Heisman Top 25: No. 10 T.J. Yeldon
By Kyle Kensing
November 3, 2012; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; Alabama Crimson Tide running back T.J. Yeldon (4) celebrates a touchdown during the fourth quarter against the LSU Tigers at Tiger Stadium. Alabama defeated LSU 21-17. Mandatory Credit: Crystal LoGiudice-USA TODAY Sports
Only 76 players in the history of college football have earned the designation of Heisman Trophy winners. First awarded in 1935, the Heisman Trophy is considered the sport’s pinnacle of individual achievement.
SaturdayBlitz.com is tracking the race to the 78th Heisman Trophy throughout the 2013 college football season via the Heisman Top 25. Every week throughout the season, we are tracking the progress of the contenders, both their on-field impact and media presence.
T.J. Yeldon is the latest in a line of outstanding Alabama Crimson Tide running backs. The program has produced such notable name as Shaun Alexander, Bobby Humphrey, Johnny Musso. More recently, Bryant-Denny Stadium has been home to Glenn Coffee, Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.
Richardson was a Heisman finalist in 2011 and Ingram the program’s first-ever winner in 2009. Yeldon takes up the mantle these stars of the Nick Saban era carried so brilliantly. Precedent certainly suggests Yeldon will fare just fine. Saban-coached teams have featured at least one 1000-plus-yard rusher five of the last seven seasons, dating back to the 2003 national championship-winning LSU Tigers.
Among those 1000-yard rushers? A first-year T.J. Yeldon in 2012. The five-star prospect from Daphne, Ala. did not disappoint in his true freshman campaign, averaging 6.3 yards per carry en route to 1108 in total. He scored 12 rushing touchdowns as the Tide’s secondary option behind Eddie Lacy, and another on a reception.
Yeldon’s one receiving score was a biggie, too. His touchdown against LSU saved the day, and in hindsight, Alabama’s BCS championship season.
A championship front-running team, with a superbly talented play-maker with proven big game mettle and the right system conducive to his individual success? That’s the recipe for a surefire Heisman Trophy candidate.
How T.J. Yeldon Wins The Heisman
Alabama will be in the BCS championship mix. That much is established. Yeldon will also get his share of carries and break the 1000-yard mark, barring injury. That too is established. However, there’s a oft-recited philosophy that “the only man who could stop Michael Jordan was Dean Smith.”
In much the same vein, Saban and offensive coordinator Doug Nussmeier could let a back like Yeldon carry 350 times and approach 2000 yards. However, Saban has recruited an absurdly deep and talented cache of running backs and in his first season running the offense, Nussmeier showed a proclivity for cycling through many of them.
Lacy and Yeldon shared duties a season ago, and Kenyan Drake saw opportunities. With the addition of five-star 2013 signee Derrick Henry, Drake returning and highly touted 2011 recruit Dee Hart moved back to a ball carrier role, Nussmeier has no reason to dump a heavy burden on Yeldon’s shoulders.
Moreover, Alabama returns quarterback A.J. McCarron. McCarron is the best passer of the Saban era and could have been a Heisman finalist in 2012. He’s a surefire candidate in 2013 — you’ll see him on this countdown later — and returns his top receiver. Therefore, Yeldon isn’t in a position to put up monster numbers in order for his team to win. And there’s no doubt that Heisman voters like gaudy numbers.
You may read the above and ask, You’ve covered all the reasons Yeldon couldn’t win the Heisman; when do you get to how he does?
Here it is: Yeldon may not carry as often as other running backs, thus won’t lead the nation in yards or touchdowns. But as a star of a likely national championship, he has a guaranteed inside track. Seven Heisman winners since 2003 played in the BCS title game, including Mark Ingram.
Ingram ran to both the crystal ball and the bronze statue without registering historic. He’s proven that as the stalwart of a title contender, it can be done. And the Alabama offense has become such a well-oiled machine in recent years, Yeldon could have more opportunities for touchdowns and yards than Ingram received in 2009.
Statistical Overview
• 175 carries/1108 yards (6.4 ypc)
• 12 rushing touchdowns
• 11 receptions/131 yards/1 touchdown
Compared To Past Heisman Winners
Mark Ingram, 2009: Ingram was the face of many firsts for Alabama football. The first Heisman winner in Tide history led Alabama to its first BCS championship, and the first title for Saban in his time at UA.
At 6.1 yards per carry, Ingram’s 2009 output was very much similar to that of Yeldon in 2009. Ingram was also an integral part of the Tide passing attack that season with 32 receptions. Expect Yeldon to fill a similar role for McCarron in 2013.
George Rogers, 1980: Yeldon shares physical traits with the South Carolina Gamecock legend. Both stand 6-foot-2 and tipped the scales around 220 pounds. Such size allows for a forceful, downhill rushing style. Rogers powered to better than 6 yards per carry in his Heisman campaign for nearly 1800 yards.