Michigan Football: Is Jourdan Lewis a Heisman Trophy Candidate?

Michigan football cornerback Jourdan Lewis is one of the best in the country at what he does, but is that good enough to be a Heisman trophy candidate?

Unless there’s a dramatic shift during the course of this 2016 season, Michigan football‘s most promising hope at winning a Heisman trophy is going to be linebacker Jabrill Peppers.

Peppers, who played mostly in the secondary last season, could be the Wolverines’ do-it-all player this year, and if he does that well enough, there’s no doubt he’s going to draw enough attention to put himself in the conversation.

But there’s another player on Michigan’s defense who some might say is worthy of the same kind of talk: Jourdan Lewis.

Lewis, who set a school record with 20 pass breakups last season, is far and away the Wolverines’ best cover corner, and you could put him up there with the best of any other team in the country.

Multiple writers are projecting Lewis to as an All-American this season, and many believe he’s a first-teamer. But is he actually capable of jumping from that to being a Heisman hopeful?

For more than one reason, no, unfortunately he isn’t.

First off, Lewis probably isn’t going to get enough balls thrown his way this season to make the same kind of impact he did a season ago. The scouting report is pretty clear: Don’t throw the ball in his direction—or even on his side of the field.

Without quarterbacks risking too many passes his way, it’s hard to see Lewis making such a significant impact that he would catapult himself into the conversation of being the best college football player in the country.

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But let’s say Lewis does get the opportunity to produce even better eye-popping numbers than he did in 2015; that alone isn’t going to be enough. Not in 2016’s college football. It would be a breakthrough if a wide receiver won the award, never mind a cornerback.

What Lewis undoubtedly has to do in order to break a seemingly unbreakable barrier is make his presence felt in the return game, which is something he did last season.

His 15 kick returns with an average of 25.2 yards per return was impressive, but impressive enough? No, not really. With Jehu Chesson and Jabrill Peppers also in the mix, it wouldn’t be fair to expect much more.

The third and final reason Lewis isn’t going to see his name popping up in the Heisman conversation is because this is not a defensive award. “The best player in college football” should really be rebranded as “the best offensive player in college football.” Hell, make it “the best quarterback/running back in college football.”

I’m not complaining; just pointing out a very obvious truth, and one that’s going to naturally keep Lewis away from this kind of talk, even if he does everything he’s supposed to.

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At the end of the season I wouldn’t be all that surprised if we’re able to come up with a case for Lewis being the best player in the country—even if it isn’t a very strong one. But making a case as a Heisman hopeful? I’d be exaggerating if I said there’s a slim chance.

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