Even now, on the fringes of the season, Houston coach Dana Holgorsen said he's not quite sure what he has in quarterback D'Eriq King. He's a terrific athlete. Holgorsen knew that from the moment King arrived at Houston last December, but too much of King's 2018 campaign was an improvisational art form, and Holgorsen wants to see something more rehearsed.
Of course, plotting out an offensive game plan for a guy of King's dazzling athleticism but atypical passing skills isn't a cut-and-paste job, so Holgorsen went looking for comparison points.
King's got a little Lamar Jackson in him, the way he extends plays, creates something from nothing.
He's got some of that Baker Mayfield swagger, too, Holgorsen said. He plays with a chip on his shoulder, an attitude that he's good enough to beat you on every play.
And the body -- 5-foot-11, 195 pounds, an athlete retrofitted to the QB position -- reminds Holgorsen a bit of Kyler Murray, too.
"I'm not saying he's those guys," Holgorsen said, "but he possesses the skill set like those guys had to be successful in college."
Jackson, Mayfield, Murray -- they all ended their careers with some Heisman hardware. King certainly could've been in the conversation for the Heisman last year, too, if he'd finished out the season. He'd racked up more than 3,600 yards and totaled 50 touchdowns before he went down with a knee injury against Tulane in mid-November.
"I wasn't really paying much attention," King said, "but with social media, people tell you how good or how bad you're doing."
Winning the Heisman is an uphill battle for any player outside the Power 5. Not since 1990 has a player from a current Group of 5 team won. But it's also not impossible. In fact, since 1996, a player outside the power conferences has finished in the top 10 in Heisman voting every year but one, including seven finalists.
And King's not the only Group of 5 star with a shot to crash the Heisman party. Here are 10 names worth monitoring this season and what they'll need to do to get to New York alongside the best of the Power 5. We've also included each athlete's PlayStation Player Impact Rating, which measures the effect of every player in college football relative to his position on a 0-100 scale, accounting for the skill of teammates and opponents on every play.
D'Eriq King, Houston QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 95
King's 13.1 points above replacement per game make him the No. 6-rated quarterback in our metric from 2018, just behind Dana Holgorsen's last protege, Will Grier.
Last year's numbers: King finished the season with more than 3,500 total yards and 50 touchdowns, which if projected over 13 healthy games would put him in the neighborhood of 5,000 yards and 60 TDs -- a season unlike any we've seen before.
The Daily Wager crew names Trevor Lawrence, Jake Fromm, Sam Ehlinger and D'Eriq King as value picks to win the 2019 Heisman Trophy.
Power 5 comparison: If you're missing Kyler Murray in college football already, tune in for a few Houston games to get your fix. King's combination of arm talent, mobility and an offense that allows both to thrive measures up nicely against last year's Heisman winner, and with Holgorsen now running the show, there's probably not a more fun coach-QB combination in the country.
How he gets to New York: It's actually not as tough as you might think. King is already getting preseason buzz as a dark horse, and that spotlight can be turned way up if he shows out in Week 1 against Oklahoma. The Sooners' D was a mess last season, and it was just three years ago that the Cougars pulled the upset over then-No. 7 Oklahoma. With Washington State, North Texas, Cincinnati, UCF and Memphis all on the docket, too, King should get his share of showcase games. And, if Colt Brennan's touchdown record falls, the question won't just be whether King gets to New York, but whether he can come home with the hardware.
Jordan Love, Utah State QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 84
Last year's numbers: Love was the only FBS player last season to throw for 3,500 yards, complete 64% of his passes and total 39 touchdowns with seven or fewer turnovers. The past two Power 5 QBs to do that -- Baker Mayfield and Marcus Mariota -- won the Heisman.
Power 5 comparison: Tall, physical pocket QB with great accuracy and a good decision-maker. He stacks up nicely vs. Georgia's Jake Fromm.
How he gets to New York: The Aggies had a strong season last year, so Love is already on the radar of a lot of voters. More importantly, however, he'll have some showcase opportunities. He'll play a prime-time Friday night opener against Wake Forest, then travel to LSU to play Oct. 5 and will have a shot at a signature win in November, too, with a home game against Boise State.
