College Football

Matt Leinart's Heisman Hopefuls

Updated Sep. 23, 2020 8:55 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

With the Big Ten's announcement that it plans to play football beginning in late October, the Heisman race quickly became a bit more exciting, adding a few talented playmakers back into the mix.

And with that, former USC superstar quarterback and 2004 Heisman Trophy winner Matt Leinart joined FOX Sports college football analyst Joel Klatt to preview his 'Heisman Hopefuls' for the 2020 college football season.

Let's see who we should keep a close eye on this season, according to Leinart (All odds provided via FOXBet):

No. 5 – Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma Sooners, QB (+1100)

Oklahoma earned a 48-0 season-opening win primarily behind the arm of their redshirt freshman QB, who threw for 290 yards and 4 TDs in his Sooner debut.

OU was off last weekend, but to start the season, Rattler posted an impressive 82.4 completion percentage against Missouri State.

No. 4 – Sam Ehlinger, Texas Longhorns, QB (+1100)

Texas didn't play this past Saturday, but the show that Ehlinger put on in the Longhorns' opener, slinging 5 TDs in the first half alone, is still fresh on the college football world's mind.

The senior standout finished the day with a 75.8 completion percentage, 426 passing yards and 5 passing TDs in a 59-3 win over UTEP.

No. 3 – D'Eriq King, Miami Hurricanes, QB (+600)

In Miami's first two games of the season, D'Eriq King has thrown for a combined 469 yards and 4 TDs, while racking up 92 yards on the ground and 1 rushing score.

In Week 2, King capped the Hurricanes' 47-34 victory over Louisville by throwing for 325 yards and 3 TDs on the day, after Miami relied mostly on its run game in Week 1.

No. 2 – Justin Fields, Ohio State Buckeyes, QB (+310)

We'll have to wait until late October to officially see Fields hit the gridiron, but last year, the OSU star threw for 3,273 yards and completed 67% of his throws, recording 41 TDs and just 3 interceptions.

Fields ran for another 484 yards and 10 scores, en route to a berth in the College Football Playoff at the end of last season.

No. 1 – Trevor Lawrence, Clemson Tigers, QB (+500)

Through the first two games of the season, Trevor Lawrence recorded a 81.1 completion percentage with 519 passing yards, 4 passing TDs, and 3 rushing TDs.

Last weekend, in the Tigers' blowout win over The Citadel, he aired it out for 3 TDs on a mere nine attempts, and only had one incompletion in those nine throws. 

While Leinart loves his QBs, he added a few running backs that fans should also look out for this season.

Najee Harris, Alabama Crimson Tide, RB (+2800)

SEC game day starts this Saturday, but last season, Harris rushed for 1,224 yards and 13 TDs on 209 carries, averaging 5.86 yards per rushing attempt.

Harris’ 13 rushing TDs in 13 games were tied for second-most in the conference, while he ranked third in carries (209) and fourth in rushing yards (1,224).

He also caught 27 passes, turning them into 304 yards and 7 receiving TDs.

Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State Cowboys, RB (+4000)

Chuba Hubbard scored the Cowboys' first TD of the 2020 season against Tulsa on Saturday, and later gave, Oklahoma State the lead in the fourth quarter with a short 3-yard carry.

He finished the day with 93 yards and 1 TD in a 16-7 win over the Golden Hurricanes.

Travis Etienne, Clemson Tigers, RB (+2000)

Etienne had 8 carries for 68 yards in Clemson's win over The Citadel, sitting most of the game after the Tigers got off to a hot start.

He's tallied 170 rushing yards and 1 TD through Clemson's first two games, averaging 6.8 yards per carry.

To hear all of Leinart's thoughts on this year's Heisman candidates, watch the entire clip below:

share

Get more from College Football Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

Alabama Crimson Tide

Ohio State Buckeyes

College Football

Clemson Tigers

Miami (FL) Hurricanes

Oklahoma State Cowboys

Oklahoma Sooners

Texas Longhorns