College Football: 5 surprise QBs who’ll contend for 2020 Heisman Trophy
3. Kedon Slovis, USC
Not only did Kedon Slovis have a tremendous freshman season, he also saved head coach Clay Helton‘s job. After JT Daniels suffered a season-ending injury in the season opener against Fresno State, it had become all-but guaranteed that the Helton era was over in Los Angeles.
Instead, Slovis guided the Trojans to a 8-5 record, and showed more than enough signs that pulling the trigger on the current regime may not be the right move for USC brass.
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Those signs included 3,502 yards and 30 touchdowns from Slovis in 2019, and some truly impressive performances on the way to that stat line. Down the stretch, the Trojan passer had some eye-popping games, including 406 yards against Colorado and California, 432 against Arizona State, and 515 against cross-town rival UCLA.
Perhaps the most encouraging sign of 2019 was that the Trojans won five of their last six regular season games. After an early stretch that saw action from Daniels, Slovis, and Matt Fink, things finally settled down in the back half of the year. That is the stretch that saved Helton’s job, and the stretch that suggests USC could be poised for a huge 2020.
If Slovis guides the Trojans into the top 10, and helps them contend for a conference title and potentially a New Year’s Six bowl game, it’s likely that a trip to New York is in the cards as well.