Leonard Fournette Won't Be SEC's Only Heisman Contender in 2016
Alabama Crimson Tide running back Derrick Henry closed strong in 2015 with three 200-yard performances in the month of November to become the SEC's only Heisman Trophy finalist. He'll join Stanford Cardinal running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson Tigers quarterback Deshaun Watson this week in New York in the quest to earn college football's most prestigious individual award.
But what about next year?
Henry is a true junior and could bolt to the NFL. If he does, that will leave LSU running back Leonard Fournette as one of the front-runners heading into the 2016 season. As a true sophomore in 2015, Fournette led the nation with 158.27 rushing yards per game, averaged 6.42 yards per carry and finished LSU's 11-game regular season with 1,741 yards and 18 touchdowns.
There are, however, other SEC players who could be Heisman-worthy. Who are they?
Our picks based on talent and opportunity are in this slideshow.
Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly
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In his first season at Ole Miss after transferring from East Mississippi Community College, Chad Kelly was a star at quarterback for the Sugar Bowl-bound Rebels.
He led the SEC with 311.7 yards per game and 3,740 yards through the air, tossed 27 touchdown passes (second in the conference) and tied for seventh nationally with 58 completed passes of 20 or more yards.
He'll likely lose star junior receiver Laquon Treadwell and junior tackle Laremy Tunsil to the NFL Draft. But Kelly—who added 427 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground—is in a system under head coach Hugh Freeze that has proven to be successful despite roster turnover.
Kelly has a year under his belt, still has plenty of weapons outside such as Quincy Adeboyejo and Damore'ea Stringfellow and is a dual-threat quarterback who puts up video game numbers in a reliable system.
If he can cut down on those interceptions—he threw 12 in 2015—Kelly could absolutely make a run assuming he doesn't jump to the NFL.
Georgia RB Nick Chubb
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Georgia running back Nick Chubb started off the 2015 season on a beeline to the Heisman Trophy. But his season ended when he suffered a knee injury on Oct. 10 at Tennessee on the first play of the game.
He should be back, though, according to DawgNation.com. If he's 100 percent, he'll find new head coach Kirby Smart ready to use him in all of the same ways he was used under former head coach Mark Richt.
"Grown man, he is a grown man, very good player,” Smart said on 680 The Fan in Atlanta (via 247Sports).
Chubb rushed for 747 yards and seven touchdowns last year and had ripped off 13 straight games with 100 or more rushing yards dating back to 2014 prior to the game in which he suffered his injury. With track star speed, the power of a bruiser and a system that should feature the running back, Chubb should be back in the mix once he's healthy in 2016.
Texas A&M WR/KR Christian Kirk
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For a wide receiver to make a big-time push to legitimately win the Heisman Trophy, it always helps to have some juice on the resume.
Texas A&M wide receiver Christian Kirk has just that.
As a true freshman in 2015, Kirk caught a team-high 70 catches for 925 yards and six touchdowns, returned 14 punts for 341 yards and two touchdowns, had 10 carries for 45 yards and returned 18 kickoffs for 348 yards.
Rich Cirminiello of Campus Insiders and College Football news tweeted: "Freshman Offensive Player of the Year for 2015? Leaning in the direction of Texas A&M playmaker Christian Kirk ... am I wrong?"
With quarterbacks Kyle Allen and Kyler Murray both returning and a deep wide receiver corps that prevents teams from paying too much attention to him, Kirk's star should shine even brighter in 2016.
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Tennessee QB Joshua Dobbs
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Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs capped off a solid junior season—his first full season as the Vols' starter—with 2,125 passing yards, 15 touchdowns, just five interceptions and ran 134 times for 623 yards and nine touchdowns.
He accomplished all of that behind an offensive line that struggled at times, a wide receiver corps that was littered with injuries and for a head coach—Butch Jones—who was reluctant to open things up in the passing game until the middle of the season.
At 6'3", 207 pounds, Dobbs is smooth on the ground and can build on the late-season confidence gained through the air to take the next step in the offseason.
Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough
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Of course, this space will be occupied by Derrick Henry if he decides to stay for his senior season.
Assuming he doesn't, though, somebody has to pick up the slack.
The easy choice would be rising sophomore and third-leading rusher Damien Harris, who ran for 155 yards and a touchdown as a true freshman in 2015.
Don't sleep on Bo Scarbrough, though.
Scarbrough will also be a sophomore in 2016 and will be fully recovered from an ACL injury that limited him until late in the 2015 season. In five games, he carried the ball 15 times for 87 yards and a score. The 6'2", 240-pound monster is as close to a Henry clone that exists on the Crimson Tide roster, and it's safe to assume that the running game will again be the focal point of the offense as head coach Nick Saban breaks in a new starting quarterback.
Scarbrough hasn't made much of an impact yet, but that could change in a hurry in 2016.
Florida WR/KR Antonio Callaway
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Freshman wide receiver Antonio Callaway was one of the stars of a Florida offense that was severely lacking in the star department.
He led the team with 603 receiving yards and four touchdown catches, including the game-winner late in September against Tennessee. The 5'11", 198-pounder also returned 28 punts for 435 yards and two touchdowns—including an 85-yarder in the SEC Championship Game loss to Alabama.
"As soon as he got on campus, and then he started to go out and running self-skellies and one-on-ones and all that, he was one that immediately stood up that it wasn't too big for, and he loves the competition," head coach Jim McElwain said before the conference title game. "And in turn, what that's done is elevated some people around him in that receiver corps."
Florida will enter 2016 with quarterback issues until Game 7 when Will Grier is allowed to come back, and the Gators will rely heavily on Callaway to provide the spark and stability in McElwain's second year in Gainesville.
Arkansas RB Alex Collins
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This pick might be obvious, and it might also be crazy.
Arkansas running back Alex Collins is still debating a jump to the NFL after recording his third straight 1,000-yard season. As Nate Allen of the Baxter Bulletin noted after the win over Missouri, head coach Bret Bielema expects Collins to jump ship.
If he's wrong, though, Collins will be squarely in the Heisman Trophy mix next fall.
Quarterback Brandon Allen will be gone and likely replaced by either younger brother Austin or USC transfer Ricky Town. Either way, Collins will be relied upon in Bielema and offensive coordinator Dan Enos' pro-style system—as long as he isn't playing on Sundays.
Quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Statistics are courtesy of cfbstats.com.
Barrett Sallee is the lead SEC college football writer and national college football video analyst for Bleacher Report as well as a host on Bleacher Report Radio on SiriusXM 83. Follow Barrett on Twitter @BarrettSallee.
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