Arizona Football: 5 reasons Khalil Tate will win 2018 Heisman Trophy

5. Full season to build Heisman case in 2018

Some might contend that failing to snatch the starting position at the beginning of a season is an indictment on a player’s quality. Often, though, a coaching staff is going to go with the incumbent starter unless there is something earth-shattering that they witness in the spring or in preseason practices.

Given the fact that he was a year younger and had less experience, it makes sense why Rich Rodriguez and offensive coordinators Calvin Magee and Rod Smith went with Brandon Dawkins over Tate to start the season. They played it safe in a season where Rodriguez and his staff were on the hot seat before things ever got started.

One Dawkins was injured, though, the spot opened up under center for Tate. And Tate seized that opportunity, rushing for more yards than all but six other players in the entire country. He showed a capable arm, completing 62 percent of his passes. He naturally had some lapses of judgment as one might expect from a first-time starter. In general, though, Tate quickly asserted himself as one of the most naturally dominant quarterbacks in the FBS.

And now he will get an entire season to showcase his skills. Dawkins transferred to Indiana to play out the rest of his eligibility, and Tate is firmly entrenched as the starter. Getting to build an entire season’s worth of stats will bolster Tate’s Heisman case, especially if that productivity is accompanied by an improvement in the win column.