It might only be Week 2 of the college football season but already we have seen enough from two star running backs to make a change at the top of our list of top Heisman trophy contenders. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin is still among the favorites but after leading our list of contenders last week, he drops down a couple of spots thanks to a pair of notable running back performers. Here is a look at the updated list of top Heisman trophy contenders through the first two weeks of the college football season.
Derrick Henry, Alabama Crimson Tide
Running Back
The junior running back Henry opened the season with an impressive 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns in Alabama’s 35-17 win over Wisconsin and while he failed to go over the century mark in Week 2, he added 96 rushing yards and another three scores in a 37-10 win over Middle Tennessee. Henry has averaged 7.8 yards per carry with six touchdowns.
So far it’s been easy sledding for Henry but if he keeps this up through SEC play, it will be hard to keep him off the list. The workhorse running back has powered the Crimson Tide offense and as long as he continues to produce and Alabama continues to win, he will be a favorite to win the Heisman trophy this season.
Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State Buckeyes
Running Back
It really shouldn’t have shocked anybody when Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer pulled quarterback Cardale Jones and replaced him with J.T. Barrett following a slow start against Hawaii. It was a testament to why it’s better to stay away from the Buckeyes passers entirely when it comes to Heisman consideration.
Jones and Barrett could rotate all season but the one constant will be the junior running back Elliott, who ran for 101 yards and three touchdowns in the Buckeyes 38-0 win. Elliott has averaged 5.9 yards per carry with four touchdowns through two weeks and he is the top Heisman candidate on an Ohio State team that is favored to repeat as national champions this season.
Trevone Boykin, TCU Horned Frogs
Quarterback
Boykin’s stock took a small hit this week despite the fact that he threw for 285 yards and four touchdowns with an interception in a 70-7 win over Stephen F. Austin. That’s partially because he personally didn’t look nearly as dominant as he could have. He completed only 18-of-27 passes while running for only six yards on three rushing attempts.
TCU didn’t look particularly good in their 23-17 win over Minnesota back in Week 1 and Boykin has only five touchdowns compared to two interceptions against relatively weak competition. That’s why it only makes sense that Henry and Elliott would leapfrog the senior quarterback on this list.
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Nick Chubb, Georgia Bulldogs
Running Back
One player that hasn’t shown any signs of slowing down through two weeks is the sophomore running back Chubb, who ran for 189 yards and caught two passes for another 13 yards in Georgia’s 31-14 win over Vanderbilt. Chubb failed to score a touchdown after punching it in twice in a Week 1 win over Louisiana Monroe but he averaged 9.9 yards per carry against the Commodores. He is right there in the mix of the Heisman favorites.
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Dalvin Cook, Florida State Seminoles
Running Back
Notre Dame quarterback Malik Zaire suffered a season-ending injury, Mississippi State quarterback Dak Prescott’s stock fell a little further and suddenly the Seminoles sophomore running back Cook has made his way on to our list after a monster game in a 34-14 win over South Florida in Week 2. Cook averaged 8.9 yards per carry while rushing for 266 yards and three touchdowns in the victory. Florida State’s offense really sputtered and Cook was the savior of the day.
There is no doubt that he has emerged as Florida State’s most dangerous offensive weapon. Cook has 422 rushing yards and five touchdowns through the first two weeks and he has climbed in to the mix as the final name on our list of the top five Heisman trophy candidates right now.
