Every Big Ten Team's Best 2016 Heisman Candidate
The start of the 2016 college football season is still more than three months away, but no matter the time of year, fans are always paying attention to the race for the sport's most prestigious award.
And when it comes to the preseason outlook for the Heisman Trophy heading into the 2016 campaign, the Big Ten finds itself with no shortage of seemingly viable candidates.
From dual-threat quarterbacks to two-way jack-of-all-trades to some of college football's most dynamic playmakers, the conference is littered with players who possess the potential to wind up in New York City on the second Saturday of this December.
In fact, each Big Ten team could lay claim to at least one Heisman-caliber candidate, should the right set of circumstances fall into place for both player and team.
Whether because of position or skill set, some players, however, are more carved out for potential Heisman Trophy runs. With that in mind, let's take a look at the player on each Big Ten team with the best chance to find himself in the Heisman race in the coming season.
Illinois: Wes Lunt
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When he headed to Oklahoma State as a 3-star prospect from Rochester, Illinois, Wes Lunt envisioned putting up the type of numbers in Mike Gundy's Air Raid offense that would make him a staple of the Heisman Trophy conversation.
But after transferring to Illinois, the only thing that's been consistent for the pro-style quarterback is inconsistency, thanks in large part to two coaching changes that now leave Lunt preparing to play for the fourth head coach of his college career.
Only now, the final head coach Lunt will play for in Champaign also happens to be the one who's best equipped to maximize his potential. After helping develop Jameis Winston throughout his rookie NFL season, former Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Lovie Smith is taking on Lunt as his latest project. If all goes according to plan, perhaps the Heisman-like numbers that once seemed inevitable will finally become a reality for the Fighting Illini signal-caller.
"It was an up-and-down roller-coaster ride, but now we're on an even, flat line and ready to go," Lunt told ESPN.com's Josh Moyer of his college career. "It's been as smooth a transition as it can be in the short amount of time it's been."
Indiana: Devine Redding
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In 2015, Devine Redding rushed for the fifth-most yards (1,012) and seventh-most touchdowns (nine) in the Big Ten.
And he did so while predominately serving as a backup to now-former Indiana running back Jordan Howard.
With Howard now in the NFL, Redding's workload should only increase behind an offensive line that's consistently been one of the Big Ten's best in recent years. Given the explosive nature of the Hoosiers offense, which ran a Big Ten-high 82.7 plays per game in 2015, the 5'10", 205-pound junior should have ample opportunities to add his already-impressive stat totals.
And if Redding can successfully help make up for the loss of production stemming from the departure of Howard (1,213 rushing yards, nine touchdowns), the numbers may be too good to ignore when it comes to a potential Heisman campaign.
"There’s a quiet confidence about him, a demeanor about him where he feels like he’s the guy," Indiana offensive coordinator Kevin Johns said of Redding, per the News-Sentinel's Pete DiPrimio.
Iowa: C.J. Beathard
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While cornerback Desmond King is Iowa's best player, when it comes to postseason awards, the Thorpe Award is usually a defensive back's ceiling.
And although King has already won that, if the Hawkeyes put together another successful regular season like last year's 12-0 campaign, it's quarterback C.J. Beathard who's going to get the credit—at least as far as the Heisman Trophy voters are concerned.
With signal-callers having won eight of the past 10 Heismans, the reality is that quarterbacks just have an edge when it comes to Heisman Trophy races. That rings especially true for quarterbacks on teams that find collective success and remain in the national title conversation for the majority of the season.
Beathard, who completed 61.6 percent of his passes for 2,809 yards, 17 touchdowns and five interceptions and added six more scores on the ground in 2015, may not have Heisman-like numbers, but as the starting quarterback on one of college football's top teams, he checks all the other boxes.
In order to garner serious Heisman buzz, he'd likely have to engineer another perfect regular-season record, which isn't out of the realm of possibilities given the overall talent Iowa is returning in 2016.
