Heisman Trophy Preview: An Early Look at the 2011 Heisman Candidates

The Heisman Trophy contenders for this year include Auburn's Cam Newton, Boise State's Kellen Moore and Oregon's LaMichael James.

It's no coincidence that all three play for teams that are still undefeated halfway through the college football season.  Their remarkable achievements have definitely played a big role in their team's success. 

With those names breaking out this year, it's time to think about who will follow in their footsteps.  Who will be the breakout college football stars of next season?  Let's find out.

Here's a look ahead at who could contend for the Heisman Trophy next season.

12. Ronnie Hillman, RB—San Diego State Aztecs

After six games, the true freshman has carried the ball 118 times for 785 yards and 10 touchdowns.  He’s on pace to rush for 1,500 yards and score 20 touchdowns this season.

Hillman, at 5’10” and 175 pounds, is a speedy runner that has already become the first SDSU player to earn Mountain West Conference offensive player of the week honors three times in one season. 

One of his best performances this season came against a tough Missouri team. He rushed for 228 yards and two touchdowns.

He could be the next great running back out of SDSU since Marshall Faulk.

11. Robert Woods, WR—USC Trojans

Woods is a true freshman wide receiver with great hands, excellent speed and at 6’2” and 185 has very good size.  He was a top-ranked prospect coming out of high school and even ranked as the No. 1 receiver of his class in many rankings. 

In his first year with the Trojans, he’s already showing the nation why everyone is extremely high on his talents.  One of his biggest highlight this season was returning a 97-yard kickoff for a touchdown against Minnesota.

Many in the USC squad consider him to be the fastest guy on the team.  Woods has been coming on as for late, in his last two games—against Stanford and Cal—he has totaled 19 receptions, 340 receiving yards and five touchdowns.

10. Dillon Baxter, RB—USC Trojans

Hailing from San Diego, the youngster has been garnering Reggie Bush and Marcus Allen comparisons the moment he stepped on campus. 

But his freshman season got off to a bad start after impressing during camp—Baxter was suspended for an unspecified violation of team rules.

Baxter admitted to the Los Angeles Daily News earlier this month that he wasn't really giving his best effort on the field.  He has yet to rush for over 100 yards this season and has only scored one touchdown.

The talent is definitely there, however.  He just needs to stay focused and put it all together.  Another year of maturity should help his game.

9. Marcus Lattimore, RB—South Carolina Gamecocks

At 6’0” and 218 pounds, he’s a big and powerful runner who shows no fear when he runs with the football.  Although he’s only broken the triple digits in rushing yards once, he’s scored a touchdown in every single game this season.

Only a freshman, his best game this season came against the Georgia Bulldogs, carrying the ball 37 times for 182 rushing yards and two touchdowns.

Lattimore also has the ability to catch the football out of the backfield.   He has two receiving touchdowns this year and his best performance as a receiver came against Kentucky, when he had four catches for 144 yards.

8. Lache Seastrunk, RB—Oregon Ducks

Above him in the depth chart is star running back sophomore LaMichael James, but sooner or later Seatrunk, who was a five-star recruit out of high school, should find himself contributing in this high-powered Oregon offense. 

He may not be the biggest running back out there at 5’9” and 188 pounds, but he has game-breaking ability.  His athleticism and great potential will ultimately make him a player that coach Chip Kelly will need to find a way to integrate into the offense. 

Interestingly, many liken his game to that of James, who, like Seastrunk, is also from Texas.

Seastrunk will probably redshirt this season—barring injuries to Oregon backs—but he’ll definitely be in the team’s plans next season and beyond.

7. Juron Criner, WR—Arizona Wildcats

Criner, a junior wide receiver, has great size at 6’4” and 210 lbs.  During a game against the Cal Bears, Criner showed that he also come through in the clutch by hauling in a Nick Foley throw near the end of the game to seal the win, 10-9.

His biggest game of the season came against Oregon State, with 12 receptions for 179 yards and a touchdown.

6. Greg Childs, WR—Arkansas Razorbacks

Childs had one of the best games of his college career last week against the Auburn Tigers with 9 catches, 164 yards and two touchdowns.

His is a talented receiver with great size at 6'3" and 217 pounds and could finally be on his way to taking his game up to the next level.

He could finally eclipse the 1,000 receiving yard mark this year and is on pace to score 10 touchdowns.

Assuming he's back for his senior year, Childs could have a Heisman-caliber season next year.

5. Alshon Jeffery, WR—South Carolina Gamecocks

Jeffery is currently a sophomore receiver with tremendous size and ability—6'4" and 233 pounds.

In his last three games—all against SEC opponents—Jeffery has totaled 384 receiving yards and five touchdowns. 

One of those touchdown passes, Jeffery hauled in with one hand.  With another year of experience under his belt, next year should be a Heisman-worthy season for Jeffery.

4. Stephen Garcia, QB—South Carolina Gamecocks

Garcia's highlight this season came against the big win against defending national champions Alabama Crimson Tide, as he completed 17-of-20 passes for 201 yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception.

Coming back next year for his senior season, this quarterback should have high expectations.  He will be expected to lead a very offensively talented Gamecocks team that also boasts Marcus Lattimore and Alshon Jeffery.

With his passing percentage dramatically up this year, Garcia find himself improving even more with another year under his belt.

And next year, he could become a Heisman contender.

3. Trent Richardson, RB—Alabama Crimson Tide

With Mark Ingram possibly leaving Alabama at the end of this season for the NFL draft, the backfield duties will then be turned over to Richardson.

In the first two games of this season, Richardson ran for 210 yards and three touchdowns.  He also added 92 receiving yards.

Everyone in Alabama knows about his hard running style, ability to break tackles and great hands as a backfield receiver.  If Ingram leaves next year, it might be Richardson's turn to bring the Heisman back to Alabama.

2. Trey Burton, QB—Florida Gators

Any player that scores six touchdowns in a game and breaks a Tim Tebow record of most touchdowns scored by a Florida Gator in a game, definitely deserves to be mentioned as a Heisman candidate.

Burton's time in Florida may come as early as next season, or even later this year. 

With John Brantley struggling with efficiency and consistency, the Gators may just go with their multi-talented triple-threat freshman quarterback. 

If that's the case, then Burton could be a Heisman contender as early as next season.

1. Taylor Martinez, QB—Nebraska Cornhuskers

No freshman has ever won the Heisman trophy.  Despite that fact, Martinez was deemed a Heisman contender for this season. 

His two-way ability ignited a Nebraska team that in years past has been known more for their defense than their offense. 

In a game against Kansas State, Martinez accumulated 369 total yards—128 passing and 241 rushing—for five total touchdowns.

Give Martinez another year to mature and he'll be one of the leading contenders for the Heisman next season.