• Who wins the Heisman Trophy?: Max and Dalton are split on who takes home college football’s top individual honor.
• Mason Graham is the consensus pick for the Outland Trophy: The top prospect in the 2025 NFL Draft is Max and Dalton’s pick for the top interior lineman in the nation.
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Estimated Reading Time: 15 minutes
The 2024 college football season begins this weekend, so it’s time to finalize our predictions for how it’ll unfold.
Before getting to the teams, here’s who we believe will take home 23 of college football’s top individual awards.
Heisman Trophy/Maxwell Award (Best Player)
Max Chadwick: QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Bo Nix, Oregon’s starting quarterback last year, was essentially a Pac-12 championship away from taking home the Heisman Trophy. His replacement perfectly fits Nix’s past role as an efficient assassin and is my pick to take home the stiff-arm trophy this season. Gabriel’s 91.9 PFF overall grade in 2023 while at Oklahoma trailed only Jayden Daniels and Nix among FBS quarterbacks. Oregon has arguably the best offense in college football with Gabriel at the helm.
Dalton Wasserman: QB Carson Beck, Georgia
The centerpiece of the top team in the country brings the Heisman back to Athens. Beck’s first season starting for the Bulldogs was nothing short of sensational. His 91.5 PFF overall grade ranked fifth in the FBS. His passing profile is as clean as any player in the nation. If he adds a few more big-time throws to his game, he’ll have a monster season.
Chuck Bednarik Award/Bronko Nagurski Trophy (Best Defensive Player)
Max: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Pearce became one of the most fearsome pass-rushers in college football last season. The sophomore’s 21.3% pressure rate ranked third among all edge defenders, and his 91.9 PFF pass-rushing grade ranked third in the Power Five. Pearce ended the season as the fourth-most valuable Power Five edge defender, according to PFF’s wins above average metric.
Dalton: DI Mason Graham, Michigan
Graham is arguably the best football player in the nation. He’s the highest-graded defensive tackle returning to college football. He was dominant throughout Michigan’s national championship run, especially in the playoffs. The Wolverines like to rotate their defensive linemen, but if they give Graham 600-plus snaps, his traditional stats will see a huge boost.
Davey O’Brien Award (Best Quarterback)
Max: QB Dillon Gabriel, Oregon
Dalton: QB Carson Beck, Georgia
Doak Walker Award (Best Running Back)
Max: RB Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State
Gordon led the nation this past season with 1,732 rushing yards while placing second in rushing touchdowns (21) and yards after contact (1,056). Gordon did all of that while receiving only 19 total carries over the first three games, but he averaged nearly 150 yards over the final 11 contests. Oklahoma State finished just 103rd in team run-blocking grade (55.3), making his dominance even more impressive. Gordon was also relied on heavily in the Cowboys’ passing game, as his 330 receiving yards were the third most by a Power Five running back in 2023.
If he wins the Doak Walker Award again in 2024, he’ll join Jonathan Taylor, Darren McFadden and Ricky Williams as the only players to do so twice.
Dalton: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State
Boise State’s playoff hopes rest on the shoulders of Ashton Jeanty. He is the best dual-threat back in college football and the highest-graded returning offensive player in the country (minimum of 200 snaps). Jeanty amassed more than 1,900 total yards last season while missing nearly three whole games, and he’s the first running back on the Biletnikoff Award Watch List since 2021.
Biletnikoff Award (Best Receiver)
Max: WR Luther Burden III, Missouri
Burden became one of college football’s premier wide receivers as a sophomore last season. His 725 yards after the catch were the third most among FBS receivers, and his 314 receiving yards after contact were the fourth most. Burden also displayed impressive hands and body control this past season, dropping just four of his 94 catchable targets while coming down with 56.5% of his contested targets. The former five-star recruit was targeted on 32.7% of his receiving snaps, the highest rate among Power Five receivers.
Dalton: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona
McMillan turned into one of college football’s biggest threats down the stretch last season. He has a Mike Evans-esque skill set, and his chemistry with Noah Fifita is incredibly advantageous for his production. McMillan’s 96.5 PFF receiving grade on 10-plus-yard targets ranked behind only first-round picks Xavier Legette and Malik Nabers among Power Five wide receivers last season.
