Auburn’s backup QB says former Bulldog Nick Marshall will win Heisman
In the “How to piss off UGA fans and make them laugh at the same time” category, Auburn backup quarterback Jeremy Johnson has boldly stated that teammate (and starting QB) Nick Marshall will win the Heisman Trophy this season, according to a story in AL.com.
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It’s one thing to have your teammate’s back and be supportive, it a completely different animal to make an unrealistic prediction and put him under more pressure than needed, but Johnson has done just that and pretty much thrown Marshall under a fleet of buses.
"“He’s become a leader on this team and I’ve never seen him so amped at practice every day the way he is, the way he comes out. So, I know for a fact he’ll win the Heisman.”"
Most Georgia fans are more than familiar with the story of Marshall, who came to Athens and then allegedly stole from classmates in his dorm, leading to his dismissal from the team and eventual transfer to Auburn.
His success last season at Auburn tends to stick in the craw of the Bulldog Nation, many of whom believe that a player who is dismissed from a team should not be able to play for another team in the same conference. But maybe with the autonomy now granted the Power-5 conferences, that rule can be implemented.
But to the point of Johnson’s assertion that Nick Marshall will be the next Heisman Trophy winner – it’s almost laughable.
Marshall is a very talented athlete, and that can’t be denied. But to look at him as the possible “best player in college football” is ridiculous. He has issues with passing the ball, and he’s running what amounts to (no matter how much you want to defend or copy it) a gimmick offense.
Had Auburn’s fairy ball-mother not been hovering over Jordan-Hare stadium for two consecutive miracle wins, nobody would even be talking about Marshall other than “will he choke again this season?”
The Tigers are going to come back down to earth after last year’s miracle run, and the better defensive coordinators in the SEC will have a very intricate game plan ready to stop both Marshall and the Tigers’ read-option attack.
Heisman Trophy? Maybe Jeremy Johnson hasn’t heard about who the real front-runners for that award are this year. He’ll be re-introduced to one of them on Nov. 15 at Sanford Stadium.