The Winner of the 2009 Heisman Trophy Will Be…

This will go down as the best Heisman Trophy race in the history of college football. There are two quarterbacks that have already won the Heisman and one quarterback that everybody thinks will win his first Heisman this season. Here is a rundown of the four players that will get invited to New York and plenty of other players that might be surprise invites to the Big Apple for the Heisman Trophy presentation.

1)      Tim Tebow (UF) – Forgive me for being the one journalist that isn’t giving Colt McCoy the Heisman Trophy just because he is the one quarterback without a Heisman Trophy. Tebow will miss Percy Harvin and Louis Murphy, but Tebow will have plenty of options in Brandon James, Jeff Demps and Aaron Hernandez. James will be used more on offense and if you have watched him return punts or kicks, you are well aware that James is very dangerous when he has the ball in his hands. Tebow’s favorite target in the red zone this year will be Hernandez and the future NFL tight end will make sure Tebow has over 3,000 yards again. Expect Urban Meyer to let Tebow throw the ball more and Tebow will also have over 700 yards rushing and 45 total touchdowns.

2)      Colt McCoy (Tex) – This Texas quarterback had an unbelievable season last year by throwing for 3,859 yards and 34 touchdowns while rushing for 561 yards and 11 touchdowns. Texas is loaded at receiver with Jordan Shipley leading the way. McCoy’s boy will lead one of the best groups of receivers in the nation and should help McCoy have another strong season. The reason he is second on my list is the fact that there is no way McCoy completes 76.7 percent of his passes again. Some argue that McCoy should have won the Heisman last year, but he will finish second in this year’s race.

3)      Sam Bradford (OK) – The reigning Heisman Trophy winner helped Oklahoma score more than 700 points last season. I was shocked that tight end Jermaine Gresham opted to return for his senior season after catching 66 passes for 950 yards and 14 touchdowns. The Sooners plan to use Gresham some as the number one receiver now that Juaquin Iglesias is playing for the Chicago Bears. Speedster Ryan Broyles will have no problem getting past defensive backs, but he is only 5-11. Bradford has plenty of weapons, but the loss of Iglesias will hurt Bradford’s numbers. Pay close attention to Gresham’s knee injury. He is missing the BYU game on Saturday and if he misses some time, Bradford’s numbers will drop dramatically.

4)      Jonathan Dwyer (GT) – I predicted earlier that Georgia Tech will win the ACC and Dwyer will be the main reason. Paul Johnson has focused more on the passing attack in the spring and quarterback Josh Nesbit will have a better season now that he is a junior. Receiver Demaryius Thomas has been compared to former Tech receiver Calvin Johnson and Thomas will be a big reason why Nesbit has a better season. This improved passing game will help force defenses to focus on other things besides Dwyer. Dwyer rushed for 1,395 yards and 12 touchdowns last season and should approach 1,700 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns this season.

Players that have a chance to make it to NY:

1)      Dez Bryant (OKS) – Bryant is the best receiver in the nation and he proved it last year by catching 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns. Zac Robinson is an underrated quarterback that threw for 3,064 yards and 25 touchdowns last season. The scary part is that Robinson will have better numbers this year and don’t be shocked if Robinson throws for 30 touchdowns. If Bryant gets over 1,500 yards and 20 touchdowns this season, expect him to be invited to New York. It was very difficult for me to leave this dominant receiver off of the list, but OSU has already been hit with injuries that will cause Bryant’s numbers to drop slightly.

2)      Jahvid Best (Cal) – This future NFL running back had a Heisman-like season with 1,580 yards and 15 touchdowns. Cal has a strong defense that will cause more opportunities for Best and the Cal’s offense. Best is a very good receiver and will want to prove that he is a complete back so NFL teams make sure he is the first running back taken in the NFL draft. If best reaches 1,700 yards and has close to 20 touchdowns, there is no way to keep Best away from New York.

