
With this season’s Heisman Trophy being awarded to LSU quarterback Joe Burrow this past weekend, noted sports gambling site DraftKings went ahead and released its odds for the 2020 Heisman Trophy on Thursday.
Among those near the top of that list was UNC quarterback Sam Howell, who was listed at 20-1 odds (+2000) to take home the most prestigious award in college football after putting forth one of the best seasons ever by a true freshman in 2019.
With one game still left to play–the Military Bowl against Temple on Dec. 27–Howell has already broken the all-time FBS record for touchdown passes by a true freshman with 35, a number which also ranks among the top five all-time in ACC history regardless of age.
In addition, Howell has also thrown for 3,347 yards through UNC’s first 12 games. That number ranks him 15th in the entire country.
The Tar Heels just signed one of the top 20 recruiting classes in the nation this week, and will have a majority of their offensive starters returning next season. With the team expected to win at an even higher rate in 2020–and Howell expected to improve on this year’s stats–it’s not a surprise to see him earning some Heisman buzz.
For the full list of DraftKings’ 2020 Heisman odds, click here.
Photo via Dakota Moyer
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