With the college football season fast approaching, here are my top five players to watch in this year’s Heisman Trophy race.
5. Oregon RB Royce Freeman
Marcus Mariota, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner, is gone, so the focus of the Oregon Ducks’ offense has to be put on someone in the backfield because Oregon has yet to figure out their quarterback situation.
As a freshman, Freeman led the Ducks in rushing with 1,365 yards for 18 touchdowns. The opportunities are sure to increase for Freeman as the Ducks try to figure out how to replace Mariota.
However, even though Mariota has left, Oregon is not going to change its schemes. The Ducks’ offense will still be the best in the nation — they will still run the hurry-up offense, and they are going to score a lot of points.
4. Arizona LB Scooby Wright
It’s uncommon even to hear a defensive player’s name mentioned in a Heisman Trophy watch.
The last defensive player in the mix was Notre Dame’s inside linebacker Manti Te’o. After having a record-breaking season with 103 tackles and seven interceptions in 2012, Te’o finished second to Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel.
But linebacker Scooby Wright, the 2014 Bednarik, Lombardi and Nagurski award winner, could be a real contender in 2015.
Last season, Wright recorded 163 tackles and 14 sacks and forced six fumbles.
Playing in the Pac-12, he’ll get a lot of national spotlight, and perhaps Wright can become the first defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997.
3. Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott
It’s not one of the three quarterbacks the Buckeyes have. It’s the junior running back, Ezekial Elliott.
Closing out the season strong with three consecutive 200-yard rushing performances, including 246 yards and four touchdowns in the National Championship against Oregon, Elliott ran for 1,878 yards and 18 touchdowns on a team that had stellar quarterback play.
2. USC QB Cody Kessler
Is this the year we finally see USC contend for a National Championship again?
If anyone is going to put the Trojans back in the national spotlight, it’s senior quarterback Cody Kessler.
Last season, Kessler threw for 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns in first-year head coach Steve Sarkisian’s high-tempo offense. Kessler also threw only five interceptions all year for almost an 8-to-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio.
With Sarkisian entering his second year of coaching at USC and Kessler having a year with a new offensive scheme, the Trojans are going to be a team to reckon with.
Even though target Nelson Agholor left for the NFL, look for Kessler to continue to put up big numbers going into his final season.
1. TCU QB Trevone Boykin
After finishing fourth in Heisman voting in 2014 and undergoing surgery in his non-throwing hand at the end of spring practice, Trevone Boykin is atop my list of Heisman Trophy candidates.
In 2014, Boykin impressed the nation with his throwing ability, passing for 3,901 yards with 33 touchdowns and only 10 interceptions. However, what amazes most people is what he does with his legs. On 152 carries, he rushed for 707 yards and eight touchdowns.
Boykin leads a high-flying TCU spread offense and a team that finished second in the nation in scoring with 46.4 points per game and a 93rd-ranked strength of schedule in 2015.
He is my choice to become not only the second player in TCU history to win the Heisman Trophy award, but he will also lead the Horned Frogs to their third National Championship.
michbhern@indiana.edu