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Maryland: William Likely
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For Maryland to go from a 3-9 record to a program with a viable Heisman Trophy candidate the next year, it's going to take dramatic improvement in College Park.
It's also going to take a jack-of-all-trades like William Likely, the rare player capable of affecting a game on offense, defense and special teams.
A two-time All-Big Ten cornerback, the 5'7", 175-pounder has been one of the conference's top defenders in each of the past two seasons, breaking up a combined 20 passes and intercepting another six in the last two years. In 2014, Likely returned two of his picks for touchdowns, including plays of 88 and 45 yards.
But special teams is where the Belle Glade, Florida, native has made his real mark. He led the nation in combined return yards (1,197) in 2015, despite only appearing in 11 games. Likely also returned two punts and one kickoff for touchdowns in his junior campaign, in addition to averaging 6.9 yards per touch in a limited role on the Terrapins offense.
In order for Likely to become a legitimate Heisman candidate, that role will need to increase, and a lot will have to fall in Maryland's favor. But from a pure talent standpoint, the ability is there for one of college football's few three-way players.
Michigan: Jabrill Peppers
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Speaking of three-way players, there may not be one in college football with more talent than Michigan's Jabrill Peppers.
And while primary defenders rarely find themselves serious Heisman contenders, Peppers may just be the exception to the rule, thanks to his new role as an outside linebacker of sorts in first-year Michigan defensive coordinator Don Brown's system.
With Peppers now playing closer to the line of scrimmage and in the same spot that helped Brown develop NFL linebackers at Connecticut and Boston College, the former 5-star talent could very well find himself with the sort of eye-popping sack total and tackle-for-loss numbers that would appeal to Heisman voters. Add in that he's already one of college football's most prominent names after a 2015 campaign that saw him star on both offense and defense for the Wolverines, and Peppers is the type of player who could transcend the traditional norms of Heisman voting.
"I can think of five different positions he could be really good at in football," Michigan head coach Jim Harbaugh said last fall. "Can somebody be the five-tool player, the five-position player? Maybe. Maybe that'll end up being Jabrill Peppers."
Michigan State: LJ Scott
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One year into his college career, Michigan State's LJ Scott can already lay claim to one of the Spartans' most memorable moments—the game-winning touchdown in last season's Big Ten title game that clinched his team's spot in the College Football Playoff.
But with an even more memorable complete season, perhaps Scott could become Michigan State's first-ever Heisman Trophy winner.
At this point, that appears to be a long shot, given that the 6'0", 238-pounder is still sharing the Spartans backfield with Madre London and Gerald Holmes. But of MSU's three-headed running back monster, Scott possesses the highest potential, as evidenced by last season's team-leading 699 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns.
And perhaps more importantly, according to his position coach, the opportunity is there for Scott to take hold of the Spartans' starting role.
"I don't want to go through another year like we did last year with trying to figure out who's going to be the best guy in or out," MSU running backs coach Dave Warner said, per the Detroit Free Press' Carlos Monarrez. "I want to have an established starter by September."
If the Hubbard, Ohio, native can assert himself as the top offensive player on another College Football Playoff contender, perhaps he could also help put the Spartans' Heisman drought in jeopardy.
Minnesota: Mitch Leidner
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With the 2016 NFL draft having came and went, fans and pundits alike are turning their attention toward next year's selection show.
And already, Minnesota's Mitch Leidner is receiving buzz as one of its top quarterbacks, which could make him an under-the-radar Heisman candidate in the coming year.
Only in order to make good on both his pro prospects and Heisman potential, the 6'4", 237-pound signal-caller will have to bounce back from a junior campaign that saw him help engineer the Golden Gophers to just a 5-7 record in the regular season. Leidner, however, ended 2015 on a high note with an MVP performance in the Quick Lane Bowl. He completed 24 of his 30 attempts for 223 yards and one touchdown, and he added another score on the ground.
