Liberty quarterback Malik Willis returns for his second and likely final season this fall as the Flames’ starting quarterback. His resume from 2020 is one of the best single seasons for a quarterback in school history, and his path towards a first-round NFL Draft pick coincides with Liberty’s emergence on the national scene, which has thrust him into the Heisman Trophy discussion as a dark-horse candidate.
Such conversations have never been held in Lynchburg for a college football player. For an award intended to go to the country’s most outstanding player but has shifted – more often than not – into an accolade for the best player on the best team nationally, the Flames will have to have an amazing season as a team, perhaps going undefeated, for their to be a legitimate chance for Willis being included in late season discussions for the Heisman Trophy.
The junior quarterback completed 64.2% of his passes for 2,260 yards and 20 touchdowns against six interceptions in 2020. He ranked 24th nationally in offensive grade (85.7) among FBS quarterbacks with at least 100 dropbacks, according to Pro Football Focus. 11 of the quarterbacks that ranked higher are returning for the 2021 season. Willis ranked second nationally in run grade (83.1), trailing only Ohio State’s Justin Fields’ 85.3 mark.
Another season of passing excellence, coupled with a strong season by the team, will make Willis a contender for a seat in New York City at the Heisman Trophy presentation on Dec. 11, although his chances for actually winning the award will be extremely difficult for him coming from a non-Power Five program. The biggest hurdle for Willis and actually winning the Heisman, is playing for a non-traditional power. The last Heisman winner from outside of a major conference was BYU’s Ty Detmer in 1990.
In a review of the past 20 Heisman Trophy winners, 14 played for Power Five conference champions, 16 played in major bowl games and 16 played for teams that finished Top 5 in the final AP rankings, including seven who played for the nation’s No. 1-ranked team. Liberty’s No. 17 finish in the AP Poll in 2020 is the highest, and only, finish in school history.
Seven of the past eight Heisman Trophy winners have either played in the national championship game or in a College Football Playoff semifinal game.
Of the 16 quarterbacks to win the Heisman in the past two decades, there is a distinct divide in requirements between pocket passers and dual-threat signal-callers. There have been four Heisman-winning quarterbacks to play for teams that failed to win their conference titles and ranked outside of the AP Poll’s Top-5 and all four were dynamic players with both their arms and their feet.
In 2001, Eric Crouch led Nebraska to an 11-2 (7-1 Big 12) record, offsetting a mediocre passing skillset (51.5%, 1,510 yards, 7 TD, 10 INT) with 1,115 rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns. In 2007, Tim Tebow led Florida to a 9-4 (5-3 SEC) record and a Capital One Bowl appearance by completing 66.9% of his passes for 3,286 yards, 32 touchdowns and six interceptions while rushing for 895 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Four years later, Baylor’s Robert Griffin III completed 72.4% of his passes for 4,293 yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions and ran for 699 yards and 10 touchdowns in leading the Bears to a 10-3 (6-3 Big 12) record and an Alamo Bowl appearance. Louisville’s Lamar Jackson guided the Cardinals to a 9-4 (7-1 ACC) record and a Citrus Bowl appearance in 2016 by completing 59.1% of his passes for 3,660 yards, 27 touchdowns and 10 interceptions while rushing for 1,601 yards and 18 touchdowns.
Every traditional pocket passer to win the Heisman in the past 20 years has played for a team that won at least 11 games and ranked in the Top-5 of the final AP Poll.
The correlation between Heisman Trophy candidacy and team success helps to explain Vegas odds that project Oklahoma’s Spencer Rattler as the preseason favorite followed by North Carolina’s Sam Howell, Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, Clemson quarterback D.J. Uiagalelei and Georgia quarterback J.T. Daniels.
