Entering Week 1 of the 2017 college football season, we look at the leading Heisman Trophy candidates and what they have ahead of them out of the gate.
Nothing matters until the players take the field. That’s the refrain that you’ll hear time and again until the 2017 college football season is in full swing. The AP Poll, the projected standings and other predictions only matter for giving fans a baseline of what to expect. But as soon as the players take the field, narratives change and everything gets turned on its head. That’s the beauty of the sport.
The Heisman Trophy is no different in this regard. Coming into a season, it’s obvious that some players are going to be in the mix, based on talent, history or a combination of the two. With that being said, there are always players who emerge as candidates that we didn’t see coming. In the opposite light, there are players who crumble in the face of expectations and fall out of the race.
Ultimately, there is three months worth of college football to be played and a lot is going to change over that time. Thus, there is only so much you can say about the Heisman Trophy race. Yes, players like JT Barrett, Jalen Hurts, Derrius Guice, Deondre Francois and so on could all well be in the mix to win at season’s end. But if we’re looking at a baseline group of five guys to watch entering Week 1, they don’t make the cut.
Making distinctions as to what role they fill in the Heisman Trophy race entering Week 1 of the season, let’s take a look at five potential candidates to take home the most prestigious award in the sport.
The Returning Winner: Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
It’s pretty crazy to think that the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner is returning for another season and he seems to be getting lost in the shuffle. Such is the reality, though, when it comes to Louisville Cardinals quarterback Lamar Jackson. He was the talk of the college football world on a weekly basis last season, providing one highlight-reel play after another, be it with his arms or his legs. Frankly, his numbers are those that you’d struggle to put up even in a video game.
Jackson’s 51 total touchdowns last season are a remarkable total, finding paydirt 21 times with his legs and 30 times with his arms. His yardage totals were equally as legendary as he threw for 3,543 yards while rushing for 1,571 more. And to boot, the Louisville quarterback also only threw nine interceptions on the year. He simply proved that he has the ability to eviscerate opposing defenses in any way that the defense will allow him to.
What’s crazy about Jackson is that he’s often slotted as a “running quarterback” and thought to be all about his legs. Make no mistake, he’ll make you pay if he takes off — especially with reports that he’s even bigger and faster this season. However, Jackson has an NFL-caliber arm and the ability to make more than enough plays with his arm. He’s a true do-it-all type of quarterback. He may not be getting talked about enough coming into the season, but he’ll surely remind us all who the 2016 winner of college football’s most prestigious award was right out of the gate.