CLEMSON QB LAWRENCE PROBABLY DESERVED MORE
His excellence off and on field prevents an all-Alabama ballot
Sitting a couple of Sundays ago with a blinking cursor on my laptop screen in the No. 3 voting position on my Heisman Trophy ballot, a name that easily could’ve been No. 1 or No. 2 — or left off altogether — ended up going in the final spot.
Yeah, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence may have deserved better, but by putting him third, I refrained from going with what many may have perceived as the gimmicky route — an All-Alabama ballot — though I did think there was justification for it.
Like many Heisman Trophy voters, this ballot from an ACC-based reporter got filed with Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith in the No. 1 spot and Alabama quarterback Mac Jones in the No. 2 position.
Going through all the necessary mental gymnastics while trying to figure out whom to put in the last blank field, I settled on either Lawrence, who I felt was more deserving than Florida quarterback Kyle Trask, or Alabama running back Najee Harris.
Coming off 245 combined rushing and receiving yards and five touchdowns in Alabama’s win against Florida in the Southeastern Conference championship game, Harris had plenty of momentum, but Lawrence had certain intangibles nobody else had.
It’s entirely possible Lawrence, who at the time of my vote was coming off a convincing performance of his own in the ACC championship game against Notre Dame (322 passing yards, two touchdowns, 90 rushing yards and a TD), would’ve been a lock for the top spot on my ballot if he hadn’t sat out two games while dealing with the coronavirus. Smith and Jones just had numbers against elite competition that were impossible to ignore.
Yet, there was something else about Lawrence that put him
above Harris, Trask or Brigham Young quarterback Zach Wilson in my final assessment.
On-field performance has always been — and rightfully so — the prevailing factor in my decision-making over the course of my 15 or so years as a Heisman voter, but on the official Heisman Trophy website, the first sentence in the mission statement reads: “The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”
While nothing in the bios of Harris, Trask or Wilson would suggest they don’t live up to the “integrity” portion of the voting criteria, Lawrence’s qualifications in that category were far more evident.
He was an outspoken proponent in the tumultuous offseason for both fighting against racial inequality (serving in September as one of the faces of college football players’ five-point plan to promote change) and the importance of playing the season despite the dangers associated with the coronavirus pandemic.
With that in mind, while Smith and Jones were my locked-in top two choices,
I had to reserve a place for Lawrence.
Well, and, frankly, the thought of being on the right side of history when I look back at this year’s ballot and recall I didn’t leave off a guy who could end up being the greatest to ever play the position may have played a tiny role. Full disclosure.
Deep thoughts
Breaking news just before I filed this piece — former Virginia Tech quarterback Hendon Hooker has announced he’s transferring to Tennessee.
On the surface, it seems like a shrewd move. At best, Tennessee is unstable at quarterback, where this season’s starter and one of the backups have decided to transfer.
Kaidon Salter, who was considered by many recruiting analysts as one of the nation’s top 10 dualthreat quarterbacks in the Class of 2021, is enrolling at Tennessee this month. Salter, former Elite 11 quarterback Brian Maurer and 6-foot-5 Harrison Bailey will be Hooker’s primary competition, but Hooker will be by far the most experienced player in the group.
Though unranked
entering the evening, Louisville’s men’s basketball team made an argument Wednesday for being considered the most complete team in the ACC to this point with a 73-71 home win against No. 19 Virginia Tech. Cardinals coach Chris Mack left the game with tonguein-cheek derision for the Hokies’ most dangerous shooter.
Tech’s 5-foot-10 Jalen Cone scored a career-high 23 points, making 6 of 12 shots from 3-point range, and got Mack’s attention.
“He’s a freak show,” Mack said. “He’s so tiny, but he’s so fast — so fast. He just pops up and shoots it so quick. I told him after the game I didn’t like him at all. We recruited him a little bit. He’s a terrific player.”
Cone, who is averaging 12.1 points per game, has yet to start this season and he’s only playing 19 minutes per game. If he earns starter’s minutes, don’t be surprised if he ends up being All-ACC material.
Hate to say it because he’s a media darling, but one has to wonder if Notre Dame coach Mike Brey’s seat is getting awfully warm.
He’s contracted through the end of the 2024-25 season, but the Fighting Irish are off to a 3-6 start, including 0-3 in the ACC, and they have games on the road against ranked Virginia Tech and ranked Virginia on deck.
That’s not terribly encouraging for a Notre Dame program that’s lost 25 consecutive games against ranked foes.