By: Brock Wells

Week Zero of the NCAA football season is now in the books with Week One action about to take center stage. Heisman Trophy candidates across the country will make their 2022 debuts throughout this week’s action. But just who will win the Heisman Trophy this season? Last season, the race seemed entirely up in the air with no consensus favorite showing up until relatively late in the season. Will this season be similar?

One thing is for certain: for the last several years, the Heisman Trophy has been utterly owned by quarterbacks. Of the last ten Heisman Trophy winners, eight of them have been quarterbacks, with just Derrick Henry (2015) and DeVonta Smith (2020) proving exceptions to this seemingly unwritten rule. Could it be any different this season? It’s hard to say considering the favorability quarterbacks have with the voting committee. These five players stand out as early Heisman favorites.

C.J. Stroud – Ohio State QB

C.J. Stroud is expected to have a spectacular season leading the Ohio State Buckeyes. Ohio State is a perennial favorite to win the Big Ten and this surely the case again in 2022. After being dethroned by Michigan in 2021, the program is ready to put that behind them. Stroud struggled early on in ’21 but rebounded to have a great statistically season (4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns, 71.9 completion %) and finished fourth in Heisman voting. If he’s improved as a player at all since last season, his stats will warrant Heisman consideration.

The other piece of this is whether Ohio State wins the Big Ten. Fair or not, team success has a lot to do with Heisman voting. Is Michigan good again? Does Penn State rise up? Michigan State? Wisconsin? Stroud’s chances to win the Heisman Trophy lie squarely with Ohio State’s dominance over the rest of the conference. Assuming they win the conference and Stroud plays well all season, he’s probably the favorite.

Bryce Young – Alabama QB

Bryce Young figures to be in the mix again this season after throwing for 4,872 yards, 47 touchdowns, and seven interceptions in 2021. The dominance of Alabama in NCAA football over the last several seasons has been astounding. They’re simply an unrivaled program in this era. But can Young win the Heisman again? That could prove to be a long shot. In the history of the award, Archie Griffin is the only player to ever win it twice (1974, 1975). Matt Leinart couldn’t even do it during USC’s last golden age.

Can the Crimson Tide really do it again? Can they find themselves in the top three teams in the country yet again? One of these seasons, you’ve got to figure a crack finds its way into their armor. Georgia beat them last year, do they again in ’22? In all likelihood, the Tide do find their way to the College Football Playoff again, but Young certainly benefited from a wide-open Heisman field last season. It’s difficult to imagine him winning it again.

Caleb Williams – USC QB

Caleb Williams is the one to keep an eye on. Just how much can we expect from the USC Trojans this season? They broke the NCAA map when they announced they’d be joining the Big Ten down the road, but for now they still play in the Pac-12, a conference that has gotten the short end of the stick more often than not in this supposedly fairer playoff era of college football. Can USC pull a stunner and make their way to the top of the ranks like in years gone by?

As just a freshman last season, Williams benched the overrated Spencer Rattler while at the University of Oklahoma. In 11 games for the Sooners, he threw 21 touchdowns and four interceptions. This isn’t setting the world on fire, but for a freshman, it’s very good. He has more potential than either Young or Stroud, but he also has the smallest margin for error of the three. If USC can’t make their way back to national prominence, his chances to win the Heisman are slim.

Bijan Robinson – Texas RB

Bijan Robinson is the first non-quarterback to watch this season as he hopes to carry the Texas Longhorns back to the top much like Williams hopes to do for USC. The junior enters the ’22 season after rushing for 1,127 yards and 11 touchdowns last season in ten games. He had an additional four receiving touchdowns as well. His prowess in the run and passing game is a big reason why Texas has risen back into the national picture.

Robinson looks to play of a full slate of games this season and if he does so will be in a pretty decent place to make a case for Heisman consideration. In a Big 12 that also features Oklahoma and a seriously threatening Baylor team, Texas will have its share of competition to win the conference. But this is the first season in a while where you’ve been confidently able to say the Longhorns have as good a shot as the Sooners to win the conference outright.