3)      Terrelle Pryor (OSU) - This is another quarterback that was hard to keep out of my top four as Pryor is going to have a strong sophomore season and will be the main reason Ohio State makes a BCS game. Pryor passed for 1,311 yard and threw 12 touchdowns last season while rushing for 631 yards and six touchdowns. Pryor didn’t start evey game last season and if he stays healthy, Pryor could make it to New York as a sophomore. He will be my favorite for the Heisman in 2010.

4)      Jevan Snead (Ole Miss) – The best pure passer in the SEC is a big reason why many people have Ole Miss in the top-ten. I think the Rebels are overrated, but Snead had a very strong season last year with 26 touchdowns. Snead will combine with burner Dexter McCluster to form one of the best duos in the SEC. McCluster can do just about anything and will be a big reason why Snead will reach 30 passing touchdowns. Snead might be the first quarterback drafted in next year’s draft, but Snead needs Ole Miss to go undefeated for him to have a chance at the Heisman.

Longshots:

1)      Todd Reesing (Kan) – The quarterback for the Jayhawks is a big reason why many have Kansas in the top-20. Reesing threw for 3,888 yards last season and will get drafted even though he is only 5-11. Kansas might only have two losses and if the Jayhawks can find a way to beat Oklahoma or Texas, expect Reesing to get some Heisman votes.

2)      Robert Griffin (Bay) – Baylor hasn’t been to a bowl game since 1994, but this will change this year thanks to one of the best quarterbacks in the nation in Griffin. The average college football fan doesn’t realize that Griffin passed for 2,091 yards and 15 touchdowns last season while rushing for 846 yards and 13 touchdowns. If Griffin can pass for over 20 touchdowns and reach 1,000 yards rushing in his second season, he could come very close to earning a trip to New York. Griffin is another player that will be one of my favorites for the Heisman in 2010.

3)      Julio Jones (Ala) – A receiver in only his second season is not going to win the Heisman, but this future NFL receiver is one of the most talented players in the nation. Jones had 924 yards as a freshman and many say that Jones will go down as Alabama’s best receiver ever. If Kirk Herbstreit is right about quarterback Greg McElroy, Jones could have ten touchdowns and close to 1,300 yards. Jones needs Alabama to come close to an undefeated season for him to have a chance at the Heisman.

4)      Kellen Moore (Boise) – Another sophomore makes the list as the Boise State quarterback threw for 3,486 yards and 25 touchdowns as a freshman. Many are picking the Broncos to make a BCS bowl and if the Broncos go undefeated, Moore will get some Heisman votes if he can reach 30 touchdowns and over 3,500 yards.

5)      Noel Devine (WVU) – This junior running needs to have a big year if the Mountaineers want to win the Big East. Devine is one of the quickest players in college football and is another player on this list that will be one of my favorites for the Heisman in 2010, if he returns to school.

6)      Jacquizz Rodgers (Oregon St.) – This sophomore running back had a great freshman season with 1,253 rushing yards in only 11 games. If Oregon State can find a way to win a road game against USC, expect Rogers to get some Heisman votes. The ironic part here is that his brother James could be a reason why Rodgers doesn’t have a better season as James was third in the conference in all-purpose yards.

7)      Taylor Potts (Texas Tech) – Did you really think I could make a Heisman list without including one of Mike Leach’s quarterbacks? Potts has NFL-size at 6-5, 215 pounds and he possesses a cannon arm that should make sure that the Red Raiders put up a lot of points again. The problem here is that Texas Tech will have a down season now that Michael Crabtree left for the NFL and the Red Raiders have road games against Oklahoma State and Texas while playing Oklahoma at home.

Why did I not include Eric Berry on this list? The simple fact is that a defensive player will not win the Heisman Trophy this year now that there are three quarterbacks that are guaranteed to get an invite to New York. After listening to Lane Kiffin talk about not wanting to use Berry on offense, I am convinced that Berry will get denied a chance to win the Heisman. Now if Tennessee’s receivers continue to get injured as often as Travis Henry gets a woman pregnant, I will include Berry on this list if he starts to see some reps as a receiver.