• Baylor’s RG3 leaps to forefront of early Heisman conversation

    Robert Griffin III doing postgame ESPN interviewLongtime Kansas State coach Bill Snyder this week described Baylor’s Robert Griffin III “as good a quarterback as there is in the United States at any level.” Athlon Sports called him “the most dynamic force in college football.” A Fort Worth Star-Telegram writer explained RG3 as “Cam Newton without the drama.” Just this morning, ESPN’s Kirk Herbstreit was on Mike and Mike in the Morning singing Griffin’s praises. And the list goes on.

    Griffin’s performance has firmly positioned him among the nation’s early Heisman Trophy frontrunners. ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, CBSSports.com, The Sporting News and HeismanPundit.com all have RG3 among their top 5 this week, while 65% of respondents to an ESPN SportsNation poll agreed that he is a serious Heisman candidate. One media outlet claimed Griffin is the nation’s most searched-for college football player on Google.

    Through the first quarter of the season, Griffin not only leads the nation in passing efficiency — he’s on pace to shatter the NCAA record. A good quarterback throws more touchdowns than interceptions; RG3 has more touchdowns than incompletions on the season (13 TDs, 12 incompletions).

    He owns or shares 42 Baylor records, including career passing yards, touchdowns and completion percentage. And while he’s developed into an elite passer, he’s still got that speed when needed; he’s also in Baylor’s top 10 in career rushing yards and touchdowns.

    All that talent, and he’s also the type of man you’d want your daughter to marry. (Sorry, though; he’s already engaged, having proposed to his girlfriend after last year’s Homecoming victory.) He earned his political science degree in just three years, is set to graduate with his master’s in May, and aspires to go to law school after that. He’s a humble guy from a military family known among the local media for his easygoing nature and the goofy socks he wears every day.

    This is a young man Baylor fans can and should be proud of; even ESPN College GameDay host Chris Fowler called RG3 “a great ambassador for Baylor” after Griffin was interviewed on the show. Of course no one player is bigger than the team — and Griffin would be the first to tell you that — but this one man is leading the charge of carrying the Baylor name into the national college football discussion.

    If you haven’t seen Griffin play so far this season, your next chance is Saturday as the No. 15-ranked Bears head north to play at Kansas State at 2:30 p.m. CT; the game will be televised on ABC or ESPN (depending on your location; check BaylorBears.com later this week for complete details).

    You can also follow along with Griffin’s exploits via Facebook.com/RG3forHeisman and Twitter (@RG3forHeisman), as well as at BU-RG3.com, which features video highlights, stats and more covering Griffin’s accomplishments both on and off the field.

    Sic ’em, RG3!