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Louisville Football: PFF Releases Their Top Heisman Candidates For 2017
We take a look at some of the names on Pro Football Focus’ 2017 Heisman list and if a certain Louisville football player made the list.
It was a pretty darn exciting year to be a Louisville football fan, as Lamar Jackson became the school’s first-ever Heisman Trophy winner. The Cards didn’t finish the season as we had hoped, but that is in the rear-view, as we look toward what the 2017 college football season will bring us.
If you’re a regular visitor to our site, then you know how much respect we have for the people over at Pro Football Focus. These writers really know their football and when they talk, we tend to listen.
Whether it’s a lack of something to discuss or a legitimate problem, most of the national media hasn’t been on the 2017 Lamar Jackson Heisman Campaign. It’s understandable that success brings criticism, but seriously?
However, we wonderful people over at Pro Football Focus don’t have a problem sticking up for the 2016 Heisman Winner. As Lamar Jackson made their 2017 Heisman Trophy candidates article:
1. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville Cardinals
“The 2016 Heisman winner is an obvious choice to potentially repeat in 2017, but it’s always difficult to impress the voters two years in a row. Even in 2016, Jackson set expectations so high in the first half of the year, that mere mortal efforts down the stretch almost took the luster off his incredible season. Expectations will be through the roof next year, and history tells us even another exceptional season may not net another Heisman. Jackson will likely have to top his incredible 2016, which saw him grade at 96.2 as a runner, rushing for 1,887 yards and 21 yards on the ground while averaging 8.8 yards per carry. There’s room to improve a passing grade that finished at 69.9 overall, and that may be his ticket to repeat assuming he has yet another dominant year on the ground.”
Here were some other names that made their list:
There are definitely some interesting names on this list heading into the 2017 season. Lamar Jackson should be the favorite going into next year, but wrapping up the Heisman Trophy shouldn’t be as easy as it was in 2016.
I’m not saying that he can’t have the same explosive season, but literally every player on that list, maybe other than Quentin Flowers, will have a very nice opportunity to bring home college football’s most-coveted award.
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