Future Heisman candidates from the recruiting class of 2013

By on February 5, 2013 in HP Recruiting '13

The recruits from the high school recruiting class of 2013 are getting ready to sign their letters of intent on Wednesday.

Not all of them are going to live up to their lofty recruiting rankings this season. Some will take time to adjust to the rigors of college life and go on to redshirt. Some will find ways to contribute as backups or on special teams. Others will be pressed into action due to injuries. Only a select few will become stars this fall.

Here at Heismanpundit.com we are always on the lookout for future Heisman candidates, so it’s a tradition of ours to try to pick out the players from each recruiting class who best fit that bill. It’s an inexact science, but in 2007, we had a guy named Cameron Newton on our list. Here are our picks from 2008, 2009, 2010 , 2011 and 2012.

It’s important to remember that not every recruiting class will produce a Heisman winner, or even a Heisman candidate. Johnny Manziel was from the class of 2011, while Robert Griffin and Mark Ingram were from the class of 2008. Cam Newton was in the high school class of 2007. As of yet, the classes of 2009 and 2010 have been somewhat devoid of serious candidates. In other words, it’s possible that Heisman glory passes over this group.

Selecting the candidates is not as simple as checking off some 5-star players from the recruiting sites.

First off, we narrow the list down to quarterbacks, running backs and multi-purpose athletes. No matter what anyone says, you can forget about tight ends, linebackers or linemen winning the trophy.

Second, we assess the abilities of the players in question. Do their skills translate to the next level? How quickly will they make an impact? Do they have the physical measurables and the intangibles needed to succeed?

Third, how well does the player fit into the system in which he will be playing? Does his team’s system produce the numbers needed to win a Heisman?

Let’s see what’s in store for this year’s class, along with a few of their highlights. Keep these guys on your radar and expect at least one of them to make a strong run at the Heisman within the next four years. Here they are:

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Manti Te’o's theme song: Imaginary Lover

By on January 17, 2013 in General CFB

Can’t add much more to what’s already been said about the very bizarre Manti Te’o situation.  So, I’ll just say that I consider this 1970s classic to be the theme song for the whole saga:

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An early top 10 teams list for 2013

By on January 8, 2013 in The HP Top 10 Teams

We’re only a few hours removed from the end of the 2012 season, but it’s never too early to get started on 2013.

Next season should definitely be fun. Lots of great teams out there. It’ll be sort of like a crazy, back and forth tennis match.  Speaking of tennis, if you ever want to lay a bet down, be sure to check out these tennis betting tips.

Here’s a way-too-early top 10 for next season:

1. Alabama – You’re kidding yourself if you don’t think this is where the Crimson Tide will start out come fall. And why shouldn’t they? Bama returns most of its key contributors on offense, including quarterback AJ McCarron, running backs Eddie Lacyand TJ Yeldon (unless Lacy opts for the draft) and rising star receiver Amari Cooper. The defense will be loaded as usual and, of course, there is head coach Nick Saban for opposing teams to deal with. Alabama is the best team until proven otherwise.

2. Texas A&M – If not for a bad second half against Florida in the season opener, it might’ve been the Aggies holding aloft the Crystal Ball last night. Look for the Aggies to make a serious run at the national title in just their second year under coach Kevin Sumlin. They have the best player in the country in Heisman winner Johnny Manziel and Sumlin has done a great job surrounding him with big-time talent, including wide receiver Mike Evans. It remains to be seen whether A&M’s bookend offensive tackles return for another year, but this program has enough Manz-mentum to overcome their loss. An early test looms when the Aggies host defending champ Alabama in Week 3.

3. Oregon – Everyone just knew Chip Kelly was heading to the NFL. Except he didn’t. He’ll stick around Eugene to lead another potent Duck team that is loaded on both sides of the ball and coming off a No. 2 national ranking. Quarterback Marcus Mariota, hybrid running back De’Anthony Thomas and perhaps the best Oregon defense of the Kelly era return with their innovative head coach to terrorize the Pac-12 once more.

4. Stanford – The Cardinal really took off after switching from Josh Nunes to Kevin Hogan at quarterback, finishing with their third-consecutive 11-win season and a Rose Bowl victory. The strong-armed, mobile Hogan returns along with what should once again be one of the best offensive lines in the country, plus a legion of talented running backs. More importantly, most of Stanford’s elite defensive front seven is back. The Cardinal are going to be in the national title mix for the foreseeable future.

