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Heisman watch 2018: 10 dark horse Heisman Trophy candidates

By Brad Berreman

ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: McKenzie Milton #10 of the UCF Knights looks to pass in the first half against the Auburn Tigers during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - JANUARY 01: McKenzie Milton #10 of the UCF Knights looks to pass in the first half against the Auburn Tigers during the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 1, 2018 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images) /
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Mandatory Credit: Frank Jansky-Getty Images
Mandatory Credit: Frank Jansky-Getty Images /

4. David Sills, WR, West Virginia

West Virginia quarterback Will Grier is getting some Heisman buzz, and rightfully so after what he did last year prior to a finger injury (3,490 yards, 34 touchdowns; nine 300-yard games). The school even started a website to drive Grier’s campaign.

But the Mountaineers also have two top-notch wide receivers in Sills and Gary Jennings. Sills tied for first in the country with 18 touchdown receptions last year, while averaging 16.3 yards per catch (60 for 980 yards) on his way to being a finalist for the Biletnikoff Award. But there are reasons to think Sills is in line for even better this year. Leaving aside those 18 touchdown catches, 27 of Sills’ remaining 42 receptions last year went for a first down.

If Sills’ name sounds vaguely familiar, there’s a reason. He made headlines by verbally committing to USC as a 13-year old quarterback prospect in 2010, but as should have been expected he decommitted after Lane Kiffin was fired. He then signed a letter of intent at West Virginia and moved to wide receiver for his freshman season in 2015, before transferring to El Camino College.

After playing quarterback again at El Camino in 2016, and getting little in the way of offers from FBS schools, Dana Holgersen called Stills and convinced him to come back to Morgantown as a wide receiver last year.

Stills will presumably be better in some of the finer points of playing wide receiver in a second season playing the position extensively. It’s exceedingly rare for a wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy, with Tim Brown (1987) and Desmond Howard (1991) also producing as return men. But Stills is in line to have a huge season, with 90-100 catches in play and 20 touchdowns a possibility, and make himself impossible to disregard as a candidate for the Heisman.