This Years Heisman Hopefuls

[Agent Kev]

College Football is basically life in the south so let's take a look at who Cbs.sportsline.com has as potential Heisman candidates for this year:

Brian Brohm, QB
School: Louisville
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 224
Comment: The only thing that can stop this Cardinals legacy is a repaired ACL and another shaky Louisville defense. Hey, we're tired of the Louisville woulda, coulda, shoulda. Time to get to a BCS bowl.


Michael Bush, RB
School: Louisville
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-3 Wt: 250
Comment: Good call not going to the NFL. Bush would have been only a mid-rounder despite 24 touchdowns last year. With a 6-3, 250-pound frame he can turn the corner and hit you in the mouth.


Jamaal Charles, RB
School: Texas
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 6-1 Wt: 190
Comment: The Big 12 offensive freshman of the year shared time at tailback and still ran for 878 yards and 11 touchdowns. He won't be overshadowed by Vince Young this year, he'll be the man.


Ted Ginn Jr., WR
School: Ohio State
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 175
Comment: Running precise routes and becoming a leader. His 167 receiving yards against Notre Dame in the Fiesta were more than a quarter of his season total coming into the game.


Kenny Irons, RB
School: Auburn
Class: Senior
Ht: 5-11 Wt: 202
Comment: This South Carolina transfer eased the loss of Ronnie Brown and Cadillac Williams. Irons got 397 of his 1,293 rushing yards against the SEC championship combatants (LSU and Georgia).


Dwayne Jarrett, WR
School: Southern California
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-5 Wt: 200
Comment: To think this New Jersey product was so homesick he almost left campus as a freshman. With 29 career TD catches, Jarrett is within three of the Pac-10 record after two seasons.


Calvin Johnson, WR
School: Georgia Tech
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 225
Comment: Circus catches? CJ is the circus. The Eastern Time Zone version of Jarrett. Incredible hands and 4.4 speed.


Chris Leak, QB
School: Florida
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 212
Comment: Statistically, he's going to go down as one of the best ever at Florida and the SEC. But first he's got to keep Tim Tebow from taking the job.


Adrian Peterson, RB
School: Oklahoma
Class: Junior
Ht: 6-2 Wt: 211
Comment: Ready to resume another 2,000-yard chase after injury problems. Peterson has to hope the line is rebuilt sufficiently.


Jeff Samardzija, WR
School: Notre Dame
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-0 Wt: 175
Comment: What can't this guy do? All-American receiver, pitcher, trendsetter with his 'do. He broke out against Washington (164 yards on Sept. 24) against the coach who wouldn't play him.


Steve Slaton, RB
School: West Virginia
Class: Sophomore
Ht: 5-10 Wt: 185
Comment: With quarterback Patrick White, Slaton is one half of "The Jackrabbits." Slaton ran for 1,128 yards as a freshman.


Brady Quinn, QB
School: Notre Dame
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-4 Wt: 232
Comment: The only Notre Dame quarterback to surprass 400 yards in multiple games (five times). The only other quarterback on that list, Joe Theismann, did it once.


Troy Smith, QB
School: Ohio State
Class: Senior
Ht: 6-1 Wt: 215
Comment: Started the final five games of '05 (going 4-1). Left his Heisman calling card: 408 yards in total offense against ND in the Fiesta Bowl.


Garrett Wolfe, RB
School: Northern Illinois
Class: Senior
Ht: 5-7 Wt: 174
Comment: Nation's leading returning rusher (1,588). If the Huskies make a BCS run, Wolfe will get an invitation to New York.


