Heisman watch: Trevor Lawrence opens door for Justin Fields, Mac Jones; welcome Graham Mertz

Heisman watch candidate No. 4: Najee Harris, RB, Alabama

Najee Harris and the end zone — name a better duo. The Alabama running back returned for the 2020 season with something to prove and, though he may not be the focal point of the potent Crimson Tide offense, he’s scoring touchdowns at an absolutely incredible clip. The veteran runner not only had 96 yards rushing on Saturday in a win over Tennessee but notched three touchdowns as well. Oh, he also had 61 receiving yards.

With the three scores in Week 8, Harris has 14 rushing touchdowns and 595 rushing yards through five games in addition to having just shy of 150 receiving yards as well. Though his quarterback has overshadowed him a bit, the fact that Harris keeps crossing the goal line and quietly producing for arguably the best team in college football keeps him firmly in the Heisman race.

Heisman watch candidate No. 3: Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State

As we’ve been running through the Heisman rankings through the first seven weeks, there has been an inescapable feeling that we were waiting for Justin Fields to take the field and crash the party at the top of the rankings. So as the quarterback and his Ohio State Buckeyes took the field and completely owned Nebraska in a 52-17 win, we shouldn’t be shocked that Fields joins the party in the top three of these rankings.

Fields was near-perfect in the win over the Huskers, completing 20-of-21 passes for 276 yards and two touchdowns while also leading the team with 54 rushing yards and adding another score. After becoming a finalist for the award last year, Fields looks as good if not better right out of the gate in the 2020 season. Given his season-opening performance, it feels safe to say he’s not going anywhere in the heart of the Heisman race.