ACC Football: Top 10 Contenders for 2015 National Player of the Year
With the excitement building up for the 2015 college football season, there's no better time to talk about early Walter Camp National Player of the Year contenders in the ACC.
Before Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston won the award in 2013, no player from the conference had won it since 1993, when Charlie Ward—also from Florida State—took it home.
This year, the ACC features a few dark-horse options who have a shot to shock the nation. The conference is home to a few players who can put up the numbers to truly deserve the award. Will someone from the ACC step up and grab the award in 2015?
We'll start off with the long-shot options and move on to the most likely players from there. Statistics from last year were considered, but the potential of each player to lead his team to a strong season also factored in.
10. Jalen Ramsey, S, Florida State
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Let's start this off with a man on the defensive side of the ball: Florida State safety Jalen Ramsey. While Ramsey is an absolute stud, the main reason he's a long shot is because he's a defensive player. The last defensive player to win the Player of the Year award was Notre Dame's Manti Te'o back in 2012.
Before that, it hadn't happened since Charles Woodson in 1997.
This is typically an offensive award, but that doesn't mean talented defensive players should be excluded.
While there are multiple strong defensive players in the ACC, Ramsey doesn't only get the nod because of his stats. Florida State is losing some firepower in 2015, but if the team manages to win the ACC again, it'll largely be due to the defense.
Ramsey is going to be the leader of the FSU defense, but the Seminoles will need to have an amazing year for him to win this award. If the Noles can do it once again, watch out for Ramsey as a deep-sleeper pick for the 2015 POY.
9. Jacoby Brissett, QB, North Carolina State
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Jacoby Brissett deserves major praise for his 2014 numbers. He also helped the Wolfpack turn it around down the home stretch and not only make a bowl game but also win one.
Now, it's time for Brissett's encore performance.
After transferring to North Carolina State from Florida, he was a perfect dual-threat quarterback for Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren's offense. Brissett finished 2014 with 2,606 passing yards, 529 rushing yards, 26 total touchdowns and only five interceptions.
Any time a quarterback can post those numbers while only tossing five interceptions, it's going to raise a few eyebrows. The upside for Brissett is that, while the Wolfpack went 8-5 last season, expectations are even higher heading into 2015. If he can post big numbers once again and lead the Wolfpack to an exceptional year, Brissett could be yet another dark horse from the ACC.
8. Marquise Williams, QB, North Carolina
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Placing Marquise Williams on this list comes with the assumption that North Carolina head coach Gene Chizik will be able to right the ship defensively for the Tar Heels. Without an improved defense, the Heels won't be able to win enough games for Williams to earn consideration for the 2015 POY.
Now, Williams himself is more than capable of putting up huge numbers.
Last season alone, the talented junior threw for 3,068 yards, rushed for 788 yards and had 34 total touchdowns. While he was asked to do a ton for his team, Williams still threw only nine interceptions.
If the Tar Heels can help him out on defense, Williams will likely put up some gaudy numbers once again and lead the team to a big year. With both wide receivers Ryan Switzer and Mack Hollins returning, the potential for the offense to be even more electrifying isn't out of the question.
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7. Kendall Fuller Jr., CB, Virginia Tech
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Kendall Fuller Jr. burst onto the scene as a freshman in 2013, earning both All-American and ACC Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. He had 58 total tackles, six interceptions, 2.5 tackles for loss, 11 passes broken up, 0.5 sacks and one forced fumble.
That was just the start for Fuller, though.
While he saw a slight drop-off as a sophomore, Fuller was still incredibly impressive. Last year, Fuller wrapped up his season with 54 total tackles, two interceptions, 4.5 tackles for loss, 15 passes broken up and two sacks.
The man is an incredible talent, and the younger brother of current Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller could be poised for his best year yet in 2015. Tack on the fact that the Virginia Tech Hokies should make strides in the right direction this season, and Fuller makes for an interesting choice for the Player of the Year race.
It's a long shot, especially since he's a defensive back, but he has the skills and drive to shock the nation.
6. Brad Kaaya, QB, Miami
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Kaaya the Messiah is back in the building, folks.
Brad Kaaya has Hurricanes fans excited about the future—and 2015 specifically. While the rising sophomore may be losing key offensive weapons, he's still poised to do huge things this season.
Players such as Duke Johnson, Phillip Dorsett, Clive Walford and Ereck Flowers are all headed to the NFL, meaning the Canes will be filling many voids. The good news? Players like Joe Yearby and Stacy Coley are ready to step up—and most importantly, Kaaya is ready to lead.
If the Hurricanes can finally live up to their potential, Kaaya could be in the mix as a possible Player of the Year candidate—but it won't be easy. He posted an impressive 26 touchdowns with 3,198 yards but will need to do even more for Miami to win the ACC title.
What happens if the Hurricanes can't make a push toward the ACC title? Well, it's likely to be the end of the Al Golden era, and Kaaya won't have much of a shot at the award.