"Leidner has ideal size and has shown the ability to make plays with his legs off designed runs and scrambles," said ESPN analyst Todd McShay, who recently pegged Leidner as a first-round pick in his way-too-early 2017 mock draft. "He's a late riser to keep an eye on."
Whether that also rings true when it comes to his Heisman hopes remains to be seen.
Nebraska: Tommy Armstrong Jr.
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A dual-threat quarterback at a big-name program in an offense designed for the signal-caller to put up big numbers, Tommy Armstrong Jr. fits most of the boxes on the checklist Heisman voters often run through when casting their votes each fall.
Only now, the Nebraska quarterback will have to add a winning record to his resume after last year's Cornhuskers squad endured a string of bad luck that helped contribute to a 6-7 record in 2015.
With 94 percent of its offensive production (h/t SB Nation's Bill Connelly) returning, including several of Armstrong's top targets, that could definitely happen as Nebraska has been a trendy pick to challenge Iowa in the Big Ten West. But if the Cornhuskers are going to do that, their senior signal-caller needs to be a big reason why as he seeks another year of development in Mike Riley's pro-style system.
The Big Ten's leading returner in passing yards and touchdowns, the numbers could be there for Armstrong to make a surprise Heisman push. But he'll need to trim down his league-high interceptions (16) and up his win total if he's going to have any shot at becoming Nebraska's first Heisman Trophy winner since Eric Crouch in 2001.
Northwestern: Anthony Walker
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If Northwestern is going to put together a season good enough to garner Heisman consideration for one of its players, one might imagine that either running back Justin Jackson or even quarterback Clayton Thorson would be the player who makes the most sense.
But based on the Wildcats' defense-first approach, you might be wise to look to the other side of the ball, where there's already precedent for the star middle linebacker on one of the nation's top defenses receiving Heisman attention.
And while Anthony Walker may not have the star power that Manti Te'o did four years ago when he finished as the Heisman runner-up to Johnny Manziel in 2012, the numbers of the Northwestern All-American and former Notre Dame star are actually quite comparable. In 2012, Te'o totaled 113 tackles, 5.5 tackles for a loss and 1.5 sacks, while last season, Walker notched 120 tackles, 20.5 tackles for a loss and four sacks.
Although Te'o did hold a 7-1 advantage when it came to interceptions, the main difference between his 2012 campaign and Walker's All-American sophomore season was that the Fighting Irish were legitimate national title contenders. At Northwestern, that's an even taller task to accomplish, but if the Wildcats can somehow pull it off, don't be surprised if Walker receives enough of the credit to potentially earn him a trip to New York in December.
Ohio State: J.T. Barrett
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Following Ohio State's spring game last month, head coach Urban Meyer offered an interesting outlook on the importance of the quarterback in his offense.
"If you play quarterback at Ohio State in this offense, you have to be a Heisman candidate," Meyer said. "Or we're going to suffer."
The message was directed at the younger signal-callers on the Buckeyes roster, but the Ohio State head coach didn't have to search far to find an example. Despite an up-and-down 2015, J.T. Barrett ended his sophomore season on a high note in wins over Michigan and Notre Dame and once again looked like the player who finished fifth in Heisman Trophy voting as merely a freshman in 2014.
As a result, Barrett enters the coming year as the Big Ten's best chance at taking home its first Heisman since another Buckeyes quarterback, Troy Smith, won the award in 2006. Between where he plays, the position he plays and the eye-popping numbers we already know he's capable of, Barrett will, at the very least, be a Heisman finalist should Ohio State remain in playoff contention throughout the 2016 campaign.
Penn State: Chris Godwin
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Although Saquon Barkley would seemingly have the edge when it comes to a potential Penn State player making a Heisman push, it's worth noting that the Nittany Lions running back is expected to split carries with 5-star freshman Miles Sanders in the coming year.
