Top Recruits Predict Winners for Heisman and National Championship

College football's 2015 regular season is wrapped up, and the spotlight has shifted toward postseason storylines. Another edition of a College Football Playoff looms large on New Year's Eve, while the prestigious Heisman Trophy will be awarded Saturday night.

It's a time of the year when seemingly endless hours of preparation pay off for programs and individual players. Bleacher Report caught up with 25 of America's premier high school prospects to get their take on two key questions.

First, who will claim the Heisman Trophy?

Second, which squad will finish the season celebrating a national championship win?

Our young panelists are expected to make a major impact on College Football Playoff fortunes in the near future. Some of them may even vie for the sport's most coveted award during their collegiate careers.

Here's a rundown of athletes who contributed toward these predictions, though only 23 of 25 elected to choose a national champ. 

Class of 2016

• 5-star quarterback Shea Patterson (Bradenton, Florida)
• 5-star linebacker Ben Davis (Gordo, Alabama)
• 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown (Buford, Georgia)
• 4-star quarterback Brandon Peters (Avon, Indiana)
• 4-star wide receiver Donnie Corley (Detroit)
• 4-star wide receiver Simi Fehoko (Salt Lake City)
• 4-star defensive end Janarius Robinson (Panama City, Florida)
• 4-star running back Devin White (Springhill, Louisiana)
• 4-star quarterback Jarrett Guarantano (Oradell, New Jersey)
• 4-star wide receiver Austin Mack (Fort Wayne, Indiana)
• 4-star wide receiver Tre Nixon (Melbourne, Florida)
• 4-star defensive tackle Keyshon Camp (Lakeland, Florida)
• 4-star defensive end Xavier Kelly (Wichita, Kansas)
• 4-star tight end Luke Farrell (Perry, Ohio)
• 4-star offensive lineman Parker Boudreaux (Orlando, Florida)
• 4-star defensive end Ron Johnson (Camden, New Jersey)
• 4-star cornerback David Long (Los Angeles)

Class of 2017

• 5-star quarterback Tate Martell (Las Vegas)
• 4-star wide receiver Tarik Black (Cheshire, Connecticut)
• 4-star defensive end Malik Herring (Forsyth, Georgia)
• 4-star defensive tackle Corey Bolds (Paramus, New Jersey)
• 4-star cornerback Malcolm Askew (McCalla, Alabama)
• 4-star running back CJ Cotman (Clearwater, Florida)
• 4-star quarterback Jack Coan (West Sayville, New York)
• 4-star linebacker Nathan Proctor (Indiana Head, Maryland)

Heisman Trophy Predictions

Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey and Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson were invited to attend the Heisman presentation ceremony in New York City. Each candidate capped off his respective campaign with a dominant performance last weekend.

Watson, a sophomore, led the Tigers to an ACC title with five total touchdowns against North Carolina. He's thrown for 3,512 yards and rushed for another 887 yards, accounting for 41 scores.

Henry, a junior, carried the football 44 times for 189 yards and a touchdown in an SEC Championship Game victory over Florida. He broke Georgia legend Herschel Walker's single-season conference record for rushing yards, gaining 1,986 yards on the ground to go with 23 touchdowns.

McCaffrey, a sophomore and the son of former Denver Broncos wide receiver Ed McCaffrey, made a major statement in the Pac-12 title game against USC, tallying 461 all-purpose yards and three varieties of touchdowns (passing, rushing and receiving). He surpassed former Oklahoma State star Barry Sanders' all-time mark for single-season all-purpose yards (now at 3,254 through 13 games).

Here's how the 25 prospects we polled expect things to turn out Saturday, with a pair of playmakers who weren't invited receiving one vote apiece:

Name	School	Heisman Trophy Predictions
Derrick Henry	Alabama	10
Christian McCaffrey	Stanford	9
Deshaun Watson	Clemson	4
Leonard Fournette	LSU	1
Dalvin Cook	Florida State	1

The Case for Henry

"I think when you break Herschel Walker's record, the Heisman should just be given to you right there." — 5-star defensive tackle Derrick Brown

"Henry has been a workhorse for the Crimson Tide all year long. When he is going, the team is winning." — 4-star running back Devin White

"He carried his team in many big games and proved to everybody he is real." — 4-star defensive end Ron Johnson.

"He is the best running back in the game this year." — 5-star linebacker Ben Davis

The Case for McCaffrey

"He does it all for Stanford and broke Barry Sanders' record for all-purpose yards." — 4-star quarterback Jack Coan

"He by far has the biggest impact on a team." — 5-star quarterback Tate Martell

"He has the best stats, and his record is most impressive. If Stanford had one more win, he'd also win the Heisman." — 4-star quarterback Jarrett Guarantano.

"He's the man." — 4-star offensive lineman Parker Boudreaux

The Case for Watson

"I was really impressed with his performance against a good UNC defense in the ACC Championship Game. He seemed unstoppable, and he has played like a warrior all season against some pretty good teams." — 4-star linebacker Nathan Proctor

"Didn't nobody expect Clemson to be No. 1 this year and he carried them coming off an ACL tear. And look at what kind of numbers he put up." — 4-star defensive end Malik Herring

"Led his team to an undefeated season, No. 1 ranking, filled up the stat sheets and has more impact for his team than any of the other guys." — 4-star cornerback Malcolm Askew

"The best player on the best team in the country. He's an incredible passer and awesome runner. He's always cool under pressure and never gets rattled. However, I believe his best quality is his leadership." — 4-star defensive end Xavier Kelly

National Championship Predictions

An exciting season featured plenty of pretenders, but the true championship contenders came through late in crunch time. When the dust settled after conference title games, a relatively clear-cut group emerged.

Clemson claimed the top seed, followed in order by Alabama, Michigan State and Oklahoma. The second annual four-team postseason tournament starts New Year's Eve, as the Tigers take on the Sooners and the Spartans collide with the Crimson Tide.

An unpredictable autumn leaves the door open for anything to occur in playoff action. Here's how top recruits envision things unfolding in the coming weeks:

School	Championship Predictions
Alabama	11
Clemson	8
Oklahoma	3
Michigan State	1

The Case for Alabama

"The way 'Bama is playing right now, it's no question." — 4-star quarterback Brandon Peters

"They have found their run game and can throw very well. Their defense is one of the best in the country and they have been in the college Final Four and lost, so they are more hungry to win it this year." — 4-star running back Devin White

"They look the strongest and are running through competition." — 4-star wide receiver Austin Mack

"They're good in every aspect of the game." — 4-star quarterback Jack Coan

The Case for Clemson

"This is Coach Dabo [Swinney's] year in my opinion. They are where they need to be, just need to finish the deal." — 4-star cornerback Malcolm Askew

"They're the most complete team and have the momentum of being undefeated." — 4-star tight end Luke Farrell

The Case for Oklahoma

"They have the offense to keep up with Clemson and a pretty good defense too. Their running game with the way [quarterback] Baker Mayfield has played will be hard to stop." — 4-star linebacker Nathan Proctor

"I think the Oklahoma Sooners will win because of the power of their offense and coaching." — 4-star offensive lineman Parker Boudreaux

"I'm gonna go with Baker Mayfield getting it done." — 5-star quarterback Shea Patterson

The Case for Michigan State

"I'm going with the underdog. Michigan State will win it all because they've played really well in big situations." — 4-star wide receiver Donnie Corley.

Quotes obtained firsthand by Bleacher Report National Recruiting Analyst Tyler Donohue. All player ratings are courtesy of 247Sports' composite ratings. Follow Tyler via Twitter: @TDsTake.