5. Georgia – The return of Aaron Murray for a fourth season as starter means this Bulldog offense will be absolutely loaded with 10 of 11 starters coming back. Sophomore tailbacks Todd Gurley and Keith Marshall might be the best backfield tandem in the country and they’ll be running behind a veteran offensive line. If Georgia can rebuild its secondary and find a playmaker to replace the departing Jarvis Jones, it should once again represent the SEC East in the conference title game.

6. Ohio State – Urban Meyer led the Buckeyes to a 12-0 record in his first season as head coach and he has the players on hand to do it again. Junior quarterback Braxton Miller is the Heisman frontrunner and he should be unstoppable in his second year in Meyer’s offense. Ohio State has been recruiting well, which is good since it must replace its entire front four on defense. If the young talent steps up on that side of the ball, another title could be in the works for Meyer.

7. Clemson – This ranking is contingent upon quarterback Tajh Boyd returning for another season. If he does, the Tigers should once again field one of the country’s most potent offenses. Look for wide receiver Sammy Watkins to return to his freshman year form and team with DeAndre Hopkins to comprise the nation’s best receiving duo (if Hopkins doesn’t declare for the draft). Clemson must rebuild its secondary, but there aren’t too many teams on its schedule that it can’t out-score.

8. Notre Dame – Despite the brutal shellacking it suffered at the hands of Alabama, this is still a program on the rise. While Manti Te’o – the heart of the defense — departs at linebacker, the backbone of the unit is still in place as all-star candidates Stephon Tuittand Louis Nix return for at least one more year on the defensive line. Everett Golsonshould be better at quarterback and, if the Irish can find a running back from its highly-touted recruiting class to replace Theo Riddick and Cierre Wood, the offense should be pretty good in Brian Kelly’s fourth season.

9. TCU – The Horned Frogs had a drama-filled season in their first go-around in the Big 12, but things should settle down a bit this fall. If former quarterback starter Casey Pachall returns from a drug suspension, he’ll give the offense another option in addition to Trevone Boykin, who replaced Pachall and did an admirable job at quarterback in 2012. Look for the defense to rebound from an off-year and become one of the best units in the country — it’s led by uber-talent Devante Fields at defensive end.

10. Louisville – Almost everyone is back from a team that went 11-2, including a romp over Florida in the Sugar Bowl. The headliner is junior quarterback Teddy Bridgewater, who should be on the short list for the Heisman in the fall. If the defense can take a step up, this could be a dark horse title contender.

 

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Manti Te’o a non-factor in BCS blowout

By on January 8, 2013 in General CFB

Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o closed out his career as the most decorated player in college football history.

The senior won the Lott Trophy, as well as the Maxwell Award, the Chuck Bednarik Award, the Bronko Nagurski Trophy, the Butkus Award, the Lombardi Award, and the Walter Camp Award. He placed second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy, tying Hugh Green for the highest-ever finish by a pure defender.

But in his team’s 42-14 loss to Alabama in the 2013 BCS title game, he wasn’t even the best linebacker on the field, much less the best player.

Where was Te’o?

That’s the question that reverberated around social media as the Crimson Tide ripped through the guts of the Irish defense time after time on Monday night. While Alabama running backs Eddie Lacy (140 rushing yards) and T.J. Yeldon (108 yards) had a field day getting to the second level, the normally dependable Te’o missed several tackles (he had only two missed tackles all year coming in) and found himself out of position on numerous occasions.

The play that set the tone for Te’o's performance came on Alabama’s opening drive. On a second-and-3 from the Notre Dame 20-yard line, Lacy took a deep handoff straight up the middle. The Irish front stalemated the Tide line as it fired off the ball, but a crease opened for Lacy between the center and left guard. Te’o was indecisive and late in covering the hole, attempting a diving tackle of Lacy even as right guard Anthony Steen hindered him a little from a prone position. But Te’o couldn’t stop Lacy, who rumbled for the Tide’s first touchdown of the night.

Even Te’o's pass defense, his strong suit, was rusty. He bit on a play fake that resulted in Alabama’s second touchdown, a 3-yard scoring pass from AJ McCarron to tight end Michael Williams.

He would go on to finish with 10 tackles, but only three of them were unassisted. He didn’t make any plays behind the line of scrimmage, didn’t deflect a pass and didn’t force a fumble. The linebacker known for making plays didn’t make one the entire game. Most of Te’o's tackles were of the “jump on the pile” variety. Meanwhile, Alabama ran the ball 45 times for 265 yards, an average of 5.9 yards.

Te’o wasn’t just a victim of Alabama’s harsh, down-hill style. He was also a victim of unrealistic expectations. Those who touted him during the season — and those who continue to tout him as the best linebacker prospect in however-many years — have tended to gloss over some of the deficiencies in his game. They focus on his overall tackle number (103) and remarkable interception total (7), but they miss the flaws — namely his lack of physicality and his difficulty in taking on and getting off blocks.

