This year’s Heisman Trophy candidate list is quite a bit more interesting than last year’s group even though the top guys are all quarterbacks. They are all very good!
Johnny Football is back again with his eye on a second Heisman and his performances and numbers so far certainly do qualify him for the award. Add to the stats that certain charisma that Manziel brings to the field and he becomes a top contender once again.
Manziel wowed the home crowd in the last game at Kyle Field by putting up over 500 yards total offense and throwing for 5 touchdowns. He threw for over 3,000 total yards in both his freshman and sophomore seasons with the Aggies. Johnny Football will likely go pro next year, at least the Houston Texans hope so.
Manziel has the highest completion rate of all the candidates with 73% and the highest passing yardage production with 3,313 resulting in 31 TD’s but with 11 interceptions. He also ran for 611 yards and scored 8 TD’s.
Then there is AJ McCarron from Alabama who Head Coach Nick Saban calls the ‘best player in college football’. Based solely on the number of overall victories, McCarron wins hands down. He has been rock solid for all four seasons with the Tide and has led them to two national championships so far. While the numbers for McCarron are not as impressive and his style not as flashy, AJ might just be the number one quarterback picked in the next NFL Draft.
In the words of Coach Saban, ‘what you should equate things with are production, performance, efficiency, consistency and winning. That’s really what it’s all about. He’s done that better than I think anybody in college football.”
The Oregon Ducks also boast their own legitimate Heisman candidate in their quarterback Marcus Mariota. He has the numbers and has had a stellar season, but the unfortunate loss to Stanford will probably put a damper on Mariota’s hope to win the Heisman although he may well end up with an invitation to New York.
But the young man who seems to be sitting in the pole position in the Heisman race is quarterback Jameis Winston down at Florida State in Tallahassee. The Seminoles remain undefeated and look to stay that way and perhaps face Alabama in Pasadena for the national championship. Jameis Winston, as a freshman, has led the way as the team leader both on and off the field.
