SEC Football: Early Heisman Trophy Favorites

With September winding down, the talk of the Heisman Trophy is already beginning in October. Will one of these three SEC players be sitting in the front row at Playstation Theater in Manhattan on December 8?

Normally, I am one who doesn’t feel that predicting which SEC players will be the next Heisman Trophy winner will be before the season starts is a good idea. I for one feel it is way premature and could lead to total embarrassment with your peers.

But as they say: if you can’t beat them, join them. So in any case, with September coming to an end and one fourth of the SEC season done, I guess it wouldn’t hurt to scan through who I think in the conference should be in the running for the Heisman.

Looking at the situations that these individuals are involved in, my list should give them a fair look as to why they should be a part of the Heisman Trophy talk. A couple that already are along with my own personal pick.

So here we go.

Jordan Ta’amu: Ole Miss

Now I know you’re asking yourself, why would I pick Jordan Ta’amu as a Heisman Trophy condidate? There are several reasons, start counting them now.

One: Ta’amu currently leads the SEC in passing yards with 1,359 yards and ten touchdowns, despite being sacked nine times this season.

Two: It is most likely that the Rebels may not go bowling this season since there has been no word on there appeal from the NCAA, which has practically been ongoing since February 15th.

Three: If they end the year strong and don’t get their bowl ban overturned, the Heisman Trophy should be the icing on the cake for the Ole Miss Rebels to close out the 2018 season.

Four:  No player should be automatically ineligible for the Heisman just because their team is on NCAA probation. This could be one reason you don’t hear a lot of talk about Ta’amu in the Heisman talk.

Tua Tagovailoa: Alabama

His entire name may be extremely hard to pronounce, but his performance has been easy to talk about thanks to his brief appearance in the CFB Playoff title game. Here are those reasons.

One: He was already the talk of last year’s Heisman long after Baker Mayfield took home the trophy. There were questions of whether he did, would he have won it.

Two: Although he is considered a dual-threat, he has yet to use his legs in which so far has not yet been required. Tua has already matched his career best in rushing, but that could change down the road.

Three: Tua has a whopping QBR of 230.47, which is unheard of by an Alabama quarterback. If you click on this stat, there are five more categories he leads, including passing touchdowns (twelve).

Four: Tua would be the first SEC dual-threat QB to win the Heisman since 2012 (Johnny Manziel, Texas A&M).

Benny Snell Jr., Kentucky:

It only took one game to put the Wildcats running back’s name on the Heisman Trophy list, and from his reaction, rightfully so. Since there is so much to cover on this beast of an individual, here are my reasons.

One: Snell now leads the SEC in rushing with 540 yards along with seven touchdowns, as well as receiving honorable mention from me.

Two: His performance is the reason they upset Florida in Gainesville, snapping a long 31-game losing streak and going 2-0 in the SEC for the first time since 1977.

Three: Kentucky is second (4-0, 2-0) in the SEC East behind Georgia, but don’t go against each other until November 3rd.

Four: If his performance leads to an SEC Championship, it will be the first since 1976 and only the third in the program’s history.

My list of SEC Heisman candidates is pretty solid up to this point, unless anyone else in the league can prove me wrong. I would love to add defensive players to this list, but for the moment, the offense rules.