Heisman Trophy 2016: 5 Under-the-Radar Candidates after Week 7
By Zach Bigalke
4. Myles Garrett (DL/Texas A&M)
Myles Garrett plays for an SEC West team that is currently undefeated and about to play the defending national champions. Garrett is a workhorse who has been integral to the Aggies’ rise to 6-0 and their position as a top-25 scoring defense. But he is also a defensive lineman, and there is little Heisman love for guys in the trenches. Should he make it onto the list of finalists, Garrett would be just the eighth defensive linemen to make it into the final voting.
Most recently, South Carolina’s Jadeveon Clowney finished sixth in the voting in 2012 after amassing 13 sacks and 54 tackles. Three years before that, Nebraska’s Ndamukong Suh finished fourth in a year where he piled up 85 tackles, 12 sacks, and an interception. LSU’s Glenn Dorsey and Virginia’s Chris Long squeaked into the top ten together in 2007. Louisville’s Elvis Dumervil was tenth in 2004. And Syracuse’s Dwight Freeney and North Carolina’s Julius Peppers were the only other defensive linemen to make the top ten in the 21st century. Garrett would be in rare company indeed if he makes it into the Heisman top ten in 2016.