Alabama teammates Mack Jones and Davonta Smith, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask were announced as the Heiman Trophy finalists on Thursday night.
Unlike 2019, when LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was the prohibitive favorite to win, the voting figures are very close without a clear front-runner emerging from the field. The Heisman Trophy winner will be honored on January 5 in a virtual ceremony that begins at 7 pm on ESPN.
Get your pick from the Alabama finalist. Smith made his case in the final month, stepping in with teammate Jaylen Wadle and showed his ability to make explosive plays in space. Smith leads the nation with 98 receptions and 1,511 yards, while catching 17 touchdown passes.
Jones told his teammates: “He is the most electric player in college football. He means the most to us in Alabama football. You can watch the game and see what kind of person he is He plays with. “
He is hoping to become the first non-quarterback to win Heisman since running back Derrick Henry in 2015 in Alabama. The last receiver to win Heisman was Desmond Howard of Michigan in 1991.
Jones, a redshirt junior, started four games last season, after which Tua Tagovelloa was hurt and had a great performance in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan. But he had to defeat former five-star prospect Bryce Young to win the starting job for this season.
And then he was off, showing his comfort in the system, easily picking up yards, touchdowns and points. Jones has the best skills players in college football around, and that includes Waddle – Aashiq Heisman ruled him out for the season until an ankle injury in late October.
In the final four games of the year, Jones and Smith made it clear that they are among the best players in the country and put an exclamation point on that statement in a 52–46 win over the Gators in the SEC Championship game.
Jones threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns, and Smith caught 15 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. In all, Jones threw for 3,739 yards and 32 touchdowns, with just four interceptions to lead No. 1 Alabama.
Team players in only one school were ranked 1-2 in the history of Hisman: 1945 Army (Doc Blanchard won it, and Glenn Davis finished second).
Teammate Nazi Harris on Thursday announced the elimination of No. 5 in voting, with Alabama the first team since the Army in 1946 to have three players in the top five in the Heyman vote.
Smith and Jones are also finalists for the Maxwell Award, which is given to the country’s best player.
So is Lawrence, 34-1 as a starter with the Tigers. He is just the second player in Clemson history to become a Heiman finalist joining Watson (2015 and 2016). Although Lawrence’s stats are not as intense as Jones’s, Lawrence has all the wins. He also proved how valuable he is to the Tigers in a 34–10 win over Notre Dame in the ACC Championship game last weekend.
Lawrence missed the first matchup with the Irish as he recovered from the coronovirus. Clemson lost in double overtime. In the rematch, Lawrence had 412 yards of total offense and scored three total touchdowns in a game that was never really close.
After the game, Clemson coach Dabo Swine began lobbying for his quarterback. “Here’s what I’d say, it would be a crying shame if Heisman didn’t attach his name to Trevor Lawrence,” Swine said. “I know it’s become a status award, but if you watch college football and you don’t know it’s the best player in the country. I don’t know what you’re looking at.”
In nine matches this season, Lawrence added 2,753 yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions, and rushed for 211 yards and seven touchdowns on the ground.
Tusk has put together one of the best seasons in Florida school history, and he is saying that three Heisman winners played quarterback there. In 11 games, Trask threw a school-record 43 touchdown passes, leading the nation by 11.. Trask also leads the nation in passing per game (375.0), and sets a school-record with 4,125 yards – including one school. Record five 400-yard passing games.
Despite throwing for 408 yards and three touchdowns against Alabama, Florida lost the game to advance to 8-3. Two straight losses, including an LSU to end the season, could impact his chances of winning.
It was also announced on Thursday that the players were in the top 10 in Heiman voting. They are: No. 5 Harris; No. 6 Iowa State running back Breece Hall; No. 7 Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields; No. 8 BYU quarterback Zach Wilson; No. 9 Notre Dame quarterback Ian Book; No. 10 Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.
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