The 2015 Heisman Trophy finalists were announced Monday night, and the list was short and sweet, with just three players eligible to be named the top overall college football player.
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Henry will likely be considered the favorite after breaking Herschel Walker’s SEC single-season rushing record.
Case For: The most versatile player in all of the college football world is Stanford’s own, Christian McCaffrey.
Watson led Clemson to an undefeated regular season and a No. 1 ranking. Watson is also the only player in the country to exceed 800 yards rushing this season.
He threw for 289 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 131 and two more scores as the Tigers beat stubborn North Carolina 45-37 for the Atlantic Coast Conference title.
Both Henry and McCaffrey have also shattered the records of former Heisman winners. His 1,847 yards rushing on 319 carries puts him second to Henry. For what it is worth, in October, Fournette auctioned off one of his game-worn jerseys to support flood relief in SC.
Alabama running back Derrick Henry celebrates after the second half of the Southeastern Conference championship NCAA college football game against Florida, Saturday, Dec. 5, 2015, in Atlanta. 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 Rose Bowl against Iowa still to come on New Year’s Day, McCaffrey is second to Oregon’s Royce Freeman in the Pac-12 rushing race by the thinnest of margins.
I have a personal connection by association to McCaffrey.
Bourret said Watson is the first Clemson player to ever be named a finalist for the prestigious award. As for Watson, he has been the most prolific passer in college football this year and has consistently been a threat on the ground, as well.
If Alabama plays in national championship game on January 11 that could keep Smart from devoting his full attention on Georgia for more than a month.
The 6-foot-1, 232-pound Matakevich had 126 tackles this season – including 15 for a loss – and, along with five interceptions, 4½ sacks and five pass breakups, helped lead the Owls to a surprising 10-3 record and a berth in the Boca Raton Bowl against Toledo.
East Carolina’s Justin Hardy won the award previous year.
He has 3,496 all-purpose yards for the season, passing the 3,250 Sanders earned at Oklahoma State in 1988.
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Now, most years, there’s one candidate who appears to be above the rest, but this year’s Heisman vote could be one of the closest in recent history. He rushed for 207 yards, had 105 yards receiving and tallied 120 on kickoff returns and 29 on punt returns.
