Michael Pennix Jr.’s scintillating Sugar Bowl performance against Texas has sparked a debate over the Heisman Trophy voting process.

Would Jayden Daniels still have won college football’s most prestigious honor if postseason performances had factored into the equation?

Did the balloting close too early?

Opinions differ on both sides of the argument.

But there’s one thing regarding the Heisman about which everyone can agree. It’s never too early to start looking ahead and identifying the top candidates for next year’s award.

FanDuel has already come out with its list of odds, establishing Alabama’s Jalen Milroe and Texas’ Quinn Ewers as co-favorites at +750, with Georgia’s Carson Beck not far behind at +850.

Unlike last year at this time when North Carolina’s Drake Maye and Florida State’s Jordan Travis were prominently mentioned as serious Heisman contenders, there are no ACC players among the top 10 of this year’s early frontrunners.

Cade Klubnick checks in at No. 11 with a +2400 payout that would bring back a hefty return for anyone daring enough to plunk down a wager on the Clemson quarterback.

The good thing about the Heisman or any other college football award is that, whether the voting ends before or after the postseason, the winner is still decided by performance on the field. To that end, you never know who might start generating some buzz once the games begin.

Including these 5 ACC players.

Cade Klubnik, Clemson

Klubnik took his share of heat for the early season struggles that transformed the Tigers from preseason favorite to ACC also-ran by the midway point in the schedule. And some of it was earned. He did have a problem with turnovers, with 5 of his 9 interceptions and all 5 of his lost fumbles coming during his team’s 4-4 start.

But it should be remembered that 2023 was the former 5-star prospect’s 1st season as a starter. And that his receiving corps wasn’t up to Clemson’s traditional standards. It should also be noted that Klubnik improved steadily throughout the season, leading the Tigers to wins in the final 5 games. He finished the year with a bang by engineering a 12-play, 68-yard touchdown drive in the final 2:22 – converting a pair of 3rd-and-long situations along the way – to beat Kentucky in the Gator Bowl.

With a season-opening date against Georgia at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Clemson’s schedule, a big performance and a win against the Bulldogs would immediately thrust Klubnik into the conversation as a legitimate Heisman contender.

DJ Uiagalelei, Florida State

After getting run off by Clemson and replaced by Klubnik, Uiagalelei rehabilitated his once highly-rated reputation during his season at Oregon State. He threw for a career-high 2,638 yards while accounting for 27 total touchdowns (21 passing, 6 rushing) and posted a personal best quarterback rating of 145.0.

The interesting thing about Uiagalelei’s career path and the way it’s been perceived is that he threw for a better percentage in 2022 during his final season with the Tigers (62,1%) than he did in 2023 with the Beavers (57.1). And that his touchdown-to-interception ratio for the 2 seasons was almost identical.

But perception is reality.

And the perception is that his experience and playmaking ability make him just the right quarterback to pick up where Travis left off and help the Seminoles into the College Football Playoff in 2024. FanDuel has Uiagalelei as the 2nd-highest rated ACC player behind Klubnik in its early Heisman Odds. He checks in tied for 12th overall with former Duke and current Notre Dame quarterback Riley Leonard at +2500.

Kyron Drones, Virginia Tech

Not since Michael Vick finished 3rd in the Heisman voting as a freshman in 1999 have the Hokies had as dynamic a dual-threat performer at quarterback as Drones. A former 4-star prospect who transferred to Blacksburg from Baylor, Drones took over the starting job 2 games into the season after Grant Wells was injured and immediately energized an offense that ranked near the bottom of the ACC in 2022.

Drones threw for 2,085 yards and 17 touchdowns with only 2 interceptions. He also ran for 818 yards and 5 scores while improving Tech’s scoring average by more than a touchdown per game. His game-changing ability was on full display against Tulane in the Military Bowl, when despite playing in monsoon conditions, he ran for 176 yards and threw for a pair of scores in guiding Tech to a convincing 40-21 victory.

Because he’s not nationally known, Drones will start next season at a disadvantage to other contenders. FanDuel has his odds listed at +2100. But with virtually all his supporting cast returning – including leading receiver Jaylin Lane and top rusher Bhayshul Tuten – he has the potential to become a breakout star on a dark-horse ACC contender.

Omarion Hampton, North Carolina

Only 1 running back, Alabama’s Derrick Henry in 2015, has won the Heisman Trophy over the past 13 seasons. But if any running back has a shot at breaking through in 2024, Hampton makes a strong case.

He led the ACC and ranked 5th nationally with 1,501 rushing yards while scoring 15 touchdowns last season. With Maye moving on to the NFL, offensive coordinator Chip Lindsey’s emphasis on the ground game and an offensive line revamped through the transfer portal, there’s a good chance Hampton will be even more productive as a junior next year.

Impressive stats are important to a Heisman campaign. But playing for a nationally relevant team is even more of a prerequisite. That, rather than ability or performance, could end up being the biggest obstacle Hampton – whose +35000 odds are the 2nd-highest among those listed by FanDuel – will face.

KC Concepcion, NC State

This one is a longshot, not only because of the position he plays but because of the team he plays for. He’s such an outlier that his odds aren’t even on the board.

At least not yet.

Concepcion was his team’s only consistent offensive threat during a season in which the Wolfpack endured quarterback issues, a porous line and a nonexistent ground attack. And yet he still managed to catch 71 passes for 839 yards and 10 touchdowns while running for 320 yards and averaging 7.8 yards per carry. He even threw a touchdown pass to help State to a surprise 9-wins season.

With the addition of transfer quarterback Grayson McCall and a full offseason for offensive coordinator Robert Anae to dream up new ways of getting the Freshman All-American receiver the ball and putting him in a position to make plays, Concepcion has the potential for a massive 2024 season.

Best of the rest

Among the other ACC players to make FanDuel’s list of preseason Heisman hopefuls are several transfer quarterbacks – Louisville’s Tyler Shough (from Texas Tech) at +8000, North Carolina’s Max Johnson (from Texas A&M) at +11000, NC State’s McCall (from Coastal Carolina) at +11000, Syracuse’s Kyle McCord (from Ohio State) +21000 and Duke’s Maalik Murphy (from Texas) at +29000. Boston College’s dual-threat quarterback Thomas Castellanos is also mentioned, checking in at +24000.