Taylor Mays wants to win the Heisman – Good luck with that

USC’s 6’3″ 230 lb. free safety Taylor Mays is arguably the best defensive player in all of college football after he recorded 53 tackles for the Trojans a year ago. His strong performance in 2008 made him a finalist for the Jim Thorpe Award (best defensive back in all of college football) and a consensus first team All-American. But after a season, in which he was recognized as one of the top defensive players, Mays also seeks to be recognized as one of the best players in all of college football by winning the prestigious Heisman Trophy in 2009:

“I want to win the Heisman — 10 sacks, 10 picks and we go undefeated. (I won’t return kicks); I’ll just return my picks for touchdowns,” Mays said in a story published on the Yahoo! Sports college football blog – Dr. Saturday. “I have to return three of them for touchdowns and maybe force a couple of fumbles on the sacks.

“I at least want to go to New York.”

While I admire his completive nature, I find his quest for the Heisman to be a lost cause for several reasons.

Unless you count Charles Woodson, defensive players generally do not take home the illustrious hardware come December. It just doesn’t happen. The only way they do win the Heisman is if they play on the offensive side of the ball and/or return kicks and punts. Mays does neither of the two for USC and is not expected to do so in 2009. 

What would at least give Mays a second look in the minds of the voters out there is if he was to return at least three or four picks for touchdowns. But personally, I find it hard to imagine Mays even gets three or four picks much less returns them for touchdowns. Since his freshman season in 2006, his season total for interceptions has progressively declined with 3 in 2006, 1 in 2007, and 0 in 2008. While he has not declined in actual performance, opposing teams have adjusted their offensive strategies by calling for plays away from Mays. As a result, he has fewer opportunities for making highlight reel plays and inflating statistics, as his presence alone deters teams from coming his way.

So, while Mays might have another strong season in 2009 and win the Thorpe Award, you can him count out of the Heisman race, especially given the presence of returning winners Sam Bradford and Tim Tebow.