Will Anderson – Alabama LB

Will Anderson is believed by many to be the best player in college football. This was believed last season as well when his Alabama teammate Bryce Young took the Heisman Trophy. After posting 17.5 sacks in 15 games last season, many have wondered just what a defensive player has to do to win the award. That’s a good question. If he puts up similar numbers this season and again doesn’t win, the questioning of the voting committee’s methods for decision making will be further vindicated.

Anderson was one of two defensive players at the Heisman ceremony last season, alongside Michigan’s Aidan Hutchinson. Perhaps that’s a small victory in itself considering what a rarity that is these days. All Anderson needs to do is to put up another extraordinary season like he did last year and let the voters take care of themselves. He’s probably closer than any defensive player has been in a while to winning the award.

The post Top 5 Heisman candidates for 2022 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

Charles Woodson is still the only primary defensive football player to win the Heisman trophy after he won the prestigious award in 1997. The former Michigan Wolverine and Peyton Manning’s archnemesis had 16 interceptions in three seasons as a Wolverine. He even dabbled at the WR and KR/PR position, as he notched 1 PR touchdown and 1 receiving touchdown in his senior season.

Woodson was drafted by the Oakland Raiders fourth overall in the 1997 NFL Draft and he didn’t dissapoint in his rookie season. He ousted five interceptions (including a pick-six) and two forced fumbles, which led him to win Defensive Rookie of The Year and crack a Pro Bowl spot. The Ball-Hawk would elevate his ability in his sophmore season, as he made the All-Pro team in 1999.

Woodson left the Black Hole and joined the mighty Green Bay Packers in the 2006 off-season. Woodson enjoyed more success in his Packers journey than his time in the west coast. He made two All-Pro teams (2009, 2011) and helped the Packers win the Super Bowl in the 2010-2011 season. Woodson really had a magical 2009 season, as he hauled in a career-high 9 interceptions (a career-high three pick-sixes), four forced fumbles, and a personal best 9 tackles for loss. His uncomparable efforts in his 2009 outing resulted in his winning Defensive Player of The Year.

Woodson reunited with his beloved Raiders squad in the 2013 off-season and he aspired to finish his career on a high note. His team wasn’t potent in 2015 (7-9 record), but the ageless warrior was still playing on a high level (5 interceptions/Pro Bowl honors). The defensive version of Tom Brady retired in 2015 as a Raider.

The former Wolverine, Raider, and Packer was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2021. Woodson finished his football story as the second player ever to win a Heisman trophy, AP Rookie of The Year, AP Player of The Year, and a Super Bowl. Currently, he’s an NFL Fox analyst and he’s going to cotinue to make bold takes.

He is also married to April Woodson and he has two sons: Charles Jr. and Chase.

The post Charles Woodson: tribute and reflection appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Ivan Mulinder

Baker Mayfield won the Heisman Trophy in 2017 as the Quarterback of the Oklahoma Sooners, an award which is given to the most outstanding player in College Football. Going into the 2018 Draft he was the most successful quarterback ever in College Football in terms of his passing efficiency rating (which was 198.9) and he still ranks 6th today.

He was drafted by the Cleveland Browns with the No. 1 pick in the 2018 Draft, a selection that came with extremely high expectations by most Browns fans who thought that at last, they had their QB who would lead them to glory. Baker Mayfield was certainly up to the challenge saying “I think if anybody’s going to turn that franchise around it would be me.” When asked why he’s the right man he said “Accuracy. I can make any throw.” Given his passing efficiency rating, he was right to be so confident.

Baker joined an extremely dysfunctional organization. Hue Jackson was the Head Coach and Todd Hayley was the Offensive coordinator. Over the last two seasons, the Browns had won 1 game, with only 4 wins in the last 3 seasons.

Since their return in 1999, they had only 2 winning seasons, the last in 2007, and the Browns had become the laughing stock of the NFL, a name synonymous with losing. Yet the Cleveland Browns had once been the greatest franchise and are proud owners of 8 Championships, with some of the best NFL players of all time having played for them such as Jim Brown and Otto Graham. Baker was the Browns 30th starting Quarterback since 1999 and he had a tough task ahead of him. The program Hard Knocks highlighted very clearly the incompetence and arrogance of Hue Jackson and the infighting between the Coaches. 

