Top 8 Heisman Candidates

With the 2017-2018 NCAA College Football Season approaching fast, who will make a boom and who will falter in their Heisman Campaign? There is no doubt sleepers will come out of every conference and make a splash in the race to the trophy. Who will be in the top 5 for the end of the season award ceremony and who will be some of the players in the honorable mention for the Heisman as well? Here’s a list of how our writer believes the Heisman will play out this 2017-2018 College Football season.

 

 

8.(Third Honorable Mention)  Derwin James, Defensive Back, Sophomore, Florida State

Derwin is one of the most explosive and electrifying players on the defensive side of the ball in all of college. As a freshman for the Seminoles, James posted crazy stats in twelve games that included ninety-one tackles, four and a half sacks, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. This spoke volumes to the coach, as Derwin showed great natural skills and he seems ready for an even bigger role in his sophomore year. Watching videos of Derwin James healthy now don’t show him struggling at all, ready to show all of College Football how lethal he is. I see James racking up around one hundred tackles, two interceptions, and some forced fumbles and recoveries. But we know how hard it is for defenders to make a Heisman case…

 

 

7.( Second Honorable Mention)  Josh Allen, Quarterback, Junior, Wyoming

Allen is regarded as one of the top quarterback prospects for the 2018 NFL draft, and one of the talents on the field for the 2017-2018 upcoming college season. But how did Allen from a smaller from a school become noticed? While in his sophomore year Josh threw for 3,203 yards with twenty-eight touchdowns and fifteen interceptions. He also showed great traits both staying in the pocket and being chased around. I can see Josh Allen throwing for over 3,500 yards and thirty touchdowns now that their star running back is gone, while hopefully learning from his mistakes last year and minimizing his turnovers. I believe Allen can be in the running as long as he doesn’t throw the amount of interceptions he did last year and utilizes his arm. The only problem is the lack of  weapons his team possesses that could hurt him in the long run.

 

 

 

6.(First Honorable Mention)  James Washington, Wide Receiver , Junior, Oklahoma State

One of the top receivers in the whole nation, Washington was just outstanding his last year as he caught seventy-one passes for 1,380 yards and ten touchdowns. What separated him from other wide receivers was the balance between being able to read his defenders and his speed to get separation from them, but he also has outstanding jumping ability and ball hawking skills to go up and get the football. Not to mention he has one of the top quarterbacks in all of college football who also has a great shot to win the Heisman. My only concern is now that Washington is the definitive number one wideout, he will face some of the top defensive backs and double teams, so we will have to see how he plays against this type of attention. I see James Washington getting 1,500 receiving yards and catching around thirteen touchdowns. 

 

 

5.  Deondre Francois, Quarterback, Sophomore, Florida State

Deondre is the truth and future of college football. He was amazing last year and showcased a spectacular trait of leadership. Down by a field goal with just a little less than a minute and a half left on their own twenty against the tough Michigan defense, Francois was able to lead his team down and score a touchdown for a victory. Keep in mind, he is only a freshman! Deondre Francois had amazing stats for his first year, throwing for 3,350 yards, twenty touchdowns and seven interceptions. He will have another year with  solid receiving targets that will help him out especially in tough games. Although he did lose one of the top targets in the draft from last year,  that shouldn’t be a problem stepping forward as he also has a great receiving back out of the backfield. The only issue with him is he will have to find one reliable wideout throughout the season or be able to use multiple. We will have to wait and see. I see Deondre throwing for 3,500 yards and about twenty- two touchdowns.

 

 

4.  Saquon Barkley, Running Back, Junior, Penn State

With one of the greatest finishes to the 2016 college seasons, Barkley put himself in the conversation for this years Heisman conversation. His stats from last year were just so crazy totalling 1,496 yards and eighteen touchdowns. That is just crazy, eighteen touchdowns! But he’s not just special in the rushing aspect of the game but also in the pass game, catching twenty-eight passes for 402 yards and four touchdowns. He stands as a smaller back but he can also bulldoze over his opponents if they get in his way. The only thing I’m afraid of is that with a projected potent passing attack with a great quarterback, I am just concerned he won’t get as many touches as he usually does. I’m still projecting him to have 1,650 rushing yards to go along with 14 touchdowns.

 

 

3.  Sam Darnold, Quarterback, Sophomore, USC

Like Barkley, Darnold took over a job in the later half of the season after Max Browne fell apart. He is an amazing quarterback that can read a defense and places the ball in great spots.  Darnold is ranked as one of the top prospects of the 2018 NFL draft. In the 2016-2017 college season, Sam threw for 3,086 yards and added 31 throwing touchdowns to his resume. With the starting position to himself, I see him taking a major step forward to lead his team to a Pac-12 Championship, and put himself in a position for the Heisman. The caveat that scares me with Darnold is USC losing his top receiving target to this past NFL Draft. Others receivers did emerge last year, but we will see if he can develop a similar chemistry. In all, I believe his talent will still propel him to finish with 3,600 yards, and throw for 35 touchdowns.

 

 

2.  Mason Rudolph, Quarterback, Senior, Oklahoma State

Rudolph has one of the strongest arms in all of college, and totally showed it off last year with the stats that he posted. Mason threw for 4,091 yards, twenty-eight touchdowns, and only four interceptions. When you ask the Heisman voters what they want to see in a quarterback, this is exactly it, someone who can throw for a great amount of yards, and a good amount of touchdowns, but also keep the turnovers to a minimum. He has a cannon for an arm, but also reads the defense well, making split second decisions to not force the football, instead throwing it away or taking a sack. It also helps to have one of the top receivers in the game. I see Mason Rudolph finishing the season with 4,200 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 6 interceptions. The only tough part that might affect him is the strength of the schedule Oklahoma State faces.

 

 

1.  Derrius Guice, Running Back, Junior, Louisiana State

Being behind the number four pick in this year’s draft on the depth chart can be pretty tough, but Guice should still show why he’s a star of his own. Guice  still ran for a ninety-six yard touchdown run last year, racked up 1,387 yards, had fifteen touchdowns, and averaged 7.6 yards per carry, which was the highest for any running back over a thousand yards last year. He did this all while he was the second back besides when Fournette was injured.  When he was given the touches, he set LSU’s all time record for yards in a game with 285 given a shot as the feature back.  Guice is the best of both worlds as he is a speedy and shifty back that can also lay down the boom. His only potential threat is how good LSU’s passing attack will be this year. Personally I believe the passing attack will be decent but will rely on the run game to set everything up. Going forward, I believe Derrius will rush for 1,650 yards, twenty touchdowns, average around seven yards per carry, and improve in the receiving game to take home this year’s Heisman trophy!

 

 

Written by Domenic Buccini