When running back Joe McKnight arrived on the University of Southern California campus in the fall of 2007, many Trojan fans were eager to watch what various recruiting services were calling “the next Reggie Bush.” Much like Bush, McKnight was a flashy runner who had more high school highlight clips than Wilt Chamberlain had ladies. So far in his short USC career, McKnight has been much like Bush, except in one respect.
He’s not a Heisman Trophy candidate.
And he wasn’t one in 2008.
No disrespect intended toward McKnight, but he won’t be among the Heisman contenders in 2009 either.
Why am I so certain of this? Well, his 2008 season was ho-hum, and in order to win the prestigious award, it is absolutely essential that a candidate set the table for a Heisman campaign with a brilliant season the preceding year. McKnight didn’t do that in 2008 when he rushed for just 659 yards and two touchdowns.
USC’s past Heisman winners, Mike Garrett, O.J. Simpson, Charles White, Marcus Allen, Carson Palmer, Matt Leinart and Reggie Bush all had record breaking seasons the year before they actually won the award.
Garrett, the 1965 recipient, rushed for 948 yards in 1964. Simpson led the nation in rushing in 1967 with 1,451 yards before taking home the coveted award in 1968. White rushed for 1,859 yards and Allen gained 1,563 before their Heisman seasons in 1979 and 1981. Palmer, USC’s first quarterback to win the award, threw for 2,717 yards in 2001 before winning the Heisman a year later. Leinart even passed for more yardage, 3,556, in 2003 than he did in his Heisman winning season in 2004. A year before the 2005 season, in which he won the Heisman, Bush accumulated 2,330 all-purpose yards and scored 15 total touchdowns.
There is no argument that he’s not a dangerous and exciting player, but McKnight has not yet had that breakout season to warrant serious consideration for the Heisman just yet. Even my fellow Trojan fans will be quick to point out that he’s been terribly inconsistent. Yes, injuries and USC’s depth at running back have limited his ability to turn potential into production, but it is quite clear that his performance does not warrant serious consideration for the award at this stage of his career. Additionally, it would be rather unfair to the other candidates, who all have proven track records, to rank McKnight ahead of them in the preseason Heisman rankings.
Besides McKnight’s mediocre 2008 season, the abundance of Heisman candidates makes his quest for the award that much tougher. The top three players from the 2008 Heisman voting, quarterbacks Sam Bradford of Oklahoma, Colt McCoy of Texas and Tim Tebow of Florida, are all returning, and that trio represents the front-runners at this point.
The Pac-10 also has plenty of running backs, who will likely rank ahead of McKnight in the minds of voters. Cal’s Jahvid Best, Oregon’s LeGarrette Blount or Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers, all had more impressive 2008 seasons than McKnight. So it would even be a stretch to call McKnight the Pac-10’s leading Heisman Trophy candidate.
But while I’ve clearly stated that McKnight’s chance of winning the Heisman in 2009 is about zero, don’t completely discount his chances to be the Trojans’ eighth winner sometime during his years at USC. He’s fast, elusive, and jaw-dropping too. After all, he did average more than 7 yards per carry and more than 9 yards per reception a year ago. It’s entirely possible that all the elements will come together in an injury-free season and he could have a huge year to set up a legitimate 2010 campaign.
But based on previous trends, it is clear that McKnight will have to have a big 1,000 yard season before we can include him on the list of serious Heisman contenders.
Photocredit: ESPN.com