ESPN's Pete Thamel drops surprising name for potential Heisman Trophy candidate from Big 12 Conference

Tony Adame

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ESPN's Pete Thamel drops surprising name for potential Heisman Trophy candidate from Big 12 Conference image

Kansas State gambled big by letting Will Howard transfer to Ohio State, where he’s now the starting quarterback for a team that’s one of the favorites to win the College Football Playoff national championship. 

In his place is a player with a world of potential … but just one career start. That hasn’t stopped the hype machine from making sophomore quarterback Avery Johnson the odds-on favorite out of the 16 teams in the Big 12 Conference to win the Heisman Trophy. 

From ESPN’s Pete Thamel: “Avery Johnson has started one game, and he's the odds-on favorite to win the Heisman in the league. That speaks to the electricity, promise, and potential that he brings at quarterback there." 

According to Vegas Insider, Johnson actually has the third-best odds to win the Heisman out of the Big 12 behind Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders and Arizona quarterback Noah Fifita. 

In Johnson’s one game, he led Kansas State to a 28-19 win over No. 19 North Carolina State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl and brought home game MVP honors. 

Kansas State opens the season on Aug. 31 at home against Tennessee-Martin.

Tony Adame

Tony Adame Photo

Tony Adame covers the Big 12 Conference for The Sporting News. He is a graduate of Southern Oregon University and has been a sports journalist for 20 years. He has won APSE Awards for breaking news, games stories and feature writing. He is also the writer and host of the Florida Society of News Editors Award-winning podcast The Sheriff: Murder, Lies & Revenge in Okaloosa County for USA Today/Gannett.