NEW YORK — Even before the 2015 Heisman Trophy is handed out Saturday night, it’s tempting to look ahead to 2016 and what could be a doozy of a race for college football’s most famous bronze statue.
While Alabama star Derrick Henry is likely to both win the Heisman and head to the NFL after the Crimson Tide’s playoff run, the other finalists, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford tailback Christian McCaffrey, are sophomores who will return. Throw in Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield, Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and LSU’s Leonard Fournette, and there is a strong chance that five of the top eight Heisman vote-getters in this year’s balloting will be back in 2016.
“It’s a monster class,” said Chris Huston, a Heisman Trophy historian and editor in chief of .
Henry, Watson and McCaffrey arrived Friday in New York from Atlanta, where they attended the ESPN awards show at the College Football Hall of Fame. They were greeted in the Big Apple by a traffic jam that turned their 7-mile trip from LaGuardia Airport to Times Square into a two-hour journey. The delay cost them lunch at an Italian restaurant, but otherwise all was well.
“I’m just enjoying the moment and happy to be here,” said Henry, the nation’s leading rusher this season with 1,986 yards.
Being a Heisman Trophy finalist is a once-in-a-lifetime event for most players, often the culmination of a great career. But for Watson and McCaffrey, a former Valor Christian star, this might be just a test run.
“Of course, next year I want to be back. And if I happen to stay my senior year, I want to be back then,” Watson said.
Only twice (2008 and 2010) in the previous 10 seasons have at least two of the top three finishers in the Heisman voting returned to school the next year. Only twice in the last 10 seasons (2006 and 2012) have five of the top eight returned the next season.
The contenders in 2016 aren’t confined to just those players whose names will show up in the final voting Saturday night.
Georgia tailback Nick Chubb, one of the preseason favorites this year, will return from a knee injury. Washington State’s Luke Falk and Baylor’s Seth Russell will be back from injuries too, though Jarrett Stidham could be the Baylor QB with Heisman hype.
J.T. Barrett should be Ohio State’s starting quarterback again, and there is a good chance people will start noticing that Oregon’s Royce Freeman is as good as all those extraordinary running backs in the South.
Dual-threat quarterbacks DeShone Kizer of Notre Dame and Greg Ward Jr. of Houston will be trying next year to build upon breakout seasons.
UCLA quarterback Josh Rosen and Penn State running back Saquon Barkley are primed for fantastic follow-ups to their fabulous freshman seasons.
Watch the Heisman Trophy ceremony
The best player in college football will be announced Saturday night in New York. You can watch the Heisman Trophy presentation show beginning at 6 p.m. on ESPN.
