Meet Kenny Pickett's Heisman competition

If you paid any attention to what was happening at Heinz Field and inside ACC football stadiums this season, you know about Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett.

But who are those other three Heisman Trophy finalists?

Here’s a closer look:

Aidan Hutchinson

DE, Michigan, 6-6, 265

Pickett and Hutchinson will be seated in the same row of seats at the Heisman Trophy ceremonies Saturday night — all cleaned up and looking like GQ cover boys.

But there’s a good chance they’ll meet again several more times under dramatically different circumstances — all dirty and sweaty — in NFL backfields.

Hutchinson, a native of Dearborn, Mich., is the projected No. 1 overall draft choice next year by the Detroit Lions, according to Pro Football Focus. Pickett will be the No. 3 overall choice by the Houston Texans, according to the same source.

At the end of the Big Ten championship game, won by Michigan, 42-3, against Iowa, Hutchinson’s teammates started chanting, “Hutch for Heisman.”

“Man, it’s just so cool to see my teammates have my back like that and see them supporting me and doing all that,” he said. “That was such a cool moment.”

Hutchinson was named the Woodson-Nagurski Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year and consensus first team All-Big Ten by coaches and media. He set a Michigan record this season with 13 sacks after collecting three against Penn State and three against Ohio State.

He was Michigan’s defensive rookie of the year in 2018, and followed with a productive sophomore season when he recorded 68 tackles, 10 1/2 for a loss, 4 1/2 sacks, six pass breakups, four quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles. He played in only three games in 2020 before suffering a season-ending fractured ankle Nov. 7 against Indiana.

“Aidan is the absolute best player in football,” Michigan offensive coordinator Josh Gattis said earlier this season. “There’s no doubt in my mind. He impacts the game in so many more ways than what statistics show. He’s very disruptive. Obviously, he’s a pass rusher. If you’re an opposing offensive coordinator, he changes your whole game plan.”

C.J. Stroud

QB, Ohio State, 6-3, 218

Stroud has been Ohio State’s starting quarterback for only one season, but he already has earned mention among the greatest players in recent Buckeyes history.

He is the fourth Ohio State player to be a Heisman finalist in the past four years. Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins was a finalist in 2018 and quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young were so honored in 2019.

Stroud enrolled early at Ohio State after a standout career at Rancho Cucamonga (Calif.) High School. He inserted himself into competition for the 2021 starting job in the spring and through the summer before coach Ryan Day named him the starter in late August.

Only a redshirt freshman, he has led the best offense in the nation, statistically speaking, through 12 games. Ohio State is ranked No. 1 in total offense (551.4 yards per game) and scoring offense (45.5), and No. 5 in passing offense (364.9).

Most remarkably, he has thrown only five interceptions among his 395 pass attempts. He was the first Ohio State quarterback to throw five touchdown passes without an interception in consecutive games (Rutgers and Maryland), but he topped that by tossing 11 without a pick (Purdue and Michigan State).

For the season, he threw for 3,862 yards and 38 touchdowns, and his average of 351.1 passing yards is fourth in the nation.

At one point, he was considered the Heisman favorite, but he instructed those close to him to keep that type of news to themselves.

“Of course, it’s a blessing just to even have my name up there,” he said. “But I don’t look at that type of stuff, at least I try not to. I even tell my family members not to send stuff like that to me.”

Bryce Young

QB, Alabama, 6-0, 194

After a season of backing up Mac Jones in 2020, Young seized control of the Alabama offense in his sophomore season and led the Crimson Tide into the College Football Playoff.

No one doubted his Heisman candidacy throughout the season, but he ensured he would be in New York by leading Alabama to a surprisingly easy 41-24 victory against previously top-ranked Georgia in the SEC championship game Saturday.

While being named MVP, he set championship game records with 412 passing yards and 461 yards of total offense. Young directed an offense that amassed 536 yards against the nation’s top-ranked defense, which was surrendering 231 per game.

“He’s soooo good at avoiding the rush,” Georgia coach Kirby Smart said. “He buys time with his mobility and makes plays downfield.”

“He’s played great for us all year long,” Crimson Tide coach Nick Saban said.

Young, a graduate of Mater Dei High School in Pasadena, Calif., threw for 4,322 yards — three more than Pickett — while throwing 43 touchdown passes with only four interceptions.