ESPN analyst includes 3 SEC QBs in Heisman top 5
By David Wasson
Published:
ESPN college football analyst David Hale checked in Sunday with his top 5 Heisman Trophy candidates through Week 8 – and he included 3 SEC quarterbacks in the list.
Hale sees Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza atop his evolving Heisman ballot. Mendoza passed for 332 yards and 4 touchdowns in a 38-13 victory over Michigan State in Week 8.
The first SEC quarterback on Hale’s Heisman ballot through Week 8 is Alabama’s Ty Simpson, who passed for 253 yards and 2 touchdowns against then-No. 11 Tennessee. Simpson has piled up 1,931 passing yards and 18 touchdowns against just 1 interception for the Crimson Tide – who have won 6 straight games after a season-opening loss to Florida State.
Hale noticed Vanderbilt quarterback Diego Pavia strike the Heisman pose after a rushing touchdown against LSU on Saturday, and the ESPN analyst has the Commodores signal-caller at No. 3 on his Heisman front-runners. Pavia has passed for 1,659 yards, rushed for 438 more yards and accounted for 19 touchdowns for the 6-1 Commodores.
Georgia quarterback Gunner Stockton impressed Hale so much that the Bulldogs’ leader checks in at No. 4 following a 348-yard, 5-touchdown performance. And Georgia Tech quarterback Haynes King is at No. 5 after throwing for 205 yards, rushing for 120 and scoring once. For the season, King has accounted for 14 touchdowns and one interception.
We’ll see how the Heisman race shakes out over the next few weeks.
An APSE national award-winning writer and editor, David Wasson has almost four decades of experience in the print journalism business in Florida and Alabama. His work has also appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, the Los Angeles Times and several national magazines and websites. He also hosts Gulfshore Sports with David Wasson, weekdays from 3-5 pm across Southwest Florida and on FoxSportsFM.com. His Twitter handle: @JustDWasson.
