SEC Football: Each team’s top Heisman Trophy candidate for 2020

Najee Harris, Alabama football (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
Najee Harris, Alabama football (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images) /
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Vanderbilt football
Vanderbilt football helmets (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images) /

Just in case anyone doubted our scout’s honor, Vanderbilt has a Heisman candidate. It’s no surprise the Commodores candidate is a quarterback. The award has become somewhat of a quarterback award this past generation.

Generation is not a typo either. In the last 30 years — since 1989 — 22 Heisman winners have been quarterbacks. The last non-quarterback to win the award was Derrick Henry in 2015. The last run of non-quarterbacks? That was from 1997-99, Charles Woodson, Ricky Williams and Ron Dayne won the award in that three-year span.

Since this has become a quarterback award and it is usually the best quarterback on the best team — or one of the best teams at least — Ken Seals makes the most sense for the Commodores. If Vanderbilt makes a miracle run to the SEC title game it is because they’ve improved on their anemic offense that scored only 16.5 points per game.

Though Seals has to compete with three other quarterbacks for the job, he’s the highest-rated of the three and should get the start. If he has a Newton-like season, that means he’s carried the team to the SEC championship game with some ridiculous numbers.

If both happen, Seals could punch his ticket to New York City.