Early front-runners for the 2007 Heisman
Despite the fact that former college stars like Adrian Peterson, Calvin Johnson, Michael Bush, and JaMarcus Russell decided to skip their senior seasons and enter this past weekend's NFL draft, there are still plenty of players returning to school who already have set their sights on the Heisman Trophy.
The preseason favorites usually consist of quarterbacks and running backs, and this year is no different. Unless some unforeseen talent emerges, don't expect anyone from a different position to make a serious run at the award in 2007.
The leading candidate right now is Arkansas RB Darren McFadden, who finished second behind ex-Ohio State QB Troy Smith in the 2006 voting. The only problem with Darren McFadden is that 80 percent of the team's 2006 offensive line is gone, and his success will greatly hinge on how quickly the new blockers mesh together. It is indeed a large obstacle to overcome, but one can't justify leaving Darren McFadden off the list after a sophomore season in which he ran for over 1,600 yards and 14 touchdowns. At this time next year, expect him to be getting his share of fanfare going into the draft.
The fourth and fifth place finishers from 2006 are also returning running backs -- Steve Slaton and Mike Hart. While West Virginia's Slaton didn't get much national publicity, he ran for an astounding 1,744 yards and 16 touchdowns and also had 27 receptions for 360 yards and two more scores last year. Throw in the fact that Slaton accomplished that in only his sophomore season, and that he played with a quarterback who ran for over 1,200 yards, and his '06 seems that much more impressive.
The 2007 senior class is saved from a shutout by Michigan's Hart, who rushed for nearly 1,600 yards and accumulated 14 TDs against some stiff competition last season. He is the most recognizable player on a national title-contending team and will, at the very least, need to have impressive showings against Notre Dame, Wisconsin, Ohio State and Penn State in '07.
As far as quarterbacks, Hawaii's Colt Brennan seems to be at the top of the class. In 2006 he passed for over 5,500 yards, rushed for 366 and totaled an unbelievable 63 touchdowns. Brennan's top two receivers from last year will be back, and he will undoubtedly have the green light to air it out every game. The fact that he plays in the WAC conference will hurt, but it will be hard to turn Brennan down if he throws for over 60 touchdowns yet again.
Logically, the second pick at the QB position is John David Booty out of USC. He brings three years of experience to the table (one as a starter) and will be the leader on a team that many have as their preseason No. 1. While John David Booty lost receivers Steve Smith and Dwayne Jarrett to the NFL, USC is never short of talent, and there will definitely be more top-tier wideouts to fill the void. Head coach Pete Carroll always runs a competitive Heisman campaign for his players, and creating a buzz for John David Booty shouldn't be too hard after he completed a 3,300-yard season for a championship-caliber team last year.
The last choice came down to a toss-up between West Virginia's Pat White and Texas' Colt McCoy, but the latter seems to have the best chance at the Heisman. McCoy had ready-made publicity last year, simply for filling the spot vacated by Vince Young, and he didn't disappoint. His 2,570 yards passing was not a stunning number, but McCoy's 68 percent completion rate and 29 touchdowns were eye-opening. The Texas gunslinger rippled the pond as a freshman last year, so it will be interesting to see what he does for an encore. McCoy's personal success will be dependent on whether the team as a whole is high caliber, but he has the talent around him to make that happen.
The dual-threat White, meanwhile, is as dangerous a weapon as any player in college. However, he is not the prototypical quarterback and will lose both rushing yards and Heisman votes to his earlier recognized teammate, Slaton.
Out of the above six picks, only Brennan, John David Booty and Hart will be seniors, but McCoy will probably be the only one back in 2008. Therefore, it seems fair to name McCoy and White as the Heisman favorites for the '08 campaign, but any of these six can win the honor.
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