USF Football: 5 reasons Bulls will win 2017 national title

4. Quinton Flowers is a legitimate Group of Five Heisman threat

One thing Strong certainly doesn’t have to worry about is the quarterback position. Quinton Flowers enters 2016 as a legitimate threat to win the Heisman Trophy. A threat with both his arm and his legs, the senior has progressed over his past two years as a starter. Last year’s 11-win season is just a teaser of his true possibilities.

Last year Flowers led the American Athletic Conference with an average of 8.5 yards per passing attempt. He also led all conference players with 7.7 yards per rushing attempt. His combined 8.2 yards per play from scrimmage rated eighth overall in the FBS. With 24 passing touchdowns and 18 rushing touchdowns, nobody accounted for more scores in the AAC in 2016 than South Florida’s QB.

He will have a familiar group of receivers this season. New offensive coordinator Sterlin Gilbert could help expand the senior quarterback’s repertoire as he tries to catch the eyes of pro teams. We should see him easily top 3,000 passing yards and 30 touchdowns in the air, and Flowers might add another 1,500 rushing yards and 20 scores on the ground.

Should we see something along those lines from Flowers, he will easily become the first Group of Five player since NIU’s Jordan Lynch to finish in the top three in Heisman voting. And as long as South Florida continues winning, he could go even further to become the school’s first winner of the award.