Kelvin Hopkins Jr., Army QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 94
Hopkins checks in just behind King and just ahead of Fromm for QBs in our metric, garnering 12.7 points above replacement per game.
Last year's numbers: Hopkins thrived in Army's option attack last season, racking up 23 total touchdowns to just four turnovers and was one of just five FBS quarterbacks to rush for 1,000 yards.
Power 5 comparison: Now that Georgia Tech has moved away from the option, no Power 5 teams are running Army's scheme, which makes it tough to find a surefire comparison. Still, his stat line and skill set weren't markedly different from Mississippi State's Nick Fitzgerald -- even if there's about 8 inches of height separating them.
How he gets to New York: In the past decade, the only other player to post 1,000 yards rushing and passing with 23 or more TDs and four or fewer turnovers was Navy's Keenan Reynolds in 2015, and he finished fifth in Heisman balloting that season. What could separate Hopkins is a Week 2 date with Michigan that, if Army pulls the upset, could set off a season-long push to honor a deserving Army cadet.
Brandon Wimbush, UCF QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 19
Getting benched in September and Ian Book sparking the Notre Dame offense isn't going to do much for your ranking here. Wimbush's talent was better than his ranking shows.
Last year's numbers: Wimbush was benched after three starts -- and four interceptions -- last season, but in 2017 he accounted for 30 touchdowns and more than 2,600 total yards.
Power 5 comparison: Wimbush has never approached the production of Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts, but he does find himself in a similar position. His arm talent was questioned, he was benched by a playoff team, and he transferred to a system where the QBs are allowed to flourish for 2019.
How he gets to New York: Name recognition won't be the issue for Wimbush, whose time at Notre Dame earned him plenty of attention and, with his classy handling of last year's QB change, the respect of teammates and pundits alike. So the question is all about production for Wimbush, and if he can showcase his arm and legs in a third straight undefeated regular season for UCF, he'll have a strong case at year's end that he just needed a change of scenery and a better system than he was afforded in South Bend, and he belongs on the Heisman stage.
Isaiah Wright, Temple WR
Playstation Player Impact Rating: 67
Wright checks in as just the 57th-ranked receiver, but that's not entirely reflective of how dynamic his game is or how much more he'll be utilized in 2019.
Last year's numbers: Wright caught just 33 balls for a mediocre 368 yards last season, but it was his work on special teams that stood out. Wright had two punt returns and one kick return for a score, amassing 1,575 total yards for the year. He was the only FBS player last season with a receiving, rushing, kick return and punt return TD.
Power 5 comparison: It's an overstatement to compare Wright to Purdue's Rondale Moore, but their skill sets certainly have some overlap. Both are blazingly fast and incredibly athletic, and both showcase their skills all over the field. The big difference is size, where Wright has about 5 inches and 50 pounds on Moore.
How he gets to New York: New Temple coach Rod Carey has said he plans to utilize Wright far more on offense this season, which is a necessary starting point. If Wright blossoms into a legitimate star on scrimmage downs, his work on special teams could force him into the Heisman conversation. Voters love guys who do more than one thing, and Wright is a highlight waiting to happen on offense and in the return game.
Curtis Weaver, Boise State OLB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 49
Our metric doesn't love Weaver, putting him at just 2.9 points above replacement per game, good for 111th among outside linebackers nationally. Perhaps this will make Weaver angry, and he'll take it out on Florida State.
Last year's numbers: As a sophomore, Weaver finished with 9.5 sacks and 15 tackles for loss, and no returning FBS player (minimum 200 pass rushes) had a higher rate of pressures per pass rush (17.1%) last season.
Power 5 comparison: He's a bit shorter and a bit more stout than Notre Dame's Julian Okwara, but the two look quite similar in terms of production, with similar rates of pressure, sacks and TFLs.
How he gets to New York: A defensive player getting the invite is probably less likely than a Group of 5 player, so getting both in the same guy seems unlikely. But hey, if voters are going to pay attention to Weaver despite his school, why not ignore his position, too? And lucky for Weaver, he gets to kick off the season with a high-profile game against Florida State, a team whose offensive line was as bad as any in the country last year. A big Week 1 can get the narrative started for Weaver, and if Boise State wins the Mountain West and heads to a New Year's Six bowl based on the strength of its defense, there will be a good case to be made.
