Leonard Fournette's 7 Biggest Challengers for 2015 Heisman Trophy
As college football rolls toward November, there’s no questioning its best player and leading Heisman Trophy candidate. In his second season at LSU, sophomore tailback Leonard Fournette has gone from good to exceptional. In seven games, Fournette has piled up 1,352 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns, averaging 7.7 yards per carry with power and speed. CBS Sports' Heisman Watch has Fournette as the clear leading candidate.
He averages 193.1 yards per game and has rushed for at least 150 yards in every game, with a pair of 200-yard efforts. Fournette has blown past his freshman stats of 1,034 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns and is on pace to rush for 2,124 yards despite LSU’s season opener against McNeese State being washed out by thunderstorms. That’s how good he’s been.
Barring injury, can anyone prevent him from taking home LSU’s second-ever Heisman Trophy? Sure, it’s entirely possible. Plenty can happen over the final month-plus of the 2015 season. Let’s take a look at the players who are best positioned to grab the trophy away from Fournette.
7. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
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Memphis is one of the nation’s best stories this fall. The Tigers are coming off a 10-win season, but they’ve been even better in 2015, compiling a 7-0 record punctuated by an upset of regional rival Ole Miss.
Justin Fuente’s team is fueled by a potent offense, and that offense is helmed by junior quarterback Paxton Lynch. Lynch has developed into one of the nation’s top passers, throwing for 2,366 yards with 17 touchdowns against just one interception, completing 71.6 percent of his passes.
Lynch has thrown for 300-plus yards in all but one game this season, torching Cincinnati for 412 yards and Tulsa for 447. If Memphis can survive a tough season-ending stretch that includes unbeaten Houston and unbeaten Temple, Lynch could emerge as a front-runner, provided he keeps putting up strong passing numbers.
6. Alabama RB Derrick Henry
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Alabama has recovered nicely from an early loss to Ole Miss, heading into an off week and next week’s SEC West showdown with LSU 7-1 and in prime position to make another College Football Playoff appearance. While senior quarterback Jake Coker has settled in nicely, junior tailback Derrick Henry is the engine that makes the Crimson Tide offense go.
Henry spent his first two seasons as an understudy in Alabama’s backfield, but he has shown this season that he can handle a full load and then some. He already has 180 carries, piling up 1,044 yards and 14 touchdowns.
At 6’2”, 242 pounds, Henry is a powerful force who is very difficult for opposing tacklers to bring down. He runs with an exceptional blend of power and speed and can take over games. If Alabama makes a playoff run, Henry could charge to New York as a Heisman finalist.
5. Florida State RB Dalvin Cook
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Florida State has taken a slight step back this fall, falling to 6-1 following last week’s wild, final-play loss at Georgia Tech. But the Seminoles and a young offense probably would’ve fallen further without the services of sophomore tailback Dalvin Cook.
Cook was one of FSU’s best players down the stretch of a College Football Playoff run last season, rushing for 1,008 yards and eight touchdowns.
He’s been even better this season, rushing for 1,037 yards and 11 touchdowns in seven games while averaging 8.2 yards per carry, up from 5.9 a year ago. He’s done so while battling a balky hamstring that has, at times, limited his top speed.
When healthy, Cook is capable of scoring every time he touches the ball, with impressive speed. He’ll have showcases against Clemson and Florida down the stretch, and don’t count him out of the Heisman race just yet.
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4. Stanford RB Christian McCaffrey
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Following an 8-5 2014 season, Stanford has found its way back into the national spotlight this fall, emerging as a Pac-12 favorite and College Football Playoff contender with a 6-1 record. One of the biggest reasons why? Sophomore tailback Christian McCaffrey.
In his second season, McCaffrey, the son of former NFL receiver Ed McCaffrey, has emerged as a legit star and an all-around workhorse for the Cardinal offense. He leads the nation with 259.1 all-purpose yards per game and leads Stanford in both rushing (953 yards, six touchdowns) and receiving (21 receptions, 284 yards, two touchdowns).
McCaffrey is fast, elusive and the key, along with a solid defense, to Stanford’s postseason hopes. If he can keep rolling and the Cardinal keeps winning, he could certainly make a run at the Heisman Trophy.
3. Baylor WR Corey Coleman
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Through seven games, Baylor’s offense has been unstoppable. The Bears are 7-0 and average 61 points per game, tops nationally. One year after falling just short of the College Football Playoff, the offense has Art Briles’ team as a strong playoff candidate again.
Junior receiver Corey Coleman deserves plenty of credit. After a 1,119-yard, 11-touchdown sophomore season, he has emerged as the nation’s top deep threat. Coleman has 47 receptions for 962 yards with 18 touchdowns, averaging 20.5 yards per reception.
Coleman averages 2.64 touchdowns per game and is on a 32-touchdown pace for the regular season. He leads the nation’s wide receivers in touchdowns with six more than TCU’s Josh Doctson, who is in second place.
He’ll be difficult for any cornerback to slow down, but it will be interesting to see how junior quarterback Seth Russell’s season-ending neck surgery will affect him. Freshman backup Jarrett Stidham is talented, and he has completed 24 of 28 passes for six touchdowns with no interceptions in limited duty. How the two mesh will determine how well Baylor can push for the playoffs and how serious of a Heisman candidate Coleman will ultimately be.
2. Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott
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Despite an 8-0 record and No. 1 ranking, Ohio State’s offense has been inconsistent at times in 2015, with Urban Meyer shuffling between Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett at quarterback before finally settling on Barrett for last week’s rout of Rutgers.
Through the quarterback issues, there has been a constant in junior tailback Ezekiel Elliott. Elliott has been just as good as he was in his breakthrough sophomore season, rushing for 1,130 yards and 13 touchdowns. He averages 6.8 yards per carry, just a tick below last season’s average of 6.9, and has rushed for 100-plus yards in every game.
When Ohio State has needed him to carry the offense, Elliott has responded, going for a career-high 274 yards and three touchdowns in a 34-27 win at Indiana. He has been the best player on the Buckeyes offense, and if anyone stands a chance of making it to New York and taking home the trophy, it is clearly Elliott. If the Buckeyes finish the season strong, he’ll be a threat to Fournette.
1. TCU QB Trevone Boykin
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TCU has survived a leaky defense to remain 7-0 and fully in the hunt for the College Football Playoff, and the Horned Frogs have Trevone Boykin to thank more than anyone on their roster. The senior quarterback led TCU’s breakout 2014 season, and he has been just as good in his final season of college football.
Boykin has 2,539 passing yards with 25 touchdowns against five interceptions and has 440 rushing yards with five touchdowns. He led a pair of TCU road comebacks at Kansas State and Texas Tech, with his 69-yard touchdown sprint keying a second-half rally that erased a 35-17 halftime deficit. He is indispensable to TCU’s playoff hopes.
Per Carlos Mendez of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Boykin says he and wide receiver Josh Doctson (who has 12 touchdown catches this season) are boosting one another in their chase for the Heisman.
He’ll be sitting right next to me,” Boykin said. “If (the Heisman) comes to Fort Worth, it won’t be just me. I didn’t do it myself. It’ll be a team award, definitely."
Boykin should be a clear Heisman finalist, and if he shines in big games against Oklahoma and Baylor, his candidacy could pick up the support he needs to take home the trophy.
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