FOUR QBS ON HEISMAN LIST
Quarterbacks Stetson Bennett of Georgia, Max Duggan of TCU, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Caleb Williams of USC were announced as finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Monday night.
The award given to the outstanding player in college football, determined by a vote of more than 900 sports journalists and past winners, will be presented Saturday at the Lincoln Center in New York.
Bennett has quarterbacked defending national champion Georgia to a second straight spot in the College Football Playoff and is 24-1 as the Bulldogs’ starter since last season.
The sixth-year player from Blackshear, Ga., was most valuable player of the Southeastern Conference championship game after throwing for 274 yards and four touchdowns in a 50-30 win over LSU that ran the Bulldogs’ record to 13-0.
Of Georgia’s three alltime wins over a No. 1-ranked team, Bennett was quarterback for two of them. He was at the controls for the Bulldogs’ win over Alabama in the national championship game last January, and he passed for two TDs and ran for another in a 27-13 win over Tennessee last month.
Duggan willed TCU to its first CFP appearance with an inspiring performance in the Big 12 championship game against Kansas State.
Duggan, who had heart surgery two years ago, was at the center of one of the signature sequences of the season. It happened late in the fourth quarter when he broke loose for 40 yards and then, visibly out of breath, ran for an 8yard TD and completed his 2point pass to bring the Frogs back from an 11-point, fourth-quarter deficit. Duggan came up just short of the goal line on a run in overtime, and the Frogs lost for the first time this season, 31-28.
The fourth-year player from Council Bluffs, Iowa, was Gary Patterson’s starter for two seasons before firstyear
coach Sonny Dykes picked Chandler Morris over Duggan in the preseason. Duggan regained the job for the second game because of an injury to Morris and ended up leading the Big 12 in every major passing category.
Stroud, in his third season out of Inland Empire, California, is a Heisman finalist for the second year in a row. He was fourth in voting last year. He came into this season regarded as the frontrunner and remained the favorite as Ohio State piled up impressive numbers through the first eight games.
Williams has thrown for 37 touchdowns against just four interceptions and has amassed a school-record 4,447 total yards. Including his 10 rushing touchdowns, he has accounted for a school-record 47.
Coaching news
Cincinnati hired Louisville’s Scott Satterfield to be its next coach. Louisville was 7-5 this season under Satterfield and earned a berth in the Fenway Bowl, where coincidentally it will face Cincinnati. Louisville announced that player development director Deion Branch, a former Cardinals star and Super Bowl MVP with the Patriots, will serve as interim coach for the bowl game.
Bowl-bound North Texas fired coach Seth Littrell, who went 44-44 over seven seasons. University
President Neal Smatresk said the decision to make the move came after a thorough assessment of the program.
Player musings
Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson is leaving school early and entering the NFL Draft. Richardson is considered more of a longterm project than a slamdunk prospect. Gators defensive tackle Gervon Dexter also announced plans to enter the draft.
Clemson quarterback
DJ Uiagalelei entered the transfer portal after an upand-down two seasons as the starter. The school confirmed Uiagalelei’s decision.
Ohio State star receiver
Jaxon Smith-Njigba will not play in the College Football Playoff semifinal game while he continues to rehabilitate a leg injury and prepare for the 2023 NFL Draft.
North Carolina State quarterback Devin Leary plans to enter his name into the transfer portal for his final season of eligibility. Leary tweeted a statement announcing his decision.
Washington quarterback Michael Penix Jr. said he will return to the school for his sixth and final season of eligibility in 2023.
California linebacker
Oluwafemi Oladejo said on Twitter he committed to UCLA after entering the transfer portal. In the final game of the regular season, he had 17 tackles against the Bruins.