Tajh Boyd Will Appear On A Weekly ESPNU Segment

ESPN announced via Twitter on Tuesday that Clemson quarterback Tajh Boyd will appear in a weekly segment this season.

Credit Clemson’s athletic department for innovative through simplicity. Guaranteed weekly segments for individual players is nothing new; plenty of regional radio broadcasts boast just exclusives. Taking the concept national is a shrewd move, giving both the football program and Boyd exposure.

Media presence is an important component of any Heisman Trophy campaign, particularly in today’s landscape.

Boyd became an immediate Heisman front runner for 2013 when he announced his return to Clemson last winter. But as Team Speed Kills examines, early attention is its own challenge in the Heisman race.

Clemson has taken initiative in allowing Boyd’s weekly segment. Rather than wait for the media to come to them, they are going to the media. CU has ensured its star quarterback and Heisman candidate remains in the national spotlight, even for just a few minutes on Wednesdays.

Longtime CU sports information director Tim Bourret may have foreshadowed this move last month when talking to ESPN.com’s Brett McMurphy:

[[ RELATED: Tajh Boyd Will Win The Heisman In 2013 ]]

Bovada.com’s updated Heisman odds have Boyd at 14/1, behind just five other players.

Odds meaningless if Boyd doesn’t outperform his competitors. He has two especially notable opportunities, beginning immediately with Clemson’s Week 1 pairing against Aaron Murray and Georgia. Murray is also tabbed at 14/1.

A loss in the opener might take some of the luster off of Boyd’s scheduled Wednesday appearances.

Boyd goes head-to-head with South Carolina and Jadeveon Clowney, who at 6/1, currently has the second most favorable preseason odds. Only Ohio State’s Braxton Miller’s 9/2 is better.

This could result in an interesting college football media experiment. ESPN is in a no-lose position: if Clemson lives up to expectations and Boyd is in the midst of a Heisman chase, it has an exclusive segment with a star.

Should things unravel amid a front-loaded first half of Georgia, road trips to NC State and Syracuse, and Florida State, the segment could provide some firsthand insight.