ESPN: Two Arizona Wildcats could emerge as Heisman Trophy candidates next year
Dec 15, 2014, 5:37 PM | Updated: 5:59 pm
ESPN.com writer David Lombardi said Arizona Wildcats sophomore linebacker Scooby Wright III and freshman running back Nick Wilson are two of seven Pac-12 players who could contend for the 2015 Heisman Trophy.
Wright leads the FBS with 27 tackles for a loss on the season, and his six forced fumbles are tied for the most in the nation. His 14 sacks on the year are tied for the third most in the country.
Wright racked up the national accolades last week by winning the Chuck Bednarik Award, Rotary Lombardi Award and Bronco Nagurski Trophy. He was named the Pat Tillman Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year and earned Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Week honors three times in 2014.
Wright is the only defensive player to make Lombardi’s Heisman list.
Wilson set a school freshman record by rushing for 1,289 yards this season despite missing UA’s Oct. 11 game against USC with an ankle injury. He has seven 100-plus-yard rushing games and five multi-touchdown games, and his 15 rushing scores are second-best in the Pac-12.
Wright and Wilson were two of the key pieces to the Wildcats’ 10-3 regular-season record (7-2 Pac-12) and first-ever Pac-12 South championship, and their bid to the 2014 VIZIO Fiesta Bowl on Dec. 31.
Arizona is the only Pac-12 team to feature multiple players on Lombardi’s list.