The four finalists for the 2021 Heisman Trophy were announced last night. To nobody’s surprise, no Syracuse players were on the list including Sean Tucker. His big rushing totals and media notoriety via Twitter may have had some people dreaming in late-October, early-November but it was just too good to be true. You can’t be on a team that’s irrelevant on the national landscape to begin with, finish 5-7 and expect to be taken seriously. With that said, Tucker had an incredible season that he can certainly build off of.
Pitt’s Kenny Pickett was one of the four finalists chosen to be in New York for the presentation. Why does this matter? Well his meteoric rise to the top is one that Tucker could replicate. Pickett rewrote the Panthers record books this season en route to an ACC Championship and 11-2 record. Furthermore, the redshirt-senior wasn’t gaining any hype on the Heisman trail until the end of the season.
Tucker could have the same kind of journey in 2022 (assuming he returns to the Hill). What if he goes for over 2,000 yards next year and leads this team to another 2018-esque season? The ACC might be wide open again next year and could be even crazier than it was this season. Defensive coordinator Brent Venables just left Clemson, Miami just hired a new coach, and so many experienced teams will regress due to drop offs. The realm of possibility is there, but what would Tucker need to do to accomplish this feat?
Well Syracuse would have to win at least nine games next year. The Heisman Trophy is not only about who’s the best player, but how much success did this player lead his team too. So SU would have to shock the world again and rip off a bunch of wins, Tucker would also need to eclipse the 2,000 yard mark and put up Chubba Hubbard at Oklahoma State-like numbers.
For Tucker to get to this level, it would mean that Dino Babers would need to find ways to get the ball in 34’s hands as much as possible. Tucker needs 20+ carries per game and throw in five more touches through the air. Let’s all sign the contract now, “We won’t rag on Babers for over-usage of Tucker.” Now this isn’t like a force feed scenario type thing because Tucker is the best player on the team to begin with and every time he touches the ball, he could go the distance.
So Sean Tucker for Heisman in 2022? Let’s get the movement started now. It would take a lot of things going right, but crazier things have happened in the world, like Syracuse finding a way to go 10-3 in a football season.
