Derwin James is a physical specimen.
The highly touted 5-star safety made an immediate impact on Florida State's defense as a true freshman during the 2015 campaign, racking up 91 total tackles and forcing two fumbles. Opposing offensive coordinators quickly noticed James' controlled, smart and violent style of football, having to game plan around his athleticism and versatility.
He has been compared to a Miami Hurricanes great, the late Sean Taylor, on many occasions for their similar size and presence.
James' 2016 season started off well, tallying 11 tackles and an interception before hurting his left knee in the week two contest against Charleston Southern, which sidelined him the rest of the year.
With the 2017 season weeks away, James has been mentioned as a Heisman candidate and potential top-10 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. James is certainly gifted enough to garner such accolades as an NFL prospect, but a Heisman candidate he is not.
As a matter of fact, a defensive player hasn't won the Heisman since Charles Woodson did so for Michigan back in 1997, and some will argue he earned the prestigious NCAA award because he played on the offensive side of the ball as a wide receiver and punt returner. Woodson was the quintessential definition of an athlete.
James just plays safety.
Fourteen of the last seventeen winners have been quarterbacks. The other three have been running backs. Notre Dame's Manti Te'o was the closest true defensive player to come close to sniffing the Heisman - finishing second to Johnny Manziel in 2012. Michigan linebacker/safety Jabrill Peppers finished fifth last season.
Other than Woodson, the last time the winner played a position other than quarterback or running back was 1991 when Michigan wide receiver Desmond Howard took the award.
Vegas has given James a 50-1 long shot, so with the odds stacked against James why even mention him in the Heisman race?
Easy. Labor Day weekend. The biggest match-up to start the college football season in years.
Alabama versus Florida State. Primetime television. The brand new Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Georgia.
And both teams will be highly ranked with a star-studded lineup.
The Crimson Tide will march out starting quarterback, and Heisman hopeful, Jalen Hurts as well as starting running back, and Heisman hopeful, Bo Scarbrough.
If only the Seminoles had a recognizable athlete on the defensive side of the ball to clash against the Tides' unstoppable force...
This'll be the narrative for the next few weeks, all so the 4-Letter and talking heads around the U.S. have something to debate until Labor Day weekend. James will either be Florida State's redeemer as the leader of a defense who stopped Alabama or he'll be the disappointment who couldn't live up to his lofty expectations if his team loses.
It's a win-win for the networks.
Make no mistake, James is an elite collegiate athlete. He's just not a Heisman candidate.
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