One player has emerged as the clear Heisman Trophy favorite this college football season, but a new contender is quickly gaining ground and could challenge for the prestigious award.
For several weeks, Ohio State's extraordinary wide receiver Jeremiah Smith has been putting up impressive numbers and breaking records as the Buckeyes continue winning games. His performances coupled with the team's success, have made him the Heisman Trophy favorite, giving him a significant advantage over others.
Among the contenders gaining some serious momentum is Oregon State wide receiver Jesse Legree. On Monday morning, BetMGM showed that Legree surged from +12500 to +1600 in their Heisman Trophy odds.
It's a significant move for the Beavers star, and former Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III also recently listed him among his top five contenders.
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The stats back up the reason for his surging odds. Legree leads the nation with 1,040 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. He's third with an average of 22.6 yards per reception and is tied for 14th with 46 receptions.
He had several noteworthy performances, too. In September's 35-24 loss to ranked opponent Texas Tech, Legree finished with 240 yards and two touchdowns on eight receptions. In a 66-14 blowout of San Diego State, he racked up 191 yards and three touchdowns on 10 receptions.
This past weekend, Oregon State bested Washington State 48-30. Legree, a 5-foot-10 freshman from Baltimore, Maryland, had a 90-yard touchdown reception, the longest of his career.
A video clip showed him hauling in a deep pass from his quarterback, Braden Atkinson, then turning on the jets to accelerate down the field and into the end zone, with two defenders unable to keep up. That impressive play has only added to the attention Legree is getting.
Legree now holds the fifth-best probability of winning the award on Kalshi's prediction market at 4%, following Notre Dame's loss and quarterback CJ Carr's slide in the rankings.
Whether Legree can catch up to Smith for the Heisman Trophy remains to be seen. The Ohio State star is putting up big numbers for a team that is in the College Football Playoff discussion. However, Smith will be without his quarterback, Julian Sayin, for "several weeks," according to ESPN, after he suffered an injury against Indiana.
Could the quarterback situation slightly hinder Smith's chances at continuing to put up noteworthy performances? There's always a possibility of that.
There are still other contenders ahead of Legree, including Miami Hurricanes quarterback Darian Mensah, Hurricanes wide receiver Malachi Toney, and Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss. However, if Legree keeps delivering strong performances, he could climb even higher in the trophy race.
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