Heisman finalists stats comparison: Breaking down Caleb Williams, Stetson Bennett, C.J. Stroud and Max Duggan

Zac Al-Khateeb

Heisman finalists stats comparison: Breaking down Caleb Williams, Stetson Bennett, C.J. Stroud and Max Duggan image

The Heisman Trophy is unique in that it represents not only the most prestigious individual award in college football — perhaps the entire American sports lexicon — but also its most controversial.

The trophy, officially, is "awarded to the outstanding college football player ... whose performance epitomizes great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work." Though that could be true of any number of players and positions in the sport, it most often boils down to this: the most talented quarterback in the country — a point of consternation among many fans who enjoy the sport.

The same is true this season, with all four Heisman Trophy finalists — Caleb Williams of USC, Stetson Bennett of Georgia, C.J. Stroud of Ohio State and Max Duggan of TCU — all playing that most important (and awarded) position in football.

The fact that all of the finalists play the same position helps make comparisons that much easier. So, which of Williams, Bennett, Stroud and Duggan had the best seasons?

MORE: College football awards 2022: Full list of finalists, winners for Heisman, Walker, Biletnikoff and more

Though there is empirical evidence to suggest which players had the "best" season, each was outstanding in their own way: Williams was the leader among an influx of transfers who helped elevate USC from a middling (sometimes flailing) Pac-12 team to a fringe College Football Playoff challenger.

Bennett is the unquestioned leader of the top team in the country, on the cusp of leading the Bulldogs to a second consecutive national championship. Stroud directed an aerial arsenal made for one of the most terrifying offenses in the country. And Duggan was the driving force of a TCU team that scratched out five ranked victories — and five one-score victories — en route to the Horned Frogs' first ever Playoff berth.

In that sense, each of the Heisman finalists, three of whom will play in the College Football Playoff, are deserving of the Heisman Trophy. Even so, The Sporting News looks at their respective seasons to compare and contrast their stats for the 2022 Heisman Trophy campaign:

Heisman finalists stats comparison

Caleb Williams stats

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Passing

Games Completions Attempts Pct. Yards TDs INTs
13 296 448 66.0 4,075 37 4

Rushing

Games Rushes Yards YPC TDs
13 109 372 3.4 10

MORE: The case for and against each 2022 Heisman Trophy finalist, from Stetson Bennett to Caleb Williams

Stetson Bennett stats

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Passing

Games Completions Attempts Pct. Yards TDs INTs
13 269 395 73.7 3,425 20 6

Rushing

Games Rushes Yards YPC TDs
13 47 184 3.91 7

C.J. Stroud stats

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Passing

Games Completions Attempts Pct. Yards TDs INTs
12 235 355 66.2 3,340 37 6

Rushing

Games Rushes Yards YPC TDs
12 35 74 2.1 0

MORE: Heisman Trophy odds 2022: Favorites, sleepers to win the Heisman

Max Duggan stats

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Passing

Games Completions Attempts Pct. Yards TDs INTs
13 239 368 64.9 3,321 30 4

Rushing

Games Rushes Yards YPC TDs
13 112 404 3.6 6

Zac Al-Khateeb

Zac Al-Khateeb Photo

Zac Al-Khateeb has been part of The Sporting News team since 2015 after earning his Bachelor's (2013) and Master's (2014) degrees in journalism at the University of Alabama. Prior to joining TSN, he covered high school sports and general news in Alabama. A college sports specialist, Zac has been a voter for the Biletnikoff Award and Heisman Trophy since 2020.