We are about to embark on the weirdest college football season. Fans will be watching from home, many notable players have opted out of the season, and we might not even see some of the conferences take the field. Nonetheless, we at the Sports Examiner are persevering with our Heisman Watch. After all, we've been doing this since 2014 and we have no intention of stopping now. So, let's debut our pre-season Heisman watch with the remaining player pool. Let's get started.
10. Najee Harris, Alabama- While QB Mac Jones might end up with all of the Heisman love at the end of the season, Harris is the leading Heisman contender in Tuscaloosa right now. Don't forget, the last non-QB to not play for Alabama was Reggie Bush back in 2005. Harris is coming off a junior year that saw him score 20 times and ran for 1,224 yards.
9. Kellen Mond, Texas A&M- To be perfectly honest, I don't think Mond would be making this list if every team was taking the field this fall. He never reached the level of serious contention last year and his stats, while good, were not up to the level of Justin Fields or Joe Burrow. That being said, Mond is talented and he has been very consistent over the last two years.
8. Bo Nix, Auburn- The sophomore quarterback didn't have the most fruitful 2019 season, but he was just a freshman. He completed 217 of his 377 passes for 2,542 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also ran for 313 yards and seven scores.
7. Ja'Marr Chase, LSU- The reigning Biletnikoff Award winner enters this season without his quarterback Joe Burrow, but that might help him stand out. Also gone are Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Justin Jefferson, meaning a lot of spotlight is going to be on Chase this year. Of all the wide receivers in football this year, Chase probably has the best chance to be a Heisman finalist.
6. Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma- The last three Oklahoma starting quarterbacks (Baker Mayfield, Kyler Murray, & Jalen Hurts) all either won the Heisman Trophy or was runner-up. That sets a high precedent for Rattler, but the man is talented enough to handle that. And of course, he still has head coach Lincoln Riley.
5. Ian Book, Notre Dame- In his senior year, Book flirted with the possibility of being a serious Heisman contender. While that didn't quite pan out, Book is a preseason favorite to make it to New York City, especially if he once again leads the Fighting Irish to the playoffs.
4. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State- Hubbard is quite possibly the best running back in college football and is coming off a tremendous season last year. HIs 2,094 rushing yards led the season and he notched 21 rushing touchdowns.
3. Travis Etienne, Clemson- While Hubbard is arguably a better back that Etienne, the Clemson Tiger benefits from playing for one of the most high-profile teams in the nation. Etienne is no stranger to the Heisman conversation and this year might be his best chance yet.
2. Sam Ehlinger, Texas- It might seem too soon to put Ehlinger at #2, but a lot of factors are playing into this. Of course, the limited Heisman field helps, as does the fact that Texas is still a national team. If Ehlinger can take that next step forward, it's going to be hard to stop the Heisman buzz,
1. Trevor Lawrence, Clemson- With Justin Fields not playing at the moment, Lawrence is the clear pre-season favorite. Lawrence is incredibly talented and already has a national title to his ring. Would anyone really be surprised if this season ended with Lawrence holding both the Heisman and CFP Trophy?
Thanks for reading everyone.
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