College Football: 10 surprise QBs who could contend for 2019 Heisman Trophy

These college football quarterbacks are not favorites to win the Heisman, but they have the potential to make some noise in the race.

Last season the Heisman Trophy came down to three finalists from blue-blood programs. Dwayne Haskins from Ohio State, Tua Tagovailoa from Alabama and Kyler Murray from Oklahoma all made the trip to New York City for the ceremony.

Murray would ultimately win the award with Tagovailoa finishing in second and Haskins finishing in third. This marked the second straight season a quarterback from Oklahoma, and the eighth time in 10 years a quarterback has won the award.

However, the Heisman Trophy is not always awarded to a player from a blue-blood program. In 2011 Robert Griffin III broke this trend, winning the prestigious award, despite playing for Baylor. In recent years Marcus Mariota from Oregon and Lamar Jackson from Louisville would follow in Griffin’s footsteps.

One thing is certain. The 2019 Heisman Trophy will most likely be awarded to a quarterback. The question is from what school?

These 10 under the radar players have an outside shot of contending for the Heisman in 2019.

Quarterbacks put up monster numbers under Mike Leach.

Last season Washington State quarterback Gardner Minshew threw for 38 touchdown passes and 4,776 yards. Minshew finished fifth in the Heisman voting because of his ability to thrive in an air raid offense.

Now Washington State will give the keys to the offense to Gage Gubrud. The quarterback is a graduate transfer from Eastern Washington.

During his time at Eastern Washington he finished as a finalist for the Walter Payton Award twice. For those unfamiliar the Walter Payton Award is the FCS version of the Heisman Trophy.

Gubrud was also named 2016 FCS Player of the Year by the Touchdown Club of Columbus.

Inserting an experienced quarterback like Gubrud into an offense where he can put up massive numbers should be a recipe for success in 2019.

The biggest question is can Gubrud’s success at the FCS level translate to the FBS?

This time last year the media was hyping up Trace McSorley as a potential Heisman candidate. Although McSorley had a fantastic senior season he fell off in the Heisman race by October.

Replacing McSorley will be a tough task, but Sean Clifford is the right man for the job.

Clifford has limited experience as he only threw seven passes last season, but managed to make the most out of his small sample size. In 2018 he passed for 195 yards and two touchdowns.

His biggest play to date was a 95-yard bomb to Daniel George against Kent State.

https://twitter.com/PennStateFball/status/1134216815276679168

Clifford has a rocket for an arm which will allow Penn State to attack defenses vertically. This could lead to Clifford putting up big passing numbers in the Big Ten. He could follow in the footsteps of Dwayne Haskins and shock the college football world as a first-year starter.

The young quarterback should put up solid numbers, but will they translate to wins?

If Penn State wins the Big Ten, expect Clifford to be invited to New York City.

Syracuse used to be a basketball school until Dino Babers arrived. Now Syracuse is one of the top programs in the ACC.

Tommy DeVito is an interesting sleeper for the Heisman because he has shown flashes of greatness in limited action. Last season DeVito threw for three touchdowns in a double overtime win against North Carolina.

However, he has also shown he can be inconsistent. In emergency duty against Notre Dame, after starting quarterback Eric Dungey left with an injury, DeVito threw for two interceptions and failed to lead Syracuse to a touchdown.

Currently a redshirt sophomore DeVito is expected to be the starter for the Orange. For a program on the rise DeVito could become a star right before our eyes.

A week three date at home against the defending National Champions could help propel DeVito into the Heisman race. It wasn’t too long ago when Lamar Jackson propelled himself to the Heisman with a big performance against Clemson.

Wisconsin was on the cusp of making the College Football Playoff two years ago until they lost to Ohio State in the Big Ten Championship.

Quite frankly, former starting quarterback Alex Hornibrook cost the Badgers big time. In the Big Ten Championship Hornibrook threw two interceptions and completed 47.5 percent of his passes.

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Now that Hornibrook has transferred to Florida State it is officially time for Jack Coan to take control of the Wisconsin offense. Coan will have the services of another Heisman hopeful, Jonathan Taylor, in the backfield.

No one is expecting Coan to break Dwayne Haskins’ Big Ten touchdown record, especially in Wisconsin’s run heavy offense. Coan doesn’t have to light up the box score he just needs to be clutch and show he can stretch defenses.

If he can throw for at least 25 touchdowns, minimize the turnovers and provide some clutch game-winning drives then he should be able to make some noise in the Heisman race.

