CFB: Who Would Win a Non-QB Heisman Award?

If college football had a non-QB Heisman award, who would win?

The Heisman Trophy celebrates the individual in college football, a sport known for celebrating teams, coaches and programs over the guys actually running around on the field. When you think of the Patriots, you think Tom Brady. When you think Colts, Andrew Luck immediately comes to mind. But when you think of the Alabama Crimson Tide, Coach Nick Saban comes to mind. LSU? Les Miles. Ohio State? Urban Meyer.

The Heisman Trophy helps to reward the individual efforts made in College Football. The best player in the country is awarded an iconic trophy and joins a brotherhood of elite college football stars that has its own series of commercials for Nissan! But the Heisman trophy is increasingly becoming a trophy only for quarterbacks. Seven of the last eight Heisman trophy winners have been quarterbacks. Mark Ingram was the last non-QB, coming in first place in 2009 over a talented field. Jameis Winston, Johnny Manziel and Robert Griffin III are the last three winners of the award, even though there have been so many talented non-quarterbacks to take the field in the NCAA ranks the last few years.

I don’t think we should scold the Heisman voters for picking quarterbacks. The QB is the most important position for a football team and the quarterback gets all the airtime and all the focus of the national press. But why not celebrate the non-quarterbacks with their own award on College Football awards night? Why not honor the best college football player who doesn’t throw touchdowns, but rather runs or catches them?

This award was made for guys like Melvin Gordon. Gordon is having a monster year this season, rushing for 2109 yards and 25 touchdowns this season. He ran his way into the record books against Nebraska a few weekends ago with 408 yards in just three quarters of play. Those 408 yards were an NCAA single-game record until the mark was broken a week later.

Either way, Gordon is dominating the college game this season and deserves to win the Heisman as much as anyone, even though he probably won’t. That Heisman will probably go to who else but a quarterback in Marcus Mariota of Oregon. Mariota has been good for Oregon this season, throwing for over 3000 yards and 32 TDs while giving away just two interceptions. Mariota is first on ESPN’s Heisman Watch, a poll of ESPN experts who predict the game’s most prestigious award every season. Gordon deserves to win just as much as Mariota, but Mariota will prevail because of his position on the field.

Why not make the decision easier on the voters and make the Heisman a quarterback only award? That way, Mariota or Trevone Boykin or J.T. Barrett can get their due for their strong play with a Heisman. That allows non-quarterbacks to compete against themselves and join a fair fight for their own award.

This year, there are a few candidates who jump off the page for consideration for the award. On the defensive side of the ball, Scooby Wright III has made some incredible plays for Arizona and deserves some votes for the real Heisman. At wide receiver, Amare Cooper is unguardable at Alabama and I won’t forget about small school stars Rashard Higgins and Vince Mayle at CSU and WSU, respectively, who rank 1st and 2nd in receiving yards in the country. At running back, James Connor deserves votes for running harder than anyone in the country, and Telvin Coleman is about to hit 2000 yards at Indiana.

But there is only one choice for the non-quarterback Heisman award — Melvin Gordon.

That video is nine minutes long and shows Gordon rushing for over 400 yards in three quarters of work against Nebraska. If you have the time, watch it. Gordon makes some insane cuts and jukes and shows off a mind-blogging combination of size and speed.

I picked out one GIF that really stood out to me. It is second and 5, pretty boring run play behind the left side of the offensive line, and it doesn’t look like much is there for Gordon. Maybe a 3 or 4 yard gain and get ready for 3rd and short. But one block and Gordon explodes through the hole for a gain of around 30 yards.

Melvin Gordon is a special player. He shouldn’t be completing with quarterbacks for the Heisman trophy award, he along with all the defensive and position players on the field should be getting their own award. And if that award ever gets made, this year, I’m giving it to Gordon.

If college football had a non-QB Heisman award, who would win?

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