UCLA Running Back Zach Charbonnet's Opening 2022 Heisman Trophy Odds Released

The Wolverine-turned-Bruin could contend for the top award in college football if he decides to return to school rather than going to the NFL Draft.

The 2021 college football season has officially come to a close, and anticipation for the 2022 campaign has already begun.

BetOnline released its first futures odds for the 2022 Heisman Trophy winner on Tuesday, and UCLA football running back Zach Charbonnet opened at +8000. That figure gives Charbonnet the 39th-best odds in the country.

Interestingly enough, Charbonnet has yet to make an official decision on whether or not he will be returning to college for another year. He has until Jan. 17 to declare for the 2022 NFL Draft, and if he doesn't, his odds will likely get better in response.

Charbonnet currently has the best odds among Pac-12 players, although he could drop to third in the conference if transfer quarterbacks Caleb Williams and Jaxson Dart wind up committing to other schools out west. Williams is currently favored to end up at to USC, while Dart has been tied to Ole Miss, West Virginia and other destinations.

Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, the reining Heisman winner, is favored to repeat at +260. Ohio State quarterback and 2021 finalist CJ Stroud has the second-best odds at +400, and he is the only other player with odds better than +1000.

UCF transfer quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who was committed to UCLA for 18 days over the holiday break, is now tied for the fifth-best odds in the nation at +1600 after flipping to Oklahoma.

Of the 21 Heisman Trophies given out this century, 18 have gone to quarterbacks. UCLA quarterback Dorian Thompson-Robinson announced he would be returning to Westwood for his super senior year after leading the Pac-12 in passer rating and total touchdowns in 2021, but he was not given any odds to win the award in 2022.

Charbonnet has the 11th-best odds among running backs, who have won two Heisman Trophies since 2000 – or three if USC running back Reggie Bush's vacated award is included. Texas' Bijan Robinson, Oklahoma's Kennedy Brooks, Auburn's Tank Bigsby and Georgia's Zamir White are the frontrunners at the position.

No running back has won the award since 2015, and no Pac-12 player has won it since 2014. The only Pac-12 players who have been named finalists in the past seven seasons are Stanford running backs Christian McCaffrey and Bryce Love.

After two seasons at Michigan, Charbonnet transferred to UCLA for 2021. In his first campaign as a Bruin, Charbonnet rushed for 1,137 yards and 13 touchdowns on 5.6 yards per carry while also picking up 197 yards on 24 receptions.

Charbonnet had seven touchdowns through four games, then picked up six more in the last four games of the season. The transfer broke the 100-yard threshold seven times, notching a career-high 167 in a 62-33 win over crosstown rival USC.

UCLA has one Heisman Trophy winner in its history – quarterback Gary Beban in 1967 – and it has boasted two finalists – quarterbacks Troy Aikman and Cade McNown in 1988 and 1997, respectively.

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