John Mackey Award (Best Tight End)
Max: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
Loveland became one of the best tight ends in college football as a sophomore this past season. He was the fourth-most valuable FBS tight end, according to PFF's wins above average metric and ranked fifth in receiving yards (649). Loveland is an elite athlete at 6-foot-5 and 245 pounds, placing close to the 99th percentile in PFF’s Game Athleticism Score. That absurd movement ability makes him nearly unguardable. His 88.7% open-target rate in 2023 placed him in the 95th percentile for FBS tight ends. His receiving ability and athleticism make him the best returning tight end in the country.
Dalton: TE Colston Loveland, Michigan
Loveland is simply different from every other returning tight end in college football. He’s by far the most likely player at the position to be selected in the first round of next year’s draft. He should also get a hefty target share in a Michigan offense that lost several of its top receiving threats. Loveland led FBS tight ends in receiving yards when lined up in the slot and finished eighth among that same group in slot receiving grade, just one spot behind first-round pick Brock Bowers.
Outland Trophy (Best Interior Lineman)
Max: DI Mason Graham, Michigan
Graham was the fourth-most valuable defensive tackle in the nation this past season, according to PFF’s wins above average metric, and ranked sixth among the same group in pass-rush win rate (15.9%). Graham was one of only two interior defensive linemen in college football to earn top-10 grades as both a pass-rusher and a run-defender. The other was T’Vondre Sweat. Graham is currently the top prospect on PFF’s 2025 NFL Draft big board.
Dalton: DI Mason Graham, Michigan
Graham sweeps the interior defensive awards for me. If Michigan returns to the college football playoff, his highlights will be all over the place. He has a chance to be both a top-five draft pick and a top-five defensive tackle in the NFL someday.
Rotary Lombardi Award (Best Lineman)
Max: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Dalton: T Will Campbell, LSU
With Joe Alt off to the NFL, LSU’s Will Campbell currently sits atop the throne as college football’s best offensive lineman. The only returning Power Five tackles who own higher PFF overall grades over the past two seasons than Campbell are USC’s Jonah Monheim and West Virginia’s Wyatt Milum. Monheim is moving to center this season, while Milum leads Campbell by the slightest of margins. Campbell is one of the most balanced players in the country and a near-slam dunk first-round pick.
Rimington Award (Best Center)
Max: C Parker Brailsford, Alabama
Brailsford had a fantastic redshirt freshman season at Washington. He finished 2023 as the second-most valuable center in the nation, according to PFF’s wins above average metric. Brailsford’s 80.7 run-blocking grade in 2023 was the second-best mark among Power Five centers. He’s at his best when he can utilize his elite athleticism out in space, leading all FBS centers last year with a 90.7 PFF grade on zone runs. While undersized (275 pounds), he’s the best returning interior offensive lineman in college football.
Dalton: C Parker Brailsford, Alabama
Brailsford is the easy pick for this award. The fact that he followed Kalen DeBoer to Alabama is a huge advantage for him and the Crimson Tide. He’s the best zone run-blocker returning to college football at any position, and he’s certainly no slouch in pass protection despite his below-average stature.
Ted Hendricks Award (Best Defensive End)
Max: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Dalton: EDGE James Pearce Jr., Tennessee
Pearce is a legitimate candidate to be the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. His 91.9 PFF pass-rush grade ranked third in the Power Five last season, behind first-round picks Laiatu Latu and Chop Robinson. He’s the best pure speed rusher in college football and a freakish athlete who can drop into coverage when needed. He’ll continue to terrorize SEC defenses in 2024.
Butkus Award (Best Linebacker)
Max: LB Harold Perkins, LSU
Perkins entered Baton Rouge as a top-10 recruit and proved why in his true freshman season. In 2022, he paced all Power Five linebackers with a 91.0 PFF pass-rushing grade and placed second among all FBS linebackers with 18 quarterback knockdowns (sack plus hits). The Tigers asked him to play more in an off-ball role as a sophomore, and he responded with an 81.1 coverage grade — a top-15 mark among Power Five linebackers. Perkins has proven that he’s versatile enough to do whatever is asked of him at a high level.
