The Buzz: Heisman news and views
The second half of the 2017 college football season is upon us.
Time for our traditional weekly feature that rounds up the latest Heisman news and updates from around the media world.
(Disclaimer — The Heisman Trophy Trust and Heisman.com does not endorse any college football player for the Heisman Memorial Trophy. The information contained here serves as a platform of information for fans and media, and is not intended to contain a definitive and comprehensive list of possible contenders.)
The Buzz
— Penn State running back Saquon Barkley is the Heisman favorite of a couple ESPN NFL draft analysts.
— Wisconsin freshman running back Jonathan Taylor showed up in Sports Illustrated’s Heisman watch. He’s not caught up in the buzz, though.
“I think it’s pretty easy to handle because you’re so focused on what you have to do,” Taylor said. “You have practice. You have class. Maybe later on in the night you just check things out on social media, but that’s not something you try to worry about too much because you’re just totally focused on your main goal.”
— Stanford running back Bryce Love is now the Heisman favorite according to these oddsmakers.
— Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield headlines The Sporting News’ midseason All-American squad. He grades out as the top quarterback in college football according to Pro Football Focus.
— Kirk Herbstreit of ESPN wants his sons to be like Barkley he told the Nittany Lions running back during an interview.
“As far back as I can go, when I meet a Penn State player, former player, or a current player, of all the schools out there that I covered, the Penn State player is the most consistent,” Herbstreit said. “I have four boys. If they grow up to be like you or like a Jason Cabinda or a Todd Blackledge or Bobby Engram or Ki-Jana Carter, you go down the list — Curt Warner. Go any decade you want to pick.”
— FanRag Sports breaks down the Heisman race after week 7.
— New contenders are on the horizon for The Sporting News Heisman watch.
— Don’t look now, but J.T. Barrett has Ohio State cooking again… and NCAA.com has noticed, too.
— Should Alabama running back Damien Harris be in the Heisman conversation?
— Tommy Tuberville thinks another Alabama player — quarterback Jalen Hurts — should be in the mix.
“The secret’s going to be out here before long because everybody else if kind of falling,” Tuberville said. “I think he’s definitely one of the top, if not the top guy in the country in terms of winning games. Now he’s not one that’s going to really light the stats up in terms of throwing the football, but it’s all about winning. And I think they’ve done a pretty good job of that.”
— The reigning Heisman winner showed off his 2016 form with 512 yards of offense in Louisville’s loss to Boston College.
— Are tailbacks making a comeback?
— Tim Tebow will be inducted into the Florida-Georgia Game Hall of Fame.
— The Tennessee Titans offensive coordinator says that Derrick Henry needs more touches and his head coach agrees.
— Chicago Bears offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains has been waiting 17 years to call a play. The name of the play? Heisman.
— Want to feel old? Vincent Testaverde, Jr., is a backup quarterback for the University of Albany.
NFL Heisman Update
— Mark Ingram rushed for 114 yards and 2 TDs on 25 carries and added 5 catches for 36 yards as the Saints outpaced the Lions, 52-38.
— Carson Palmer went 18 of 22 for 283 yards and 3 TDs as the Cardinals topped the Buccaneers, 38-33.
— Cam Newton cooled off after a torrid couple weeks, passing for 239 yards and a score and adding 71 rushing yards (including a TD), in Carolina’s 28-23 loss to Philadelphia.
— Jameis Winston was 5 of 10 for 61 yards against Arizona before leaving the game with a shoulder injury.
— Sam Bradford missed another week due to a leg injury.
— Derrick Henry is ready, but Marcus Mariota is questionable for Tennessee’s Monday Night game vs. Indianapolis.
Video of the Day
Heisman winners Johnny Rodgers and Eric Crouch talk Nebraska football with Omaha.com:
