College Football: 5 running backs who’ll contend for Heisman Trophy in 2020

It’s now been five years since a running back brought home a Heisman Trophy. These are the college football players who have a chance to change that.

A year ago when I wrote a similar piece to this one, quarterbacks had won eight of the previous nine Heisman Trophies in the 2010’s. It was Alabama’s Derrick Henry who last took home the award in 2015.

Since this time last year, LSU passer Joe Burrow finished out the decade with the Heisman, making it a 90 percent win rate for the quarterback position on the decade.

Now as we enter the 2020s, the Heisman odds again favor the quarterback position. With top contenders like Justin Fields, Trevor Lawrence and Jamie Newman, along with sleepers like Sam Howell, Sam Ehlinger and D’Eriq King, it will once again be an uphill battle for players at the running back spot.

However, trends and streaks are inevitably broken, and this year’s crop of backs features plenty of guys that are capable of being the one to do so.

For the last few years, it was Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor who led any list of the sport’s top backs. One of the more interesting subplots of the 2020 season is that, at the running back spot, there’s now a wide open hole at the number one position.

There’s no doubt that quarterback is still the headline position in college football, but don’t be surprised if one of the following players gets their name called in New York come December.