Dalton: LB Jay Higgins, Iowa
In what will likely be a wide-open race, I’ll take the Power Five’s leading tackler for the Butkus Award in 2024. Higgins' 89.4 PFF overall grade was the sixth-best mark in the FBS last season, and his 90.8 coverage grade tied for the Power Five lead. He also added 17 pressures as a blitzer. Iowa’s defense is consistently elite, and Higgins is right in the middle of all the action.
Jim Thorpe Award (Best Defensive Back)
Max: CB Will Johnson, Michigan
Johnson’s 90.1 man-coverage grade over the past two seasons is tied for the best mark in the country. The only player who scored as highly as him was Quinyon Mitchell, who became a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. Johnson has ideal size (6-foot-2 and 202 pounds) and technique for the position. He has all the makings of a potential top-five pick in 2025 and will remind many of Pat Surtain II.
Dalton: S Caleb Downs, Ohio State
Downs’ freshman production lives in PFF lore, alongside names like Derwin James, Jevon Holland and Kyle Hamilton. He looked like a freshman for all of three weeks and then became the best safety in college football. He’s in a prime position to produce for a loaded Ohio State defense. Perhaps most impressive is that Nick Saban trusted the true freshman enough last season to lead his defense in snaps. Downs is a superstar in the right situation.
Paul Hornung Award (Most Versatile Player)
Max: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter is aiming to become the first two-time winner of the Hornung Award in its 15-year history. And frankly, nobody comes close to matching his versatility. The best modern-day comparison for the rising junior is baseball’s Shohei Ohtani, a player capable of dominating at two positions while others focus on one. Hunter tallied 721 receiving yards and three interceptions in nine games for Colorado last year. Despite missing three games to injury, he still led the nation with 1,044 snaps while earning 74.0-plus PFF grades on both sides of the ball.
Dalton: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado
Hunter is the obvious choice here as a player who has the potential to be either the best wide receiver or cornerback in the country. Had he not missed time due to injury last season, he may have been in Heisman contention. While his coverage metrics look more above average than elite, that is heavily influenced by one poor half of play against Elic Ayomanor and Stanford. Hunter is an elite player on both sides of the ball.
Lou Groza Award (Best Placekicker)
Max: K Jonah Dalmas, Boise State
Dalmas posted a 93.2 PFF overall grade last year, ranking second in college football to Joshua Karty, who was drafted by the Los Angeles Rams. He converted 10 of his 11 field-goal tries from 40-plus yards while missing only one of his 49 extra-point attempts.
Dalton: K Andres Borregales, Miami (FL)
Miami’s Andres Borregales seeks to join his brother, Jose, in the esteemed group of Lou Groza Award Winners. He owns a 94.8 field-goal grade over the past two years, ranking second in the FBS, behind only NFL draft pick Joshua Karty. He added some distance to his game last season, hitting four of his six kicks from beyond 50 yards. On top of those accolades, he posted a top-20 kickoff grade.
Ray Guy Award (Best Punter)
Max: P James Burnip, Alabama
Burnip’s 92.3 PFF grade last season led all FBS punters by 4.5 points. He also led the country with an average hang time of 4.38 seconds while placing fifth in the nation with 47.5 yards per punt.
Dalton: P James Burnip, Alabama
Burnip could have easily won this award last season. He’s elite in nearly every metric. The only question will be how many attempts he gets. His 47 regular-season punts in 2023 sat well outside the top 50. That low volume is a huge reason he was snubbed last season, and he could put up a similar total this season.
Johnny “The Jet” Rodgers Award (Best Return Specialist)
Max: WR Zachariah Branch, USC
Branch is the definition of electric. He was the only player in college football with a kick-return touchdown and a punt-return touchdown last season, doing so as just a true freshman.
Dalton: WR Barion Brown, Kentucky
Brown was the only player in college football to return three kicks for touchdowns last season. He finished third in the country with an 88.3 kick-return grade. His touchdown against Louisville spurred the Wildcats toward their huge upset over the Cardinals.
Shaun Alexander Freshman of the Year Award (Best Freshman)
Max: QB Dylan Raiola, Nebraska
The pressure is on Raiola to immediately produce as Nebraska’s starting quarterback and bring the Cornhuskers to their first bowl game since 2016. The true freshman was a five-star recruit in the 2024 class, the program’s first five-star signing in 19 years.