Elsewhere on the Penn State offense, however, another player capable of putting up eye-popping numbers exists, as wide receiver Chris Godwin's impressive sophomore season managed to fly under the radar during the Nittany Lions' disappointing 2015 campaign.
Catching 69 balls for 1,101 yards and five touchdowns, the 6'1", 208-pounder's breakthrough season was seemingly overshadowed by Christian Hackenberg's struggles and Barkley's emergence. On an offense where inconsistency was alarmingly consistent, Godwin provided a steadying force and reliable weapon for head coach James Franklin in his second season in Happy Valley.
And while his overall numbers may not have been gaudy enough to garner national attention, games like his 11-catch, 109-yard, two-touchdown effort against Michigan State proved that Godwin possesses the potential to be an All-American-like wideout. Earning such honors—let alone Heisman consideration—with a new starting quarterback in State College will be an uphill battle, but entering 2016, there may not be a better wideout in all the Big Ten.
Purdue: Markell Jones
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For a team coming off a 2-10 season, picking a potential Heisman Trophy candidate would usually be a shot in the dark.
But when it comes to the Purdue roster, running back Markell Jones stands out above the rest after an impressive freshman season in which he proved to be one of the few bright spots left in West Lafayette.
Despite the struggles that occurred around him, Jones managed to rush for 875 yards and 10 touchdowns on just 14 carries a game. According to head coach Darrell Hazell, those numbers could nearly double in the coming year in an effort for Purdue to put the ball in the hands of its best player.
"We'll have to get on his back in the fall and ride him to close games out," Hazell said, per Pete DiPrimio of the News-Sentinel. "He's going to have to be a tough guy. He'll have to carry it 30-plus times a game for us to win. I'm confident that if he continues the growth that he’s had, we're going to be a good team because of him."
If that increase in production can somehow lead to more Boilermakers victories—well, you just never know.
Rutgers: Robert Martin
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Of all the teams in the Big Ten, finding a Heisman Trophy candidate on Rutgers might be the toughest task. At this point, the Scarlet Knights don't know who their starting quarterback is, Leonte Carroo is in the NFL and head coach Chris Ash's team is expected to possess a running back by committee in the coming year.
But if one of those running backs is going to emerge as a star in 2016, it will likely be Robert Martin, who rushed for a team-high 763 yards and six touchdowns in 2015, despite splitting carries with Josh Hicks and Paul James.
And in Rutgers' new spread offensive attack, the 5'11", 202-pounder's numbers may only skyrocket, which is something he's clearly aware of heading into his junior campaign.
"With the spread offense, you just watch games around the country and you see the running lanes that a lot of running backs get to run through—this offense is a running back's dream,'' Martin said, per Keith Sargeant of NJ.com. "There's so many more lanes. You can create opportunities for yourself. You can catch it out of the backfield. They line us up wide. We just get used a lot and we're enjoying it.''
Wisconsin: Corey Clement
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If this were a year ago, touting Corey Clement as an under-the-radar Heisman candidate would have been a savvy pick.
Replacing a Heisman finalist in his own right in Melvin Gordon, Clement had already flashed eye-popping ability while primarily serving as Gordon's backup in the first two years of his college career.
But in what many predicted to be his breakout season, injuries and off-field issues prevented Clement from even matching the 949 yards and nine touchdowns he rushed for as Gordon's backup in 2014. Nonetheless, Clement is back in Madison for one last go-round and has high hopes of finally making good on his Heisman-worthy potential.
"On a personal note, I think everybody knows the type of year I had," Clement said, per Josh Webb of the Wisconsin State Journal, following the Badgers' win over USC in last season's Holiday Bowl, where he rushed for 66 yards and a touchdown. "I just can't wait for 2016."
Ben Axelrod is Bleacher Report's Big Ten lead writer. You can follow him on Twitter @BenAxelrod. Unless noted otherwise, all quotes were obtained firsthand. Recruit rankings and info courtesy of 247Sports.
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