The Heisman Trust announced the finalists for the 2019 Heisman Trophy on Monday night. Voters had until Sunday to turn in their ballots with three ranked selections for this year's award, and this year, we'll have four finalists making the trip to New York City for the Heisman Trophy ceremony on Saturday night. The 2019 Heisman finalists are LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Ohio State teammates quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young, plus Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts.
Lets take a look at the each finalists:
Joe Burrow, QB, LSU: Did you know that when the Westgate first offered 2019 Heisman Trophy odds, you could get a Joe Burrow ticket at 200-to-1? Burrow now finds himself the overwhelming favorite to win after guiding LSU to a 13-0 record and its first SEC Championship since 2011. The argument for Burrow starts with stats: he set SEC single-season passing records with 4,715 yards and 48 touchdowns and is on pace to break Colt McCoy's record for single-season completion percentage mark at 77.9%. There is also the performative angle that college football fans seek when looking for a Heisman Trophy frontrunner, as Burrow has starred in the biggest games against the best teams in the country.
Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State: How the votes are divided among Ohio State players is going to be fascinating, as all three Buckeyes (including running back J.K. Dobbins) are deserving of praise for their play this season. Fields has thrived in Ryan Day's offense, throwing 40 touchdowns to just one interception while a dynamic threat in the ground game that includes 10 rushing touchdowns and plenty of first-down scrambles to help the Buckeyes have the No. 1 third-down offense in the country.
Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma: The Lincoln Riley offense takes on new wrinkles with each new quarterback, and the Sooners have become one of the top rushing teams in the country with Hurts. Of course. he still has prolific passing statistics, ranking alongside Burrow and Tua Tagovailoa in the top three nationally for passer rating and yards per attempt, but his 18 rushing touchdowns is second in the Big 12 only to Oklahoma State star running back Chuba Hubbard.
Chase Young, DE, Ohio State: No defensive player in the country has been more dominant than Young, who ranks No. 1 in the country in sacks (16.5) and No. 4 in tackles for loss (21) despite missing two games because of a suspension. His arrival to the Heisman conversation started after a record-setting game against Wisconsin prior to his absence and then his three-sack showing against Penn State in his return to action. Young was the sport's biggest star for about a month, and I think that holds up well even against an elite group of quarterbacks.
We won't know the full voting results until the winner is announced on Saturday night, but with a heavy frontrunner like Burrow there is a chance we could see a wide range of players that end up in the No. 2 and No. 3 positions on voters ballots.
The 2019 Heisman Trophy winner will be announced on Saturday night, though we can expect to hear more from our finalists and snubs during a busy week of awards for the best in college football.
