I wanted to do something a little different since we are at the midway point of the season. I asked the crew for their top three Heisman votes. I’ve given three points for a first-place vote, two points for a second-place vote, and one point for a third-place vote.
With three of a possible seven first-place votes, Tua Tagovailoa is Devy Watch’s Heisman front-runner at the halfway point. Through five games, he’s thrown for 1,718 yards, and leads the nation with 23 TDs, and no interceptions. With his average game this weekend versus Texas A&M, he’ll be on pace to top his passing yards from his 2018 Heisman runner-up campaign. Between playing deeper into games and Alabama throwing the ball more than ever, Tagovailoa should surpass all of last season’s numbers.
Justin Fields is the only contender who has already played six games, and yardage-wise, he’s subpar to the other quarterbacks who received votes. However, he’s played well-rounded and efficient football. He ranks third among quarterbacks with 18 TD passes. When you add in his 8 rushing TDs (tied for 4th nationally), he is responsible for 26 TDs and that’s tops in the nation.
If you ask most people, Jalen Hurts is probably their Heisman front-runner at this point in the season. With just three total votes – one first, one second, and one third – that’s not the case here. A Heisman-worthy outing against Texas tomorrow could certainly change that. I’ve mentioned Oklahoma fatigue here before, and it very well could be the case. The fact that Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray both transferred to Oklahoma and won the Heisman Trophy could actually hinder Hurts’ chances at the award.
Tied for third with Hurts is Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor. Tied for 15th in carries (103), Taylor is tied for third in yards (745) and tied for second in TDs (12). He’s currently at the highest yards per carry mark of his career…if you are into that sort of thing. In addition, Taylor has consistently shown that he has to be accounted for as a receiver this season. He’s caught 12 of 13 targets for 114 yards and 4 TDs.
Joe Burrow is the only one of the five contenders who didn’t receive a first-place vote. Oddly, he’s the only one of the five contenders with anything close to a “Heisman moment” so far. That touchdown on 3rd and 17 to seal a win versus Texas counts, right? Burrow is racking up stats at a blistering pace in 2019. A lot of that is due to completing 78.4% of his passes. No other quarterback has a higher completion percentage this season. Even if Burrow can’t continue this pace, he’s still going to re-write the LSU passing records before season’s end. He already broke the school’s single-game record for TD passes with 6 versus Vanderbilt. The school’s single-season passing yards record is 3,374. Through five games, Burrow is already at 1,864 yards. The school’s single-season passing touchdowns record is 28. With 22 already, Burrow will break that record by the end of October.
Right or wrong, that’s how our Halfway Heisman votes shake out. Who is your front runner heading into CFB’s Week 7?
