15 off-the-radar Heisman Trophy candidates for 2016
By Brad Rowland
No. 12 – Lamar Jackson, QB Louisville
As a freshman, Lamar Jackson didn’t always occupy the top position on the quarterback depth chart at Louisville. As he enters his sophomore campaign, that is no longer the case. The Cardinals are Jackson’s team and his talent is off-the-charts.
Jackson, who stands at 6-foot-3 and nearly 200 pounds, is a freakish athlete and he put that ability on full display in Louisville’s bowl win over Texas A&M. In that game, Jackson rushed for 226 yards on 22 carries (with two touchdowns), and the dual-threat quarterback also accumulated 227 yards and two touchdowns through the air. To be fair, that level of production wasn’t consistent throughout Jackson’s debut season, but the ceiling is immense and that is a good recipe for landing on this list.
The rushing capability raises Jackson’s ability to make a Heisman dent, and he rushed for nearly 1,000 yards (on 5.9 yards per carry) in his limited time last season. As a full-time starter, it remains to be seen just how often Jackson will tote the rock, but 1,500 rushing yards does not seem to be fully out of the equation, and if he can pick up 2,000-plus passing yards on top of that, the overall profile may be enough to jump into the mix.
Louisville has to be good in order to facilitate Jackson’s case, but it would be tough to find a quarterback with this level of dual-threat upside in the country.
Next: Corey Clement