By Jacob Horton
As the 2014 football season approaches its final stretch of marquee matchups, the talk regarding who will take home this season’s Heisman Memorial Trophy is getting louder. Which begs the question: on Dec. 13, who will be honored as the most outstanding player in college football with the 79th annual Heisman Award?
Traditionally, around five players are chosen as finalists for the award and get to make the trip to New York City for the presentation. So here are the five finalists that I believe have the best shot of taking home the award through 11 weeks of college football action.
The 6’2 inches, 216 pound signal caller for TCU has been the driving force behind this potent Horned Frog offensive unit. He shined his brightest Saturday night, when his team took down number seven Kansas State 41-20. Boykin threw for 219 yards with one touchdown pass, while also rushing for 123 yards and two touchdowns. The redshirt junior has accounted for 2,691 yards through the air this year, while throwing for 23 touchdowns. Boykin has accumulated 546 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground. If TCU manages to win out the rest of its schedule, expect Trevone Boykin to be atop many Heisman voters’ lists.
Through nine games this season, Amari Cooper has proven to be the best wide receiver in all of college football, drawing comparisons to the great Jerry Rice. In 2014 Cooper has racked up 1,215 receiving yards, which ranks him second in the nation. Cooper leads all SEC receivers by a whopping 429 yards. He also leads the SEC in touchdown receptions with 10 thus far. In an Alabama offense that has looked shaky at times this season, the consistent play of Amari Cooper has him ranked among college football’s best.
Playing in the Big Ten comes with its flaws. Even though it is considered a “Power Five” conference, it still tends to get overlooked when discussing the best teams and players in the nation. Melvin Gordon, however, has proven that there is still top-tier talent in the northern states. His 1,501 rushing yards leads the entire nation, while his 19 rushing touchdowns rank him second nationally. Gordon has carried the load for this Wisconsin Badger team as they pursue a Big Ten title.
What Dak Prescott has done this season for the Mississippi State Bulldogs through nine games is almost Heisman-worthy itself. He’sgiven new life to a football program buried in mediocrity.Prescott has thrown for 2,231 yards and 18 touchdowns, while rushing for 779 yards and 11 touchdowns. His most impressive stat thus far is the zero currently hanging in his team’s loss column. If Prescott were to lead his Mississippi State Bulldogs to an undefeated regular season and an SEC championship, how could the Heisman voters possibly deny him of this prestigious award?
The Honolulu, Hi. native has been the most consistent football player in the country this season. Through 10 games, Mariota has thrown for 2,780 yards and NCAA second-best 29 touchdowns. Mariota has also rushed for eight touchdowns and accounted for 524 yards on the ground. Those numbers put him at a pace of roughly 278 passing yards and slightly under four touchdowns per game. Right now Mariota is the favorite to take home the trophy. Time will tell, however, as we still have a whole month of college football left to help us determine who is most worthy of the award.
Contact the writer: jhorton4@aum.edu
Great post! I would’ve thought Cooper would be first, but good job being unbiased.