2021 Heisman Preview and Prediction: Young, Hutchinson, Stroud, and Pickett

Previewing the four Heisman Trophy finalists before the final selection is made in New York, N.Y.

Marc Miceli | Dec 10, 2021

In 1935, the University of Chicago running back Jay Berwanger received the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy 1935. One year later, the trophy was renamed the Heisman Trophy to honor John Heisman, who played football and coached football, basketball, and baseball at the college level.

The Heisman Trophy has been awarded mostly to offensive players with one exception being when cornerback Charles Woodson won the award back in 1997. This year features four finalists including three quarterbacks and one defensive end in Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Kenny Pickett, and Aidan Hutchinson.

All four finalists each have a unique case as to why they deserve to win the Heisman Trophy, so here is a look into each finalist and a prediction as to who may win the Heisman on Saturday.

Alabama Quarterback Bryce Young

Coming into this season, sophomore Bryce Young was the starting quarterback for Coach Saban’s offense. Alabama’s offense saw some turnover as some of their starters left to declare for the NFL Draft. Miami Dolphins wide receiver Jaylen Waddle, Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver, last year’s Heisman Trophy winner Devonta Smith, and New England Patriots starting quarterback Mac Jones were key contributors to their success.

Despite these changes, the Crimson Tide added junior wide receiver from Ohio State Jameson Williams and had John Metchie III who has been with the Crimson Tide since he was a freshman.

To open up their season, Young and the No. 1 Crimson Tide took on the No. 14 ranked Miami Hurricanes. During that game, Young completed 27 of 38 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns. On the opening drive, Young led a seven-play, 75-yard drive which ended with a 37-yard touchdown completion to John Metchie III. The Tide would win that game 44-13 as they won their next four games, where they would then travel to Kyle Field to take on the Texas A&M Aggies.

Young and the Crimson Tide suffered their first and only loss of the season by a score of 41-38. Bryce Young still threw for 369 yards, three touchdowns, and also an interception. This was a huge loss for them as Texas A&M was not ranked in the Top 25 at the time. After that, the Tide did not lose another game and went on to win the SEC Championship against No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs.

Against the number one scoring defense, Young threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns as the Crimson Tide won by a score of 41-24, and it gave him momentum to win this prestigious award.

Woke up in a city that doesn’t sleep… 🎶@_bryce_young @HeismanTrophy #BamaFactor #RollTide pic.twitter.com/oaEFVYOCsa
— Alabama Football (@AlabamaFTBL) December 10, 2021

All season, Bryce Young has shown his ability to play quarterback at a high level and that should continue, despite the loss of John Metchie III who tore his ACL during the SEC Championship against Georgia.

Young’s ability to throw the ball over the middle and allowing his receivers like Jameson Williams and John Metchie III to make big plays after the catch are large reasons why Alabama has been successful offensively.

Jameson Williams was a key contributor to Alabama’s offense as he had 68 receptions, 1,445 yards, and 15 touchdowns and averaged 21.3 yards per reception. Although Metchie III’s season was cut short due to injury, he still managed to finish with 96 receptions, 1,142 yards, and 8 touchdowns, averaging almost 12 yards a reception.

Bryce Young finished his sophomore season with 4,322 passing yards, 43 passing touchdowns, and only 4 interceptions. Young won the Davey O’Brien Award for being the best quarterback in the country. In addition, he also won the 2021 Maxwell Award, an award given to the best all-around player in the country. The next time we will see Young and the Crimson Tide suit up it will be against the #4 Cincinnati Bearcats in the Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic.

Ohio State Quarterback C.J. Stroud

The quarterback for the Buckeyes last season was Justin Fields, who was taken by the Chicago Bears in the NFL Draft. This meant that the Buckeyes were now looking for their next quarterback. Redshirt freshman C.J. Stroud was named the starter before the season and the Buckeyes have not looked back.

Like Bryce Young, Stroud has some talented wide receivers at his disposal in Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, and Chris Olave. Stroud would lead the Buckeyes to a 10-2 record losing to the Oregon Ducks and losing to the Michigan Wolverines in the Big 10 Championship game. Despite not making the College Football playoff, Stroud and the Buckeyes had the No. 1 scoring offense which gained 551.4 yards per game, while completing 70.4% of his passes.