Others to watch (listed alphabetically)

Colt Brennan QB Senior Hawaii
Kenneth Darby RB Senior Alabama
Michael Hart RB Junior Michigan
Sam Keller QB Senior Arizona State
Brian Leonard RB Senior Rutgers
Marshawn Lynch RB Junior California
Darren McFadden RB Sophomore Arkansas
Paul Posluszny LB Senior Penn State
Sidney Rice WR Sophomore South Carolina
Drew Stanton QB Senior Michigan State
Tyrell Sutton RB Sophomore Northwestern
Drew Weatherford QB Sophomore Florida State
Pat White QB Sophomore West Virginia

[Agent Kev]

From Collegefootballnews.com:

Just a few weeks ago, Reggie Bush and Vince Young became multi-millionaires-to-be courtesy of getting selected at or near the top of the NFL Draft’s first round. Good for them. Good for their new employers. Good for this year’s Heisman race. Both Bush and Young left the amateur arena with a year of eligibility remaining, making the battle for the 2006 trophy a little more compelling and a lot more competitive than if last year’s winner or runner-up had stayed in school for his senior year. Anything might have happened, but the likelihood of a wire-to-wire victory for one of the two would have boxed out and sealed the fate of a slew of viable contenders, making for a ho-hum, matter-of-fact race. Instead, like the national title chase, we’ve got the makings of a deliciously wide-open situation, sans any runaway favorites.

Going 100 deep on a Heisman list may seem like a cop out to some, but you almost have to these days. Why? Jerome Harrison, Michael Robinson, Drew Olson, Elvis Dumervil. All four finished in the top 10 of last year’s voting, yet none got even a whisper of Heisman hype before the season began. This fall’s surprise could come from anywhere and might not even appear on a list that’s this fickle and all-encompassing.

20. LB Paul Posluszny, Penn State – Every season has at least one defensive player that generates a grassroots Heisman buzz. Posluszny will be that player in 2006. He’s arguably the best defender in college football, and those who doubt he steal some votes need only look at last year’s final tally, which included two defensive players in the Top 10.

19. QB Drew Tate, Iowa – Tate has been a very good quarterback the last two years for the Hawkeyes, but in order to be in the long haul hunt, he’ll need to be a little more prolific statistically while leading Iowa to a fifth straight January bowl game. He can also use a few reliable hands now that Clinton Solomon and Ed Hinkel have graduated.
18. RB Jamaal Charles, Texas – Vince Young has left Austin, but the ‘Horns are hardly void of flashy talent Heisman contenders. Charles is a burner, who led Texas backs in rushing as a freshman in 2005, despite suffering a nagging ankle injury in October. His biggest roadblocks will be durability and a backfield that’s as deep as any in America.

17. QB Chad Henne, Michigan – Henne’s got a chance to become the Wolverines’ all-time leading passer after just three seasons in Ann Arbor. And now as the undisputed leader of a Michigan team looking to rebound from its worst season since 1984, he’s going to get more media attention than ever before.

16. RB Garrett Wolfe, Northern Illinois – Get ready for a groundswell of support for Wolfe, particularly if he perforates a revamped Ohio State D in the opener. He’s a 300-yard game waiting to happen, and with an early schedule that includes Ohio, Buffalo, Indiana State and Ball State, he could be over 1,000 yards before the end of September.

15. RB Michael Hart, Michigan – Hart’s value to the Wolverines was never more evident than last year, when he missed substantial parts of the season and the offense sputtered in his absence. Chad Henne may have more pro potential, but Hart is the sparkplug, and with 12 games to prove it, he’s capable of becoming the first Michigan back in 66 years to win the award.

14. RB Marshawn Lynch, Cal – After Adrian Peterson, Lynch is squarely in the team photo for next best back in America. He can zoom past or through tacklers, and last December’s 194-yard, three-touchdown demolition of BYU in the Las Vegas Bowl was a prelude of things to come in his junior season.

13. RB Kenny Irons, Auburn – An expat, who began his college career at South Carolina, Irons was the SEC’s newcomer of the year in 2005, succeeding Carnell Williams and Ronnie Brown better than anyone could have expected. In running for more than 100 yards in the Tigers’ final six league games, he allowed QB Brandon Cox to mature at a manageable pace.

12. QB Drew Stanton, Michigan State – Winning the Heisman is a two-part recipe that requires the right combination of big numbers and big wins. And therein lies the rub for Stanton. He’s got a proven, two-year track record of gaudy stats, but unless he can engineer a career-first upset Michigan or Ohio State and get the Spartans back to the post-season, the Top 10 is off limits.

