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Former Heisman Winner Puts Sean Tucker in Top 5 Heisman Contenders

The Syracuse running back is gaining more and more notoriety on the national landscape.

Mike McAllister

Former Heisman Winner Puts Sean Tucker in Top 5 Heisman Contenders
Former Heisman Winner Puts Sean Tucker in Top 5 Heisman Contenders /

Former Heisman winner Robert Griffin III put out a tweet on Saturday with his top five Heisman contenders so far in the 2021 season. In that group was Syracuse running back Sean Tucker, the only non-quarterback in his top five. Griffin listed Tucker fifth, with Alabama quarterback Bryce Young, Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral, Fresno State quarterback Jake Haenar and Maryland quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa. 

Through four games, Tucker has racked up 536 rushing yards, 175 receiving yards and eight total touchdowns (seven rushing). He is averaging 134 yards per game and is one of the nation's most productive running backs. He is on pace to rush for over 1,600 yards and 20 touchdowns. In many years, that is enough to at least get an invite for toe Heisman Trophy presentation. That would be quite the honor for the freshman running back. 

Expecting Tucker to keep up that pace all season long, especially as conference play begins may not be realistic. Still, it is notable that a Heisman winner with no connection to Syracuse has noticed Tucker's stellar play. 

Robert Griffin III was a standout quarterback at Baylor. He won the 2011 Heisman Trophy during his senior season. That year, he threw for 4,293 yards, completed over 72% of his passes, threw 37 touchdown passes with just six interceptions. In addition, Griffin ran for 699 yards (this total includes sacks as negative rushing yards) and 10 rushing touchdowns. 

The strong collegiate career led to him becoming the second overall pick in the 2012 NFL Draft. 

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Mike McAllister
MIKE MCALLISTER

Title: Publisher All Syracuse Education: Roberts Wesleyan College Location: Syracuse, New York Expertise: Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting.  EXPERIENCE Mike McAllister has been covering Syracuse basketball, football and recruiting for more than a decade. Mike's career started with his own free blog as a way to vent following sporting events. Shortly thereafter, a network of basketball sites called Coast 2 Coast Hoops asked him to run their Syracuse site. That site was called Nation of Orange, and Mike quickly established it as a go-to for Syracuse fans.  After running Nation of Orange for several months, a position with the Syracuse site on the Scout network became available. After one year as the recruiting expert with Cuse Nation, he was named the publisher. Mike oversaw the transition from Scout to 247Sports, and ran the site on that network for years.  Presented with the opportunity to join one of the biggest names in the sports journalism industry, Sports Illustrated, Mike jumped at the chance. All Syracuse was started from scratch by Mike and the Fan Nation team. It has now become a staple for Orange fans of various sports.  Mike has broken news on recruiting, Syracuse basketball and football team information and has established himself as the top recruiting inside in the market. He has appeared on local radio shows, television broadcasts, national radio shows and much more. Mr. McAllister has a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting and Information Management from Roberts Wesleyan College. 

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