Red Grange Award

Jayden Daniels, LSU (2023)

Fantasy Points: 566 (47.2 FPPG)

2. Ollie Gordon, Oklahoma State

3. Malik Nabers, LSU

In seventh grade, my friends and I used to pass notes in class debating baseball’s MVP during the winter. It was the beginning of my fascination with personal numbers versus team winning when analyzing a player for MVP accolades. What constituted a better MVP candidate? I have usually fallen on the player who helped a team win a championship. Yet, I have never been blindly loyal to the winning-team paradigm. There are exceptions to the rule, ie. Cal Ripken with the Orioles in 1991.

When I cast my vote for the Red Grange award, I debated the importance of winning versus the best player on the field. I finally decided that the best player deserved the award this year and cast my vote for Jayden Daniels, LSU. Three members of the committee agreed with my analysis, and the other two voters placed Daniels second behind Ollie Gordon. Daniels’ teammate Malik Nabers finished a distant third. Daniels’ numbers are so amazing that college football fans will look back in awe at the Tigers’ dual-threat star: He passed for over 3,800 yards and scrambled for more than 1,100 yards. He also totaled 50 touchdowns: 40 passing and 10 rushing. 

The statistics are historically mind-blowing and rank with the tremendous campaigns of Tim Tebow (2007), Cam Newton (2010), Lamar Jackson (2016), and Joe Burrow (2019). In six-point passing touchdown formats, Daniels surpassed 40 FPs 10 times, 50 points in three games and posted a season-best 74 in the CFF semifinals. He led thousands of CFF teams to the postseason, and in Weeks 12 and 13, the LSU signal caller scored 119.5 points, which assisted CFF managers in earning a ring.

Shockingly, before the season kicked off, Daniels had an ADP of 46.3, which was a fourth-round draft pick. It is very possible that astute CFF managers selected Caleb Williams (1.3), Bo Nix (5.8) or Drake Maye (8.6) early and grabbed Daniels as their second signal caller. It is clear by statistical analysis of the numbers that Daniels’ performance warrants the 2023 Red Grange award, and if I had a vote, he would be at the top of my Heisman ballot. 

John Laub

Bijan Robinson, Texas (2022)

Fantasy Points: 328 (27.3 FPPG)

2. Caleb Williams, USC

3. Nathaniel Dell, Houston

Ever since I was in the seventh grade at Rochambeau Middle School in Southbury, CT, I have argued with friends about MVP candidates. My love affair began by debating MLB baseball MVPs in the late Seventies. During the hot stove season, there was no bigger dispute among my friends. It sharpened debate skills and opened eyes to different perspectives.

For the Red Grange Award, I voted for Caleb Williams but the panel did not agree. Bijan Robinson came out on top, and it is tremendous that the panel disagreed with my analysis. Looking behind the curtain, Williams received two first-place votes but one panelist left the USC signal caller out of the top three candidates. Williams did not lead all CFF quarterbacks in scoring, concluding the campaign as the third-highest most productive quarterback behind Drake Maye and Austin Reed. 

Why did I vote for the Trojans’ field general? From a personal perspective, I loved having Williams as a late-night hammer on CFF teams. I would be trailing in a matchup, and Williams would be the last man to play in the lineup. On three occasions (Arizona State, California and Colorado), I was losing a game and the USC quarterback would score enough fantasy points to lead me to victory. From a statistical profile, he produced more than 40 FPs six times, including a season-best 50.9 against Utah. He scored less than 25 points only twice. Among quarterbacks, he finished sixth in passing yards (3,712), seventh in passing touchdowns (34), and third in FPPG (37.3). With his legs, he added 351 yards and 10 touchdowns to propel him to an elite level.

While Williams earned my vote, I completely see the argument in favor of Robinson. In CFF, Robinson scored the most points among all the ball carriers in the nation with 328 FPs in PPR formats. He surpassed 20 FPs in 11 games and exceeded 30 four times, including a season-high 48.3 against Kansas in CFF semifinals. The vote was the closest for CFF MVP in eight years: Robinson deserves being named the Red Grange winner in 2022. 