By Game 3 of the 2018 season, the Browns were in their usual run of form and were losing to the New York Jets 14-0 in Cleveland. Baker came on to thunderous applause and promptly led the Browns to a 21-17 victory, their first win in 19 games, completing 17 of 23 passes for 201 passing yards. Let’s remind ourselves of Baker Mayfield’s successes in Cleveland:

•  He was the first Quarterback since 1961 to come off the bench in his debut, throw for more than 200+ yards and lead his team to their first win of the season. 
• In week 5 2018 he won his first victory as a Browns starting Quarterback throwing for 347 yards and 1 touchdown in a 12-9 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. 
• In Week 10 2018 he achieved a passer rating of 151.2 against the Atlanta Falcons. 
• By the end of the 2018 season, Baker Mayfield set the rookie Quarterback record for passing touchdowns with 27.
• The Browns 2018 record of 7-8-1 was their best since 2007. 
• He won the Pro Football Writers Association All-Rookie Award. 
• In 2019 his peers voted him the 50th best player in the League. 
• At the end of the 2020 season, Baker led the Browns to their first playoff victory 48-37 in Pittsburgh, which was their first playoff appearance since 2002, their first playoff victory since 1994, and first playoff road win since 1969.  
• By game 2 in 2021 PFF said “From week 10 onwards last year Mayfield was the No2 graded QB in the NFL.” He was in the top 5 Quarterbacks in all their categories.

Baker’s overall NFL stats were a TD-Int ratio of 92-56, 14,125 passing yards, 61.6% accuracy, and an 87.8 passer rating. These stats do not reflect the adversity he had to fight against throughout his time at the Cleveland Browns:

• He had 4 Head Coaches: Hue Jackson, Gregg Williams, Freddie Kitchens, and Kevin Stefanski each with their own offensive schemes. Hue Jackson and Freddie Kitchens are two of the worst Head Coaches you’ll likely see ever in the history of the NFL.
• He had 3 Offensive coordinators: Todd Hayley, Todd Monken, and Alex Van Pelt.
• By week 15 of the 2021 season, the Browns only had 8 players who had been active for all games. He had no quality Offensive Line to protect him.
• In-Game 2 2021 Baker Mayfield suffered a season-ending injury to his shoulder. He completely tore his labrum, which led to a shoulder fracture, and he suffered rib injuries, a foot injury and a leg injury during the rest of the season yet continued to give his all to lead the franchise. 
• He didn’t have his WR1 and WR2 to throw to throughout most of the 2021 season. Landry was out from snap 2 Game 2 and OBJ didn’t want to be in Cleveland. 

Despite all this, the Browns won 8 games with 5 losses and 5 points or less. They beat the Super Bowl Bengals twice including a 41-16 blowout. On January 11th Andrew Berry said, “We fully expect Baker to be our starter and bounce back.” On March 15th he was meeting with Deshaun Watson and Baker’s time with the Cleveland Browns was effectively over. Baker Mayfield achieved a lot in Cleveland, despite all that was aligned against him. He led the franchise through a turbulent and transitional period and I believe that wherever he ends up he will lead that franchise to much success. 

The post Baker Mayfield tribute and reflection appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Chris Thomas

Now that the College Football season has started it won’t be long until Heisman candidates and storylines start to emerge. The Heisman is awarded to the best player in college football that season and cements a player’s legacy as one of the greatest college football players of all time. 

Last year was the first time in a couple of years that there wasn’t a clearcut favorite for the award. Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith became the first wide receiver to win the award since 1991 and the fourth wide receiver ever to do so. Smith also became the first non-quarterback to win the Heisman since former Alabama running back Derrick Henry won the award in 2015. 

Many great candidates could be nominated and win the award this upcoming season. Here are a few players to look out for who could take home the Heisman at the end of the 2021-22 College Football season. 

Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma

It is hard to start a Heisman candidates list without the face of college football Spencer Rattler. The redshirt sophomore is about to enter his second full season as the team’s starting quarterback. Rattler is already the favorite to go first overall in the 2022 NFL Draft and by many to win the Heisman. He would be Lincoln Riley’s third quarterback to accomplish both feats since he took over the program in 2017. Both Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray won the Heisman and went first overall in the NFL Draft back to back in the 2017-18 and 2018-19 seasons. 

