2015 Heisman Trophy Candidates

Trevone Boykin, QB, TCU
Boykin was sensational in his junior season, earning unanimous second team All-American status and finishing fourth in Heisman voting. He set TCU single-season records with 3,901 passing yards, 33 passing touchdowns, 42 total touchdowns responsible for and 4,608 total yards. Boykin is also fresh off a season in which many felt that his Horned Frogs were snubbed from an appearance in the inaugural College Football Playoff. His team went 12-1 (8-1 Big 12) and finished tied with Baylor atop the Big 12 standings. Expect Boykin to come into his senior season with something to prove and a more polished skillset as he not only shapes his NFL stock, but shapes his Heisman Trophy stock.

Braxton Miller/JT Barrett/Cardale Jones, WR/QB, Ohio State
Ohio State began the 2014-15 season with Braxton Miller as the starting quarterback, also a Heisman frontrunner at the time. Due to injuries, J.T. Barrett took over and emerged as a Heisman contender but would also get injured paving the way for Cardale Jones who led the Buckeyes to a Big 10 and National Championship. Miller will experiment playing receiver in summer camp, but if Barrett and Jones split time, or play different types of two-quarterback sets, it will be challenging for any one of the three to win the award.

Ezekiel Elliot, RB, Ohio State
Elliot, a junior, will enter the 2015 season as the headline-grabbing running back. He burst onto the scene in a big way last season, culminating in a 36-carry, 246-yard performance, including four touchdowns. To put it simply, he was sensational in the game’s biggest stage. Expect that to translate into the 2015 season.

He will certainly be more than a safety blanket behind whichever quarterback is lined up behind center. In 2014, Elliot logged 273 rushing attempts for 1,878 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns. He will no doubt add to an already impressive career stat line as the Buckeyes look to defend their national championship crown.

James Conner, RB, Pittsburgh
While Conner is not atop of a lot of the Heisman Trophy predictions, he is on the watch list for every major award that a running back can win. A bruising north-south runner, the junior beat out former Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston of Florida State to win the 2014 ACC Player of the Year. Conner rushed for 1,765 yards along with 26 touchdowns and was an absolute workhorse, rushing the ball 298 times. This impressive sophomore year stat line came despite playing injured down the stretch and rush for 113 yards on just 27 attempts over the last two games.

Nick Chubb, RB, Georgia
The reigning NCAA freshman of the year is next in line for the Georgia running back throne. From Herschel Walker to Knoshown Moreno to 2015 tenth overall draft pick Todd Gurley, the Bulldogs have produced some of the best running backs over the past several decades. Chubb did not have the understudy role that was initially intended for him last season. Gurley spent parts of the season suspended due to NCAA rules violations before tearing his ACL in the middle of the season. Chubb did more than just fill in, accumulating 1,547 yards and 14 touchdowns. He has all of the tools to do it again.

Cody Kessler, QB, USC
Kessler enters his third season as the Trojans’ starter. In 2014, he completed 69.7 percent of his passes for 3,826 yards and 39 touchdowns. He is currently fourth in USC history in passing touchdowns and sixth in completions, passing yards, and total yards. In a traditionally passing-oriented Lane Kiffen offense, Kessler will have the ability to succeed and take advantage of what is a fairly weak crop of Pac-12 secondaries. He is no doubt a contender to not just win the Heisman Trophy, but to help breathe some success into the Southern Cal program.