Every Power 5 College Football Conference's Dark-Horse Player of Year for 2015
At this point in the offseason, early leaders for Heisman, playoff and conference player of the year considerations have pretty much been set in stone.
But what about the players who are primed for breakout seasons that could affect all three of the aforementioned categories?
These are the dark-horse player of the year possibilities for each of the Power Five conferences.
Other than the Big Ten, conferences typically select an offensive player of the year and a defensive player of the year. With that in mind, we're taking it a step further and projecting who we think will be the conference's sole dark-horse MVP, offense or defense.
Selections are made based on players who started at least one game last season or saw significant playing time as a backup.
ACC: Miami (Fla.) QB Brad Kaaya
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As a true freshman, Miami quarterback Brad Kaaya led the ACC in yards per passing attempt (8.5) and overall passer rating (145.88). However, he played in the shadow of others on his own team (running back Duke Johnson) and in the ACC (Jameis Winston).
Heading into 2015, there's a good chance Pitt running back James Conner, the defending ACC Player of the Year, and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson will be preseason favorites for the award. However, Kaaya's role in the offense takes a huge step forward.
Miami loses some explosive playmakers around him. Johnson is gone, as is vertical threat Phillip Dorsett and tight end Clive Walford. That means Kaaya is the unquestioned leader of the offense. He was already forced to grow up quick by being thrust into game action last year, but now he's the true go-to guy.
This is also a big year for Miami in general. As Bruce Feldman of Fox Sports wrote earlier this month, the Hurricanes likely need to win at least nine games for head coach Al Golden to keep his job.
What will be interesting to watch is whether Miami reloads on offense, or if Kaaya is the one elevating the play of those around him. It's possible he could win the award on the grounds of the latter category.
There's also a case for North Carolina State quarterback Jacoby Brissett, but it's hard not to like Kaaya's potential leap from Year 1 to Year 2 when it comes to his role on the team.
Big 12: Oklahoma State QB Mason Rudolph
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Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy did everything he could to preserve quarterback Mason Rudolph's redshirt in 2014. However, injuries to J.W. Walsh and Daxx Garman forced Rudolph into starting duty in late November against Baylor.
The results for a true freshman on the road against a top-10 team were actually pretty good. Rudolph tossed for 281 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. In his next two games—wins against Oklahoma and Washington—he threw for a total of 472 yards, four touchdowns and two interceptions.
Gundy didn't get to preserve that extra year of eligibility, but it doesn't appear that playing Rudolph was in vain, either. Right away, it looked like the freshman was on his way to being the next great Cowboys quarterback.
It's certainly playing out that way. Gundy has already declared Rudolph to be the starter for 2015. Given how reserved Gundy has been about those types of announcements in recent years, that should tell you how much confidence he has in Rudolph.
The now-sophomore has a strong arm and gives the Pokes the vertical passing game that has been lacking over the past couple of years. Almost the entire receiving two-deep is back, so there will be no shortage of playmakers for Rudolph.
On that topic, the Pokes were a young team last season—basically a brand-new team—and still won seven games. TCU and quarterback Trevone Boykin will likely be preseason favorites to win the Big 12 and Offensive Player of the Year, but Oklahoma State and Rudolph have some serious upside.
With a full offseason as the No. 1 guy, Rudolph should only improve on what was a fine start. For sure, the Cowboys could be an interesting team to watch in '15.
Big Ten: Wisconsin RB Corey Clement
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The Big Ten doesn't do traditional player of the year awards, opting instead to do individual position awards. The closest thing the conference has to a MVP award is the Chicago Tribune Silver Football.
So, we're going to have to play make-believe a little bit here.
You have to figure that any one of Ohio State's three quarterbacks—J.T. Barrett, Cardale Jones and Braxton Miller, a two-time Tribune MVP winner—will be the early favorites here. For that matter, Buckeyes running back Ezekiel Elliott has a good shot. Maybe even defensive end Joey Bosa.
(As a side note, there might be a reason Ohio State is expected to repeat as national champs.)
Anyway, a few players have an outside shot at being named the Big Ten's MVP: Wisconsin running back Corey Clement, Nebraska receiver Jordan Westerkamp and Michigan State quarterback Connor Cook, among others.
Of the ones listed above, Clement could be a pleasant surprise.
Clement was the No. 2 back behind Melvin Gordon a year ago, so there isn't a lot of buzz about his potential. However, when you look at the numbers, they stand out regardless. Clement rushed for 949 yards at 6.5 yards per carry with nine touchdowns.
You might say that's a product of the system, but isn't every player to an extent? Clement is a talented running back who will be in the right scheme to produce a ton of yards. 2015 could be a breakout year for Clement, who was relatively unknown last year. Certainly, he's embracing the No. 1 running back role.
"The players behind me are just going to have to respect that the playing time is in my hands now,” Clement told Colin Becht of Sports Illustrated in March.
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Pac-12: Arizona State QB Mike Bercovici
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USC quarterback Cody Kessler is bound to get a lot of recognition as the Pac-12's best quarterback. Along those lines, the Trojans are offseason playoff darlings.
However, Arizona State quarterback Mike Bercovici could steal some of that limelight. As a first-year starter in 2015, the fifth-year senior doesn't begin the season with the same level of national recognition as Kessler or even Oregon transfer quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.
Could he steal enough, though?
Replacing Sun Devils receiver Jaelen Strong figures to be this team's biggest challenge, at least on offense. D.J. Foster returns, but Cameron Smith, who would be the team's leading returning wide receiver, has already been ruled out for 2015 with a knee injury.
The questions at receiver will temper some of the hype for Bercovici, but let's remember what he did last season. In three starts while filling in for an injured Taylor Kelly, Bercovici went 2-1 and threw for more than 1,200 yards.
"I just like his demeanor. He's matured so much as a leader," head coach Todd Graham said of Bercovici to Craig Grialou of ArizonaSports.com.
Bercovici recently made Fox's Bruce Feldman's early list of dark-horse Heisman candidates. If he's good enough for that, he's good enough to be the Pac-12's dark-horse player of the year.
SEC: Tennessee Defensive End Derek Barnett
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This list has been offense-heavy so far, so let's go out on a limb and take a defender as the SEC's dark-horse player of the year.
For that matter, Tennessee defensive end Derek Barnett may not be the most touted player at his position in the conference. That would be Texas A&M's Myles Garrett. Certainly, Garrett is deserving of the hype. His 11 sacks broke Jadeveon Clowney's freshman SEC sack record.
However, you could make a case that Barnett was every bit as important to his team as Garrett was. Barnett led the Vols with 20.5 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries.
Barnett has been banged up and held out of this spring—not unlike several other Vols—so there's been less chatter about him than there probably would be normally. He should be good to go in time for preseason camp, however.
Players like Georgia running back Nick Chubb and Mississippi State quarterback will be featured as preseason favorites to win the SEC's best player honor. However, the SEC East should be wide open again, and Tennessee has some offseason mojo going for it. If the Vols live up to the potential, Barnett could become more of a household name.
Ben Kercheval is a lead writer for college football. All stats courtesy of cfbstats.com.
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