LSU Tigers

Henry's victory the start of Heisman run by RBs? Plus, top 10 for '16

Published Dec. 13, 2015 9:26 a.m. ET

Cory McCartney

What began with Leonard Fournette was finished by Derrick Henry, as the Year of the Running Back came to its Heisman Trophy fruition with Henry hoisting the stiff-armed icon Saturday night in New York.

The question now, is whether Henry's win is the signal of a shift in the award's voting or whether, like the last RB to win -- Alabama's Mark Ingram in 2009 -- it's an anomaly?

That Henry was one of five backs in the top eight -- joined by runner-up Christian McCaffrey, Fournette (sixth), Dalvin Cook (seventh) and Ezekiel Elliott (eighth) -- shows the depth at the position. While Henry is expected to leave for the NFL, along with Elliott, the other three RBs will all be back in school next fall, meaning we could be in for another race heavy on ball-carriers.

Running backs have not won in back-to-back years since Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne in 1998 and '99, respectively. If the position is going to deliver another victory, it will likely be from these contenders, a group that also has plenty of quarterbacks, including this year's third-place finisher, Deshaun Watson.

TEN FOR 2016

Christian McCaffrey, RB Stanford

Challenging his own all-purpose yardage record will be tough for the runner-up with QB Kevin Hogan exhausting his eligibility, and the line being down four starters, including Outland Trophy-winning guard Joshua Garnett. But McCaffrey figures to be the favorite heading into next fall, even if Stanford takes a step back overall.

Deshuan Watson, QB Clemson

Keeping the Tigers at the forefront of the College Football Playoff race is key, but so too are those are those rushing performances we saw over Watson's last seven games. Those included four of 105 or more yards, and if they become the norm, Watson should have the numbers to once again challenge for the award.

J.T. Barrett, QB Ohio State

First, consistency will be key. Not for Barrett, but for Urban Meyer, who won't have to waver on who should start at QB for the Buckeyes this time around. Life without Ezekiel Elliott will be rough and he'll be working behind a revamped line, but expect something closer to 2014, in which he averaged over 314 yards per game.

Dalvin Cook, RB Florida State

Healthy was Cook's biggest issue in his sophomore year as he missed one game and most of another. Still, he was sixth in FBS with 1,658 yards and few players in the country are as explosive as Cook averaged 7.86 yards per carry, the best of any Power 5 back with more than 50 carries.

Leonard Fournette, RB LSU

The clear favorite at the season's halfway point, Fournette was abysmal in November with 389 yards on 95 attempts. By comparison, he has 631 on 73 tries in September. He's still third in FBS with 1,741 yards and things aren't changing at LSU; Fournette will still be the offense's focal point, meaning he'll be a legit challenger again.

Nick Chubb, RB Georgia

Limited to five games and one carry as his season ended Oct. 10 with a knee injury, there may not be a more reliable back in FBS. He had a streak of 13 straight 100-yard games and, like Fournette's Tigers, Georgia will go through Chubb offensively under new coach Kirby Smart.

Baker Mayfield, QB Oklahoma

His first season in Norman was epic, with a 178.9 pass efficiency rating (second in FBS) and 317.4 yards per game (14th). What happens in the CFP will go a long way toward setting the tone for a '16 trophy run and it doesn't hurt having Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon behind him to free up the passing game.

Seth Russell, QB Baylor

Baylor's system may be responsible for the numbers Robert Griffin III, Nick Florence and Bryce Petty put up, but what happened to the Bears after Russell's neck injury only underscored his worth. They averaged 283.5 passing yards in November, their full month without him after having 387.3 (August/September) and 318.3 (October) with him. Biletnikoff Award-winning receiver Corey Coleman and Jay Lee will likely be gone, but Russell still has weapons at his disposal.

Royce Freeman, RB Oregon

Quietly after the Ducks fell out of the national title picture Freeman turned things on. He rattled off eight straight 100-yard games, including 246 vs. Washington State, and trails only Henry, McCaffrey and Fournette with 1,741 yards. He'll have plenty of competition in his Far West voting region, though, with McCaffrey, and this guy ...

Josh Rosen, QB UCLA

His first season had some major highlights, including five games with 326 or more yards, punctuated by 399 vs. Cal. Consistency will be key after posting a 133.2 efficiency rating, which was 58th in FBS, but Rosen had more passing yards per game (279.3) than Watson (270.2).

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