Welcome to the Heisman version of 5 Things! Ohio State, USC, and Notre Dame each have won the Heisman seven times and you'll notice I have a member of each school on my ballot. There has only been 3 wide receivers and 0 purely defensive players to win, and I have one of each on my ballot as well. I use the phrase "purely defensive" because there were two winners that played defense, but not exclusively. For example, Ernie Davis of Syracuse won it in 1961. Davis is best known as a running back, but he played linebacker for the Orangemen too. The closest to a pure defender to win it was in 1997 when cornerback Charles Woodson won it. Woodson was primarily a corner, but he took snaps at wide receiver as well, and was the Wolverines' top punt and kick returner. That season, by the way, Woodson made, what I think is, one of the prettiest interceptions ever against Michigan State. Former Buckeyes great, Archie Griffin, is the only two-time recipient of the award and given the youth of some of the players on my list, its conceivable that he could get some company some time soon. Only two sophomores, Tim Tebow, and Mark Ingram, Jr. have lifted the 25-pound trophy and a freshman has never done so. No matter which of the three invitees to New York wins on Saturday, history will be made. T'eo would be the first purely defensive player to win it. Manziel would be the first freshman to win it (he's a redshirt freshman). Klein would be the first Kansas State player to hoist the award once called the Downtown Athletic Club Trophy. Below I have listed the players in the order they would appear on my ballot, if I were lucky enough to be a Heisman voter:
1. Johnny “Football” Manziel, QB, Texas A&M: Passing: 3419 yards, 24 touchdowns, 8 interceptions, 68.3% completion percentage. Rushing: 1181 yards, 19 touchdowns. Kicking: 0-1 PATs
Johnny Football broke the SEC record for total yards in a game, formerly held by Archie Manning, against Arkansas when he had 557 total yards, but just two weeks later he broke his own record when he compiled 576 total yards against Louisiana Tech. He had 345 total yards against the defense that led the nation in total defense, Alabama. The Tide defense only allowed 246 yards per game this season. He holds the SEC record for total yards in a season (4600) that was previously held by Cam Newton (4327). No freshman has ever won this award, but there is no good reason one shouldn't. Adrian Peterson came in second as true freshman (the closest a freshman has ever come) in a year that he ran for over 1900 yards at Oklahoma. That was a mistake on the voters' part, and we'll see if they do it again. The Aggies haven’t had a Heisman winner since John David Crow in 1957.
2. Manti Te’o, LB, Notre Dame: 103 tackles, 7 interceptions, 5.5 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, and 1 recovered fumble (zero touchdowns scored).
Te'o never had an interception before this season. His 7 this season are out of 16 total interceptions by the Fighting Irish defense and tied for second in the nation (Philip Thomas of Fresno State had 8). He's an emotional favorite for some due to the off-the-field issues he's had to deal with this year. On September 11th he lost his grandmother (undisclosed long-term illness) and his girlfriend (leukemia) in a span of just six hours. He played against Michigan State on the day of his girlfriend's funeral to keep a promise he made to her to honor her through his play -- he had 12 tackles in that game. Statistically, last season was a much stronger one for Te'o with the exception of interceptions (128 tackles, 13.5 tackles for loss, 5 sacks, and forced fumble) but he wasn't a Heisman candidate, perhaps because the list of contenders was much deeper last season. I believe if Te'o wins this award, it'll be the first time that someone who hasn't scored a point has done so.
3. Marqise Lee, WR, USC: Receiving: 112 catches, 1680 yards, 14 touchdowns, 1 two-point conversion, 15 yards per catch. Kickoff Returns: 802 yards, 1 touchdown, 28.64 yards per return
Lee, a sophomore, led the nation in receptions and was second in total yards receiving. The next eight receivers below him in receptions all play in spread offenses as does the only one with more yards (Terrance Williams, Baylor, 1764 yards). The Trojans offense is a pro-style offense, but it can't be denied that Lane Kiffin loves the passing game (sometimes so much it leads to his demise). I think Marqise Lee is the best player in the country and it is amazing to me that he was able to accumulate the statistics he did despite teams consistently double teaming and/or giving safety help over the top on his side of the field. That he demands that kind of attention despite Robert Woods, a top-notch receiver in his own right (11 touchdowns this season), playing on the other side of the field is a testament to how good this kid is. The two were also high school teammates, by the way. He won’t get the votes because his team has five losses, despite this being an individual award and not a team award. A wide receiver hasn't won this award since Desmond Howard won it in 1991, I don't even remember the last time one was in the invited to the ceremony to get a chance at it. Lee, obviously wasn't invited to New York because the Heisman Trust didn't feel he had a legitimate shot to win either.
4. Collin Klein, QB, Kansas State: Passing: 2495 yards, 15 touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 66.2% completion percentage. Rushing: 895 yards, 22 touchdowns.
Klein was recruited by Kansas State to play wide receiver but was converted to quarterback during his sophomore season (he actually caught 6 passes and a touchdown as a freshman receiver) and became the starter last year. He led the Wildcats to their first conference (Big 12) championship (Sooners are co-champions) since 2003. It should be noted that though he threw 7 interceptions on the season, 3 of them came in their only loss of this season against the Baylor Bears. That game, due to the high-scoring nature of it, saw Klein attempt a career-high 50 passes, so it isn't really that surprising that he uncharacteristically threw a few picks considering the rest of the season he averaged just 20.2 passes per game. I believe that if Klein wins it, he'll be the first quarterback to do so having started his college career as a wide receiver.
5. Braxton Miller, QB, The Ohio State University: Passing: 2039 yards, 15 touchdowns, 6 interceptions, 58.3% completion percentage. Rushing: 1271 yards, 13 touchdowns.
I'm sure there will be several Heisman voters that don't even rank Miller because of the Buckeyes' postseason ineligibility. However, it should be noted that it has happened before. When Houston's Andre Ware won it in 1989, they were not only ineligible for the postseason but were also under a television ban! Even without the postseason ineligibility though, I don't believe Miller should, or would, get many first place votes this season. Miller has been fun to watch because of how electrifying and dynamic he is and he basically carried the load for the Buckeyes during the first five games of the season -- willing them to victory, if you will. You'll notice that despite only two sophomores and no freshman having one this award, I have two sophomores and a freshman on my list. I'm excited that we'll get to see these players at least one more season (I believe Lee will leave after his next year). Miller, having a whole season and two offseasons in Meyer's system only provides promise that he will be back on this list next season, and likely with a lower number next to his name.
Predicted Result: Te'o, Manziel, Klein, Miller, Lee
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