Heisman rankings after Week 5: Bijan Robinson makes statement, Matt Corral falters, Bryce Young lurks

Heisman Trophy Rankings after Week 5: No. 3-1

3. Desmond Ridder, QB, Cincinnati

There’s no exaggeration in saying that Desmond Ridder and the Bearcats faced the biggest game of their lives on Saturday in South Bend and he answered the bell. The quarterback went 19-of-32 for 297 yards and two touchdowns and also added a rushing touchdown in a monumental win for Cincinnati.

Ridder has cleared 1,000 passing yards over four games with nine touchdowns and two interceptions but also has three rushing touchdowns as well. He’s not a perfect player and the eye-test says as much but the quarterback is an absolute gamer that keeps putting the team on his back to win.

2. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

If Saturday against Ole Miss hadn’t been the Brian Robinson Jr. show, then Bryce Young might’ve had a better argument to be No. 1 in these rankings. He still played well, going 20-of-26 for 241 yards with two touchdowns and one interception but it wasn’t a star performance.

Even still, Young has been putting up big numbers, especially in scoring touchdowns, this season. He now has 17 passing touchdowns to just two interceptions on the year and has thrown for over 1,300 yards. As the level of competition ramps up, we could see even more from Alabama’s stellar young signal-caller.

1. Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

Putting Texas on the road to being back on his, well, back, running back Bijan Robinson has emerged as the obvious favorite to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy after five weeks, cementing that status with a career-high 216 yards rushing with two touchdowns and 22 yards receiving as well.

Robinson is the undeniable heartbeat of the Longhorns right now and he makes everything go. Not only is he an explosive threat that can break a big one at any moment but he can be a workhorse too. That’s why he now has 652 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground along with 167 receiving yards and two more scores. And it’s why he’s claimed the spot in these rankings as the Heisman frontrunner.

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