Three reasons why Rocket Sanders can be a Heisman finalist

During the offseason, KJ Jefferson has received all kinds of love and hype for his redshirt senior* season at Arkansas. People around the country are high on the Sardis, (Miss.) native and rightfully so. He’s been the undeniable starting quarterback since the end of the 2020 season.

However, as great as Jefferson has and will continue to be someone is going to benefit from him being their quarterback. The main player in the discussion is Raheim ‘Rocket’ Sanders. The junior-to-be exploded onto the scene as a freshman WR that was eventually converted to RB before the season started.

Sanders displayed exceptional speed and raw ability to be an effective back. The stats don’t pop off the page from his first season but that’s due to Arkansas having three running backs rush for 500+ yards and Jefferson rushing for 600+ yards on his own.

Sanders is the perfect option to become the first Razorback to be a Heisman finalist since 2007 and here’s why:

His nickname

To be honest, your name has to play a factor to be a finalist. Raheim is already a sweet name but when your nickname is Rocket you better be explosive.

The Florida native was tabbed with his nickname during his peewee days and it stuck all through high school and into college. Sanders has reeled off numerous 30+ yard runs as a Razorback backing up his claim as Rocket.

Production

As the focal back in the rotation, Sanders rushed for 1400 yards and 10 touchdowns last season. He also caught 28 passes for 271 yards and two scores. It is imperative that the 6’2 237 pound junior running back receive as many carries possible.

There’s not been a running back since Felix Jones that compares to the amount of production per carry that Sanders gives Arkansas. His 6.50 yards per carry ranks fifth in school history and is the best since Jones set the school record in 2007.

He showed himself to be a very dependable running back last season, too, finishing with 222 carries. That ranks 10th all time at Arkansas for a single season.

Sanders already has eight career 100-yard games during his Razorback career. That ranks him 11th all-time in program history. If he can just match the eight 100-yard games this season it would rank him third in program history, respectively.

During McFadden’s junior season, he recorded 10 100-yard games. Of course, the Little Rock, (Ark.) native had quite a few exceptional performances throughout the season that helped him to a runner-up finish.

If Sanders plans on being a finalist it’ll be due to his production and…

Drive to be great

Yesterday on episode 308 of The Hawg Talk, Hawg Illustrated’s Ethan Westerman produced a feature on Arkansas’ top back. During the interview he talked about his maturity as a young man, football player and father.

Sanders is thought to be one of the top players in the country according to some of the biggest media outlets in the country. 247sports has him projected to be the 22nd overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft. ESPN has ranked him as the third best returning running back in the country. Pro Football Focus has him as a second best running back for the 2023 season.

When it comes to NIL, he is a spokesperson for Huggies diapers due to having a young son. How special is it that he puts it all together with the drive to take care of his family and win the Heisman? It’d be a testament to his will and drive to be great.

Sanders definitely a shot. He’s an absolute darkhorse contender for college football’s greatest individual award. There is no doubt that he is ready to set fire to not only the SEC but college football landscape.