Last season Rattler threw for 3,031 passing yards, 28 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. He also rushed for 160 yards and six touchdowns on 81 attempts. That performance earned Rattler a spot on AP”˜s First Team All-Big 12 and made him a semifinalist for the Davey O’Brien award. He finished the year with the third-highest PFF grade among quarterbacks in the FBS with a 92.5.

This upcoming season Rattler not only has the opportunity to build upon how he played last year but potentially take the Oklahoma Sooners to the College Football Playoffs and compete for a National Championship. If Oklahoma makes it to the College Football Playoffs it would be hard to imagine Rattler not at least being nominated for the Heisman after this season. 

Bryce Young, QB, Alabama

It is not a ridiculous statement to say that Bryce Hall has the potential to be the most dynamic passer Nick Saban has had during his time at Alabama. That is not a shot at Jalen Hurts, Tua Tagovailoa, or Mac Jones who are all NFL starting quarterbacks. In the small sample size that Young has shown, he displayed more of a playmaker skillset compared to a distributor/point guard type like Tagovailoa and Jones or athlete that relies on mobility like Hurts. 

Last season Young finished the season completing 13 of his 22 passes for 156 yards and a touchdown. In high school, Young was considered the best dual-threat quarterback in the nation and a five-star prospect.

The sophomore quarterback has a fantastic opportunity to become one of the faces of college football now that he will be the starting quarterback of the reigning national champions. Young will be leading an extremely talented roster that is considered the favorite to repeat as champions. If Young shows why he was considered such a polarizing high school quarterback at the next level in a full-time starting role he could very well win the Heisman this year.

D.J. Uiagalelei, QB, Clemson

It cannot be an enviable position to follow up Trevor Lawerence as the starting quarterback of the Clemson Tigers. Lawerence was considered by many as one of the greatest college quarterbacks of all time. The sophomore quarterback will join a line of prestigious quarterbacks to start for Clemson over the last decade including Lawerence and Deshaun Watson. Both quarterbacks have left big shoes for D.J. Uiagalelei to fill. There are a lot of expectations that come with being the quarterback for a Dabo Swinney-led Clemson team. Both Lawerence and Watson were catalysts for the Tigers winning National Championships when they were starters. 

Last season he played in ten games but started two against Boston College and Notre Dame. In his first start against Boston College, Uiagalelei completed 73.2% of his passes going 30 for 41 and passing for 342 yards and two touchdowns. He also had six rushes for 25 yards and a touchdown. Then the following week against #4 Notre Dame, Uiagalelei went 29 of 44 for 439 yards and two touchdowns. Uiagalelei rushed for two yards on 13 attempts and a touchdown in that game as well. He finished the year completing 66.7% of his passes completing 78 of 117 of them for 914 yards, five touchdowns, and zero interceptions. Uiagalelei had 28 rushing attempts for 60 yards and four touchdowns. His 146.4 pass efficiency rating was fifth-best by an ACC freshman quarterback since 2002. Uiagalelei also became only the second FBS player since 2000 to throw at least 115 passes and record at least five passing touchdowns and no interceptions.

As long as Clemson makes the College Football playoffs Uiagalelei should be a Heisman contender. What he brings to the table that separates him from the rest is the combination of size and athleticism. At 6’4″ and 249 pounds he is a fantastic athlete and a threat as a ball carrier. His combination of size, mobility, and arm strength could draw comparisons to another former Heisman winner former Auburn quarterback Cam Newton who is 6’5″ and 245 pounds. If Uiagalelei plays similarly to how Newton did in his Heisman campaign in the 2010 season, he could very well win the award at the end of this season. 

J.T Daniels, QB, Georgia

One player that has been trending towards being considered one of the nation’s best quarterbacks is Georgia quarterback JT Daniels. He will start his second season as a Georgia Bulldog after two years at USC. Many believe a great season from him could catapult Georgia back into the National title picture. 

Daniels transferred to Georgia after redshirting his sophomore season due to a season-ending knee injury. Last season only started four games for Georgia at the end of the season. Daniels finished the year completing 80 of his 119 passes for 1,231 yards, ten touchdowns, and only two interceptions. That is an average of 307.8 passing yards, 2.5 touchdowns, and .5 interceptions a game. 

