Florida RB Kelvin Taylor Is the Ultimate Sleeper for the Heisman Trophy

When you peruse through preseason Heisman lists, you'll undoubtedly see a few running backs listed among the small village of talented quarterbacks (looking at you, Ohio State) coming back for the 2015 season.

Players like Georgia running back Nick Chubb, LSU running back Leonard Fournette and Alabama running back Derrick Henry will be featured prominently on preseason watch lists.

One player who may be down in the second tier in the SEC could be the ultimate Heisman dark horse.

Florida tailback Kelvin Taylor.

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As a sophomore in 2014, Taylor rushed for 565 yards and six touchdowns as the "1B" behind Matt Jones in a painfully one-dimensional Gators offense. At 5'10", 210 pounds, Taylor has proved during his first two years in Gainesville that he's big enough to take the pounding between the tackles but also has the burst to make one cut and run away from opposing defenders.

What's more, he has competition to be "the man" this year despite being the favorite for the top spot on the depth chart during the offseason.

Adam Lane emerged as a contender for carries in the Birmingham Bowl, when he rushed for 109 yards and a touchdown. How much can you take away from a bowl game? It depends on the situation, but even though he wasn't coaching, it was Jim McElwain's first glimpse of his team as Florida's head coach.

That has to count for something and, as I wrote last month, will put pressure on Taylor in the offseason.

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McElwain then flipped 4-star Miami commit Jordan Scarlett leading up to national signing day. The 5'10", 202-pounder is similar to Taylor in that he's a true all-purpose back who has the jets to leave opposing defenders in the dust.

"With Matt Jones and Mack Brown gone, Kelvin is set up to take the bulk of the carries McElwain's offense," Nick de la Torre of GatorCountry.com told B/R. "Taylor had a hard time earning the trust of the previous staff, but with a clean slate and Scarlett there to push him, Taylor is poised to have a breakout season."

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If he wins the job and becomes the No. 1 running back on the depth chart, he's in a system that will revolve around him and lead to some video game numbers. 

Former Alabama running back Dee Hart was buried on the Crimson Tide depth chart when he left the program last offseason. He made his way to Colorado State to join McElwain, his former offensive coordinator, and ripped off 1,275 yards and 16 touchdowns before declaring for the NFL draft.

That was with Garrett Grayson—a known commodity who posted back-to-back 3,500-yard passing seasons—at quarterback for the Rams. Florida doesn't have that kind of threat, which means even more chances for running backs to shine.

Taylor seems excited about the future.

"It's like a new fresh start," Taylor told GatorZone.com in December. "[McElwain] told us he is going to coach us hard, help turn this thing back around and just try to be the best coach he can be. We're just ready to go."

Don't sleep on Kelvin Taylor.

He's cleverly disguised as "field" on Bovada's Heisman odds, but once he starts running up and down football fields this fall, he could shoot up those lists and become a bona fide star. 

Only two running backs have won the Heisman since 2000, and in today's game with diverse offenses and quarterbacks who light up stat sheets, any running back who's going to evolve into a serious contender will have an uphill battle to fight—especially with his offensive line being a question mark.

Taylor has the talent and the opportunity to do it as long as he can help the Gators climb back into the national picture, and he will be one of the biggest factors in that rebuilding effort.

Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on Sirius 93, XM 208.

Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. All stats are courtesy of CFBStats.com unless otherwise noted, and all recruiting information is courtesy of 247Sports' composite rankings. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.