This is not to say that Te’o isn’t a great player; he is. But he’s not a perfect player by any stretch of the imagination. Alabama recognized that and exploited his weaknesses to great effect.

Te’o might have been the heart of the Irish defense this season, but that heart was ripped out by the Crimson Tide during this epic blowout.

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My BCS title game pick

By on January 7, 2013 in General CFB

I’m taking Notre Dame, folks. Bama people, feel free to come back here and rip on me afterward if I am wrong.

I think the Irish defensive line is more than good enough to slow the Bama running game. And since neither offense will take many chances, this will come down to turnovers, field position and opportunism. In these matters, Notre Dame has proven to be quite proficient this season.

The wildcard in this one is Everett Golson. If he can be mistake-free in the passing game and make some plays with his feet, I think he can be the difference.

Bama is used to this type of stage, but winning titles in these types of situations is in Notre Dame’s DNA.

Notre Dame 20, Alabama 17

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Putting Johnny Manziel’s numbers into perspective

By on January 4, 2013 in Heisman Watch 2012

Does anyone out there still think that Texas A&M freshman Johnny Manziel didn’t deserve the Heisman?

Consider the following:

  • In A&M’s 41-13 Cotton Bowl victory over Oklahoma, Manziel finished just 13 passing yards short of becoming just the second player in NCAA history to pass for over 300 yards and rush for over 200 in a single game, the other being Washington’s Marques Tuiasosopo, who did it against Stanford in 1999.
  • His 229 rushing yards was a bowl record for a quarterback.
  • His 516 yards of total offense (287 passing, 229 rushing) was the most ever in a bowl by a Heisman winner. It was also the third time this season that he eclipsed the 500-yard total offense mark.
  • His 5,116 yards of total offense this season was the most ever by a Heisman winner, breaking Ty Detmer’s mark of 5,022 yards set in 1990.
  • He finished with 3,706 passing yards, with 26 touchdowns and nine interceptions, plus 1,410 rushing yards and 21 touchdowns.
  • His 47 total touchdowns matched what Robert Griffin III did last year in winning the Heisman and it put him squarely in the company of recent “Super Quarterbacks” who have won the award.
  • Manziel obliterated the “Heisman curse” that has so often derailed the bowl games performances of Heisman winners. If you look at this list of great Heisman bowl performances, he’d have to be right on top after tonight.
Taking everything into account, Manziel capped one of the best seasons in the history of college football against the Sooners on Friday night. In the process, he showed that he was far-and-away the best player in the country.

That he did it all as a redshirt freshman makes it all the more remarkable.

That he could be doing it for three more seasons makes it all the more intriguing.

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Heisman and the bowls: The best and worst performances

By on January 4, 2013 in Heisman History

When newly-crowned Heisman winner Johnny Manziel takes on Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl on Friday, he won’t be playing just to lead Texas A&M to a big win. He’ll also be playing to prove to the college football world that he really did deserve that trophy.

Bowl games can be treacherous for Heisman winners. After being feted and fawned over on the banquet circuit for half of December, the honoree often loses focus, gains weight or falls out of shape. As a result, more than a few winners have laid eggs in their bowls, leading to talk that a “Heisman curse” exists.

But there have been plenty of great performances to go along with the bad ones. Here’s a look at the 10 best and 10 worst performances by Heisman winners in bowl games. Will Manziel make one of these lists?

The 10 Best Heisman Performances

1. Johnny Rodgers vs. Notre Dame, 1973 Orange Bowl – The versatile Rodgers, who normally played wingback, played I-back against the Irish and capped his illustrious career by scoring four touchdowns and passing for another (a 52-yarder to Frosty Anderson). He finished with 15 carries for 84 yards rushing and caught three passes for 71 yards as the No. 8 Cornhuskers crushed the No. 10 Irish 40-6.

2. Charles White vs. Ohio State, 1980 Rose Bowl – No. 3 USC beat No. 1 Ohio State 17-16 as White overcame the flu to rush for 247 yards on 39 carries. He scored the winning touchdown on a dive over the pile with 1:32 to play to finish off an 83-yard drive in which he rushed for 71 yards on six attempts.

3. Barry Sanders vs. Wyoming, 1988 Holiday Bowl – Oklahoma State crushed Wyoming 62-14 as Sanders rushed for 222 yards and five touchdowns. If the NCAA counted bowl game stats from back then, his single-season numbers would be absurd: 2,850 rushing yards and 44 touchdowns.

