A case for and against each 2019 Heisman Trophy finalist

Joe Burrow vs. Jalen Hurts vs. Justin Fields vs. Chase Young.

Welcome to Before The Snap, For The Win’s college football show where we’ll break down the sport’s trending storylines, examine each week’s biggest matchups and track the College Football Playoff and Heisman Trophy races.

Well, after months of speculation, we finally have our 2019 Heisman Trophy finalists: LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts and a pair of Ohio State players in quarterback Justin Fields and defensive end Chase Young. They all play for teams in the College Football Playoff this year as well.

All four finalists are invited to the Heisman ceremony in New York on Saturday, when one of them will be named the most outstanding player this season in college football. There are 927 total eligible voters: 870 media members, 56 past Heisman winners and one fan vote.

Joe Burrow, LSU quarterback, fifth-year senior

His best stat this season, by far, is his nation-leading 77.9 completion percentage, and that number actually increases slightly to 78.6 percent against top-25 teams, which is outrageous. He’s also second in the country with 4,715 passing yards, and he’s thrown 48 touchdowns compared with just six interceptions. He’s a huge favorite to win the Heisman, and the only conceivable reason why he might not is because his rushing stats don’t compare with the other two QBs (289 yards, three TDs).

But Burrow is a huge reason why the Tigers’ offense has been unstoppable this season and is averaging 554.3 yards per game (No. 1 nationally). Since his first season with LSU in 2018 after transferring from Ohio State, he’s dramatically improved in several areas. Not only is his completion percentage up more than 20 points from last season, but he’s also thrown 32 more touchdowns this year. He has up to two more games to pad his stats and increase his chance of being the No. 1 overall NFL Draft pick.

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma quarterback, fourth-year senior

After transferring from Alabama, Hurts has flourished in Oklahoma’s system, showing off his arm as while continuing his dominance on the ground. His 71.8 completion percentage ranks fourth in the country, and he’s sixth with 3,634 passing yards with 32 passing touchdowns and seven interceptions.

But unsurprisingly, his rushing stats are just as impressive, as he’s been the Sooners’ leader on the ground all season. He has 1,255 rushing yards and 18 touchdowns, which rank him 20th and seventh, respectively, among running backs. (The only quarterback with better rushing stats is Navy’s Malcolm Perry in a very run-heavy offense.) However, his occasional struggles holding onto the ball could keep Hurts from being Oklahoma’s third straight Heisman winner.

Justin Fields, Ohio State quarterback, sophomore

Another transfer quarterback, Fields left Georgia to join the Buckeyes and first-year coach Ryan Day, and because of that, there were some early questions about how they could handle the changes. Just fine is the answer there. Fields has a 67.5 completion percentage (No. 16 nationally) and has thrown for 2,953 yards (No. 26). He also has 40 touchdowns compared with just one (1!) interception, and he’s thrown at least two touchdown passes in every game this season. On five occasions, he threw four.

He’s also a mobile quarterback, but not quite like Hurts. He had 471 rushing yards so far and 10 rushing touchdowns. His stats would probably be more impressive if Ohio State didn’t have a powerhouse running back in J.K. Dobbins, who had an outside shot at being the Buckeyes’ third Heisman finalist. It’s a double-edged sword because while they combined to have one of the best offenses in the country, sharing snaps hurt their individual stats.

Chase Young, Ohio State defensive end, junior

Young is an absolute monster who should terrify any quarterback on the same field as him. He leads the nation with 16.5 sacks for 117 yards while adding 44 total tackles, 31 of them solo. He probably could have hit at least 20 sacks, had the NCAA not suspended him for two games (Maryland and Rutgers), and it’s not clear whether Heisman voters will hold not playing a full season against him.

Also possibly hindering his campaign to be the first defensive player to win the Heisman since 1997 and only second overall is the fact that he recorded no sacks against Michigan in Ohio State’s regular-season finale or against Wisconsin in the Buckeyes’ Big Ten championship game. (However, the Badgers were triple-teaming him.) The odds were already stacked against him because the award has almost always gone to an offensive player — and a quarterback in the last couple decades — so a stronger finish likely would have helped.

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