5 reasons Brad Kaaya can win the 2016 Heisman

No. 2: Talent

It’s nice to be surrounded by solid playmakers, but you can’t expect to win a Heisman Trophy if you don’t have considerable skill yourself. Kaaya is loaded with talent.

The 20-year-old stands 6-foot-4 and weighs in at about 210 pounds, solid dimensions for a prototypical pocket passer. He made an immediate impact as a true freshman in 2014, throwing for 3,198 yards and 26 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.

Kaaya had continued success as a sophomore, passing for 3,238 yards, 16 touchdowns and just five interceptions, but suffered a concussion in Miami’s 58-0 drubbing at the hands of Clemson. Kaaya missed the following game against Duke, the only game he’s missed since arriving at Miami.

The Miami signal-caller was a prized recruit in 2014 who also drew interest from Oklahoma State, USC and Wisconsin, among others. The combined chaos of the concussion and firing of Golden limited the impact Kaaya could have in 2015, but as a junior with two years of starting experience under his belt, there is increased optimism.

He improved his completion percentage from 58.5 to 61.2 and cut his interceptions in half from his first year to his second. That bodes well for another step forward in the 2016 season.

Next: No. 1: NFL future