With the national signing day in the rear view mirror, the focus now shifts to the future and the impact that the top recruits from this year’s class will make. It’s never too early to grade the impact that this year’s top incoming talents will have based on skill, situation and opportunity moving forward with an eye towards the Heisman Trophy. While it’s unlikely that any of these first-year players win the Heisman in their first season on the job, we’ve narrowed our list of the four players we feel will eventually have the best shot to win the Heisman Trophy in their college careers.
Jacob Eason, Georgia Bulldogs
Quarterback
The No. 2 pro-style quarterback recruit on the board will get the opportunity to start right away for Georgia and he has the potential to thrive from the outset under head coach Kirby Smart. The 6’6’’, 208-pound passer already has the size, arm strength and accuracy to make all of the throws and he is also a deceptively good athlete that can make plays with his legs. Arguably the best pure passer in this year’s recruiting class, Eason will be surrounded with plenty of weapons including a strong ground game that will help take some of the pressure off of him in his first season at the college level. The challenge is that he’s in the SEC and that tends to eat up young, inexperienced quarterbacks. He’s a Heisman Trophy candidate but one that might be a year away. His ceiling is clearly the highest of any of this year’s freshman players and we have him pegged as the recruit with the best chance to win the Heisman Trophy at some point in the future.
Shea Patterson, Ole Miss Rebels
Quarterback
Patterson isn’t as big or as strong as Eason at 6’1’’ and 197 pounds, but he does have several quality intangibles that made him the No. 1 rated pro-style quarterback recruit in this year’s class. An athletic quarterback that can make all of the throws and run for big plays if things break down around him, it is only a matter of time before Patterson shines for the Rebels. Patterson is not expected to start next season with Chad Kelly likely under center for one more year, but that should help his development as the Ole Miss staff gives him more time to develop and add some size before handing him the reigns.
Messiah Deweaver, Michigan State Spartans
Quarterback
The No. 11 pro-style quarterback from this year’s class also isn’t likely to start in his freshman season, but he has tremendous upside and a number of experts feel his skill set is very underrated. Deweaver already has the size at 6’4’’ and 216 pounds and he will have another full year to develop his frame while learning from the sidelines this season. He isn’t an elite rushing quarterback by any means, but he has enough mobility to move around in the pocket and buy time, with more than enough arm strength and accuracy to make all of the throws.
Miles Sanders, Penn State Nittany Lions
Running Back
It’s hard to bet against the quarterbacks when it comes to predicting Heisman winners. However, Derrick Henry won it last year with an incredible performance for Alabama and Sanders has the unique combination of talent and opportunity that makes us believe that he can follow in Henry’s footsteps. The No. 1 rated running back in this year’s recruiting class is an incredible quick-twitch rusher that will bring an incredible balance of power, speed and elusiveness to the table at Penn State. The Nittany Lions are in a transition period after losing quarterback Christian Hackenberg and Sanders is exactly the type of elite weapon that will help them through it. But remember that their quarterbacking was anemic with Hackenberg, so while he’s uber-talented, the offense probably won’t be any worse without him. If Penn State can make some noise in the Big Ten, Sanders could be in the mix. He’ll be an elite rushing threat at Penn State for years to come and if there is only one non-quarterback from this class with the potential to win the Heisman, then it is definitely him.