4. Matt Leinart vs. Oklahoma, 2005 BCS title game – Leinart turned in a virtuoso performance against the Sooners, throwing for 332 yards and five touchdowns to lead the No. 1 Trojans to a 55-19 win over No. 2 Oklahoma in the BCS title game.

5. Danny Wuerffel vs. Florida State, 1997 Sugar Bowl – A little over a month after getting sacked six times and throwing three picks against the terrific Seminole defense in a 24-21 loss, Wuerffel rebounded to throw for 306 yards and three touchdowns as the Gators walloped FSU 52-20 for their first national championship.

6. Tony Dorsett vs. Georgia, 1977 Sugar Bowl – Dorsett and Pittsburgh closed out a dream undefeated season by beating No. 5 Georgia 27-6. Dorsett rushed for 202 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries as the Panthers won the national title.

7. Terry Baker vs. Villanova, 1962 Liberty Bowl – Baker, one of the original dual-threat quarterbacks, rushed for 137 yards and passed for 123 in Oregon State’s 6-0 win. His 99-yard first-quarter touchdown run remains the longest in bowl history.

8. Ernie Davis vs. Syracuse, 1961 Liberty Bowl – Davis was excellent in leading the Orange to a come-from-behind 15-14 win over Miami. He rushed for 140 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries. His touchdown and two-point conversion reception cut the lead to 14-8 and, then he rushed for 24 of the 51 yards on Syracuse’s game-winning drive.

9. Ricky Williams vs. Mississippi State, 1999 Cotton Bowl – Williams rushed for 203 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries to lead the Longhorns to a 38-11 victory over the Bulldogs.

10. Ron Dayne vs. Stanford, 2000 Rose Bowl – Dayne keyed his team’s second straight Rose Bowl win by rushing for 209 yards and a touchdown on 34 carries as the Badgers beat Stanford 17-9.

The 10 Worst Heisman Performances

1. Troy Smith vs. Florida, 2007 BCS title game – Smith set the gold standard for Heisman flops, completing just four of 14 passes for 35 yards and an interception in No. 1 Ohio State’s 41-14 loss to the No. 2 Gators. The visibly overweight Smith also rushed for -29 yards on 10 carries.The 10 Worst Heisman Performances

2. Joe Bellino vs. Missouri, 1961 Orange Bowl – The Navy running back finished with four yards rushing on eight carries in his team’s 21-14 loss to Missouri. The lone bright spot of his day was a nifty 27-yard touchdown reception in the corner of the end zone.

3. Vinny Testaverde vs. Penn State, 1987 Fiesta Bowl – Testaverde went 26-of-50 for 285 yards, but he threw five big interceptions — including three to Pete Giftopolous, as No. 2 Penn State beat No. 1 Miami 14-10.

4. Jason White vs. LSU, 2004 BCS title game – White followed up a rough Big 12 title game by completing just 13 of 37 passes for 102 yards and two interceptions in No. 2 LSU’s 21-14 win over No. 3 Oklahoma.

5. Gino Torretta vs. Alabama, 1993 Sugar Bowl – The No. 1 Hurricanes were overwhelmed by No. 2 Bama 34-13 as Torretta went 24-of-56 for 278 yards and three interceptions.

6. Ty Detmer vs. Texas A&M, 1990 Holiday Bowl – Detmer was roughed up by the Aggie defense. He suffered two separated shoulders while throwing for just 120 yards and an interception on 11-of-23 passing in a 65-14 loss.

7. Chris Weinke vs. Oklahoma, 2001 BCS title game – By now, you can see that the moral of this list is that an immobile quarterback who wins the Heisman is in danger come bowl time. Weinke was 25-of-51 for 274 yards, but he threw two interceptions and lost a fumble as the vaunted Seminoles offense was shut out in No. 1 Oklahoma’s 13-2 victory.

8. Archie Griffin vs. USC, 1975 Rose Bowl – The much-anticipated battle between Griffin and Heisman runner-up Anthony Davis of USC didn’t live up to its billing. Griffin was held to 75 yards on 20 carries, and he lost two fumbles in the 18-17 loss to the Trojans.

9. Marcus Allen vs. Penn State, 1982 Fiesta Bowl – College football’s first 2,000-yard rusher was held to just 85 yards on 30 carries by the Nittany Lions. Allen also lost two fumbles as Penn State beat USC 26-10.

10. Desmond Howard vs. Washington, 1992 Rose Bowl – Howard was an all-purpose dynamo all season, but the Huskies found a way to bottle him up. Howard was limited to just one catch for 35 yards and one rush for 15 yards — though he did add 60 yards on returns. Washington whipped Michigan 34-14 to win a share of the national title.

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