All through the last decade of the four-team Faculty Soccer Playoff period, the Heisman Trophy race turned more and more predictable. The start of a brand new age for the game might revitalize the season-long pursuit of soccer’s high honor, if Week 1 is any indicator.
Probably the most breathtaking particular person performances from the primary full Saturday of the 12-team Playoff period got here from positions or applications not typically related to the stiff-arm trophy. Broad receivers have mixed for simply 4 Heismans all-time, and DeVonta Smith’s in 2020 ended a 32-year drought.
However a pair of receivers helped set a excessive bar for 2024, commanding the highlight to open and shut Week 1 Saturday. Tennessee’s Dont’e Thornton Jr. wanted solely three performs in a 69-3 blowout of Chattanooga to introduce himself to the nation after spending his first three collegiate seasons in relative obscurity.
Thornton spent his first two seasons at Oregon, the place he caught 26 whole passes with three touchdowns and 541 yards. His first marketing campaign after transferring to Tennessee, Thornton sustained a season-ending leg harm on his solely landing reception.
Returning towards the alma mater of Professional Soccer Corridor of Famer Terrell Owens, Thornton resembled the legendary TO together with his mixture of measurement, physicality and breakaway velocity. The 6-foot-5 Thornton regarded just like the lacking piece for a Vols offense that regressed from fifth within the nation in passing yards in 2022 to No. 55 a season in the past.
“You may simply see how way more comfy Dont’e obtained with this offense… figuring issues out,” Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava mentioned within the postgame press convention. “He was dialed on this entire fall camp, spring camp. He’s been placing in nice work and went on the market and confirmed it on the sphere at present.”
Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan got here into 2024 a well-established pillar for his group’s prolific passing assault. He caught for 702 yards and eight touchdowns as a freshman in 2022, then upped his manufacturing to 1,242 yards and 10 scores in 2023.
Whereas persevering with his tempo past Week 1 all through 2024 is unrealistic—nobody in Arizona historical past caught for 304 yards earlier than McMillan within the Wildcats’ 61-39 win over New Mexico—T-Mac ought to blow previous his lofty sophomore statistics.
The Arizona protection wants work to compete in its new convention, the Huge 12. However ought to the Wildcats be within the dialog because the season unfolds, McMillan needs to be within the Heisman race.
Quarterback Noah Fifita began that marketing campaign months in the past.
“If folks had been listening to my interviews all offseason, they in all probability thought I used to be being overdramatic. I feel he got here in and proved my level completely: He’s the most effective participant within the nation,” Fifita mentioned within the postgame press convention.
Together with being an award dominated by quarterbacks, the Heisman has been carefully tied to the Playoff. Seven-of-10 winners since 2014 reached the four-team event, and 21-of-37 finalists made the sphere. Excluding the outlier of 2016, when solely 1-of-5 finalists had been within the Playoff, it’s 20-of-32.
How a lot growth of the Playoff broadens the scope of the Heisman race might be an fascinating storyline all through this primary season, together with the addition of a Group of 5 group.
It’s in all probability no coincidence that only one Group of 5 group made the four-team Playoff and no Group of 5 gamers had been Heisman finalists, with egregious omissions like Navy quarterback Keenan Reynolds in 2015 and San Diego State operating again Rashaad Penny in 2017.
Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty is the most effective Group of 5 again since Penny’s 2,248-yard season. With the Broncos having a path to the Playoff, Jeanty’s excellence ought to show unimaginable to disregard.
He delivered arguably the most effective efficiency of Week 1 with 267 yards on simply 20 carries and 6 touchdowns within the Broncos’ 56-45 win at Georgia Southern.
Boise State soccer’s official Instagram account obtained the Heisman hype began early with a tag on Jeanty’s exploits studying, “HEI2MAN” — the again’s jersey quantity is 2. The 2 additionally unintentionally describes what could also be a very powerful week to Jeanty’s Heisman candidacy.
