NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (UPI) — New York’s Downtown Athletic Club on Monday formally named three finalists for the 2015 Heisman Memorial Trophy, two of whom will take the field in the College Football Playoff next month.
The finalists are junior running back Derrick Henry of Alabama, sophomore tailback Christian McCaffrey of Stanford, and sophomore Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson.
The winner, considered the most outstanding player in college football, will be announced Saturday.
Henry, who has run for 1,986 yards and 23 touchdowns so far this season, is considered by many in the sports media as the odds on favorite to win the award.
“The Heisman Trophy has been a dream of mine since I was a little kid, and the chance to go to New York as a finalist is amazing,” Henry said in a statement Monday. “But none of this would be possible without my coaches and teammates.”
McCaffrey is also a running back but he has run up nearly 3,500 all purpose yards this year — yards that he recorded running the ball, catching the ball and returning kicks — eclipsing the previous mark set by NFL hall of famer Barry Sanders.
Despite McCaffrey’s contributions, he is the only Heisman finalist who will not be playing in the College Football Playoff. With two losses, Stanford will instead play fifth-ranked Iowa in the Rose Bowl.
Watson has thrown for 3,512 passing yards and 30 touchdowns for Clemson this season, as the team tries to win its first national championship since 1981. He has also run for nearly 900 yards and 11 touchdowns, leading the Tigers to a 13-0 regular season record and a playoff berth.
The top-ranked Tigers will play Oklahoma in one semifinal, while Henry and the Crimson Tide will play Michigan State in the other. The winners will advance to the national championship game, set for Jan. 11 in Glendale, Ariz.
Few were surprised with Monday’s announcement of the finalists, although there were a few notable omissions.
Louisiana State running back Leonard Fournette, who just weeks ago was considered by some experts as a shoe-in to win the award, will not be a finalist in New York — nor will Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield.
With Henry and McCaffrey accounting for two-thirds of the finalists, this year’s award may be the first since 2009 to be won by a running back. Quarterbacks have won five straight Heisman trophies between 2010 and 2014.
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