5. Tyler Boyd, WR, Pittsburgh
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Flat out, Tyler Boyd is not only the best receiver in the ACC, but he's also one of the best receivers in the entire country. There are two things holding Boyd back from being a serious contender for the 2015 Player of the Year award.
The first issue is that he has a running back on his team by the name of James Conner, who may end up being the best in the country in 2015. The second is that his team finished just 6-7 last season, a record Pittsburgh must improve upon in order for Boyd to contend for the award.
Boyd's numbers don't lie.
Heading into his junior season, Boyd is just 568 yards away from Pittsburgh's all-time leading receiver, Dietrich Jells. Considering how Boyd can produce, he may break that record within the first five games of the season—or even faster.
The talented Panthers playmaker racked up 1,261 yards with eight touchdowns last season and finished the year with 100-plus yards in five of six games. If Boyd can produce like that again, he's going to be tough to overlook.
The only thing that may slow him down is Pittsburgh's run-first mentality.
4. Dalvin Cook, RB, Florida State
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It took some time for Seminoles fans to fully fall in love with their talented freshman running back last season. When Dalvin Cook got his chance, though, he went straight to work. It took until Week 6 of the season for the team to start feeding Cook, but he still finished the year with 880 yards and six scores.
Cook is going to be the focal point of the Florida State offense with playmakers like Jameis Winston, Rashad Greene, Karlos Williams and Nick O'Leary all gone. If FSU succeeds this season, it's likely going to be on the back of Cook.
That alone gives him a shot at the Player of the Year award.
I'm not sold on Florida State winning the ACC—or Cook being able to outperform the next running back on this list—but he's going to have a big year.
After two years of watching Famous Jameis excel for head coach Jimbo Fisher and the Noles, it's time to pass the reins over to Cook for a season. Expect the run game to be a major factor this year in Tallahassee and for Cook to reap the benefits of that.
3. James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
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When a player scores 26 touchdowns in a season, it's going to raise a few eyebrows. James Conner was one of the best running backs in the nation in 2014, posting rushing totals better than multiple big names: His 1,765 rushing yards were better than Samaje Perine, Duke Johnson, David Cobb, Ameer Abdullah, Cameron Artis-Payne, Jarvion Franklin and many others.
Expect Conner to do it all over again in 2015, especially in a Pittsburgh offense that loves to feed him the ball. Conner's 298 attempts last season ranked him seventh overall in the country, and we'll likely see even more of him this year.
After finishing 2014 with All-ACC First Team honors and breaking the ACC single-season touchdown record, what's next for the rising junior? Could it be the Player of the Year award? You'd have to be pretty crazy to bet against Conner for anything at this point.
If the Panthers improve upon their 6-7 record from 2014 and contend for the ACC title, it'll be largely due to Conner. If that happens, don't be surprised to hear his name in the talks for multiple major awards.
2. Justin Thomas, QB, Georgia Tech
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If the Yellow Jackets can repeat as Coastal Division champions and win the ACC title, Justin Thomas is going to be in the mix for some major awards. Will one of those awards include the 2015 Player of the Year award?
It wouldn't be the least bit surprising.
Doesn't it seem like just yesterday that we were watching Thomas light up the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Capital One Orange Bowl? He led the Yellow Jackets to a 49-34 win by throwing for 125 yards, rushing for 121 yards and scoring four total touchdowns.
Thomas and the Jackets are the very popular pick to win the Coastal Division in 2015, but they are also getting love to possibly take the ACC crown. The rising junior finished up his 2014 campaign by passing for 1,719 yards, rushing for 1,086 yards and scoring 26 total touchdowns.
He also only threw six interceptions all season.
If the Yellow Jackets can live up to the hype in 2015 and make a push toward the College Football Playoff, Thomas is going to end the year as a serious POY candidate.
1. Deshaun Watson, QB, Clemson
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The man whom I touted as the most likely Heisman hopeful from the ACC is also the most likely contender for the Player of the Year award in 2015. If Deshaun Watson plays all season, there is no reason to believe that the Clemson Tigers can't win every game.
There's also no reason to believe that Watson won't run away with multiple major awards.
It's amazing to think that Watson only played four full games as the starter but still produced strong numbers in 2014. It's worth noting that he did see limited action in four other games but suffered injuries in two of those four games (hand vs. Louisville on Oct. 11 and knee vs. Georgia Tech on Nov. 15).
When 2014 came to an end, Watson had thrown for 1,466 yards, 14 touchdowns and only two interceptions with an impressive 67.9 completion percentage. The talent that Watson showed in 2014 was just the tip of the iceberg, but we saw some incredible things from him.
Two moments specifically come to mind.
In Clemson's 35-17 victory over South Carolina, a game that he played with a torn ACL, Watson completed 14-of-19 passes for 269 yards and scored four total touchdowns (two through the air and two on the ground).
The other? A game that the entire country likely remembers. This was his six-touchdown performance against North Carolina, which led to a 50-35 victory. During that game, Watson completed 75 percent of his 36 passes.
If you want an ACC player who could sweep the major awards in 2015, look no further than the lead man in Death Valley.
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