Zac Thomas, Appalachian State QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 95
Believe it or not, Thomas checks in just behind last year's top two Heisman vote-getters in our metric, with 13.2 points above replacement per game, and just a tick ahead of Clemson's Trevor Lawrence.
Last year's numbers: As a sophomore, Thomas completed nearly 63% of his throws and accounted for 31 touchdowns running the show for App State. He was one of just five FBS quarterbacks to compile at least 30 touchdowns, 2,000 passing yards, 500 rushing yards and no more than 10 turnovers.
Power 5 comparison: Thomas didn't throw quite as often, but his 79.8 Total QBR, 152.6 passer rating and 8 yards per pass put him ahead of Texas' Sam Ehlinger across the board.
How he gets to New York: Thomas will get his shot against some beatable Power 5 foes in North Carolina and South Carolina, with the Gamecocks matchup coming in early November. If he can build a little buzz entering that game, then App State pulls the upset, it might be enough to capture voters' attention.
Cole McDonald, Hawai'i QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 46
He's just our 97th-ranked QB here, but there are certainly other stats that will state McDonald's case better.
Last year's numbers: McDonald threw it 484 times last season, good for fifth-most nationally. That helped him compile big numbers -- 3,875 yards and 36 touchdowns, among them.
Power 5 comparison: McDonald's stat line last year was nearly a mirror image of that of Oklahoma State's Taylor Cornelius, which makes sense. McDonald looks the part of the perfect air raid QB. At 6-foot-4, he has the size to see the whole field, and he likes to chuck it around.
How he gets to New York: Voters like stats. Hawaii's going to throw the ball a lot. That's a pretty good formula for getting their attention. Plus, the blueprint is already drawn. McDonald just needs to approach Brennan's touchdown record, and he'll get a crack at becoming Hawaii's second finalist.
Mason Fine, North Texas QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 82
At 10.1 points above replacement per game, Fine's in the same territory as Texas A&M's Kellen Mond and Texas' Ehlinger, making the battle for the Lone Star State's top QB an interesting one.
Last year's numbers: Fine was more than fine last season (sorry, we had to do it), tossing 27 touchdowns, five interceptions and completing better than 64% of his throws for nearly 3,800 yards. In the past decade, only eight other QBs have done that, and all but one has since started an NFL game.
Power 5 comparison: At 5-foot-11, Fine's not the prototype but he's got an arm and hasn't shown a tendency to suffer for his lack of height. His game actually more resembles taller passers like former NC State QB Ryan Finley than the smaller stars like Murray.
How he gets to New York: Amid the stats-conscious followers, Fine already has a good bit of "off the radar" love, which helps because his path won't have many signature moments. A matchup against King and Houston in late September might be his best shot to turn heads.
Mitchell Guadagni, Toledo QB
PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 88
He's not the biggest name, but his 11.2 points above replacement per game puts him in the same class as Drew Lock and Feleipe Franks last season.
Last year's numbers: Guadagni missed seven games last season, including the final five, but still threw for 13 TDs to just three picks and racked up more than 500 yards on the ground (not counting sacks), while his passer rating of 162 is fifth best among returning QBs. Give him a full season, and Guadagni's numbers could be closer to 4,000 yards and 40 total TDs.
Power 5 comparison: He's a slightly taller version of Trace McSorley, with good arm strength and impressive mobility that helps him extend plays. Had Guadagni stayed healthy last year, his stat line would've almost certainly eclipsed the numbers McSorley posted for Penn State.
How he gets to New York: OK, Guadagni is the dark horse's dark horse, and Toledo isn't exactly going to be high-profile this season. But athleticism turns heads and Guadagni's got that in spades. If he can post 3,000 passing yards and 1,000 more on the ground, he could easily make a Jordan Lynch-type of argument that he belongs among the finalists.
Others to consider: South Florida QB Blake Barnett (PlayStation Player Impact Rating: 45), Ohio QB Nathan Rourke (84), UAB RB Spencer Brown (93), North Texas WR Rico Bussey Jr. (52), Louisiana Tech WR Adrian Hardy (40), SMU WR James Proche (33), Cincinnati RB Michael Warren (52), Memphis QB Brady White (90).