Every College Football Conference's Top Heisman Contender for 2016
The Heisman Trophy inspires conversation like no other trophy in sports. Given to the “outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity,” per the Heisman Trust’s official website, it is the most coveted individual trophy in college football and one of the most sought after in all of the sporting world.
The race for the 2016 Heisman Trophy should be fascinating. While 2015 winner Derrick Henry declared for the NFL draft and will ply his trade on Sundays this fall, five of the top seven vote-getters from 2015 return. That will make for a hotly contested race, and if history is our guide, new contenders will emerge. After all, at this time last spring, Henry was a junior entering his first full season as the main man in Alabama’s backfield.
Here’s a look at the top contender to win the Heisman Trophy from every FBS conference, selected by virtue of his finish in the 2015 race, his accumulated statistics or his potential among his league-mates and the Heisman race at large.
American Athletic Conference
1 of 10
Last fall, one of the nation’s biggest surprises resided in Houston. Coach Tom Herman whipped an underachieving team into shape, guiding the Cougars to a 13-1 record, American Athletic Conference title and a Peach Bowl win over Florida State. The only loss? At UConn with quarterback Greg Ward Jr. sidelined by an early-game injury.
That was no coincidence.
Ward was one of college football’s most dynamic players as a dual-threat quarterback. He finished with 2,828 passing yards and 17 touchdowns against six interceptions and also served as Houston’s leading rusher, going for 1,108 yards and 21 scores on the ground.
Houston must replace its leading receiver and leading tailback, but Herman’s bunch holds out hope of a College Football Playoff run thanks to Ward’s presence. He’s a game-changing quarterback. He and the Cougars get a huge chance to impress Heisman voters when Oklahoma visits NRG Stadium for the season opener Sept. 3.
Atlantic Coast Conference
2 of 10
Last fall, Clemson broke out as a national contender. Dabo Swinney’s team topped the first College Football Playoff rankings and stayed there right to the national title game, pushing Alabama to the brink before falling 45-40. What was the key to their success? Sophomore quarterback Deshaun Watson.
Watson had flashed talent during an injury-plagued freshman year but stayed healthy and made the leap to superstar status in 2015. He threw for 4,104 yards with 35 touchdowns against 13 interceptions and rushed for 1,105 yards and 12 touchdowns, becoming the first FBS player to pass for 4,000 yards and rush for 1,000 yards in the same season.
He had one of his best games against Alabama, throwing for 405 yards with four touchdowns and an interception and adding 73 rushing yards. And Watson could be even better this season. Mike Williams, a 1,000-yard receiver as a sophomore, returns after breaking a bone in his neck on the first drive of 2015. He joins a loaded receiving corps led by speedy Artavis Scott and tight end Jordan Leggett, among others.
Watson finished third in the 2015 Heisman voting behind Derrick Henry and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey. He’ll be among the favorites to tote the stiff-arm trophy home from New York this December.
Big Ten Conference
3 of 10
Ohio State will be one of the nation’s youngest teams this fall. The Buckeyes lost nine players early to the NFL draft, one short of the record set by LSU in 2011. Urban Meyer and his staff have plenty of teaching ahead, but they have one huge advantage: J.T. Barrett.
Barrett was one of the most important players in the Buckeyes’ 2014 national title run, replacing an injured Braxton Miller as the starting quarterback while throwing for 2,834 yards with 34 touchdowns against 10 interceptions and rushing for 938 yards and 11 touchdowns before suffering a fractured ankle in the regular-season finale.
He lost a high-profile battle for the starting role to Cardale Jones last year but reclaimed the role by midseason.
Barrett finished with 992 yards passing and 11 touchdowns against four interceptions while running for 682 yards and 11 scores.
This fall, he’ll be the centerpiece of a young, talented group. Barrett can make things happen with his arm and legs, and if Ohio State makes another push for the College Football Playoff, he’ll be in the mix for the Heisman Trophy again.
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Big 12 Conference
4 of 10
Oklahoma was one of the most pleasant surprises of the 2015 season, rebounding from a disappointing 8-5 2014 season to finish the regular season 11-1, win the Big 12 and make the College Football Playoff. While the backfield tandem of Samaje Perine and Joe Mixon played a big role, the linchpin was transfer quarterback Baker Mayfield. He supplanted Trevor Knight as the starting quarterback and was excellent all season.
He threw for 3,700 yards with 36 touchdowns and seven interceptions and added 405 rushing yards and seven touchdowns, making plays happen with his legs and a strong arm. Oklahoma had a swagger with Mayfield that it simply didn’t have with Knight, who transferred to Texas A&M following the season.
Oklahoma needs a top target for Mayfield to emerge following Sterling Shepard’s graduation, but the Sooners should again have a potent offense keyed by Mayfield. He should, at the very least, earn a trip to New York with a repeat of 2015’s heroics.
Conference USA
5 of 10
Southern Miss authored one of the nation’s best turnaround stories last fall. Two years after coach Ellis Johnson cratered the program with an 0-12 season, Todd Monken and a fast-paced offense returned the Golden Eagles to postseason play.
