The 2016 Heisman Trophy race should be a hotly contested one, but according to college football guru Phil Steele, there is one man that stands out above the rest.
Steele, whose annual preseason preview mag hit stores this Tuesday, named Clemson's Deshaun Watson as the current favorite for the 2016 version of the Heisman. Here's what Steele had to say on the quarterback:
Watson finished #3 in the voting LY & that was before he put on a show in the National Title game against Bama (478 yards). Watson is the first player in Div I football history to have 4,000 yds pass & 1,000 yds rush in a season.
Considering that Clemson is set to have another Top 10 season, Watson should certainly be considered the frontrunner. What he did in his sophomore season was remarkable, and he deserves a ton of credit for Clemson being a contender.
Next in line, according to Steele, are Stanford's Christian McCaffrey, LSU's Leonard Fournette, and Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield. Florida State's Dalvin Cook rounds out the Top 5.
RELATED: Phil Steele ranks Florida State No. 1 in his preseason rankings
Cook is definitely in an interesting spot, especially when you consider that the Seminoles are Steele's No. 1 preseason team. Cook had 1,691 on 229 carries (7.4 YPC) in 2015, and if he can build on that this season, then he will be deserving of an invite to New York.
For Steele's full Heisman rankings, you can check out his website to see where you can his preseason preview magazine.
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