Roundtable: Should QB Gardner Minshew of WSU be a Heisman Candidate?
By Ed Stein
For the next three months, Emerald City Swagger will hold a college football roundtable. For September, we asked if Washington State football’s Gardner Minshew should be in the running for this year’s Heisman Trophy.
As the college football season plays out, contenders for the Heisman Trophy emerge. Washington State football has one of the top-rated passers in the country, Gardner Minshew II, but his name rarely comes up in the discussion. We asked our experts, Is Gardner Minshew a legitimate Heisman candidate?
This months panel includes our own contributors Matt Barry and Herb Nightingale, ECS site expert Ed Stein, and Zach Bigalke of FanSided.com.
Ed Stein
I might be biased because I handle most of the Washington State football coverage. So I’ve probably seen more of Minshew than most. In my mind, he’s legit at this point. The way Minshew stays calm in the pocket and runs through his progressions is a study on how to be a pro-style quarterback.
So what makes him a candidate? WSU is 5-1 and their only loss was by three points on the road. He leads the nation in passing yards with 2422. He also has 215 completions which are number one, the next closest power five QB is Duane Haskins of Ohio State who has 142. His 19 Touchdown passes are fifth best. Finally, his interception to attempts ratio is eighth overall.
The guy is a leader and a winner. There will be some criticism that Minshew is so successful because of the system he plays in. Sure the “Air Raid” is wide open, but it wouldn’t be much without the right guy leading the charge.