The NCAA needs a positive story. The Heisman Trophy race provides the chance for America’s most vilified institution (outside of Congress) to feature all the heralded attributes of their mythical “student athlete.” Before the voters march sociopath Jameis Winston across the stage in New York – again, the NCAA ought to promote a young man with exceptional football ability, an outstanding academic record, and a stellar contribution to his community. And, oh yeah, he is a devout Muslim. How about Nebraska running back Ameer Abdullah representing the very best of college football?
Abdullah leads college football in all-purpose yards with a 192.71 average in Nebraska’s first seven games. He is second in the country in rushing touchdowns. He is fourth in the country in total rushing yards with 1024; and fourth in average rushing yards per game with a 146.3 average per game. On Saturday he set Nebraska’s single game game record for all-purpose yards with 341 against Rutgers. He looked like a cat playing with 11 mice.
Abdullah’s academic cred is impressive. He was honored as a Nebraska Student-Athlete HERO Award winner in both 2012 and 2014. Abdullah is majoring in history, and he has been named to the Nebraska Scholar-Athlete Honor Roll three times, in addition to his selection to the 2013 Academic All-Big Ten team. His community activism is also outstanding. For his efforts in Lincoln, Abdullah was named to both the 2014 Brook Berringer Citizenship Team and the Tom Osborne Citizenship Team.
Now, the criticism. Nebraska hovers in the mid-teens in national rankings. (#16 in the AP and the USA Coaches Poll, and 15 in ESPN’s Power Rankings.) In Nebraska’s biggest game of the year Abdullah was bottled up by a prepared and nasty Michigan State defense. The competition is stiff; and voters tend to favor a lazy preference for quarterbacks with teams at the top of the polls.
Dak Prescott of Mississippi State, Marcus Mariota of Oregon, and Everett Golson from Notre Dame are getting all the pub. Prescott and Golson definitely deserve consideration; but Mariota removed himself from contention with a brutal loss to Arizona. Sports Illustrated has Abdullah ranked fifth and the NFL’s college website have him ranked fourth in their Heisman watches. He pops up in the 3-4 range with several writers on CBS Sports’ rankings. Abdullah does not rank in the top five for ESPN.
Winston shows up in several mock polls, but he seems to have played out his significance as any legitimate representative of this year’s award. The tripwire for most aspirants in the murky world of NCAA football is this qualification: “The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”
There are two schools of thought on this criterion. One is that, in the sludge of NCAA football, just give the award to the best player. Obviously, last year was a prime example. In the midst of a sexual assault scandal the voters ignored cascading facts about the case and gave the trophy to Winston. The second school of thought takes the “integrity clause” seriously, and considers it a factor in their voting.
If I had a vote, right now I would give it to Ameer Abdullah – for several reasons. I think he is the best all-around running back in the country. He would represent the trophy’s aspirations for the first time in a long time. Three out of the four past winners include the messy stories of Winston, Johnny Manziel, and Cam Newton. All of them were quarterbacks with big numbers and public relations machines incubated within filthy athletic programs. Nebraska has a notorious past; but under Coach Bo Pelini the Husker football program has developed a strong all-around reputation. My biggest reason for voting for Ameer Abduallah would be because he is a devout Muslim. What would be a greater message to the world than to give the NCAA’s most revered award to a young man who could represent the quality, potential, and diversity of America’s university system?
It will never happen. In the good ole boy network of college football in the U.S.A. the red-faced boosters and fans would quake in their cowboy boots at the thought. But, if Nebraska wins the Big 10 championship with one loss, voters and fans will have to confront the possibility that a young man named Ameer Abdullah deserves some Heisman credibility.
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