Ahead of this Saturday’s big ceremony at the New York Marriott Hotel, it’s only right that we finish our year of NFL UK college football polling with our very own Heisman Trophy award. There have been some amazing individual performances in 14 weeks of football this year, but the award for the most outstanding player is a year-long affair which makes the shortlist a much shorter one.
In the “real world” Kansas State QB Collin Klein, Notre Dame LB Manti Te’o and Texas A&M QB Johnny Manziel will be seated on the front row as the formal shortlist for the 78th award, and it looks likely that this year will provide a historical winner as neither a linebacker (Te’o) nor a freshman (Manziel) have won college football’s most prestigious individual award. Sraw polls suggest that the voting will be unprecedentedly close, too, with both Te’o and Manziel the hot favourites.
Klein actually didn’t receive a single vote in our five-man poll, so is nothing more than an “honourable mention” behind three other quarterbacks. It’s perhaps a little harsh on the Wildcat, but it highlights the difficulty in picking who should be #3 behind the clear-cut top two…
Joint 5th – Braxton Miller (QB, Ohio State), Marquise Lee (WR, Southern California) – 1 pt (1x 3rd place each)
Miller guided the Buckeyes – ineligible for postseason play – to a perfect season, drawing the moniker “Urban’s new Tebow” thanks to 15 passing TDs and 13 rushing TDs. Lee was a sole bright spot for USC, racking up 1680 receiving yards and 14 TDs as they ended 7-5.
4th – Jordan Lynch (QB, Northern Illinois) – 2 pts (2x 3rd place)
It’s a fitting end to Lynch’s fantastic season that he will get to show what he can do in the Orange Bowl, having been tucked away in the MAC out of sight (and out of mind). Lynch accounted for 43 TDs (24 passing, 19 rushing) – six more than Klein, and the same as Manziel – and broke Denard Robinson’s record for single season rushing yards by a QB with 1,771.
3rd – Jarvis Jones (LB, Georgia) – 2 pts (1x 2nd place)
The SEC’s defensive player of the year recorded 12.5 sacks, 7 forced fumbles and an interception in just 11 games for the Bulldogs, and will enter the draft as a top five prospect and the best pass rusher on the board.
2nd – Manti Te’o (LB, Notre Dame) – 11 pts (2x 1st place, 2x 2nd place, 1x 3rd place)
So, the defensive player falls just short. There’s no denying that Te’o has had an outstanding season, and probably would have won the Heisman convincingly any other year, but he suffered by “only” being consistently excellent without having a single “Heisman moment”. Ultimately, the Fighting Irish wouldn’t be in the National Championship Game without the big Hawaiian, but that alone isn’t enough to earn the crown.
Winner – Johnny Manziel (QB, Texas A&M) – 13 pts (3x 1st place, 2x 2nd place)
When the Aggies moved from the Big XII to the SEC, there was some debate as to whether their high-octane offense would carry over to the all-defense conference, particularly when losing Ryan Tannehill to the NFL. That debate was ended pretty quickly when Manziel set an A&M freshman passing record in only his second start. Two weeks later he broke Archie Manning’s 1969 SEC record of total yards for a game with 557 (453 passing, 104 rushing) against Arkansas, before breaking it again two weeks later against Louisiana Tech.
But what clinched the deal for Manziel, and let people think that a freshman really could win the Heisman, was his “Heisman moment” in the victory over #1 Alabama. In that game, Manziel accounted for 345 of A&M’s 418 yards of offense, including two passing touchdowns. He also became only the 2nd freshman in NCAA history to pass for 2000 and rush for 1000 yards during the game.
The list of records that Manziel has accrued this season is nothing short of incredible, including five FBS freshman records and six SEC records (of all players, not just freshmen). It is a pretty scary prospect for SEC defensive co-ordinators that Manziel has at least one year left in College Station (he redshirted in 2011). With a full season under his belt, the Aggies become an instant national contender for 2013 with him calling the shots. He may only be a freshman, but he’s a worthy Heisman winner.
Full voting records:
Statto00: Te’o, Manziel, Lynch.
chris caulfield: Te’o, Manziel, Lynch.
Dolphin_Akie: Manziel, Te’o, Miller.
dailywaffle: Manziel, Te’o, Lee.
ipickthiswhiterose: Manziel, Jones, Te’o.
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