Does Kayvon Thibodeaux have a realistic chance to be considered for Heisman Trophy?

Kayvon Thibodeaux has been dominant on the field this year, and despite his missed time, it’s clear he’s among the best players in all of college football.

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Ahead of the 2021-22 season, Oregon Ducks’ defensive superstar Kayvon Thibodeaux had a comment that made the national media rounds. He stated his goal for the year was to win the Heisman Trophy.

It’s a fun quote to talk about since no defensive player has won the award since Charles Woodson did so in 1997. However, there didn’t seem to be much actual belief that Thibodeaux could ultimately be considered for the award. After all, in today’s day and age, it is largely seen as an offensive award that usually goes to the quarterback of the team who makes the national championship game, more often than not.

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Given the numbers Thibodeaux has put up so far this season, it’s worth at least discussing his potential to be considered.

An injury that held him out of three games at the start of the year hurt his case, taking away valuable minutes to put up stats. But he seems healthy now, and his game on Saturday against UCLA proves he is among the best if not the best player in college football. Let’s take a look at his overall season stats thus far:

  • 4 games played (12 quarters)
  • 22 tackles
  • 4 sacks
  • 2 forced fumbles
  • 7.5 tackles for loss

For the season, that looks like a great player, but maybe not one who should be up for the Heisman. But if you consider he did that in basically three games of football while dealing with an ankle injury, it gets more impressive.

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Let’s look at some of the recent defenders who have been considered for the Heisman and try to see how Thibodeaux compares. While no defender since Woodson has won the award, Chase Young, Jadeveon Clowney and Ndamukong Suh have been involved in the conversation. Here’s a look at their “Heisman season” stats:

Chase Young (2019)

  • 12 games // 46 tackles // 16.5 sacks // 7 forced fumbles // 21 TFL
  • Finished 3rd in Heisman voting

Jadeveon Clowney (2012)

  • 12 games // 54 tackles // 13 sacks // 3 forced fumbles // 23.5 TFL
  • Finished 6th in Heisman voting

Ndamukong Suh (2009)

  • 14 games // 85 tackles // 12 sacks // 1 INT // 20.5 TFL
  • Finished 4th in Heisman voting

So if Thibodeaux were to stay healthy and continue on his current pace, he would likely finish the season in the ballpark of 45-40 tackles, 8-10 sacks, 4-6 forced fumbles and 16-18 tackles for loss.

That will not wow voters, but when you consider the amount of missed time, he’s worth mentioning. When you also factor in how dominant Thibodeaux has looked in the past six quarters he has played, it’s possible our estimations undershoot his eventual stats.

There’s also this argument for KT:

It’s hard to find a more stand-up guy than Thibodeaux, and if you need more proof, check out this feature that ESPN did on him ahead of “College GameDay” last week.

In the end, the Heisman is an individual award, and a Rose Bowl or national championship trophy might mean more for the season. But Thibodeaux will likely go down in the history books as one of the best to ever play at Oregon, and one of the best pass-rushers in all of college football. Making him the second defender to win the Heisman Trophy would surely be something special.

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