Make no mistake, this week is all about Troy Smith, but it is very exciting to see sophomore Darren McFadden included among the Heisman finalists.
It is rare for a player from a non-traditional Heisman power to finish so high in the voting before his junior or senior year.
Take note that the last SEC running back to finish as high as third in the voting was Georgia’s Garrison Hearst in 1992. Since then, not a single back from that conference has been able to crack the top five.
But McFadden has done it following a season in which he rushed for 1,558 yards and 14 TDs.
Despite his front runner status, it will still be very difficult for McFadden to win the trophy in 2007. Next season’s field will be rich with running backs, including Steve Slaton, Michael Hart, Jamaal Charles, Antonio Pittman, Ian Johnson and possibly Michael Bush.
A lot has to go right and, as Brady Quinn will tell you, it only takes a few to go wrong to knock the front runner down a few notches.
Much of the battle for next year’s Heisman will take place in the offseason. McFadden comes from a very small media market, so his only weakness right now is his lack of name recognition. If he can get his Q rating up, then he’ll be in great shape. Appearing on a bunch of preseason magazine covers wouldn’t hurt either.
As always, we’ll keep a close eye on how things transpire between now and the start of next year’s college football season
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