The 2018 Heisman Trophy will be won by 1 of these 5 quarterbacks
By Kareem Gantt
No disrespect to the great players in college football, but we can call the race, this year’s Heisman Trophy is going to a quarterback.
We’re only four weeks into the 2018 college football season, and it may already be a foregone conclusion who will get the Heisman trophy this season:
A quarterback.
Look, I don’t mean any disrespect to any of the great running backs of college football, but the quarterbacks have certainly balled out this season, and their remarkable stats are giving clarity to this year’s Heisman’s race.
Right now, Kyler Murray, Trace McSorley, Tua Tagovailoa, Will Grier and Dwayne Haskins should be considered the five favorites for the right to hoist the Heisman.
Let’s start in Columbus, where Haskins has taken the reins of the Buckeyes offense. After barely seeing any playing time in 2017 behind J.T. Barrett, Haskins has thrown for 890 yards, 11 touchdowns, and just one interception, while completing 72 percent of his passes. Those are Heisman-like numbers.
Even with his running back, Saquon Barkley, now in the NFL, Trace McSorley has proven that Penn State’s offense is still in good hands, throwing for 763 yards, with eight touchdown passes against two interceptions. If Penn State has dreams of a National Championship, McSorley will have to keep this production up, especially next week against Haskins and Ohio State.
Down in Alabama, Tagovailoa has been unstoppable. He’s coming off the best game of his college career with 387 yards and four touchdowns, and a fifth touchdown coming on the ground against Texas A&M, including a four touchdown-day against Texas Tech, their supposedly “big test” of the young season. He’s also not thrown a single interception.
Murray is putting up Baker Mayfield-like numbers, passing for 863 yards, with eight touchdowns entering tonight’s game against Army. He has the Sooners offense running on all cylinders with his ability to make plays with his feet as well as his arm.
While all of those quarterbacks are sure-fire Heisman contenders, one that has to be considered more of a dark horse dependent on how much his team keeps winning is Will Grier, a player who has made every Gator fan weep with every touchdown pass he throws for West Virginia. He threw five of them in the Mountaineers win over Kansas State.
Now, do you see why the Heisman will, ultimately, go to a quarterback when it’s awarded on Dec. 8?