: Jamie Rhodes - USA TODAY Sports)

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