Top 10 Heisman Trophy candidates and 5 dark horse picks for 2021

ARLINGTON, TEXAS - DECEMBER 19: Spencer Rattler #7 of the Oklahoma Sooners looks for an open receiver against the Iowa State Cyclones in the second quarter of the 2020 Dr Pepper Big 12 Championship football game at AT&T Stadium on December 19, 2020 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

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Matt Corral, Ole Miss Rebels. Mandatory Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports /

4. Matt Corral, QB, Ole Miss

When Ole Miss hired Lane Kiffin to be their head coach, there was faith that he would have the offense humming sooner rather than later. However, it feels safe to say that most people didn’t expect the success on that side of the ball to be as immediate as it was. And for that matter, they likely didn’t expect Matt Corral to be as good as he was.

Corral absolutely thrived in Kiffin’s offense and had the stats to show for it. In 10 games with the Rebels last year, the then-redshirt sophomore threw for 3,337 yards with 29 touchdowns while adding 506 rushing yards and four more scores. Yes, he had 14 interceptions but that number is inflated by one disastrous game. Overall, he was relatively safe with the football.

Though the Rebels are losing a number of key weapons from last year’s team, they still have players ready to step into bigger roles and succeed in this offense, especially with Corral throwing the pigskin. And with a full offseason to prepare, we could even expect the quarterback to improve, which could mean something massive for his production.

The biggest thing that could hold Corral back from being a legitimate Heisman candidate is that Ole Miss simply might not be good enough to accomplish that. Yes, they are opening the year ranked by most pundits but their defense may limit their overall upside. Even still, I’m willing to hitch my wagon to a quarterback on an above-average team who will put up serious numbers.