College Football: Heisman Look Ahead

By Andrew Musur on April 30, 2015

If there was one sport I could watch year round, it would be college football. The passion shown by college football players, teams and fans is unmatched in the world of sports.

Unfortunately for college football fans, like myself, we’ve been without the game since January 12. Almost four months have passed since The Ohio State University took down Oregon in the National Championship game. It has been a long offseason, but don’t worry, a slew of college football articles are on their way, including this one.

The Heisman trophy is the most coveted award in college football. The award is given to the most outstanding player in college football whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.

Last year’s Heisman winner, Marcus Mariota, was an easy choice for voters. Mariota was the best player the entire season and gave little doubt that he would be taking the prestigious award home. The former Oregon quarterback is now preparing for the upcoming NFL Draft, which means there will be a new winner of the Heisman this year.

With that in mind let’s take a look at the five guys I think have the best shot of taking home the 25 pound bronze statue.

Nick Chubb, Running Back, Georgia

2014 Stats: Attempts: 219, Yards: 1,547, Average/Attempt: 7.1, Touchdowns: 14

If you recall from last year, Nick Chubb wasn’t a guy many people knew about. Chubb was just a freshman, and was second on the depth chart to All-American, Todd Gurley. Many thought the only time they would see Chubb on the field was during garbage time, which is exactly what happened during the Bulldog’s first five games.

It wasn’t until a 4-1 Georgia team traveled to Missouri that Chubb got his first start of the season. Georgia was informed that start running back Todd Gurley had been suspended by the NCAA for four games. The suspension finally gave Chubb the chance he had been waiting for.

Chubb rattled off several impressive performances, but Gurley was scheduled to return … until the unthinkable happened: Gurley tore his ACL. Chubb finished the season as the Bulldog’s top back and recorded over 1,323 yards, averaging a staggering 165 yards per game, during that eight game stretch.

Chubb stands 5-foot-10, but his power and quickness are what makes him such a tough back to stop. Look for Georgia’s Nick Chubb to dominate next season.

Ezekiel Elliott, Running Back, Ohio State

2014 Stats: Attempts: 273; Yards: 1,878; Yards/Attempt: 6.9; Touchdowns: 18

Ezekiel Elliott was one of the biggest names by the end of last year’s season. The Saint Louis native rattled off three consecutive 200 yard games to end the season, but Elliott didn’t put those numbers up against cupcake competition.

Elliott ran for 220 yards and two touchdowns against Michigan State in the Big Ten Championship, but he wasn’t done there. The 6-foot back put up a Sugar Bowl record of 230 yards against one of the nation’s top defenses, Alabama.

Luckily for Elliott he saved his bast for last and ran for 246 yards against Oregon in the National Title. The 225 pound monster running back will have a huge season as the Buckeyes will try to defend their title.

Leonard Fournette, Running Back, LSU

2014 Stats: Attempts: 187; Yards: 1,034; Yards/Attempt: 5.5; Touchdowns: 10

Leonard Fournette was one of the nation’s top recruits. Fournette has been on draft boards since his high school days, and it didn’t take LSU fans long to see why.

The 6-foot-1 back had five games where he eclipsed the century mark and three of those games came with multiple touchdown scores. Fournette, a kid who had 100 offers out of high school, has some of the best vision in the country. The LSU back can find holes in the defense and explode into open space.

I fully expect Fournette to be the best running back in college football next season, but will that win him the Heisman? We’ll have to see.

Cody Kessler, Quarterback, USC

2014 Stats: Completions: 315; Attempts: 452; Yards: 3826; Completion Percentage: 69.7; Yards/Attempt: 8.47; Touchdowns: 39; INTS: 5; QB Rating: 167.1

Cody Kessler has had a quite career at USC. The Trojans have gone 26-14 in the three years Kessler has been there. The mediocre results are something relatively new to most Southern Cal. fans, but an experienced Kessler hopes to put those to rest.

The senior was deadly accurate during his junior campaign completing nearly 70 percent of his passes, throwing 39 touchdowns and only five interceptions. He has been the most efficient quarterback at USC over the last 10 years.

The Trojans return a fully stocked squad and should be in the top five next season. Kessler will have his final opportunity to make his name heard and frankly, I know he will seize it.

Trevone Boykin, Quarterback, TCU

2014 Stats: Completions301; Attempts: 492; Yards: 3,901; Completion Percentage: 61.2; Yards/Attempt: 7.93; Touchdowns: 33; INTS: 10; QB Rating: 145.9 

Trevone Boykin was one of my favorite players from the 2014 college football season. Boykin put up video game numbers in almost every game TCU played, and led the Horned Frogs to an impressive 12-1 record.

But here is the thing, this TCU team is even better than last year. The Horned Frogs will be a top two team coming into this season. Winning the National Title is an extremely attainable dream for Boykin and co.

With 10 offensive starters returning and a fairly weak schedule, Boykin should have no problem continuing his production from last season. And let’s not forget that TCU got snubbed from the College Football Playoff last season.

I’m sure Boykin and TCU will be ready to avenge that.

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