The Heisman Trophy is college football’s most prestigious individual accolade. Past winners include greats Roger Staubach, Barry Sanders, Tim Tebow, and Johnny Manziel. With each season comes a new chance for one player to insert themselves as one of the greats in college football history. It may only be September, but it is never too early to look forward to who will hold up that heavy bronze trophy.
The front runner for the 2014 Heisman Trophy has to be Oregon quarterback Marcus Mariota. Since taking over as the Ducks’ signal caller in 2012, Mariota has had great success in Oregon’s rapid paced offense. Coming off a season where he totaled over 4,300 yards of total offense and 40 total touchdowns, Mariota is primed to have another big season. If Oregon is able to win a much improved Pac-12, then look for Mariota to be in New York City for the Heisman ceremony.
Reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston is at it again with No. 1 ranked Florida State. Winston will look to become the first two-time Heisman winner since Archie Griffin back in 1974 and 1975. The stage is set for Winston to do it too. With a bevy of weapons at his disposal and a more than manageable schedule, all Winston has to do is perform well and he will have a chance to hold the trophy again. This time may be more difficult as Winston has already established himself as the best player in college football last season. He may have to out-do his numbers from last season to prove himself worthy of a second Heisman in the eyes of voters. Another layer on top of this is the ongoing investigation stemming from a 2012 sexual assault accusation. In order for Winston’s Heisman chase to ensue, there has to be no looming suspension or case findings that could potentially end his season.
The University of Georgia has a track record of having some of the best running backs in the nation. This season may feature the best back that the program has had since Herschel Walker in Todd Gurley. Gurley is a punishing runner with blazing speed. Georgia is transitioning from Aaron Murray to Hutson Mason, so the team will rely heavily on Gurley to carry the offense. The team’s performance always plays a part in the candidates’ chances to win the award. If Gurley can lead the Bulldogs to a strong season, then he will have a great chance to be the first running back to win the award since Alabama’s Mark Ingram in 2009.
Coming into the season, Texas A&M fans didn’t know what to expect from the quarterback position after Manziel bolted for the NFL. In week one of the college football season, newly starting quarterback Kenny Hill had fans saying “Who is this Johnny Football?.” Hill torched South Carolina for 511 yards and three touchdowns. Hill went from possibly being on the bench to winning the starting job and then bursting onto the scene putting up incredible numbers. Sound familiar? The last player who did this went on to win the Heisman Trophy that season and is now in Cleveland. Hill has a chance to do the same as his star predecessor if he can continue to play as he did in week one.
Dominick Falco can be reached at dominick.falco@spartans.ut.edu