Joe Burrow went from a preseason longshot to midseason favorite on his way to a dominant Heisman Trophy win. The LSU quarterback walked away with college football’s highest individual honor last season after rewriting the record books and leading the Tigers to their first national championship since 2007.
The oddsmakers have zeroed in on Clemson’s Trevor Lawrence as the early 2020 Heisman favorite, but there could be challengers who take over just as Burrow did a season ago.
Here are our top Heisman candidates to watch entering the 2020 season:
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
The buzz: Lawrence enters the 2020 season as the overwhelming favorite after leading Clemson to back-to-back national championship games during his first two seasons with the Tigers. This could be Lawrence’s last college football season, with many projecting the Georgia native will be a top pick in the 2021 NFL draft. He has completed more than 65% of his 804 pass attempts for 6,945 yards with 66 touchdowns and 12 interceptions.
Chubba Hubbard, RB, Oklahoma State
The buzz: The All-American joined Barry Sanders as the only Oklahoma State players to rush for more than 2,000 yards in a season when he led the country with 2,094 yards in his first full campaign as a starter. Hubbard finished with a streak of 11 games with at least 100 yards rushing. He’s looking to become the fourth running back to win the Heisman since 2000 and the first Big 12 tailback since Texas’ Ricky Williams in 1998.
Spencer Rattler, QB, Oklahoma
The buzz: It’s tough to go against a hot streak, so Rattler is a natural candidate despite limited playing time as a true freshman at Oklahoma. A Sooners quarterback has finished in the top five in the Heisman Trophy voting during each of the past five seasons, with OU’s Kyler Murray (2018) and Baker Mayfield (2017) taking home the prize. Rattler may not be as polished as some of his predecessors, but his raw talent makes him an exciting prospect in Lincoln Riley’s offense.
Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame
The buzz: Book’s decision to return to school for his senior season gives Notre Dame a big boost heading into 2020. The veteran presence gives the Irish offense much-needed experience as the team transitions to a new offensive coordinator (Tommy Rees) while replacing key playmakers receiver Chase Claypool and tight end Cole Kmet. Book became the first Notre Dame quarterback with more than 3,500 yards of total offense in a season since Everett Golson (2014).
Travis Etienne, RB, Clemson
The buzz: Etienne shocked many when he announced his return to Clemson for his final year of eligibility, especially after wrapping up his second consecutive 1,000-yard season rushing with 1,614 yards. He enters the 2020 campaign as the school’s all-time rushing leader (4,038 yards) while also holding the top spot in the ACC in rushing touchdowns (56) and rushing yards per carry (7.8).
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina
The buzz: Howell became the breakthrough star of the ACC last season, earning Offensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year honors after passing for 3,641 yards and 38 total touchdowns as a true freshman. He finished with a streak of 13 consecutive games with multiple touchdowns and should get help from 1,000-yard receivers Dazz Newsome and Dyami Brown.
Sam Ehlinger, QB, Texas
The buzz: Ehlinger has started 33 games during his career at Texas, leading the Longhorns to a 20-13 mark, including wins over Oklahoma and Georgia. He’s amassed more than 10,000 yards of total offense and 93 touchdowns during his career, making him one of the most versatile quarterbacks in the Big 12 heading into 2020.
D’Eriq King, QB, Miami
The buzz: King joined the Hurricanes as a graduate transfer after spending four seasons at Houston where he accounted for 4,925 passing yards, 50 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His 50 total touchdowns in 2018 included a streak of 15 consecutive games with a touchdown that snapped a record held by former Florida Gators quarterback Tim Tebow. King played in just four games in 2019 before redshirting and eventually moving on to Miami.
Honorable mention
The following two candidates would easily make the top 10, but the Big Ten and Pac-12 are not scheduled to play football in the fall.
Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
The buzz: Fields was a finalist for the Heisman Trophy in his first season as a starter at Ohio State, finishing third behind LSU’s Joe Burrow (winner) and Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts in 2019 voting. The former Georgia transfer excelled in the Buckeyes’ multi-faceted offensive system, passing for 3,273 yards and rushing for another 484 yards while combining for 51 total touchdowns. He finished third in the Football Bowl Subdivision in points responsible for (306) and passer efficiency rating (181.4).
Kedon Slovis, QB, USC
The buzz: Slovis made the most of an opportunity when he stepped into the starting role after JT Daniels suffered a season-ending knee injury in the opener. The freshman quickly embraced the nuances of the Air Raid offense, passing for 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns. Daniels’ decision to transfer to Georgia in the offseason cemented Slovis’ status as the starter before the fall season was canceled.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Matt Murschel at mmurschel@orlandosentinel.com.
