Sun Sentinel Palm Beach Edition
A Heisman long shot, Trask happy for ‘honor’
GAINESVILLE — Florida quarterback Kyle Trask has gone from a front-runner for the Heisman Trophy to a long shot to win college football’s top individual award.
Trask is among four finalists vying for the 86th Heisman. Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith and Crimson Tide quarterback Mac Jones, along with Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence, will find out the 2020 winner during a ceremony scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday on ESPN.
Trask leads the nation with 43 touchdown passes and 4,283 passing yards, but he faltered a bit down the stretch of the season.
He committed three first-half turnovers during a surprising 37-34 loss Dec. 12 to LSU. The Gators’ narrow 52-46 defeat a week later to Alabama in the SEC Championship effectively ended Trask’s chances to become one of the more unlikely Heisman winners ever.
Votes for the award were due Dec. 21.
Former UF coach Steve Spurrier, the 1966 Heisman winner, believed the SEC title game would determine whether Trask won the award.
“You talk about everything on the line,” Spurrier told the Orlando Sentinel. “The SEC championship, a spot in the playoffs and the Heisman are all riding on one game.”
Whatever happens Tuesday night, Trask’s well-documented rise from career backup to elite SEC quarterback became one of the feel-good stories in college football, particularly during a season played amid a pandemic.
Despite Trask’s meteoric rise, the unassuming 22-year-old said he never imagined being named a Heisman finalist.
“It’s such an honor,” he said. “Just to have been in the conversation this whole season has been an honor.”
Trask hoped to become the fourth Gators quarterback to win the Heisman, joining Spurrier, Danny Wuerffel (1996) and Tim Tebow (2007). Rex Grossman finished as runner-up in 2001.
UF coach Dan Mullen made a strong case for Trask following the Alabama game.
“Hard to say anybody’s meant more to their team than Kyle Trask has to our team this year,” Mullen said.
“So I don’t know. I don’t know what criteria people are looking for. If the Heisman Trophy is looking for somebody that is the best player that means the most to their team, most outstanding player in college football. ... But I don’t know; I don’t have a vote for any of those awards.”
The Heisman race appears to be down to Alabama teammates Jones and Smith.
Jones is second nationally to Trask with 36 touchdowns and 4,036 passing yards as he orchestrates an offense averaging 48.2 points for the nation’s top-ranked team. Kent State, which played just four games, is the only team to average more points.
Smith has put together a record-setting season as Jones’ go-to target. The senior receiver scored 22 touchdowns, including 20 receiving, to give him 43 during his college career.
Lawrence’s body of work at Clemson is equally impressive, including 80 touchdown passes and just 17 interceptions during three seasons. He also has run for 17 touchdowns the past two seasons.
During what is expected to be his final season with the Tigers, Lawrence threw 24 touchdowns with five interceptions and rushed for eight scores during 10 games. He missed two contests due to COVID-19, hindering his chances to win the Heisman.