Kyle Trask is at the end of a historic season, one of the most prolific at the University of Florida, a school with three Heisman-winning quarterbacks, yet, he wasn’t even named the best quarterback in his conference.
The backlash among Gator fans on Tuesday was loud. Trask leads the nation in total touchdowns (46), passing touchdowns (43), passing yards (4,125), and passing yards per game (375). He’s broken the school record for passing yards and touchdowns in a single season. By any metric, Kyle Trask is the most proficient quarterback in the country, yet, with three losses this season is being overlooked.
“At the end of the day, I know all that stuff is all politics, and I’m basically going to let my film speak for itself,” Trask said on Tuesday.
You better find a comfortable chair, because the film of only his touchdowns takes nine minutes to complete.
The Heisman trophy is supposed to go to, according to the Heisman’s own website, "the most outstanding player in NCAA football. Winners epitomize great ability combined with diligence, perseverance, and hard work.”
The most outstanding player, it would be hard to argue that anyone player meant more to his team while excelling on the field in a manner that outshines others than Trask.
“Hard to say anybody’s meant more to their team than Kyle Trask has to our team this year,” Florida head coach Dan Mullen said. “So I don’t know, I don’t know what criteria people are looking for. If the Heisman Trophy is looking for somebody that is the best player that means the most to their team, the most outstanding player in college football, I guess the guy that I think has a double-digit, I mean, double-digit lead in touchdown passes - double-digit.”
Check off outstanding and great ability. What about diligence, perseverance, and hard work?
Trask’s story is well known by now. A two-star backup quarterback in high school, who almost earned an undergraduate degree from the No. 6 ranked public university in the country before starting a game in high school. In an era where quarterbacks transfer at the first whiff that they won’t be the starter, Trask stuck around. He waited for his opportunity and now, in his fifth season of college football, is shattering records.
“You talk about a guy who didn’t start in a high school game and you look at his career and what he’s been able to do. That’s an unbelievable story,” Mullens said. “Again, that’s for these people with these different awards to figure out what the award means to them.”
Going by the Heisman’s own criteria you’d be hard-pressed to find a better, more deserving candidate for the award than Trask, but he finds himself a -4000 betting odd in Vegas now, behind a trio of Alabama Crimson Tide players — DeVonta Smith, Mac Jones, Najee Harris, and Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence.
With the votes already cast you can’t really campaign for Trask anymore but, like the 22-year old said, his body of work should speak for itself and his body of work is more than enough to take home the trophy.
