Alabama Football: Lawrence’s COVID test helps Mac’s Heisman odds
By Dakota Cox
Alabama football might still have a Heisman contender.
Trevor Lawrence has tested positive for COVID-19. It might not impact Alabama football’s hopes of winning a championship, but it will impact the Heisman race.
Clemson will be without their star quarterback for their upcoming game against Boston College, but it is unknown if he will be out against Notre Dame. Either way, the Tigers will almost certainly make it to the College Football Playoff. A loss won’t do much once Lawrence is back and healthy if they win the rest of their games. It could easily hurt his Heisman chances, though.
WIth a limited college football season, every chance to pad your stats matters. After a weak performance against the worst team in the ACC last Saturday, this would have been a great chance for T-Law to turn the tide. Instead, he might lose this game and his Heisman moment against the Fighting Irish.
While Lawrence is quarantining, Mac Jones is going to be playing. He has played great so far, and he is certainly in the middle of this Heisman race. If it comes down to the wire, this could be the split hair that wins him the award.
Outside of Mac Jones, Alabama football also has Najee Harris as a Heisman candidate. Harris hasn’t done a ton in terms of yards per game, but he leads the country in rushing touchdowns.
If Mac Jones ends up winning the Heisman Trophy, it will be without star receiver Jaylen Waddle to throw to. Waddle was a Heisman candidate himself, so Jones will have to prove that he can distribute the ball to anyone. John Metchie and DeVonta Smith will certainly get more targets, but Slade Bolden will be the new starter. If Bolden can have anywhere near the type of production that Waddle had, Mac Jones should be the Heisman frontrunner.
Next. Bold predictions for rest of 2020. dark
Above all, the hope is that Trevor Lawrence has a speedy recovery. Outside of that, the fact remains that he won’t have an entire season of games to prove himself to Heisman voters. With the way Mac Jones is playing for Alabama football, that might be all it takes.