It doesn’t get better than the Heisman Trophy. Each year, the greatest college football players earn the right to travel to New York City with the opportunity to join the ranks of the greatest to play the game. Since 1935, the Heisman Trophy has been awarded to the best college football player and this year, four finalists exemplify what it means to be elite.
The 2024 Heisman Trophy finalists, along with Oregon’s Dillon Gabriel, are Colorado’s two-way star Travis Hunter, Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, and Miami (FL) quarterback Cameron Ward. If Gabriel can win, he would join 2014 Marcus Mariota as the only Oregon Ducks to do so. This is the second year in a row that Oregon had a Heisman Trophy finalist with Bo Nix getting the nod last year.
The 2024 Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on December 14 on ESPN.
Congratulations to the 2024 Heisman Trophy finalists, @oregonfootball QB Dillon Gabriel, @CUBuffsFootball CB/WR Travis Hunter, @BroncoSportsFB RB Ashton Jeanty and @CanesFootball QB Cam Ward! #HeismanTrophy #MoreThanATrophy pic.twitter.com/ESmBdLSxWX
— The Heisman Trophy (@HeismanTrophy) December 9, 2024
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel is a Heisman Trophy Finalist
Few quarterbacks, if any, have been as efficient and dominant as Gabriel this year. He led the top-ranked Ducks to a 13-0 mark, a Big Ten Championship in the program’s first season, and a top overall seed in the College Football Playoff. Gabriel led the Big Ten with 3,558 yards, 28 touchdowns, and 297 completions while completing 73.2 percent of his passes. Only one player had a better completion percentage (Shedeur Sanders). This year also marked the third time in his six-year career that he led his conference in passing.
The Ducks secured the Big Ten Championship thanks to Gabriel’s play. For the 13th time in his career and first with Oregon, Gabriel tossed four touchdowns en route to a 45-37 win over Penn State. He was named as the Big Ten Quarterback of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year.
While the Heisman Trophy is a single-season honor, Gabriel’s illustrious career cannot be overstated. Prior to the College Football Playoff, Gabriel ranked second all-time in career passing yards (18,423, only 794 yards away), total offensive yards (19,675, only 439 away), and passing touchdowns (153, only two away). He broke the all-time career touchdowns responsible for record and he currently has 187.