11. QB John David Booty, USC – If Ashton Youboty was the Trojan quarterback, he might warrant an honorable mention somewhere on the list. Such is life these days at USC, where the supporting cast, media crush and league titles are practically built in to a quarterback’s candidacy. Booty’s a former prep All-American with four springs under his belt and a bulging disc that required surgery at the end of March.

10. QB Pat White, West Virginia – A year ago, Pat White was a non-entity to outside Morgantown. Today, he’s one of college football’s rising stars and a bona fide Heisman candidate in just his sophomore year. White didn’t even begin 2005 as the starter, but after winning the job in October, he performed like a Michael Vick knockoff, rushing for almost 1,000 yards and leading the ‘eers to a Sugar Bowl upset of Georgia.

9. QB Sam Keller, Arizona State – Or Rudy Carpenter, last year’s passing efficiency leader. The two are interchangeable, although Keller has the edge now that his injured hand has healed. Combined, the two threw for 37 touchdowns and 4,438 yards last fall. If either gets 80% of the snaps, those numbers plus an ASU run at the Pac-10 title equals Jake Plummer: The Sequel.

8. RB Steve Slaton, West Virginia – West Virginia football is hot these days, and kids like Slaton and QB Pat White will be the beneficiaries of the unprecedented national exposure. Slaton was magnificent in his 2005 debut, shaking off early-season anonymity to finish with 1,128 yards on the ground and 19 touchdowns in just over half a season.

7. RB Michael Bush, Louisville – Bush entered Louisville as a blue-chip quarterback. He’ll leave with just about every school rushing and scoring mark. He was a scoring machine last year, reaching the end zone 24 times in just 10 games, something he’s capable of duplicating in this year’s combustible Cardinal offense.

6. WR Ted Ginn, Jr., Ohio State – Forecasters predicting a Heisman in Ginn’s future may have been a year off. He never mounted a challenge in a disappointing sophomore season, but 2006 figures to be more promising. Ginn, coaches say, has really stepped up his game in the off-season and on speed alone, he’s a candidate for six every time the ball is in his hands.

5. QB Brian Brohm, Louisville – By just about every measure, Brohm is the prototypical franchise quarterback, a future first-day draft choice. He makes all the throws, can escape pressure and is heady way beyond his years. Now a seasoned veteran, Brohm is back from the knee injury that curtailed his sophomore season, and poised for a blowout year as Bobby Petrino’s triggerman.

4. QB Chris Leak, Florida – Urban Meyer’s in his second season at Florida. Leak’s in his second season with Meyer. Expectations for 2006 will be soaring in Gainesville. If nothing else, last year proved Leak was not a perfect match for the spread-option, but he’s still a terrific quarterback, who found a way to account for 3,000 yards and 26 touchdowns in last year’s up-and-down season.

3. QB Troy Smith, Ohio State – Smith has had a soap opera career in Columbus that’s about to reach a crescendo at a most opportune time. Last season began with him being suspended for the Miami (OH) opener and ended with a career-high 408 total yards against Notre Dame in the Fiesta Bowl that launched his Heisman campaign a few months earlier than anticipated.

2. RB Adrian Peterson, Oklahoma – The line didn’t block. The passing game couldn’t keep defenses honest. And a banged-up Peterson was uncharacteristically ordinary for much of the 2005 season. If QB Rhett Bomar makes the necessary strides to keep the heat off the running game, count on something closer to 2004, when Peterson ran for 1,925 yards and nearly became the first freshman to ever win the Heisman.

1. QB Brady Quinn, Notre Dame – Quinn is by far the top returning Heisman vote-getter, but that alone doesn’t make him this year’s pre-season favorite. He flourished beyond anyone’s expectations in his first season under Charlie Weis, throwing 32 touchdowns and setting all kinds of Irish passing records. With a year in the vault and WR Jeff Samardzija back, he might be even better in 2006. And unlike Oklahoma’s Adrian Peterson, whose quest rests on the development of others, Quinn is firmly at the controls of his destination.