[jwplayer YUMTYx0j-er0jUifI]
This week’s iteration of ESPN’s Heisman Watch features some of the usual suspects.
Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who many expect to be selected with the first overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft, and Ohio State’s Justin Fields, who could go the following pick, are fixtures on the list and will likely remain that way throughout the season.
Miami’s D’Eriq King has been electric so far this season, and Alabama’s Mac Jones has been productive in a talented offense.
But also on this week’s list was something perhaps a bit unexpected: Florida’s duo of Kyles: Trask and Pitts.
Trask, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns in the first two games, ranks second behind Lawrence, and Pitts, who has caught six of those, ranks fifth.
2. Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
Total points: 34 (first-place votes: 0)
Notable: Trask had his second straight big game, throwing for four TDs a week after he threw for six. Per ESPN Stats & Information research, Trask is the first SEC player with 10 passing TDs through his team’s first two games of a season since Tim Couch did so in 1998.
Quotable: “He’s a big, 6-foot-5 quarterback with a great arm. He moves his feet well. I could definitely see him as a Day 2 pick in April.” — Mel Kiper Jr.
5. Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Total points: 16 (first-place votes: 1)
Notable: Pitts added two more receiving TDs in the Gators’ win over South Carolina on Saturday and now has six on the year. Per ESPN Stats & Information research, those six TDs tie a Florida record for receiving TDs in any two-game span.
Quotable: “He is a matchup nightmare for defenses,” Trask said. “He’s too big for cornerbacks and too fast for linebackers, so it gives defenses lots of trouble, and that’s what you like to see.”
Trask is certainly on pace for a phenomenal and potentially school record-setting season, but he will have to stay on point to keep up with Lawrence, who is rolling so far on a dominant Tigers team.
Pitts, on the other hand, faces a bit of a greater challenge. A pass-catcher hasn’t won the Heisman Trophy since Desmond Howard did it at Michigan in 1991, but Pitts is off to a similar pace to Howard’s award-winning season. If he can keep it up, he certainly has a chance.
[lawrence-related id=25229,25222,25217,25213,25199]
[vertical-gallery id=14162]
[vertical-gallery id=15610]