With the college football season on the horizon, it's time to take a look at the talented student athletes most likely to contend for the prestigious Heisman trophy award in 2013. CLA expects a wide open race with many worthy competitors.
West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith is the clear front runner for the Heisman trophy after a ridiculous 656 yard, eight touchdown performance against Baylor. The undefeated Mountaineers first Big 12 game set quite a standard for offensive excellence. For the season, Smith has 20 touchdowns with no interceptions and an 83 percent completion percentage.
West Virginia senior quarterback Geno Smith has ascended to the top spot with his stellar performance against Maryland last week. Smith linked up with his favorite target Tavon Austin on three touchdown strikes and finished the contest with 338 passing yards.
Thanks to a stifling defensive performance by the Stanford Cardinal against USC, there is a new leader in CLA’s weekly Heisman pecking order. Early season favorite Matt Barkley struggled against the Cardinal, failing to throw a touchdown and throwing interceptions on consecutive passes in the Trojans 21-14 loss in Palo Alto.
USC quarterback Matt Barkley tossed six touchdowns to lead the Trojans over Syracuse 42-29 at Metlife Stadium in New Jersey. As expected, Barkley continues to utilize playmaking wideouts Marquis Lee and Robert Woods.
A tough road game at Stanford this week should present a challenge to the Trojans. Expect Barkley to rise to the challenge and have another Heisman worthy performance.
Now that the first week of the 2012 college football season is in the books, the debate for the Heisman can take form. Preseason hopefuls like Michigan quarterback Denard Robinson struggled against defending national champion Alabama’s suffocating defense in a 41-14 rout at Cowboys Stadium. Other favorites performed as expected . Players stock will potentially rise and fall from week to week but there are five players CLA believes will lead the way as the race unfolds.
Watch this flashback from an exclusive post game interview featuring former Crenshaw High School football standout recruits De'anthony Thomas and Hayes Pullard. Thomas is coming off a freshman season that included 16 touchdowns and a historic performance in Oregon's Rose Bowl victory. Pullard has also performed well at the NCAA level, and led the Trojans in tackles as a sophomore, last season.
Look for both of these former College Level Athletes recruits to continue to shine and provide their teams with the necessary tools to become BCS Title contenders in 2013.
USC senior quarterback Matt Barkley enters the 2012 season as the clear front runner for the Heisman Trophy. With an arsenal of playmakers at his disposal, including receivers Robert Woods and Marqise Lee, Barkley should put up big numbers on his way to leading the Trojans to the national title.
Heading into his fourth season under center, Barkley has the experience and leadership needed to lead USC back to greatness. Barring injury, expect Matt Barkley to take home the Heisman, win a national title and be the first pick in the 2013 NFL Draft.
Next time you’re in the Los Angeles region, take a close look into the sky beyond the haze of smog that blankets much of the area some days. If you look closely, what appears to be a bridge has slowly begun to form above the path from William Howard Taft High School to the University of Southern California campus.
The lists for preseason Heisman candidates are in full circulation. The process of eliminating candidates has already begun, thus we have assembled the “CLA Sports Preseason Heisman Top 5 List.”
