Heisman Trophy Longshots: Top Defensive Contenders

By Joseph Barry on August 7, 2013

The Heisman Trophy is bestowed upon the most outstanding college football player at the end of each regular season. However, over its 77 year history, only one primary defensive player has taken home the Heisman Trophy, that being Michigan’s Charles Woodson, who edged out Tennessee’s Peyton Manning by 272 points in the voting. Needless to say, the odds are against you to win the Heisman Trophy if you’re lining up on a certain side of the ball; however, with the notable talent returning this season, here are three defensive guys who could end up taking home the prestigious award, breaking the trend of offensive winners.

 

Michigan’s Desmond Howard is the only defensive player to have won the Heisman Trophy in the modern college football era

Jadeveon Clowney

If this was a list of top five players with a great chance to win the Heisman Trophy, regardless of position, South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney would likely be on the list anyway. If you haven’t heard about him yet, you simply haven’t turned on ESPN in the last eight months, where it seems like there’s a story on him every day (the only college football player covered more is Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel). The dude is simply a freak, as his 6’6/274 lb. frame would suggest. His 2012 year was much more than just the hit against Michigan in the Outback Bowl, but it is a good start for looking at how dominant he looks to be in 2013.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gC44nP7ClxM

While his stats are very impressive by themselves, the improvement in Clowney’s numbers from year one to year two is incredible. Jadeveon went from recording eight sacks his freshman year to thirteen his sophomore year. If he gets close to Terrell Suggs record for sacks in a season (24), perhaps breaking 20, Clowney has a great chance of winning the Heisman Trophy. It also wouldn’t hurt if his team made it to the SEC Championship Game.

This picture of Jadeveon Clowney obliterating Michigan’s running back in the Outback Bowl; it was the hit heard ’round the world

Bradley Roby

Bradley Roby decided to bypass the riches of the NFL for at least one more year as he returns to Columbus to lead what should be the best secondary in the Big Ten. Roby has already been tagged by Bleacher Report as the fastest player in college football this upcoming season. Roby is looking at an indefinite suspension, but should he play this season he will look to build upon his 2012 first-team All-American season as he helped the Buckeyes go 12-0. He finished the year with 19 passes defended and two picks, both of which came against Nebraska.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dc5Ineh0ZkQ

He recorded a TD three different ways in 2012: an interception vs. Nebraska, a fumble recovery vs. Miami (OH), and a blocked punt recovery vs. Indiana. What plays in Roby’s favor is that he has the ability to score touchdowns in multiple ways. People argued that the Heisman Trophy would have been Manti Te’o's if only he could have scored a few touchdowns last season. At last, the Buckeyes need to be undefeated as well as the OSU defense outshining the electric OSU offense. This would be the most difficult part for Roby, putting up stats that respectively one up QB Braxton Miller’s numbers. However, if Roby can amass touchdowns, interceptions, and passes defended, the Heisman Trophy could be coming back to Columbus, OH.

Stephon Tuitt

Stephon Tuitt would likely bear the title of “Best Defensive End in College Football” if not for one Jadeveon Clowney. He helps anchor down arguably the best defensive line in college football along with NT Louis Nix III. Tuitt benefits from Nix’s lining up at nose tackle at the center of the defensive line because offensive lines have to split their attention between the two. However, defensive ends usually end up with better statistics, due to defensive tackles making a difference in games because of their size and presence rather than tackles. This season, Tuitt will look to build upon his 12 sack sophomore season, which was just one sack off of Jadeveon Clowney’s 13.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=twZ2sZAqnyM

For such a big guy (6’6/322 lbs.) Tuitt is both quick and agile, not a player one can easily juke around. He has a good center of gravity and quick feet that allow him to control his momentum and not go flying past the ball carrier. Notre Dame plays arguably one of the top non-SEC schedules this year, with notable games against USC, Oklahoma, and Stanford. If Tuitt can record even more sacks than last season, along with Notre Dame going at least 10-2, he could find himself in NYC for the Heisman Trophy presentation.

Within the last six seasons college football has seen the first (and second and third) sophomore win the Heisman Trophy, the first freshman to win, and two players come out of nowhere to claim the award. Simply put, why can’t this be the first season since the 90′s where a defensive player earns the honor of being apart of the Heisman Trophy fraternity?

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