2020 Heisman Watch (Week 15)

The Heisman race is probably narrowing down, but it’s tightening up at the same time ahead of the final week before conference championship games begin.

 

1. Kyle Trask | Florida QB | Senior | Last week: 1

Florida has no problem just chucking the ball around without running the ball much, and Kyle Trask’s ability to make smart decision and avoid mistakes helps make that a winning formula for the offense. The Heisman race might come down to the SEC title game in a couple of weeks, but Trask will look to continue putting up numbers when the Gators face LSU this weekend.

 

Season stats:

71.4% | 3,243 PASS YDS | 38 PASS TD | 3 INT

39 CAR | 78 RUSH YDS | 2.0 AVG

 

2. Mac Jones | Alabama QB | Senior | Last week: 2

Mac Jones might be getting more love if he had a “cooler” name, but all he does is run the Alabama offense at an exceptionally high level while putting up crazy numbers in the process. It obviously helps having a stacked offense including DeVonta Smith, but Jones puts throws on the money and is a tough quarterback to stop.

 

Season stats:

75.7% | 3,113 PASS YDS | 27 PASS TD | 3 INT

22 CAR | -3 RUSH YDS | 1 RUSH TD | -0.1 AVG

 

3. DeVonta Smith | Alabama WR | Senior | Last week: NR

It is extremely difficult for a wide receiver to win the Heisman Trophy, but DeVonta Smith has made it impossible to ignore his stellar candidacy. After over 200 yards and three touchdowns against LSU (including an insane one-handed grab over star cornerback Derek Stingley Jr.), Smith is up to 749 yards and 11 touchdowns over his past four games. Putting up these numbers in the NCAA Football video game seems too unrealistic, and Smith is doing it in real life.

 

Season stats:

80 REC | 1,305 REC YDS | 15 REC TD | 16.3 AVG

3 CAR | 11 RUSH YDS | 1 RUSH TD | 3.7 AVG

 

4. Trevor Lawrence | Clemson QB | Junior | Last week: 3 (-1)

Trevor Lawrence totaled three touchdowns (two on the ground), but overall he didn’t do quite enough to push closer into the top two of the Heisman race. Still, Lawrence has a prime opportunity when Clemson faces Notre Dame in the ACC Championship Game in a couple of Saturdays. In a strange year, being arguably the best player in the nation and the preseason favorite might help in the end.

 

Season stats:

69.2% | 2,431 PASS YDS | 20 PASS TD | 3 INT

44 CAR | 121 RUSH YDS | 6 RUSH TD | 2.8 AVG

 

5. Najee Harris | Alabama RB | Senior | Last week: 4 (-1)

You could make a case for Justin Fields being in the top five despite fewer games played than these other contenders, but the Heisman Trophy might come down to the top five. Because of the slant toward throwing the football in today’s game, Najee Harris has an uphill climb to win the prestigious award; but the senior running is having an outstanding season that should get recognition.

 

Season stats:

169 CAR | 1,038 RUSH YDS | 20 RUSH TD | 6.1 AVG

26 REC | 247 REC YDS | 9.5 AVG

 

Just missed:

Ohio State QB Justin Fields

Notre Dame QB Ian Book

BYU QB Zach Wilson

Buffalo RB Jaret Patterson