Chad Kelly is the SEC’s Best Hope For a Heisman
The stage is set for Chad Kelly to bring home the first Heisman Trophy to Ole Miss. While he also represents the SEC’s most realistic chance of keeping the trophy in the conference.
The Alabama Crimson Tide had a double honor last year. Not only hoisting the BCS National Championship trophy, but they watched as their superstar running back, Derrick Henry, ran away with the Heisman Trophy.
Most polls have Clemson’s dual threat quarterback, Deshaun Watson as the odds on favorite to win the trophy this year. The Tigers open up at Jordan-Hare Stadium against Auburn on September third. But besides a game at Florida State, the Tiger’s schedule seem rather tame. This will give Watson a chance to put up big statistics.
Keeping the Heisman Trophy in SEC country will be difficult. With Watson at Clemson, playmaker extraordinaire Christian McCaffery at Stanford and Baker Mayfield playing quarterback at Oklahoma, this year’s talent is stacked. Odd makers have LSU’s Leonard Fournette as the SEC’s best bet to win the honor.
Let’s be clear, Fournette is a physical beast. He runs with power and he runs with speed. Other running backs may be flashier, but Fournette is absolutely dominating. Nick Chubb is returning this year for Georgia as well.
If he is fully healthy, he will be more than a handful for the conference. But the best chance the SEC has to bring home a Heisman resides in Oxford, MS. His name is Chad Kelly.
The case for Kelly as the SEC’s best hope for the Heisman start first with opportunity. The best way to get into the mind of Heisman voters is to be seen on television in big games. There will be no bigger stage than Labor Day, September 5th versus the Florida State Seminole in Orlando, Fl. on ESPN.
A great game by Kelly will vault him into serious Heisman discussions. A great game by Kelly and a win by Ole Miss will make him a Heisman favorite.
The spotlight will grow when you add in the CBS Game of the Week against Alabama during the third week. Which, if Ole Miss come in undefeated, will likely be the ESPN Gameday location. Plus, the next week’s Georgia game also will likely be televised. The opportunity is there for Kelly to grab the national conversation about the Heisman.
Secondly, Kelly has the benefit of being a quarterback. Though last year’s ceremony may make it seem otherwise, being a quarterback in the Heisman race has been a huge benefit. Including Henry, in the past 15 years a non-quarterback has only won the award twice.
Henry won last year and Alabama running back Mark Ingram won in 2009. The rest have been quarterbacks. Simply because they are the most visible members of the team. Wins and losses are usually attributed to them. So if a team is deemed to be successful, the quarterback gets the credit.
Kelly finds himself in an offense suited for a quarterback with his skill set. He’ll have the opportunity to put up 300 yards passing every time he is on the field. He will also get enough carries to make him seem as a dual threat.
The Heisman voters love a quarterback that can pass and run. Coach Hugh Freeze has surrounded him with a bevy of receiving threats. And the offense moves at a speed that racks up yards quickly. If he utilizes his weapons and opportunity he can make a run for the award.
But what make Kelly the SEC’s best chance is the past history of the two other big contenders. Fournette started last year as the early favorite. But as the year went on, his effectiveness dwindled. The three game losing streak LSU suffered against Alabama, Arkansas, and Ole Miss ended his Heisman chances.
Those three games were his lowest totals for the entire year, highlighted by a 31 yards outing against the Tide. It ended with a tough 108 yards in a tough loss to the Rebels. During a similar stretch, around the same time in 2014, Leonard showed the wear and tear of a long season as well. History may repeat itself this year.
Chubb showed brilliance before he went down with an injury in a loss to Tennessee in week 6. The question has been, is he fully recovered from that injury. Until we see a fully healthy Chubb, it is unrealistic to think he could be a true challenger for the Heisman.
Chad Kelly will have to play well for an opportunity to go to New York for the Heisman Trophy presentation. But the dominoes are in place. He has enough high-profile games to earn the respect of the voters. He also has a few games that he use to pad stats.
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He has Alabama, Georgia and Auburn at home. If Ole Miss gets enough wins and Kelly gets enough yards, we could see that hallow trophy decorating the halls of Vaught-Hemingway Stadium.