Heisman Trophy 🏆 Finalists Bryce Young, CJ Stroud, and Aidan Hutchinson pic.twitter.com/vxaHk1HKbE
— The Buckeye Nut (@TheBuckeyeNut) December 10, 2021

Perhaps Stroud’s most impressive game was against the Michigan State Spartans as Stroud completed 32 of 35 passes for 432 yards and six touchdowns. An important statistic to note is that all 6 of his touchdowns were in the first half and the Buckeyes routed the Spartans 56-7.

This was one of the best single-game performances this year and he finished this season with 3,862 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, and five interceptions. Stroud also earned the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and Freshman of the Year awards.

Stroud and the Buckeyes will close out its season in the The Rose Bowl Game presented by Capital One Venture Xl against the 10th ranked Utah Utes.

Stroud could join Johnny Manziel and Jameis Winston as the only three redshirt freshmen to win the Heisman Trophy.

Pitt Quarterback Kenny Pickett

This past season the Pittsburgh Panthers were led by senior quarterback Kenny Pickett, who has been with the Panthers since he was a freshman. Back when he was a true freshman in 2017, Pickett started his first game against the 2nd ranked Miami Hurricanes at the time. Against the Hurricanes, Pickett completed 18 of 29 passes, threw for 193 yards, and one touchdown. In addition to that, he also rushed 13 times for 60 yards and two rushing touchdowns.

The Panthers beat the #2 Hurricanes by a score of 24-14. Fast-forward to 2021, Pickett and the Panthers are ACC Champions for the first time. The emergence of sophomore wide receiver Jordan Addison was a factor as he became Pickett’s number one target.

Addison finished this season third in receiving yards with 1,479 and 15 touchdowns (which was the most in college football). Yesterday, it was announced that Addison won the Fred Biletnikoff Award, which is given to the most outstanding wide receiver in college football. Circling back to Pickett, in the Panthers’ second game of the season they took on the Josh Heupel-led Tennessee Volunteers and won 41-34.

Against the Volunteers, Pickett completed 24 of 36 passes for 285 yards, three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). The Panthers went on to win 7 games against ACC opponents and only lost one game to an ACC opponent, which was the Miami Hurricanes by a score of 38 to 34. However, Pickett completed 39 of 55 passes and threw for a career-high 519 yards, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

In the ACC Championship game against #16 ranked Wake Forest, he threw for 233 yards and two touchdowns. Per Pat Forde, Pickett also added a 58-yard touchdown run where he faked a slide to score a touchdown. The fake slide was then banned by the NCAA Football Rules Committee.

Pickett finished the season throwing with 4,319 yards, 42 passing touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The Panthers and Kenny Pickett will close out his season against the #11 ranked Michigan State Spartans in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, and he will also attend the Senior Bowl.

The NCAA Football Rules Committee has banned the "fake slide" move that led to a 58-yard TD during the ACC Championship, sources confirmed to SI's @ByPatForde

It was fun while it lasted, @kennypickett10 😬 pic.twitter.com/1EPQ7LgNcI
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) December 10, 2021

Tony Dorsett is the only other Pittsburgh player to win the Heisman Trophy.

Michigan Defensive End Aidan Hutchinson

Before the season, senior defensive end Aidan Hutchinson was rehabbing a fractured ankle he suffered last season against the Indiana Hoosiers. Instead of going to the NFL last year, Hutchinson came back to Michigan for “one last ride."

That decision to come back is paying off as he finished with 14 sacks this season, which is second most to Alabama sophomore linebacker Will Anderson Jr. who has 15.5 sacks.

Hutchinson's play on the field allowed him to be nominated for the Heisman and even helped boost his NFL draft stock as he is now projected to be a top pick in April’s draft. On November 13, the Wolverines traveled to Beaver Stadium to take on the Penn State Nittany Lions led by head coach James Franklin and quarterback Sean Clifford.

The Wolverines won this matchup 21-17, and Hutchinson had three sacks, two of which came on Penn States’ first offensive possession. That led to the rivalry game.

In the biggest game on the Wolverines’ schedule before the playoffs, they played #2 ranked Ohio State. Hutchinson sacked C.J. Stroud three times as the Buckeyes struggled to contain him. Michigan defeated Ohio State 42-27 to win the Big 10 Championship.

Hutchinson finished his senior season with 58 total tackles, 14 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. The next time Hutchinson and the Wolverines will suit up will be against the Georgia Bulldogs in the Capital One Orange Bowl.

Hutchinson is a major underdog to join Charles Woodson (former Wolverine himself) as the only two defensive players to win the Heisman Trophy.

Prediction: Bryce Young, Quarterback, University of Alabama