There are so many great players in the SEC, but do any SEC players have a legitimate shot to win the Heisman Trophy in 2017?
Recent history has shown that preseason Heisman Trophy odds have no bearing on who will actually hold up the trophy in December.
Since 2012, 2014 Heisman winner Marcus Mariota had the best odds at this time of year at 6/1, only behind 2013’s winner Jameis Winston. The previous year Winston, as a redshirt freshman, wasn’t even on the Heisman radar in mid-July. The same thing goes for 2012 winner Johnny Manziel.
In 2015 we all remember the Jeremy Johnson hype, as he had 10-1 odds in early July. Everyone remembers how that turned out. Derrick Henry ended up winning the Heisman that year and in early July he had the ninth best odds at 16/1. However, he was behind five other SEC players.
Finally, last year Lamar Jackson had 100/1 odds to start, a far cry from Deshaun Watson’s 5/1. So, this year is there anyone in the SEC that could possibly be holding up the prestigious trophy in December?
As of July 18th, Auburn’s Jarrett Stidham has the best odds in the SEC, at 15/1. He has the seventh best odds overall, and the leader is Southern Cal’s Sam Darnold at 9/2. Stidham has made a huge jump in the last two months. Before Memorial Day Weekend, he wasn’t even in the top 20 and now he has top 10 odds. He has definitely caught the attention of the media, however he still needs to prove himself on the field.
Jalen Hurts has the second best SEC Heisman odds and ninth overall at 20/1. Hurts had a solid true freshman campaign in 2016, completing nearly 63 percent of his passes and throwing for 23 touchdowns. Hurts threw for 2,780 yards, and was only 46 yards away from 1,000 on the ground. This year, assuming he improves as a down-field passer, he should be even better.
Bo Scarbrough, Derrius Guice, Nick Chubb, and Kamryn Pettway all have the next best odds in the SEC at 25/1. Out of these four, Derrius Guice might be the favorite. A year ago, Guice led the SEC with 1,387 rushing yards and averaged 7.6 yards/carry. This was also with Fournette on the team.
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Taking into account overall team success, if LSU has an SEC championship type of year, Guice will be the best player on the team. The same goes for Georgia’s Nick Chubb, if the Bulldogs are to make it to Atlanta in December. As for Scarbrough and Pettway, if Alabama or Auburn have good seasons, the quarterbacks mentioned above will likely get a lot of the glory.
Lastly, there are a handful of SEC players that have odds of 100/1, including Jacob Eason, Christian Kirk. Nick Fitzgerald and Shea Patterson. Fitzgerald could have a great year, but unless Mississippi State surprises a lot of people and wins 9+ games, it would be tough for him to be a finalist.
This year might be similar to 2014. The players with the top odds seem primed to win the Heisman Trophy. But then again, it sort of seems like that every year. The winner may or may not be in the SEC, but don’t be surprised if the guy holding up the trophy comes out of nowhere.