Heisman Trophy finalists: Henry, Watson, McCaffrey

Dec 11, 2015, 00:07

The Heisman Trust revealed Monday that Alabama running back Derrick Henry, Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson and Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey are the finalists for this year's award, and all three appear to have realistic chances to win.

Henry will then leave for NY in advance of Saturday's Heisman Trophy presentation ceremony. He ran for 189 yards and a touchdown on 44 carries in Alabama's SEC championship game victory over Florida on Saturday. He threw for 3,512 yards with 30 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

He has rushed for 11 touchdowns and an average of 209 yards in the Tide's last six games vs. FBS teams.

Cut from the dual-threat quarterback cloth of Cam Newton, Robert Griffin III, Johnny Manziel, Jameis Winston and Marcus Mariota - the last five Heisman winners - Watson is out to keep the QB streak alive. Needless to say, he is the nation's leader in terms of all-purpose yards, but Henry is the nation's leading rusher. He finished the regular season with 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns. The Heisman trophy, given to the player voted as the best in college football, brings with it a long legacy and history of some of the greatest players to ever step foot on the collegiate gridiron. The fact that Stanford played seven night games probably won't help him, Shaw said.

Highlights: The triggerman for the only undefeated team in the country, Watson is 11th in the country in passing efficiency.

More than anything, Watson has what Henry and McCaffrey don't have enough of: unquestioned leadership, especially under pressure. However, that was a regional cover; the national cover illustrated a story on Olympics swimmer Michael Phelps, and was even the cover of choice in upstate NY the weekend Clemson football was playing a road game at Syracuse.

If two tracking polls are any indication, the Heisman Trophy race is extremely close.

Meanwhile, Stanford head coach David Shaw was named a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Coach of the Year award. He held a lead in ESPN's Heisman Predictor for weeks, although Stanford's Christian McCaffrey is now in front there after a dynamic performance in the Pac-12 title game.

I have a personal connection by association to McCaffrey.

McCaffrey's season was a steady stream of excellence, highlighted by a series of jaw-dropping plays that perfectly showcased the sophomore running back's unparalleled versatility.

East Carolina's Justin Hardy won the award previous year. His 3,496 all-purpose yards broke the record set by Oklahoma State's Barry Sanders in 1988. The Cardinal coaching staff used McCaffrey as a battering ram, and the attention he required from the Irish's defense opened up big plays for the rest of the Cardinal offense in a 38-36 win.

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