Heisman Trophy ballots are due today, which means all of our weekly analysis of the SEC candidates for the last 14 weeks boils down to this moment.
And lucky for us, I think it all will have been worth the effort.
Barring a shocking upset, an SEC player will be bringing the trophy home for the first time since Johnny Manziel took the college football world by storm as a freshman in 2012.
Alabama RB Derrick Henry has been phenomenal this season, and is more than worthy of being the recipient of college football’s most prestigious award.
Let’s take a final look at the body of work each of the SEC’s top candidates has put together:
GIVE THE MAN HIS TROPHY
RB Derrick Henry, Alabama
2015 stats: 339 carries, 1,986 rushing yards, 23 rushing touchdowns; 10 receptions for 97 receiving yards in 13 games.
Week 14 recap: Henry put an exclamation point on his Heisman campaign with a SEC Championship victory against Florida. While the rest of the league’s Heisman hopefuls sat at home and watched, Henry followed a 46-carry effort in the Iron Bowl with a 44-carry game in the league’s title game. His 189 yards were a game high, and helped him surpass Herschel Walker for the league’s single-season rushing record. He also tied Tim Tebow and Tre Mason for the most rushing touchdowns in a season by an SEC player with his 23rd touchdown run of the season.
IT WAS A GOOD RUN
RB Leonard Fournette, LSU
2015 stats: 271 carries for 1,741 yards and 18 rushing touchdowns; 18 catches for 209 yards in 11 games.
2015 summary: Fournette looked to be running away with the Heisman Trophy after rushing for 150 or more yards in each of the Tigers’ first seven games, but the season started to deteriorate for LSU when he was upstaged by Henry in a loss to Alabama in Week 9.
NO HEISMAN, BUT STILL AN ALL-TIME SEC GREAT
QB Dak Prescott, Mississippi State
2015 stats: 291 of 435 passing for 3,413 yards and 25 touchdowns, four interceptions; 148 carries for 541 rushing yards and 10 rushing touchdowns in 12 games.
2015 summary: Prescott returned to Mississippi State for his senior season to improve as a passer, and he did just that. His passing numbers were fantastic, and he remained a potent threat running the ball when he had to be. But he was unable to grab a key win against the top three teams in the brutal SEC West, and an 8-4 record was enough to keep him out of consideration for the award.
INJURED, BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
RB Nick Chubb, Georgia
2015 stats: 92 carries for 747 yards and seven rushing touchdowns; four catches for 32 yards and a touchdown.
2015 summary: Chubb, who was considered one of the league’s top Heisman candidates in the preseason and through the early portion of the season, suffered a season-ending knee injury at Tennessee on Oct. 10. He was on pace to potentially have an opportunity to make a trip to New York as one of the Heisman finalists. Chubb finished the season with an average of 8.1 yards per carry, and averaged scoring a touchdown once every 12 touches.
On the outside looking in: Texas A&M DE Myles Garrett; Ole Miss QB Chad Kelly; Tennessee RB Jalen Hurd; Texas A&M WR Christian Kirk; Ole Miss DL Robert Nkemdiche; Arkansas RB Alex Collins; Auburn RB Peyton Barber; Missouri LB Kentrell Brothers; Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell.
Nick Cole is a former print journalist with several years of experience covering the SEC. Born and raised in SEC country, he has taken in the game-day experience at all 14 stadiums.
