Buy or Sell: Heisman Hype around Zamir White
You would have to go all the way back to the year 1982 to find the last player at Georgia to win the Heisman. That player needs no introduction but could Zamir White be the player that brings the trophy back to Athens? There is a lot of buzz going around that it could happen, but should the fans believe the hype?
Let's first cover the reasons as to why not. For starters, Georgia has one of the deepest running back rooms, not only the SEC but in the nation. Zamir White sits at the top of the list but is then followed by James Cook, Kenny McIntosh, and newcomers Kendall Milton and Daijun Edwards. With a running back room as talented as the one in Athens its hard to keep guys off the field and rotate guys to get some touches.
Building off of the depth at the position, Todd Monken also has a history using multiple backs on the field at once. Meaning that there could be a lot of instances where White and Cook are both on the field and whoever gets the ball is determined on how the defense is lined up. Kirby Smart also likes to keep fresh bodies on the field which could play a role in limiting the number of attempts White gets per game as opposed to other running backs who tote the ball 20-30 times a game.
Another factor that could hurt White's chances of winning the Heisman is Jamie Newman. This is the first time that Georgia has seen a true dual-threat quarterback and that could lead to fewer carries for White. Just last season, Newman had 180 attempts, while D'Andre Swift who was Georgia's leading rusher had 196 attempts on the season. Had Swift played with a quarterback like Newman those numbers might have looked a little different.
Now let's dive into why White could win the Heisman trophy this season. If you ask former Ohio State head coach Urban Meyer he would tell you that his chances are pretty high. In regards to White, Meyer said "When (White) came out of high school, he was one of the best I've seen in the last five, six, seven years." That's a pretty big compliment coming from someone who coached at the University of Florida for six years.
Piling onto that, White put on an impressive season last year despite living in the shadow of Swift. In 2019, White pounded the ball for 408 yards, averaging 5.2 yards per carry, and three touchdowns on just 78 attempts. According to those stats, had White carried the ball the same number of times that Swift had he would've put up 1,019 yards rushing. Fans have yet to see what White can do as the lead back and based on what he did last year Georgia should be in for a treat.
Also when looking at what Monken did with former Georgia running back Nick Chubb in Clevland last year it could lead to great things for White. Last season, Chubb ran for 1,494 yards on 298 attempts which landed him second on the NFL rushing leaders list. It is very unlikely that White even gets close to the number of carries that Chubb received but being in the same offensive scheme could be very beneficial.
The time has finally come for White to get his moment in the sun and be Georgia's first option in the running game. He has all the talent in the world to bring home the Heisman trophy, but there are also some outside factors that could be the reason why the trophy would be awarded to someone else.
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