Kingsbury: TCU's Boykin the 'frontrunner' for Heisman

Published Oct. 26, 2014 12:57 a.m. ET

Shawn Ramsey

Leading his team to a 82-27 win with a school-record seven touchdowns passes, TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin has thrusted himself into the spotlight as a legitimate Heisman contender.

Texas Tech head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who knows a thing or two about potential Heismans as he personally groomed former Texas A&M quarterback Johnny Manziel in his Heisman-winning freshman season as the then-offensive coordinator in College Station, thinks Boykin has the stuff to be the winner of the prestigious award in December.

"I said it going in I thought he was a top-three Heisman guy. After watching him live and in-person, he's got to be the frontrunner," Kingsbury told the Dallas Morning News. "He's that good. He's the best player in the country in my opinion."

While he was on the losing side of the lopsided effort by his team in Fort Worth, Kingsbury tipped his hat at Boykin's big day at the expense of his Red Raiders.

"They got a bunch of wideouts and they go up and make plays. Even when you think you got him (Boykin), you don't have him. He creates. For him to play that many snaps and not turn the ball over, it's impressive," Kingsbury said.

Along with his seven touchdowns, Boykin also threw for a career-high 433 yards, completing 22 of 39 attempts, with zero interceptions. Coming into Saturday's game, he was one of only four quarterbacks in the nation averaging over 300 yards passing per game while leading a one-loss or undefeated team.

TCU has only one loss on the season, a 61-58 defeat in Waco to then-No. 5 Baylor; and with upcoming games against No. 22 West Virginia and No. 11 Kansas State, the Horned Frogs have their hands full if they are wanting to take home their first Big 12 Championship or, better yet, a spot in the College Football Playoff.

However, with the new Heisman-hopeful Boykin leading the super-charged TCU offense, the sky is the limit for these Frogs in '14.

Follow Shawn Ramsey on Twitter: @ShawnPRamsey

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