Dalton: WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State
Marvin Harrison Jr. is gone, but the Buckeyes’ wide receiver factory keeps churning out elite players. Jeremiah Smith could be next in line. His ball skills and body control are freakish. The top player in the 2024 recruiting cycle may be Ohio State’s best deep threat right now.
Burlsworth Trophy (Best player who started their career as a walk-on)
Max: EDGE B.J. Green II, Colorado
Green has been one of the better pass-rushers in college football over the past two years at Arizona State. His 92 pressures in that span are the second most among returning Power Five edge defenders, and his 17% pressure rate also ranks second. He’s the headliner of a revamped Colorado front-seven.
Dalton: WR Sean Atkins, USF
Atkins had few opportunities during his first four years at South Florida before exploding onto the scene with a 1,000-yard season in 2023. He finished last season ranking sixth in the FBS in receptions and 23rd in yards, and his 78.3 PFF receiving grade was the seventh-best mark in the AAC. Atkins could very well lead the conference in receiving in Alex Golesh’s hyperspeed offense.
Joe Moore Award (Best Offensive Line)
Max: Alabama Crimson Tide
College football’s finest front-five resides in Tuscaloosa because of one of the most loaded interior offensive lines in recent memory. All three of the Crimson Tide’s projected starters at guard and center made my top-10 interior offensive linemen list: Washington transfer Parker Brailsford (No. 1), Tyler Booker (No. 3) and Jaeden Roberts (No. 7).
They also return sophomore left tackle Kadyn Proctor, who transferred from Alabama to Iowa and back to Alabama, all in a span of three months. The former top-10 recruit was a rollercoaster on the field, as well, though he began to ascend at the end of the year. Proctor earned a 76.3 PFF overall grade in the final seven games after posting a 54.5 mark in the first seven. The right tackle spot will likely be manned by Elijah Pritchett, a former top-35 overall recruit in the 2022 class.
Dalton: Oregon Ducks
Oregon was the best pass-protecting team in college football by a country mile last season. Their 91.4 team pass-blocking grade was the best mark by a Power Five team since 2017.
They lose two starters, including center Jackson Powers-Johnson, but return an excellent tackle duo in Josh Conerly and Ajani Cornelius. Their new center, Iapani Laloulu, is a highly intriguing player, as well. As a freshman last season, Laloulu posted a 79.1 pass-blocking grade across 220 opportunities at three different positions.
Home Depot Coach of the Year Award (Best Coach)
Max: Brent Brennan, Arizona
The Coach of the Year award has rarely gone to the coach of the best team but, rather, the coach of the team who exceeded expectations the most. That fits Brennan as he heads into his first season as Arizona’s head coach. Although the Wildcats are a top-15 team in PFF’s preseason rankings, they currently have a win total set at just 7.5 while having the seventh-best odds to win the Big 12 (+1200).
Dalton: Mario Cristobal, Miami (FL)
Miami head coach Mario Cristobal was highly criticized last season for in-game decisions. However, if Miami is to live up to their preseason hype, after accruing a ton of talent this offseason, Cristobal will have to foster cohesion. The Hurricanes currently sit third in the ACC title odds, but they were just 7-6 last season. A trip to the playoff would make Cristobal a top candidate for this award.
Frank Broyles Award (Best Assistant Coach)
Max: OC Will Stein, Oregon
Stein was a finalist for the Broyles Award last season in his first year as Oregon’s offensive coordinator. In 2023, the Ducks had the nation’s second-most efficient offense by expected points added per play. He still has plenty to work with this season: college football’s best receiving corps, the No. 2 quarterback, the fifth-best offensive line and the No. 7 running back unit.
Dalton: OC Kirby Moore, Missouri
The fact that Kirby Moore was left out of the group of 61(!) nominees for this award last season was a massive oversight. The Tigers finished 81st in PFF offensive grade in 2022 and jumped up to 14th in 2023. They return eight starters on offense, including quarterback Brady Cook, as well as their top-five receivers from last season. That unit will be the reason Missouri will contend for a playoff spot this year.
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