He is entering his Junior year this season so Daniels is eligible for another year. However, he is gaining a lot of hype as a quarterback prospect to look out for that could potentially be a first-round pick. Daniels has a cannon for an arm which will get him on a light of highlight reels throughout the season. If Georgia makes a National title push and Daniels makes huge plays throughout the season he could have a legitimate case to win the Heisman at the end of the year. 

Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas

Now that the Sam Ehlinger era is over at Texas the star Longhorn tasked with bringing them back to relevancy is running back Bijan Robinson. The Longhorns have needed a star on their roster who can bring them back to what they were over a decade ago. So far Robinson has shown that he has what it takes to be that guy. 

During his freshman year, Robinson played in nine games, but only started six of them. He had three games last season where he rushed for over 100 yards and averaged 10.3 carries in each of those games. His best game came at the end of the year against Colorado where he rushed for 183 yards and a touchdown off ten carries. In that game, Robinson also caught two passes for 37 yards and two more touchdowns. He finished last year with 703 rushing yards and four touchdowns on only 86 carries. 

Robinson has the size and strength to be a power back, but is shifty and has the athleticism to make him almost impossible to defend. He has shown that he is also a threat as a receiver. His style of play is similar to Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott. 

If Robinson thrives in a workhorse role for Texas gets them closer to being a national title threat he could become the first running back since 2015 to win the Heisman. 

Breece Hall, RB, Iowa State

Last season Breece Hall was arguably the best running back in college football. He discretely had one of the greatest seasons for a running back in college football history. He could put up similar production in his junior year at Iowa State. 

After an outstanding freshman season Hall broke out in a major way his sophomore year. In the twelve games he played, Hall rushed for 1,572 yards on 279 attempts and 21 touchdowns. He led the entire country in rushing last season. He averaged 131 rushing yards per game. Hall became the first player in College Football to have 75+ yards and a rushing touchdown in all 12 games since NFL Hall of Famer and former TCU running back LaDainian Tomlinson did it in 2000. He added multiple accolades to his resume including being the first unanimous All-American in Iowa State history, winning Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year, and First Team All-Big 12. This performance landed Hall sixth in the Heisman voting.

He came extremely close to winning the Heisman a year ago. If Hall were to repeat his performance or even break his records there would be slim to no chance that he does not get recognized as one of the greatest running backs to ever play in college football by winning the Heisman. 

Brian Robinson Jr., RB, Alabama

Brian Robinson Jr. becomes the next running back to join the fraternity of Alabama starting running backs. The Crimson Tide have had an outstanding group of players at the position over the years including Mark Ingram, Trent Richardson, Eddie Lacy, Derrick Henry, and Najee Harris. There have also been other talented running backs for the Crimson Tide that weren’t workhorse backs including Alvin Kamara, T.J. Yeldon, Kenyan Drake, Damien Harris, and Josh Jacobs. So expectations are high for a player like Robinson who will now control this backfield and have a major role for this offense. 

Over the last two seasons, Robinson Jr. has played a complementary role to Najee Harris. Last year he rushed for 483 yards and six touchdowns on 91 attempts. Robinson fits the bigger running back mold the Crimson Tide have been known for under Nick Saban. He has been used to run the ball outside of the tackles on outside zone runs. He has also returned kickoffs for Alabama on occasion. 

This year the redshirt senior finally gets his chance to lead this backfield. If Robinson has a breakout season and is as dominant as the Alabama running backs that have come before him he has a great of a chance as anyone to win the Heisman. There has not been a more dominant position group on a college football team over the last decade than Alabama running backs. Robinson could be the third to win the Heisman since 2009.

Chris Olave, WR, Ohio State

It is extremely unlikely that a wide receiver wins the Heisman in any given year. It is even more unlikely that a wide receiver wins the Heisman in back-to-back seasons. But after DeVonta Smith won last year it does open up the conversation to the position group and it is unlikely that a talent like Chris Olave isn’t considered for the award after the season.

