Fact or Fiction: Sam Howell belongs in Heisman discussion
National recruiting director Mike Farrell and national recruiting analyst Adam Gorney tackle three topics daily and determine whether they believe the statements or not.
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1. Sam Howell belongs in the Heisman discussion.
Farrell’s take: FICTION. I’m a big believer in Sam Howell and have him behind Trevor Lawrence and Justin Fields when it comes to talent at quarterback but North Carolina isn’t good enough to push him into the conversation. He’s third in the nation in passing yards and has 23 touchdowns and only six interceptions but his team, especially the defense, is weak enough to keep his talent buried a bit. Until next year at least.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Howell should not be penalized because North Carolina’s defense is atrocious. If anything, Howell is more valuable to the team because he’s tasked with constantly going out there and having to move the ball to keep pace with opponents. The Heisman Trophy should go to the best player in college football, not the best player on the best team with the best defense. Howell is one of those players and deserves recognition for putting up such great numbers this season.
2. Jaelen Phillips is the best pass rusher in the country.
Farrell’s take: FACT. Patrick Jones III has eight sacks and gets a ton of attention for Pitt and there are some others nationally that get more attention but watch Jaelan Phillips and see how disruptive he is. He has five sacks but he changes so many plays with his ability to push the pocket that he can change games as he did against Virginia Tech. He’s living up to his five-star status.
Gorney’s take: FACT. The ACC is filled with outstanding pass rushers and many have better statistics than Phillips but he’s outstanding - and he has been for many years. It didn’t work out for Phillips at UCLA and since he got a fresh start at Miami, he’s been outstanding and unstoppable off the edge. I remember how dominant he was at the Army All-American Bowl. He was so fast and physical that offensive linemen had no chance against them and then he has the ability and motor to pursue until the ball carrier is on the ground. He’s definitely backing up his ranking with the Hurricanes.
3. USC continues to underachieve with the most.
Farrell’s take: FACT. The roster is loaded with four- and five-stars and yet USC struggles with Arizona State and then almost loses to Arizona? This is ugly. The Trojans could win all of their regular season games but Clay Helton is struggling with an elite roster and it’s hard to watch.
Gorney’s take: FACT. Watching USC is difficult because there is so much talent on the field but at times it looks like the players are just going through the motions and then at other times it looks like the coaches aren’t letting them off the leash to do what they do. Yes, USC is 2-0 but the Trojans could have just as easily lost both games. Let’s be honest, Arizona isn’t a very good football team. Either Clay Helton isn’t getting the most out of these guys or they’re not giving maximum effort and either way it’s frustrating.