Heisman Trophy Power Rankings 2023: Caleb Williams on course to repeat, Colorado stars break through
- Alabama's QB asserts himself
- Colorado has
By Scott Rogust
Heisman Trophy Power Rankings Week 1, No. 8: J.J. McCarthy, QB, Michigan
The Michigan Wolverines entered the 2023 season as the second-ranked team in the nation. They fell short of making the College Football Playoff National Championship Game due to their Fiesta Bowl loss to TCU. The team is starting the first three games of this campaign without head coach Jim Harbaugh due to suspension. Those three games are against teams that won't exactly put the Wolverines in danger of losing.
On Saturday, Michigan took on East Carolina. There were no worries for the Wolverines, as quarterback J.J. McCarthy did more than enough to put the game away early.
McCarthy completed all but four of his 30 pass attempts for 280 yards and three touchdowns. All three of those touchdowns were thrown to wide receiver Roman Wilson. Take a look at the latter touchdown of the day.
Not once, not twice, but thrice (and counting).
— Big Ten Football (@B1Gfootball) September 2, 2023
J.J. McCarthy and Roman Wilson connect for their third @UMichFootball TD of the day. 💥
💻: Peacock pic.twitter.com/lDQuvfAdN6
McCarthy and the Wolverines will next face UNLV Rebels. If McCarthy can put up similar performances against tougher opponents this year, he should be able to climb up the rankings.
Heisman Trophy Power Rankings Week 1, No. 7: Sam Hartman, QB, Notre Dame
Last year, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish didn't exactly live up to their usual expectations, due in part to the quarterback position. They seemingly solved that issue on paper this offseason by acquiring Wake Forest's Sam Hartman.
The graduate student had a great showing in Week 0 in Dublin, Ireland against Navy. Let's be real, the game wasn't even close, and Notre Dame dominated from start to finish. For those wondering if Hartman would have much of a challenge in Week 1, the answer is no. He faced off against Tennessee State and didn't have a lot of playing time, considering how out of reach the game got for the Tigers.
Hartman completed 14-of-17 pass attempts for 194 yards and two touchdowns while running for 14 yards and one touchdown on four carries. Hartman didn't play for the entirety of the second half.
Next week, Hartman will get to face off against a former ACC foe, the North Carolina State Wolfpack. Last year, Hartman threw for 397 yards, two touchdowns, and three interceptions against NC State in a 30-21 loss. We'll see if Hartman can get some revenge.