Heisman Hype Begins For SC Players
(WOLO) — Let the Heisman hype begin! The website HeismanPundit.com has listed three college football players from South Carolina among its 18 preseason favorites to win the 2012 Heisman Trophy: USC junior running back Marcus Lattimore, Clemson junior quarterback Tajh Boyd and Clemson sophomore wide receiver Sammy Watkins. Lattimore ran for 818 yards and 10 touchdowns in 7 games during the 2011 season before suffering a season-ending knee injury at Mississippi St. The 2010 National Freshman of the Year also had 182 receiving yards and caught one touchdown as a sophomore. Boyd was the first-team All-ACC quarterback last year as a sophomore when he threw for a Clemson record 3828 yards and 33 touchdown passes. He set an ACC record for touchdown responsibility with 38 scores rushing and passing, and became the first Clemson player in history to go over 4,000 yards in total offense in one season (4046). He quarterbacked Clemson to its first ACC title in 20 years. Watkins was a first-team Associated Press All-American as an all-purpose player as a freshman, just the fourth true freshman in college football history to make first-team AP All-American. The receiver from Fort Myers, FL collected 82 receptions for 1219 yards and 12 touchdowns. He set Clemson single season records for reception yards and reception touchdowns and led all freshmen nationally in receptions. He was also named the ACC Rookie of the Year. The 2012 Heismanpundit.com Heisman Trophy Watch List (in alphabetical order) Tavon Austin, Sr., AP, West Virginia Montee Ball, Sr., RB, Wisconsin Matt Barkley, Sr., QB, USC Tajh Boyd, Jr., QB, Clemson Tyler Bray, Jr., QB, Tennessee Knile Davis, Jr., RB, Arkansas James Franklin, Jr., QB, Missouri Landry Jones, Sr., QB, Oklahoma Collin Klein, Sr., QB, Kansas State Marcus Lattimore, Jr., RB, South Carolina Aaron Murray, Jr., QB, Georgia Keith Price, Jr., QB, Washington Denard Robinson, Sr., QB, Michigan Geno Smith, Sr., QB, West Virginia De‘Anthony Thomas, So., RB, Oregon Sammy Watkins, So, WR, Clemson Tyler Wilson, Sr., QB, Arkansas Cierre Wood, Sr., RB, Notre Dame
