We’re halfway through the college football season, so I wanted to point out something most sports fans probably didn’t realize: we’re about to make Black history. In the 91 years since they started giving bronze trophies to the nation’s top college football player, no group of finalists has been exclusively Black. That’s changing this year. It’s about to be an all-Black December.
The four players who receive the most votes are invited to New York City for the Heisman Trophy Ceremony. So, let’s break down the four who, if they stay healthy, will punch their tickets to the Big Apple.
Jeremiah Smith
He is number one with a bullet. Folks are calling this 6-foot-4, 222-pound Ohio State junior the best college wide receiver they’ve ever seen. And you know what? They ain’t lyin’.
Dude has 984 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns through seven games, including back-to-back 200-yard performances. He can run past defenders and has buttery-soft hands that make ridiculous catches look routine.) He already owns Ohio State’s career receiving records. My man will win every award he’s up for.
Darian Mensah
Miami is looking like a national championship contender, and Mensah is a big reason why. The Duke transfer has thrown for 1,764 yards and 18 touchdowns through six games. That’s not a typo. He’s completing more than 80 percent of his passes and averaging almost 300 yards a game.
Miami is undefeated largely because of Mensah’s arm. This brother will definitely have his face in that space when the ceremony takes place. (See what I did there? That’s a bar.)
Trinidad Chambliss
Ole Miss’s quarterback has one of the best stories in college football. After showing out at Division II Ferris State, he transferred to Mississippi and is now making SEC defenses look like they skipped film study. He had a great showing last year, but this season he’s stunting on fools.
Through six games, he’s thrown for 1,676 yards and 14 touchdowns. But get this: what makes him so special is that he’s a genuine dual threat. Dude has six rushing touchdowns all by his damn self. He came from Division II and is now knocking on the Heisman door. Somebody get this brother a key.
Malachi Toney
He’s only a sophomore, but he’s out there making defensive coordinators reconsider their career choices. Miami’s leading receiver has 758 receiving yards and eight touchdowns through six games. He’s coming off an absurd performance against Florida State, catching 11 passes for 152 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner in double overtime. (That’s the kind of catch that gets Heisman voters’ attention.)
And because apparently catching passes isn’t enough, he also has 31 rushing yards and has thrown a 2-point conversion. Toney is playing football like he’s trying to collect every offensive position on the roster. No wonder they call him Baby Jesus. But wait. There’s more.
Just in case one of these brothers doesn’t make the cut, there are a few more Black players who could crash the party. Keelon Russell is slinging it at Alabama. Jadan Baugh has been bulldozing defenses at Florida. And then there’s Jesse Legree, the Oregon State receiver who is leading the nation in receiving yards and touchdown catches.
So yeah, I’m calling it now. It’s going to be nothing but Black folks at the Heisman Ceremony for the first time in history. And given the award’s dubious history when it comes to race, this is something to celebrate.
