Paul Finebaum gives pick for Heisman frontrunner following Week 1 action

Beginning with a 37-yard touchdown pass to junior John Metchie III on the game’s first drive, sophomore quarterback Bryce Young had a starting debut to remember in No. 1 Alabama’s 44-13 thrashing of No. 14 Miami.

He finished with 344 yards and four scores, both of which were new program records for a player in his first start.

With this historic showing, Paul Finebaum wasted no time declaring Young his early Heisman Trophy frontrunner during his Sunday morning appearance on ESPN’s SportsCenter.

“Is that really his first start? I mean, this was a kid who last year played behind Mac Jones and didn’t get in very often because there was no reason to put him in,” he said, via Saturday Down South. “Bryce looked like he’d been there for years. He was simply unbelievable.”

While there is, obviously, a lot of season left and things will almost certainly change, it is difficult to argue with Finebaum’s Week 1 selection for the nation’s most prestigious individual award.

Young and his Crimson Tide teammates figure to keep rolling on Saturday, as Alabama welcomes the FCS Mercer Bears, a member of the Southern Conference, to Bryant-Denny Stadium at 4 p.m. ET on the SEC Network.

There were some B1G student-athletes who had season-opening performances that could vault themselves into Heisman Trophy contention, as well, such as Michigan State junior running back Kenneth Walker III, a Wake Forest transfer, who ran for 264 yards and four touchdowns in the Spartans’ road victory over Northwestern.

A couple of wideouts from the conference also delivered nice showings, as Ohio State senior Chris Olave caught four passes for 117 yards and two scores in the No. 4 Buckeyes’ triumph over Minnesota, and Penn State’s Jahan Dotson, another senior, hauled in five passes for 102 yards and a touchdown as the No. 19 Nittany Lions traveled to Madison and knocked off No. 12 Wisconsin.