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Who are the 2017 Heisman Trophy candidates?

By Cody Williams

Dec 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; The Heisman Trophy stands on a podium during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis before the 2016 Heisman Trophy awards ceremony. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; The Heisman Trophy stands on a podium during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis before the 2016 Heisman Trophy awards ceremony. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /
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Dec 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Louisville quarterback and Heisman finalist Lamar Jackson speaks to the media during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis before the 2016 Heisman Trophy awards ceremony. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 10, 2016; New York, NY, USA; Louisville quarterback and Heisman finalist Lamar Jackson speaks to the media during a press conference at the New York Marriott Marquis before the 2016 Heisman Trophy awards ceremony. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports /

2. Lamar Jackson, QB – Louisville

What Lamar Jackson did in the 2016 college football season as an individual was truly remarkable. The Louisville Cardinals quarterback finished the season with 51 total touchdowns—30 passing, 21 rushing—and over 4,900 total yards between his passing and rushing. Even better, he only threw nine interceptions on his 382 attempts on the season.

Given that and the fact that he won the 2016 Heisman Trophy by a wide margin, you’re probably wondering why he’s not the favorite heading into the 2017 season.

Other than the fact that I have exceptionally high hopes and expectations for the young man at No. 1, there are some worrying signs regarding the Louisville quarterback. For one, he actually made the 2016 Heisman race a bit interesting at the end of the season as both he and his team’s performance faltered down the stretch, losing their final two games of the season. Had there been someone able to emerge with a similar campaign to Jackson in terms of production, they would’ve surpassed him because of that. That didn’t happen, though, so Jackson survived as the favorite.

Perhaps more concerning to me, though, is the fact that Jackson still isn’t that accurate of a passer. That was the biggest knock on him entering his sophomore season. And while it didn’t slow down his scoring, he still only completed 57.6 percent of his passes. As defenses now have him on their radar and can game plan for his rushing ability, he’ll have to improve on that. Given that, he’s not the favorite heading into 2017 by my estimation.

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