Johnny Manziel.
Robert Griffin III.
Cam Newton.
Mark Ingram.
Sam Bradford.
Tim Tebow.
The last 4 Heisman winners were barely an afterthought in the preseason discussion about who was the best player in the country. Â Most people had no idea who Manziel or Newton even were. Â RG3 played at Baylor, so he wasn’t even worth bringing up. Â Ingram couldn’t be considered, well not with Tebow, Bradford, and McCoy all returning. Â And even before them, sophomores Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow were off-radar winners, starting a string of youth being served like it never was previous.
6 straight years of surprises, ranging from subtle to mind-blowing.
So who could shock us this season?
SURPRISES-Â They’ve started, but aren’t getting mentioned as all-conference players…yet. Â The key is they are all talented, and all are on teams capable of winning their conference.
QB Kevin Hogan, Stanford
QB Stephen Morris, Miami
QB Devin Gardner, Michigan
QB Kain Colter, Northwestern
QB David Ash, Texas
QB Brett Hundley, UCLA
QB Bryn Renner, North Carolina
NEED NAMETAGES– They may have played, but were backups or started with little fan-fair. Â This is the group I feel will be introducing itself to America with highlight reel plays.
RB Lache Seastrunk, Baylor
QB Blake Bell, Oklahoma
QB Jameis Winston, FSU
QB Taylor Kelly, Arizona State
RB George Atkinson, Notre Dame
RB Melvin Gordon, Wisconsin
QB Bryce Petty, Baylor
RB Matt Jones, Florida
SMALL SCHOOL POSSIBILITIES-Â They’d need an unbeaten season to gain focus on what they are doing. Â They are long-shots, but could be names mentioned every week for the award.
QB David Fales, San Jose State
QB Derek Carr, Fresno State
RB Jay Ajayi, Boise State
QB Chuckie Keeton, Utah State
