Even if you’re a die-hard SEC football fan, you have to give credit where it’s due.
Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson is the truth. After torching Boston College’s No. 9-ranked defense for 416 yards and seven touchdowns in a 52-7 win — his third game of the season where he’s accounted for seven scores — the explosive sophomore has tallied 3,934 total yards and 45 touchdowns.
In nine games.
So right now, Jackson is the leading candidate to win the Heisman Trophy next month. There’s really no argument at this point, either … but things can change quickly, especially during November.
Fox Sports reporter Bruce Feldman posted his updated Heisman rankings this morning and though Jackson remains his No. 1, he continues to give deserved love to Alabama defensive end Jonathan Allen, who has been a formidable one-man wrecking crew for the Tide this season.
“It’s probably unfair to single out just one Bama defender,” Feldman wrote. “After all, it was an awesome team defensive effort to completely short-circuit Leonard Fournette, who had averaged nine yards a carry in SEC play. He was held to just two yards a pop against the Tide and had no run longer than nine yards on his 17 carries. On the night Allen had three tackles, a sack and one QB hurry. He now has seven sacks on the season.”
Here are his top five candidates:
1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville
2. Jake Browning, QB, Washington
3. D’Onta Foreman, RB, Texas
4. Jonathan Allen, DE, Alabama
5. Jabrill Peppers, LB/DB/WR/RB/KR, Michigan
Tyler Waddell is a member of the Saturday Down South news team. He brings over five years of professional journalism experience and is closing in on a Bachelor's in sports management. Follow him on Twitter (@Tyler_Waddell).