Getting Wisconsin into the College Football Playoff should be Coan’s No.1 priority. If he can accomplish that expect him and Taylor to both be at the Heisman ceremony.

Could a Big 12 quarterback win the Heisman for a third year in a row?

Last season Brock Purdy turned heads as a true freshman. The dual-threat quarterback passed for 16 touchdowns, 2,250 yards and rushed for five touchdowns.

Although these stats do not pop out it is important to keep in mind that Purdy was not named the starter until October. Zeb Noland opened the season as the starting quarterback until Purdy took over and ran away with the job.

Iowa State may not be a blue-blood, but they need to be respected. The Cyclones finished third in the Big 12, but could have been playing for the Big 12 Championship had they defeated Texas.

Matt Campbell is one of the best young coaches in the sport. He will have his team prepared to compete for a Big 12 Championship and Purdy will be the one leading the charge.

Colorado has not had a Heisman winner since Rashaan Salaam. Enter Steven Montez.

It feels like something special is brewing in Boulder with the duo of Montez and wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr.

Last season, Shenault accounted for 35.5 percent of Montez’s passing yards.

Now a senior, Montez has the experience and the ability to make a crack at the Heisman. The biggest hurdle Montez faces is making Colorado relevant because a 5-7 season will garner national hype no matter how many touchdowns he throws.

Another thing Montez needs to do is throw more touchdowns. Despite his impressive passing statistics he has never thrown over 20 touchdown passes in a single season.

Still the duo of him and Shenault should be exciting to watch late at night.

North Texas was one of the pleasant surprises last year and it was mostly because of Mason Fine.

The Mean Green finished 9-4 and second in their division.

Last season Fine put up very solid passing numbers throwing for 27 touchdowns and 3,793 yards. He even thrived against Arkansas, a member of the SEC, leading his team to a 44-17 victory.

Fine’s campaign in 2018 was so successful that North Texas recently launched a #6ForHeisman campaign on social media.

https://twitter.com/MeanGreenFB/status/1136635244612915200

North Texas may not be a powerhouse, but they have a legitimate Heisman dark horse.

However, Fine will need to put up monster numbers and most likely lead the Mean Green to an undefeated season in order to be taken serious.

If you watched Week 0 of the last season then you witnessed Cole McDonald light up the Colorado State defense.

Once again McDonald will get the opportunity to get off to a hot start in Week 0 when Hawaii welcomes Arizona.

McDonald put up monster numbers last season throwing for 3,875 yards and 36 touchdowns, good for No. 6 and No. 7 in the nation, respectively.

McDonald is an interesting candidate not just because of his numbers, but because he is a fan favorite. The Hawaii quarterback looks like the type of player you would create in NCAA Football and he also plays like a video game player.

Hawaii has never had a Heisman winner, although Colt Brennan was a finalist in 2007. Despite that fact it seems very possible that McDonald could make some noise in the Heisman race if he continues to play the way he did last season.

It’s hard to believe that the second best quarterback in the ACC plays for Virginia, but it’s the truth. Bryce Perkins is one of the top quarterbacks in the nation, yet a relative unknown to most college football fans.

If Perkins played at a bigger program, he would be talked about nonstop. The dual-threat quarterback is one of the most dynamic players in college football.

Last season, Perkins threw for 25 touchdown passes. He was also a threat running the ball as he rushed for 923 yards and nine touchdowns.

The elusive quarterback plays like an old Heisman contender, former Ohio State quarterback Braxton Miller. Both have a cannon for an arm, but are a threat to take it to the house if they decide to run with it.

Last season, Virginia was competitive, but if Perkins can elevate the program to new heights then he should deserve to be a finalist.

1. Kellen Mond

A former Texas A&M quarterback revealed the blue-print on how to win the Heisman.

1. Put up elite statistics
2. Defeat Alabama

Kellen Mond isn’t the next Johnny Manziel, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t a special player.

Mond is an efficient pocket passer and a dangerous scrambler. He threw for 24 touchdown passes, 3,107 yard and rushed for seven touchdowns in 2018.

https://twitter.com/SECNetwork/status/1066544711236763648

Now Mond returns for his junior season with a full season of starting in the SEC under his belt. Right by his side will be legendary head coach Jimbo Fisher who will look to improve upon his successful sophomore campaign in College Station.

The junior quarterback will be put to the test in 2019 as he will face Clemson, Auburn, Alabama, Georgia and LSU. If he passes this test and carries the Aggies to victories in these games, then without a doubt he will be a top contender for the Heisman.