John Laub

Bailey Zappe, Western Kentucky (2021)

Fantasy Points: 630 (45 FPPG)

2. Jerreth Sterns, Western Kentucky

3. Breece Hall, Iowa State

On December 9, 2001, WWF Vengeance went live from San Diego, California. The card for the night saw fantastic matches with the Hardyz facing one another. Lita served as the guest referee. The Dudleys taking on Big Show and Kane, and The Undertaker facing off against RVD in a hardcore match. The memorable night led to a grand contest between Stone Cold Steve Austin, who had won the WWF Championship earlier, and “Y2J” Chris Jericho, who won the World Championship prior in the evening. The victor was named the grand champion. With an assist from Booker T and WWF CEO Vince McMahon, it was Jericho who went home undisputed.

This year’s Red Grange Award winner stands in a similar light…Undisputed. The entire panel saw Western Kentucky quarterback Bailey Zappe as the player who stood above every other CFF competitor. Zappe’s regular-season performance resulted in a stat line that topped not only every other CFF player in football but also Joe Burrow’s 2019 season. With two games left on the schedule, it would not be shocking to see him surpass Burrow’s passing numbers entirely. When Tyson Helton mentioned that he would bring back the glory days that featured Brandon Doughty and Mike White, he delivered with an incredibly smart hire and a phenomenal acquisition through the transfer portal. Congratulations to Zappe, your undisputed Red Grange CFF MVP.

Justin Heisey

DeVonta Smith, Alabama (2020)

Fantasy Points: 447 (34.4 FPPG)

2. Jaelon Darden, North Texas

3. Kyle Trask, Florida

Eight players earned votes for the 2020 CFF MVP. No other award had as wide of a variety of opinions among the panelists this year. Even the winner, DeVonta Smith, did not earn a vote from one of the experts, but he did garner the most first place votes with three, earning 18 points. 

At 6-1 and 175-pounds, Smith looks lean but he plays mean. He scored 318 FPs, which trailed only Zach Wilson and Kyle Trask in college fantasy football. He produced over 30 FPs in six games, including three outings over 40. The Crimson Tide speedster secured 83 passes for 1,327 yards and 15 receiving touchdowns. He topped 200 yards receiving twice (LSU and Mississippi State) and recorded at least two touchdowns five times. Smith produced a season for the ages in college fantasy football and was well worthy of being named the 2020 Red Grange Award winner. 

John Laub

Jalen Hurts, Oklahoma (2019)

Fantasy Points: 596 (42.6 FPPG)

2. Joe Burrow, LSU

3. Chuba Hubbard, Oklahoma State, Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin & Ja'Marr Chase, LSU

My esteemed colleague Mike Bainbridge made a stupendous case that Jalen Hurts is the CFF MVP. And the panel agreed with him. Nonetheless, Joe Burrow earned my vote at the top of the ballot, and I offer a dissenting opinion. When casting votes, I consider draft capital. Over the summer, Jalen Hurts had an ADP of around nine on Fantrax and was selected in 100% of leagues. However, Joe Burrow possessed an ADP of 169 and remained on the waiver wire in 27% of leagues when the season kicked off. Clearly, the former Buckeye did not earn enough praise in the CFF community and exceeded expectations. In theory, CFF diehards could have selected Hurts in the first round, and easily acquired Burrow in the eleventh round. Therefore, based on draft cost, I selected Burrow for the Red Grange Award.

Burrow led the Tigers to a historic undefeated season and likely, captured the Heisman Trophy after a story-book campaign. The senior completed an all-time FBS record 78.3% of his passes for 4,366 yards and tied the SEC mark with 44 touchdown passes. Stupendous! He passed for over 300 yards in 10 of 12 games and exceeded 400 yards twice. The senior produced over 30 fantasy points 11 times and over 40 points in three contests. In drafts, Burrow was likely selected as a CFF manager’s third quarterback and ascended to the top of the depth chart by the third week of the season while leading many teams to the post-season. Without question, Burrow provided the best return on investment in college fantasy football and deserves the CFF MVP nomination in my humble opinion.

John Laub

Kyler Murray, Oklahoma (2018)

Fantasy Points: 599 (42.8 FPPG)

2. D’Eriq King, Houston

3. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama & Darrell Henderson, Memphis

As a diehard fanatic of the American Athletic Conference, I really wanted to vote for Houston signal caller D’Eriq King. However, he suffered a season-ending injury in the CFF semi-finals against Tulane and missed championship matchups across the nation. Therefore, I could not place King atop my list. 

