Keenan Reynolds isn’t receiving much mainstream consideration for the Heisman Trophy because the Navy quarterback doesn’t attend a power-conference school and his team isn’t undefeated.
That hasn’t stopped college football fans from voting for the senior, but the overwhelming voting support apparently led site organizers to remove Reynolds—who was (and as of this writing still is) atop the ballot—from the quick-pick portion of the ballot.
Navy Athletics pointed out the injustice.
#NavyFootball QB Keenan Reynolds was running away with the fan vote so @Nissan or @espn took him off the ballot: https://t.co/cwE4ZCLKGw
— Navy Athletics (@NavyAthletics) December 1, 2015
Instead of seeing Reynolds’ name after clicking “Vote Now,” fans must complete a three-step manual search for the quarterback.
This wouldn’t be a major story if Reynolds hadn’t already received 37 percent of the votes, nearly doubling Alabama running back and Heisman favorite Derrick Henry. But that’s exactly the case, and it’s a notable issue because the fan vote counts as one official Heisman Trophy vote.
Is this a conspiracy? Perhaps, and it kind of looks that way.
However, neither ESPN nor trophy sponsor Nissan have commented, so we’ll wait before declaring a final judgment.
Reynolds, who is on the verge of setting the NCAA career record for rushing touchdowns, has tallied 1,093 yards and 19 scores as the leader of Navy’s triple-option offense. He’s also thrown for 964 yards and six touchdowns while tossing a single interception in 84 attempts.
Although Reynolds isn’t the typical candidate in today’s era of college football, he’s still a deserving candidate.
Besides, if the fans want to vote Reynolds as the Heisman winner, why remove him from the top? It’s only one vote, and a non-power conference player would receive the recognition he’s earned.
Hopefully the site does the right thing and restores Reynolds to a prominent place on the fan ballot.