Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey are the finalists for the Heisman Trophy.
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Henry made his case for the award by rushing for 1,986 yards this season, breaking the SEC single-season record set by Herschel Walker in 1981.
Shaw led Stanford to its third Pac-12 Conference title in the past four years on Saturday night by beating USC, 41-22. He has led to the Tigers to an undefeated season that included wins over Notre Dame, Florida State, South Carolina, and a win over top-10 ranked North Carolina for the ACC Championship Game. The award ceremony will be Saturday at 8 p.m. ET in Midtown Manhattan, New York, N.Y. Considering he is not even a year removed from ACL surgery, Watson’s perseverance and strength that he displayed all season will likely be factors that voters take into consideration.
With the way Derrick Henry played against Florida, I just don’t see who else can win the Heisman Trophy.
Miles says not winning the Heisman or finishing as a Heisman finalist will likely motivate Fournette to have an even better year next season.
Case For: The most versatile player in all of the college football world is Stanford’s own, Christian McCaffrey.
As for the three finalists, they all had remarkable seasons, making this the toughest Heisman victor to predict in several years.
Furthermore, Alabama, while having five finalists in seven years, has had only one Heisman victor ever, that being Mark Ingram in 2009.
No. 1 Clemson and No. 2 Alabama will move to the College Football Playoff semifinals.
More than anything, Watson has what Henry and McCaffrey don’t have enough of: unquestioned leadership, especially under pressure.
The vote is also expected to close, whereas the past few winners were decided by large margins, and Stanford will hope to get a bit of revenge against Alabama. He nearly gained a first down every time he touched the ball (7.9 rushing yards per attempt, and 9.9 receiving yards per attempt). And if there’s a Heisman candidate that has meant the most to their team, it’s Deshaun Watson.
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The official Heisman ballots are in, but now it’s time to cast your vote in our annual People’s Heisman poll. College football fans will be holding their collective breaths Saturday night as the victor of sports’ most recognizable trophy is announced. As hard as it is to run on Alabama, you can’t totally abandon the running game because then Alabama doesn’t have to play honest and they can come after you with more pass rushers. A running back has only won the award twice since 2000. The Heisman Trophy has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid and the chance to go to NY as a finalist is awesome, but none of this would be possible without my coaches and teammates.
