While Ohio State is tied with Notre Dame for the most Heisman Trophy winners with seven, it was in 2006 that a Buckeye last took home the most prestigious individual award in college football. And although the Scarlet and Gray have had multiple finalists in the last 15 years, no Ohio State player has done enough to receive enough votes to bring another bronze statue back to the Woody Hayes Athletic Center.
If that is going to change in 2021, it’s going to take one player defying the odds. Offseason Heisman Trophy odds were produced by BetMGM and no Buckeye on this year’s roster is in the top 10. Following the favorites, such as Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler (+300), Clemson’s DJ Uiagalelei (+500), Georgia’s JT Daniels (+600) and UNC’s Sam Howell (+700), the Ohio State player with the best odds to win the Heisman is running back Master Teague who sits just outside the top 10 at +2800.
Two other Scarlet and Gray players were given odds in quarterbacks CJ Stroud and Jack Miller. These two redshirt freshmen are tied for the 13th best odds (+4000) with Florida quarterback, and former Ohio State commit, Emory Jones.
What makes these odds interesting is that none of the three Buckeyes has a certain path to enough playing time to be a true Heisman favorite. Unlike some of the other players on the list, neither Teague, Stroud or Miller is guaranteed to be the starter at their position for the Scarlet and Gray throughout the 2021 season.
Teague was Ohio State’s starting running back in 2020 but shared the role with Oklahoma transfer Trey Sermon. Following an injury to Teague, Sermon took over as the full-time back, helping the Buckeyes win the Big Ten championship and make the national championship game with record-setting performances. It wasn’t until Sermon suffered his own injury on the first play of the national championship game against Alabama that Teague took back the job.
Although running backs coach Tony Alford has said in March that Teague would be the starter if the Scarlet and Gray played a meaningful game the next day, the fourth-year junior will have to hold off redshirt freshman Miyan Williams, who had a productive spring, third-year sophomores Marcus Crowley and Steele Chambers and highly touted freshmen TreVeyon Henderson and Evan Pryor to win the job full time.
Stroud and Miller are each a part of a three-way battle to replace Ohio State’s last Heisman finalist in Justin Fields. Despite enrolling early last year, both quarterbacks saw limited work behind Fields in the Buckeyes’ COVID-shortened 2020 season, neither throwing a pass in a college game. Both players had their ups and downs in the spring while competing with true freshman Kyle McCord, and head coach Ryan Day made it clear that this quarterback battle will carry on into fall camp as these three still have plenty to learn.
It is interesting that, while Stroud seems to be the favorite to win the starting job for the Scarlet and Gray, the odds are the same for both of Ohio State’s returning scholarship quarterbacks, while McCord did not make the list at all.
2021 Heisman Trophy odds
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As is the case every year, these odds are likely to change before the season even begins this fall and will certainly adjust as the year progresses.