I debated QB Tua Tagovailoa (41 total touchdowns and 29.2 ppg.) and RB Eno Benjamin (17 touchdowns and 24.6 ppg) as the MVP but I could not disregard the back-to-back performances by Kyler Murray in the CFF playoffs. He scored 48.5 and 45.6 FPs on 636 yards passing, 213 yards rushing and nine total touchdowns. The Sooners' signal caller dominated CFF this season, leading all players with 599 FPs. For the year, Murray passed for 3,674 yards and 37 touchdowns and rushed for 853 yards and 11 touchdowns. Oklahoma finished the season with an 11-1 record, and many CFF managers rode the Murray train to a Championship ring.

John Laub

Lamar Jackson, Louisville (2017)

Fantasy Points: 577 (44.4 FPPG)

2. Rashaad Penny, San Diego State

3. Devin Singletary, Florida Atlantic, Trey Quinn, SMU & Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State

During my 37 years watching college football, I have never witnessed a player perform at the level Lamar Jackson reached in the past two seasons. Arguably, the Louisville quarterback posted the finest back-to-back campaigns in the illustrious history of the game. 

Last year’s Heisman winner has totaled 7,034 passing yards, 3,014 rushing yards and 93 total touchdowns during the past two seasons. In six games this year, Jackson passed for over 300 yards, and he rushed for over 100 yards in nine contests. Amazingly, he achieved both benchmarks in four games. Nearly every week, Jackson was much-watch TV among college football diehards, providing many memorable moments. 

Saturdays will not be the same without the tantalizing playmaker in 2018, but NFL fans will surely enjoy his electric skill-set. Luckily, I love both NFL and college fantasy football and look forward to watching Jackson throughout his professional career. 

John Laub

Lamar Jackson, Louisville (2016)

Fantasy Points: 605 (46.5 FPPG)

2a. Quinton Flowers, USF

2b. Patrick Mahomes, Texas Tech 

2c. D’Onta Foreman, Texas 

2d. Jeremy McNichols, Boise State

My esteemed colleague Mario Puig analyzed Lamar Jackson’s season so well that I’m not going to supplement it. Instead, I’ll pivot and discuss my second place vote for South Florida quarterback Quinton Flowers. 

Patrick Mahomes finished second among signal callers in points scored; however, CFB enthusiasts invested a tremendous amount of draft capital in the Texas Tech triggerman, who was one of the top three players selected. Flowers came at a much cheaper expense (second- or third-round selection) and finished third among all players in scoring. 

The dual-threat game breaker scored over 30 points in nine of 12 games, including a season-high 60 against Memphis. Flowers also rushed for over 100 yards in each of the final four weeks of the 2016 campaign—just in time for the fantasy playoffs—and scored 15 rushing touchdowns. The Gulf Coast star also tossed 22 aerial strikes to complement his rushing totals. As a draft day bargain, Flowers likely earned owners (like myself) a championship ring.

John Laub

Patrick Mahomes, II, Texas Tech (2015)

Fantasy Points: 508 (39.1 FPPG)

Corey Coleman 

Baylor

Fantasy Points: 341 (28.4 FPPG)

3. Derrick Henry, Alabama

Co-winners Patrick Mahomes and Corey Coleman shared the first Red Grange Award as each garnered eight points among the voters. As the close results indicate, the CFF experts all preferred a different competitor as the CFF MVP. Nonetheless, the Texas Tech signal caller received my support over the Baylor home run hitter. 

In 2014, the Red Raider field general suffered a broken wrist, playing in only seven games. During the past summer, Mahomes competed with Davis Webb for the starting position and did not earn the endorsement of coach Kliff Kingsbury until right before the season kicked off. 

By the end of the campaign, the 6-3 and 219-pound sophomore tossed 32 aerial strikes and scored 10 times. An underrated dual-threat, he also passed for 4,283 and rushed for 495 yards, averaging over 35 FPPG. In four games, he scored over 40 FPs and failed to eclipse 30 in only three contests. While Coleman shared the Red Grange Award with Mahomes, the Red Raiders' quarterback successful final weeks during the fantasy playoffs propelled him over the Bears' speedster in my opinion. 

John Laub