Only one time in the last nine seasons has a running back won the Heisman trophy but after watching another couple of dominant rushing performances in Week 3, it’s clear that we could see one of the top backs from this year follow in the footsteps of Mark Ingram’s 2009 season at Alabama.
Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott’s stock might have fallen off a little bit but one running back in particular has emerged following a couple of incredible performances and is now our projected frontrunner to win the award. Here is a look at the top five candidates to win the Heisman trophy following Week 3 of the college football season.
Leonard Fournette, LSU Tigers
Running Back
The sophomore back’s Heisman stock got a major boost this past weekend when he ran for 228 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-21 win over Auburn on Saturday. LSU has only played two games and already Fournette has run for 387 yards and six touchdowns…against a pair of SEC rivals, no less. Fournette’s numbers are off the charts early on but anybody that has seen how electric he has looked in game action could consider his style and big-play ability another big factor in his Heisman stock. LSU has no passing game, so they’ll be relying on him heavily all season. He has emerged as the new favorite after a massive Week 3 performance.
Nick Chubb, Georgia Bulldogs
Running Back
Chubb is another sophomore back that has been incredible early on this season with at least 120 rushing yards in each of the Bulldogs’ first three games. Chubbs ran for 159 yards and two scores in a 52-20 win over South Carolina and he is now up to 468 rushing yards and four TD’s while averaging 8.4 yards per carry through three games. Georgia will have a tough road ahead in the loaded SEC including games against Alabama and Missouri but there is no reason to expect Chubb to slow down. As long as he continues at this pace, he should be a Heisman candidate.
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Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State Buckeyes
Running Back
Elliott might not have scored a touchdown in Ohio State’s 20-13 win over Northern Illinois but he did run for 108 yards on 23 carries in another Buckeyes win. As long as they remain undefeated, they are unlikely to fall from their No. 1 ranking. Cardale Jones and J.T. Barrett have not impressed at the quarterback position and that has given Elliott a bit of a bigger opportunity to shine. He is still the top Heisman candidate on an Ohio State team that has a very good chance to run the table out of the Big Ten this season.
Paul Perkins, UCLA Bruins
Running Back
Perkins was held to 59 yards on 14 carries in a 34-16 win over Virginia back in Week 1 but he also had five catches for 58 yards in that game. Since then, though, his rushing totals have improved dramatically in each of the last two weeks. Perkins ran for 151 yards and two scores in a 37-3 win over UNLV two weeks ago but it was a massive 219 rushing yards and a touchdown in a 24-23 win over BYU this past weekend that really pushed him in to the Heisman conversation. USC, Oregon and Stanford have all dropped games to open the door for UCLA in the Pac-12 and Perkins will once again be in the spotlight against Arizona in Week 4.
Trevone Boykin, TCU Horned Frogs
Quarterback
Auburn’s Jeremy Johnson has disappointed while both Ohio State quarterbacks have failed to impress over the past couple of weeks as well. That leaves Boykin as the lone passer on our list of the top five Heisman candidates at this point. Boykin was held under the 300-yard passing mark in each of TCU’s first two wins but he exploded for 454 yards and five touchdowns in a 56-37 win over SMU. With over 1,000 total yards and 12 touchdowns through three games for the No. 3 Horned Frogs, he is clearly the top quarterback on our list of Heisman candidates heading in to Week 4.