The Eagles won Conference USA’s Western Division and made the Heart of Dallas Bowl, finishing 9-5 following a loss to Washington. Their high-powered offensive scheme played a huge role. Quarterback Nick Mullens threw for 4,476 yards (sixth-best nationally) with 38 touchdowns against 12 interceptions.
Mullens has a new head coach in Jay Hopson following Monken’s departure to the Tampa Bay Bucs’ coaching staff, but he’ll be the third-leading returning passer nationally behind Texas Tech’s Patrick Mahomes and Washington State’s Luke Falk. Expect him to keep throwing, too.
USM should be a C-USA contender again, and Mullens will have an opportunity to impress on a big stage when the Golden Eagles visit LSU Oct. 15. Could it be his Heisman moment? Tune in and see.
Mid-American Conference
6 of 10
Western Michigan had a special 2015 season. The Broncos finished 7-5 and took home the first bowl victory in program history after downing Middle Tennessee 45-31 in the Bahamas Bowl. WMU hopes for more this fall, and it’s easy to be confident with a potent offense led by senior Zach Terrell at quarterback.
Terrell had a tremendous junior season, throwing for 3,522 yards with 29 touchdowns against nine interceptions while completing 67 percent of his passes. He had four 300-yard passing games.
With top receiver Corey Davis returning, the Broncos offense will hum again in 2016. It’s a long shot that Terrell could emerge as a Heisman candidate, but he’s the MAC’s best shot.
Mountain West Conference
7 of 10
It’s easy for Mountain West players and teams to get overlooked. They play in the Mountain and Pacific time zones, in the shadow of the Pac-12, outside of the national spotlight with less than ideal kickoff times. But if you go out of your way to see one player, make it San Diego State tailback Donnel Pumphrey.
Last fall, Pumphrey’s stats slipped a bit from his sophomore season, but he still rushed for 1,653 yards and 17 touchdowns, adding 28 receptions for 416 yards and three more scores. He had nine 100-yard rushing games and five multi-touchdown games on the ground.
Pumphrey was the nation’s No. 7 rusher and will be the fourth-best returning rusher this fall. He stands only 5’9”, 180 pounds but is an explosive player who is a threat to score every time he touches the ball. If anyone makes a Heisman run from the Mountain West, it’ll be him.
Pac-12 Conference
8 of 10
This time last year, Christian McCaffrey was just below the radar. Stanford’s tailback had speed and elusiveness, and a 300-yard freshman season that saw him average 7.1 yards per carry was intriguing.
By season’s end, he was nobody’s secret anymore. McCaffrey led the Cardinal’s charge to a Pac-12 title as one of the most exciting players in America, capturing the nation’s attention even while playing on the West Coast.
He led the nation in all-purpose yardage and finished with 2,019 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, adding 45 receptions for 645 yards and five touchdowns. A Rose Bowl rout of Iowa was the epitome of what he could do. McCaffrey went for a 75-yard receiving score on the first play, finishing with 172 rushing yards on 18 carries and 105 receiving yards and a touchdown on four catches while also returning a punt for a touchdown.
McCaffrey finished second to Derrick Henry in Heisman Trophy voting, and along with Deshaun Watson, he’ll be a prime candidate to win the award as a junior.
Southeastern Conference
9 of 10
For much of 2015, it looked like Leonard Fournette would enter 2016 as the defending Heisman Trophy winner. That’s how good the LSU sophomore tailback was. Fournette rushed for at least 150 yards in each of the Tigers’ first seven games, surpassing 200 yards three times. But a two-game stretch against Alabama and Arkansas proved to be his undoing.
Fournette carried 38 times for just 122 yards combined in losses to the Crimson Tide and Razorbacks, falling off the Heisman Trophy map in the process. He finished sixth, well behind winner Derrick Henry. However, he finished the season strong with three consecutive 100-yard games, including a 29-carry, 212-yard, four-touchdown trampling of Texas Tech in the Houston Bowl.
He told NOLA.com's Jim Kleinpeter that he realized last year that he could be great.
"Looking back after the season was over, looking at the highlights and everything I did, I didn't really recognize it until the season was over," he said. "It's not just me. God gave me the ability and talent to do what I have to do. He also put these great guys around me to block for me, protect me."
He finished with 1,953 yards and 22 touchdowns, and the only thing that kept Fournette from a 2,000-yard season was the season opener against McNeese State being canceled by thunderstorms. Fournette has a frightening blend of power and speed, and he’ll enter his junior season (which could be his last in Baton Rouge) as the nation’s best tailback and a strong bet to be among the Heisman Trophy finalists in mid-December.
Sun Belt Conference
10 of 10
The Sun Belt is pushing New Mexico State and Idaho out following the 2017 season, but on the bright side, SBC fans will get a chance to see two more seasons of Larry Rose III. The New Mexico State sophomore tailback was off-the-radar excellent last fall, rushing for 1,651 yards and 14 touchdowns and averaging 6.9 yards per carry. He had three 200-yard games, including a 260-yard, three-score effort in a loss to rival New Mexico and finished eighth nationally in rushing.
Rose stands only 5’11”, 184 pounds but has excellent speed and elusiveness. He’ll be the nation’s sixth-leading returning rusher, and while it’s hard to imagine a Sun Belt player challenging for the Heisman, Rose is the closest thing the conference has to a prime candidate.
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