10 biggest snubs in Heisman Trophy history
By John Buhler
6. 2015: Christian McCaffrey
In all likelihood, we will fondly look back at the three Heisman finalists from 2015 as one of the best triumvirates in recent memory. It’s exponentially better than the 2012 debacle that gave us Johnny Manziel, Manti Te’o and Collin Klein.
2015 gave us Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey. Henry would edge out McCaffrey and Watson, and while Henry was a good choice for the 2015 Heisman, it should have gone to McCaffrey.
Watson was good, as he won the Davey O’Brien Award, but he relied on his legs and his Clemson defense too much in a so-so 2015 ACC to be a serious Heisman winner. Henry was every bit the bell-cow back that Nick Saban drove into the ground to win a national title in 2015.
However, Henry getting forced-fed 40+ carries a game only elevated his candidacy starting in November. Keep in mind that he was considered the No. 3 best running back in the SEC entering that season behind the LSU Tigers’ Leonard Fournette and the Georgia Bulldogs’ Nick Chubb. Chubb wrecked his knee and Fournette faded in November.
Henry was a straight-line runner that was no help in the Alabama receiving game out of the backfield. Mark Ingram was a special player back in 2009, but all Henry seemed to be was a system running back in Tuscaloosa. He’s decent for the NFL’s Tennessee Titans, but how many carries did Saban save for Henry in the NFL?
An early season loss to the Northwestern Wildcats pretty much knocked Stanford out of the College Football Playoff picture. Almost immediately after that loss, McCaffrey would become this decade’s Reggie Bush for the 2015 Cardinal. McCaffrey would humiliate the opposition as a runner, receiver and return man. The amount of all-purpose yards he accumulated was just insane.
What did McCaffrey in for the 2015 Heisman was that his team wasn’t in the Playoff mix, despite winning the Pac-12 with two losses, the parochial nature of Southeastern Heisman voters and that McCaffrey’s home/road splits as a runner were ghastly. He was really only a dynamic playmaker at home on The Farm at Stanford Stadium.
McCaffrey has an NFL legacy, as his father Ed McCaffrey was a great possession receiver for years with the Denver Broncos. He has also recently announced that he will be declaring for the 2017 NFL Draft. McCaffrey’s NFL upside and overall body of work in college will make us second-guess the 2015 Heisman for years to come.