North Carolina Tar Heels: TJ Yates Heisman Candidate?

Over the next few weeks, UNC's quarterback TJ Yates has to emerge as a Heisman Candidate.

He may have to do it without any fanfare from UNC as they are mired in an NCAA investigation that could spell trouble for the school for some time. Yet, he may do it alone. That is how good Yates is.

Although sporting only a 4-2 record, a win at the Miami Hurricanes today will mean UNC will be ranked in all polls and remain in contention for the ACC Football Championship.

There are few who would contest that Heisman watches are rarely for players on unranked teams. This is why most overlooked candidates who might have won do not come from big, important schools. They play under the radar, and excel when they reach the NFL.

Yates may never make the NFL. But who will argue he does not have a chance? He was overlooked in high school, yet is a four year starter at Carolina. He perseveres. And he exceeds expectations.

So why a Heisman candidate?

First, the statistics are startling, especially for those who believed last year was the real Yates.

Eleven touchdowns and only one interception. There is one other qualified starting quarterback doing as well. (Qualified means having at least 14 attempts per game played.) Kellen Moore, starting quarterback for Boise State, arguably the best football team in the Nation.

Of course, of the other statistics, Yates is only the 27th rated quarterback as of today, but quarterback ratings should be only part of the story when considering a Heisman candidate.

Second, Yates is by far the best performer on the worst team. No one could consider the assortment of players that have played for North Carolina even the best players who were on the team at the beginning of the year.

You might argue that Dan Persa from Northwestern is on a worst team, but he has not had the distractions facing Yates.

Third, Yates should be the candidate over Tyrod Taylor from Virginia Tech. Yes, Taylor's statistics are better, but he is not on a team with any distractions either.

Fourth, and finally, the most important ingredient for a Heisman trophy should be how much the player has been worth to the team over the year.

So far, Yates is by far the most valuable player on any team. What he has accomplished is simply extraordinary.

Facing his opponent that may end up ranked number one at the end of the year, with a ragtag group patched together because of a devastating NCAA investigation, Yates rallied his team to a win but for a teammate's failure.

Only two dropped balls at the end of the game in the end zone ruined his chances for one of the greatest upsets in Tar Heel history.

From there, a play or two makes Yates' Tar Heels undefeated. And with four straight wins, Yates leading the way each time, he has UNC nearly ranked again.

While athletic achievement is clearly one of the bases for a Heisman, and perhaps other factors make this one-man campaign a joke in most people's minds, just try to see it from the perspective of one of Yates' main in-state opponents, East Carolina's Head Football Coach Ruffin McNeill.

 "I've heard some criticism of him, but it's unfair," McNeill said. "He is a really fine quarterback. He has great pocket presence, understands the offense, commands the offense and does a great job distributing the football. ... I saw him make some throws like someone I competed against a few years ago: Philip Rivers. Yates can throw off balance and with different angles. He has the mobility to escape in the pocket a little bit and buy time."