The Heisman Memorial Trophy….. It’s the top award in all of college football, it’s one of the biggest awards in all of sports, but it’s also an award that’s still a stranger to the Chicago market. Technically, eight area players have won this illustrious award. Although seven of them have come from Notre Dame (a school with strong Chicago ties) in nearby South Bend, Indiana, and the other from the University of Chicago which has competed at the DIV-III level since 1973.
Notre Dame and NFL legend Tim Brown, one of the NFL’s all-time leading receivers, was the last local/Fighting Irish Heisman winner back in 1987. Since then the only area players to even be considered finalists for the award were former Northwestern running back Darnell Autry (lost to Ohio State’s Eddie George in 1995), former Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o (fell short to Texas A&M’s Johnny Manziel in 2012), and former Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch (couldn’t surpass Florida State’s Jameis Winston in 2013).
Former Notre Dame running back Josh Adams received some Heisman votes last year but wasn’t selected as a finalist. Some argue that a Chicago institution will never be good enough to produce a pure Heisman Trophy recepient. But I think that now is probably the best time for this to finally happen. Notre Dame aside, the other local schools have recruited better athletes in recent years, they’ve upgraded their facilities, and some teams have improved from top to bottom across the board. Northern Illinois and Northwestern are the best examples of that.
So why not have a Chicago winner this year? Here are players who stand out from each local school as potential trophy candidates for 2018…..
Northern Illinois defensive end Sutton Smith-
Aside from Manti Te’o being the last local finalist, he was the closest a local defensive player ever came to claiming the award as the only defensive player to ever win the Heisman Trophy to this day was Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson (1997). So why can’t Smith make history 21 years later? He originally went to NIU as a running back but became one of the best defensive lineman that the Huskies have had in quite some time. In 2017 Smith ranked second on the team in solo tackles (43), tied for second in interceptions (2), and led the team in tackles for loss (30, also led the Mid-American Conference), sacks (14, led the MAC as well), and fumble recoveries (3, fourth in the MAC).
The Huskies have proven that conference doesn’t matter, only talent does. And with NIU going up against teams such as Iowa, Utah, Florida State, and Brigham Young this season, Smith will get plenty of exposure. And if he puts up big numbers against these juggernaut teams, he’ll have the resume to warrant Heisman consideration.
Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson-
The Wildcats signal caller is no stranger to the Heisman conversation. In previous seasons, his candidacy was overshadowed by former teammate Justin Jackson who’s now in the NFL. This time however his health is a concern. He tore his ACL during the Music City Bowl last season, and while he his rehab has progressed tremendously, head coach Pat Fitzgerald has not set a time table for his return (not officially at least).
When healthy though, Thorson has proven himself to be one of the more composed quarterbacks in the nation. He’s no stranger to big games, he’s not afraid to play in hostile environments, and he’s put his team on his back on many occasions. He has a 27-12 career record as a starter, he’s thrown for 7,548 career yards, rushed for an additional 518, and has accounted for 62 combined touchdowns all within the last three seasons. Thorson is the most accomplished player on this list, and if he’s healthy and has an outstanding 2018 keeping him out of the Heisman conversation would be a crime.
Illinois wide receiver Mike Dudek-
If there’s one person who could use some hardware, it’s Dudek. He’s only recorded 1,300 career receiving yards since 2014 as consecutive knee injuries wiped out nearly three years of his collegiate career. Heading into 2018, Dudek is finally healthy and he’s looking for redemption. If the Fighting Illini can get any type of consistency from the quarterback position this year, and if Dudek stays healthy, he could possibly have a repeat of 2014.
If he can replicate 2014 or something close to it, he may not necessarily get the Heisman nod but just the consideration of such an honor would be the perfect redemption song after everything that he’s been through.
Notre Dame quarterback Brandom Wimbush-
If another Notre Dame player has to win the Heisman, Wimbush is the guy to do it. After going through some learning curves last year, his first as a starter, Wimbush is primed for an even bigger year in 2018. After accounting for 2,674 total yards and 30 total touchdowns in 2017, Wimbush is expected to add to those numbers after having a full offseason to develop his skill set. And if he pulls everything together at the right time, he’ll be very dangerous to opposing defenses and just might walk away with Notre Dame’s eighth Heisman Trophy.
We’re just a few weeks away from kickoff!
