National Signing Day 2018: 5 recruits with Heisman potential

Looking into my crystal ball and the future looks awfully bright for these five incoming 2018 recruits who could compete for a Heisman Trophy real soon.

National Signing Day is an exciting time for the players signing their letters of intent at the college of their choice. It’s also exciting for their families, the coaching staffs that get to develop and work with them and for the fans who get to cheer them on for the next few years. It’s also a time to get excited about the future and think about how your favorite team could be affected by the new wave of talent coming to college football.

It’s so fun to think about who could be the next Baker Mayfield, Lamar Jackson, Sam Darnold, Saquon Barkley or Bryce Love. The next generation of stars are here and they’re ready to make a name for themselves. Two of the players above came to college with little fanfare and left as Heisman Trophy winners and leave as immortal legends. The same could be said for a player or two from the 2018 class of recruits.

As recent history indicates, you don’t have to be a five-star recruit to win a Heisman Trophy, but it sure doesn’t hurt if you come to college with a lot of hype surrounding your name and the talent to justify the ranking from recruiting services.

So who are the recruits that could follow in the footsteps of Mayfield and Jackson and join them in the Heisman fraternity?

I’ve narrowed the field down to five candidates I think have Heisman potential and will have the coaching staff and the program to help them in that pursuit. Now because the Heisman is a quarterback and running back award, I have limited it exclusively to those two positions. I don’t agree that the Heisman should always go to the best quarterback or the best running back but that’s how it is so I have to tailor my picks to what the voters do.

5. Jaelen Gill, RB – Ohio State

The 6-1, 182-pound Gill is the nation’s No. 2 running back recruit and should see immediate playing time as a freshman to complement Mike Weber and J.K. Dobbins in the Ohio State backfield. Gill’s junior year will be his time to break out and have the spotlight all to himself when the two others are out of eligibility or declared for the NFL, as I expect Dobbins to leave after his junior year. Urban Meyer has plenty of talent coming to Columbus this year with the nation’s top class and Gill should have plenty of support in the years to come as he tries to become the latest Buckeye to win the Heisman.

4. Zamir White, RB – Georgia

The 6-1, 220-pound White is the top running back recruit in the country and he’s headed to play for the school that is trying to give Alabama a run for their money as the owner of RBU. Georgia had Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall then they won the SEC and nearly the national championship with the duo of Sony Michel and Nick Chubb. White won’t get all the carries as a freshman with D’Andre Swift and Elijah Holyfield returning, but he’ll get enough run to get a taste of SEC football to set him up for the future. White could make a run for the Heisman as a sophomore or junior and with Jake Fromm under center for at least two more years, the Dawgs should be competing for SEC championships which is necessary to be in the conversation for the Heisman.

3. JT Daniels, QB – USC

Daniels hopes to become the latest Mater Dei graduate to have success at USC. Matt Barkley and former Heisman winner Matt Leinart are Mater Dei alums who went on to become USC legends and Daniels has the opportunity to make that dream a reality. Daniels reclassified to become part of the 2018 class and could have a shot at succeeding Sam Darnold under center as a freshman. It may be in his best long-term interest to redshirt, but I’m not sure if that’s in the cards or if he’ll be too good to keep off the field. The 6-2, 205-pounder threw 152 touchdowns to only 14 interceptions in his three-year high school career while throwing for 12,000 yards.

2. Justin Fields, QB – Georgia

Fields could have a pro career in the NFL or MLB. He’s that talented. The No. 2 football recruit is headed to Georgia where he’ll compete with Fromm for the starting job. Even if he doesn’t win the job, I expect him to be worked into the offense because he can bring a rushing element that Fromm doesn’t necessarily bring to the table. The 6-3, 221-pound Fields brings Cam Newton-like excitement to the field and I wouldn’t be surprised to see him leave Georgia with a Heisman and a national title on his resume.

Next: 10 most underrated recruits of 2018 class

1. Trevor Lawrence, QB – Clemson

The top-ranked recruit in the country also hails from Georgia like Fields. Imagine playing against Fields and Lawrence in the Georgia state playoffs. Lawrence is tall at 6-6 and has to fill out his 210-pound frame an additional 20-25 pounds, and he’ll do that over time at Clemson. He has everything you want from a high school quarterback. There’s nothing he can’t do and he projects as a player that could be the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft in three or four years. I expect Lawrence to compete for the starting job as a freshman, which says a lot since Kelly Bryant returns to a team that made the playoff last year, but that’s just how ridiculously talented Lawrence is. Look for him to continue the Clemson quarterback legacy that took off under Tajh Boyd, reached new heights under Deshaun Watson and Lawrence could do what he couldn’t, and bring home the Heisman to Clemson.

All recruiting information comes courtesy of 247Sports.