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Five Early Heisman Trophy Candidates for 2017
Next year’s Heisman Trophy Ceremony could be the Year of the Quarterback. Here are five early Heisman candidates for 2017.
Well Lamar Jackson is the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner. Jackson finished first in the voting with 2,144 votes. Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson came in second with 1,524 votes. Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield came in third with 361 votes.
Jackson and Watson are the seventh tandem from the same conference and the first from the ACC to finish one-two in Heisman voting. Some might say Jackson won in a landslide but he finished with the sixth highest percentage of possible votes. Only Cam Newton, Charlie Ward, Ricky Williams, Marcus Mariota and Troy Smith have finished with higher percentage points.
At 19 years old, Jackson is the youngest player to win the Heisman. He’s the third player in FBS history with 30 passing touchdowns and 20 rushing touchdowns in a season.
2017 has a lot of potential as a Year of the Quarterback with the next year’s Heisman race. With the likes of Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley and Florida State quarterback Deondre Francois returning, there’s certainly a lot of hype going into next season for a quarterback-heavy final five.
Here’s a look at some early candidates for the 2017 Heisman Trophy.
Dec 3, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Mandatory Credit: Brian Spurlock-USA TODAY Sports
5. QB Trace McSorley, Penn State
Penn State quarterback Trace McSorley had a coming out party this season for the Nittany Lions. It certainly has folks talking Heisman when McSorley returns for his junior season next year. He led the way in their comeback victory with them trailing 28-7. McSorley went 21-for-31 with 384 passing yards (a Big Ten Championship record) and four passing touchdowns. Penn State won 38-31.
He leads the Big Ten in passing yards with 3,360 yards and passing touchdowns with 25 this season. He is first in the conference in yards per play (7.5) as well as passer efficiency rating (156.6).
Since their 49-10 loss to Michigan, things haven’t been the same for Penn State. They have won nine straight games and their sophomore quarterback has a lot to do with that. McSorley has 20 passing touchdowns and just two interceptions during the win streak. He has four passing touchdowns in each of Penn State’s last two games.
He has elevated his play and certainly his stock as a player to watch for the Heisman Trophy. After all, who picked the Nittany Lions to win the Big Ten Conference this season, let alone beating Ohio State?
McSorley will be the starter for Penn State when they face the USC Trojans in the Rose Bowl. We’ll see if he can keep his hot streak going when they face off on January 2.
Nov 26, 2016; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Deondre Francois (12) looks to throw the ball during the second half of the game against the Florida Gators at Doak Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Vastola-USA TODAY Sports
4 QB Deondre Francois, Florida State
Quarterback Deondre Francois was the ACC Rookie of the Year and the ACC’s Offensive Rookie of the year this season. His return for his sophomore season will definitely come with added accolades as the Seminoles missed out on the ACC title for the second straight season.
The Seminoles were 9-3 this season but an early injury to highly-rated safety Derwin James played a role in that. With a healthy defense and Francois on offense, Florida State should be back at the top of the ACC next season.
If they are, you can expect to find Francois in the Heisman Trophy discussion. He was seventh in the ACC in passing completion percentage at 60.6 percent. The freshman ranked sixth in passing yards in the conference with 3,128 passing yards. He led all freshman in passing yards this season.
The Seminoles play the Michigan Wolverines in the Orange Bowl on December 30. It will be a good test of character for Francois in terms of what fans should expect in 2017. Expect a high-scoring game as both teams will probably open things up and see what their defenses are made of.
Dec 3, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Mandatory Credit: John David Mercer-USA TODAY Sports
3 QB Jalen Hurts, Alabama
Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts could definitely call “snub” after not making this year’s final Heisman finalists. The 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year was first in the conference in passing completion percentage (65.2), fourth in passing touchdowns (21) and fifth in passing yards (2,563) this season. Oh by the way, it’s his first season as a college quarterback as well.
Hurts led the 13th ranked scoring offense at 40.5 points per game. He changed the dynamic of the Crimson Tide offense in a big way this season. He ran for 841 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns as well. His rushing touchdown total ranks fourth in the SEC. His 841 rushing yards are the most by a quarterback in school history.
The freshman quarterback became the first freshman starter under Nick Saban’s tenure as head coach. His average 274.5 yards per game of total offense to lead all freshmen in the conference. In the team’s 51-3 win over Mississippi State, Hurts became the first Alabama player to rush for 100 yards and pass for 300 or more yards in a single game in school history.
The Crimson Tide are undefeated at 13-0 and ranked first in the AP Poll. They have a Peach Bowl game looming against the Washington Huskies, who boast a very good defense. It for a spot in the College Football Playoff Championship game. Expect this to be the game where Hurts starts his 2017 Heisman Trophy campaign.
Nov 19, 2016; Morgantown, WV, USA; Mandatory Credit: Ben Queen-USA TODAY Sports
2 QB Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma
Oklahoma Sooners quarterback Baker Mayfield has already announced he is returning for his senior season. Mayfield finished fourth in Heisman voting in 2015 and third in voting in 2016.
Despite winning the Big 12 title for the Sooners for a second straight season, Mayfield and Oklahoma were unable to make the College Football Playoff. Two early losses out of conference to the Houston Cougars and Ohio State Buckeyes did a lot of damage for any hopes of a return to the final four.
The Sooners turned the ball over four times combined in both losses. Mayfield didn’t play particularly well in the games either. In the Houston game, he was sacked five times and fumbled once. He threw two interceptions against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the other loss.
Those events certainly could have played a role in Mayfield’s quick announcement that he is returning for his senior season. Mayfield and the Sooners still ran the tables in Big 12 play behind the play of running backs Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon and along with fellow Heisman finalist receiver Dede Westbrook.
With a game against Auburn on January 2 in the AllState Sugar Bowl coming up, we’ll see what Mayfield and his high-powered offense have in store. Losing the Heisman Trophy for a second time has him thinking the third time is a charm.
Nov 26, 2016; Louisville, KY, USA; Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) strikes a pose after scoring a touchdown against the Kentucky Wildcats during the second half at Papa John
1 QB Lamar Jackson, Louisville
Quarterback Lamar Jackson is the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner which easily makes him the early favorite for next year. His speech was genuine and very humbling, considering it came from the youngest Heisman winner ever at 19 years old. He is the first Heisman winner in Louisville football history and first player from the ACC who wasn’t an FSU quarterback (Jameis Winston). Jackson has the most rushing yards (1,538) by a Heisman-winning QB in the history of the award.
The 2016 ACC Player of the Year set the conference single-season record for total touchdowns with 51 (30 passing, 21 rushing). Jackson finished the regular season with the Louisville school record in total offense with 4,928 yards. He set the ACC record for rushing yards by a quarterback in one season with 1,538, and his 21 rushing touchdowns are also the most in a single season by a signal-caller.
Winning the Heisman Trophy is one thing but the Louisville Cardinals missed their shot at the College Football Playoff this season. They lost their last two games to close out the season. They lost 41-38 to Kentucky, their first loss since 2010. Outside of their loss to Kentucky and the Clemson Tigers, the Cardinals also had an embarrassing 36-10 loss to Houston as well.
All of that will be in the back of the mind of Lamar Jackson, first when he faces the LSU Tigers in the Buffalo Wild Wings Citrus Bowl. Then next season, when he looks to lead his team to perfection and hopes to repeat as the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner. Look for Jackson to be even more electric as he returns for his junior season.
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