Last year Olave broke out and established himself as one of the best receivers in college football. He almost matched his receiving yardage and touchdown total from the season prior despite having his season reduced to seven games. Olave caught 50 receptions for 729 yards and seven touchdowns. He averaged 104.1 yards per game. He was named First Team All-Big Ten after his performance. He was considered one of the best wide receivers in college football last season.

Coming into this season Olave is considered the best wide receiver in the nation. If he continues the pace that he set last season or exceeds it over a full college football season he could make it back-to-back seasons that a wide receiver wins the Heisman.

The post Top 5 Heisman candidates for the 2021-22 college football Season appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Adam Hulse (@AdamHulseSports)

The start of the college football season is now less than a month away. That means it is time to start looking at who the top contenders are for the Heisman Trophy this year. This long-running tradition of awarding the trophy to the top college football player in the country began in 1935 and will of course continue for the 2021 season. A quarterback has been the winner in 12 of the last 15 seasons and there is a very good chance that one of them will take home the award again this upcoming season. Here are the current top three candidates to win the Heisman Trophy this year.

1. QB Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma

According to the Draft Kings Sports Book, Spencer Rattler is the current favorite to win the award with a +600 betting line. Rattler is looking to become the third Oklahoma quarterback to win it in the last five years, joining Kyler Murray and Baker Mayfield. Head Coach Lincoln Reilly has turned this program into a factory for quarterbacks and his offensive system really allows them to shine at the college level. Rattler has all of the tools to be the next Sooner star and his expectations are sky-high for the 2021 season.

After a slow start to the 2020 season, Rattler came alive and helped Oklahoma win their final eight games of the season. On the year, he completed 67.5 percent of his passes for 3031 yards and 28 touchdowns while also contributing an additional 6 rushing touchdowns. If he continues to progress as expected and fully utilizes the extremely quarterback-friendly system of Reilly to his advantage, Rattler is going to be a very special player this season. If all goes according to plan, he will not only be the front runner for the Heisman Trophy but also for the number one overall pick in the NFL Draft next year.

2. QB DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson

According to the Draft Kings Sports Book, DJ Uiagalelei is the second favorite to the Heisman Trophy at +750 betting odds. He has only started two games at Clemson so far, mostly serving as the backup to Trevor Lawrence, but that was enough for him to demonstrate his potential as one of the top quarterback prospects in the country. In those two games alone, he completed 59 of his 85 passes for 781 yards and 4 touchdowns against zero interceptions while also contributing an additional two touchdowns in the rushing game. Expectations are through the roof as he enters his first season as the starting quarterback.

Head Coach Dabo Swinney has built Clemson into one of the top college football programs in the entire country. They will enter this season as the second favorite behind only Alabama to win the National Championship. The team expectations for success, as well as the giant shoes to fill of Trevor Lawrence, are a very tall order but Uiagalelei has the talent to live up to them and a ton of weapons around him to help him achieve greatness. He is a massively sized quarterback at 6’4 and 250 pounds so he is built to dominate his opposition. If he can play for a full season the way he did for two games last year, he will surely be right in the mix to win the award.

3. QB D’Eriq King, Miami

According to the Draft Kings Sports Book, D’Eriq King has the seventh best odds to win the award with a +2000 betting line. This qualifies him as a bit of a sleeper pick and one that is an excellent value selection. King classifies as a traditional “college style” quarterback because of his relatively small size but astronomical athletic ability. Interestingly, this type of player was once seen as unfit for the NFL game but recently that theory has been proven wrong by the success of quarterbacks like Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray. A true dual threat, but measuring at just 5’11 and 195 pounds, puts King in that same category in terms of style.

After spending four years in Houston, King transferred to Miami for the 2020 season and put up some excellent numbers. He completed 64.1 percent of his passes for 2686 yards and 23 touchdowns while adding another 538 yards and 4 touchdowns on the ground. When combining his career passing and rushing numbers, he has totaled nearly 10,000 yards and over 100 touchdowns, and even more than that if his receiving totals are factored in as well. He is an absolutely electrifying player who could take another step forward this season now that he has had over a full year to settle in to his new system. If he does indeed do so, his name could be firmly planted in the Heisman Trophy winner discussion at the end of the season.

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