Early Candidates For 2014 Heisman

SOURCE: PFT

Melvin Gordon , Jr., Wisconsin* — With
backfield mate James White graduating,
Gordon could be set for a monster season
in Madison, if he chooses to return for
his junior year. He had 1,466 yards and
10 touchdowns while averaging eight
yards per carry in 2013.

Todd Gurley , Jr., Georgia — When
healthy, Gurley might be the best running
back in the country. His combination of
size and speed are impressive. He rushed
for 903 yards and 10 scores and caught
30 passes for five more TDs despite
missing three full games and parts of
others.

Brett Hundley, Jr., UCLA* — As a
sophomore, Hundley had over 3,400 yards
of total offense and 31 touchdowns with a
very young supporting cast around him.
Those players will be a year older and it
should result in excellent production for
Hundley if he chooses to return.

Myles Jack, So., UCLA — Jack was the
Pac-12 freshman of the year on both
offense and defense. Heisman voters love
throwback players who excel on both
sides of the ball — see: Woodson, Charles
— and assuming he continues to play
both running back and linebacker, he'll
get lots of attention.

Marcus Mariota , Jr., Oregon — Mariota
was the Heisman front runner for a large
chunk of this season. Losses to Stanford
and Arizona knocked him out of the race,
but he should be better in 2013. If he can
finally get Oregon past Stanford, he'll
probably make a trip to New York.

Nick Marshall , Sr., Auburn — No
quarterback in the country improved as
much as Marshall did over the course of
this season. His 2014 campaign could
begin by leading the Tigers to a national
championship in January.

Tre Mason , Sr., Auburn* — If Mason
chooses to return for another season, he'll
join his teammate as a front runner for
2014. He finished sixth in the Heisman
vote this season while rushing for 1,621
yards and 22 scores.

Braxton Miller, Sr., Ohio State* — Miller
might've won the Heisman this year if an
injury hadn't forced him to miss the
better part of three games. Assuming he
returns for his senior season, he'll
probably be the early Heisman favorite.
He is 24-1 as a starter over his last two
seasons.

Bryce Petty , Sr., Baylor — Petty finished
seventh in the Heisman vote after
throwing for 3,844 yards and 30
touchdowns with just two interceptions
while leading Baylor to the Big 12 title.
He could have even better numbers as a
senior and, assuming Baylor is again a
national title contender, he'll be in the
Heisman conversation.

Bishop Sankey , Sr., Washington* —
Sankey is very quietly putting together a
brilliant rushing career for the Huskies.
He's got 3,401 yards and 35 touchdowns
in three seasons and was third in the
country this year with 1,775 yards and 18
scores. If he chooses to come back for
another season, he should really flourish
in Chris Petersen's system

T.J. Yeldon , Jr., Alabama — Yeldon
notched his second-straight 1,000-yard
season despite being limited in some
games by an ankle injury. With the Tide
set to break in a new quarterback, he
could become the main weapon for
Alabama in 2014.

* – could enter NFL draft