Heisman Watchlist Feature: Rondale Moore, WR, Purdue

Save your SEC apologist claims. Save your comments about how only quarterbacks win the Heisman. Our Heisman Watchlist features intend to highlight some of the best and most promising players in the country, and that’s why Purdue wide receiver Rondale Moore is today’s Heisman Watchlist Feature. 

Moore was one of the nation’s best players as a freshman for the Boilermakers. In his collegiate debut, Moore caught 11 passes for 109 yards and a score, while also scoring on a 76-yard run. He posted efforts of over 100 yard against Illinois, Missouri, and Boston College, before Moore delivered the signature performance of his freshman campaign. Hosting #2 Ohio State, Moore caught 12 passes for 170 yards and gained another 24 yards on the ground. The star freshman found the end zone twice, icing the game with an iconic run off a screen pass to stun the Buckeyes. 

After a year with over 1200 yards, 114 receptions, and 13 total TD (12 receiving, 1 rushing), Moore looked primed to be one of the best players in the nation, and he played that way in his first two contests, catching 24 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Unfortunately, Moore had a quiet game against TCU and then suffered a season-ending injury. So now, it’s been another year of building up the hype as Rondale Moore enters his third – and hopefully second full – season of college football, and it promises to be a great one. 

Game likely to be a Heisman Moment

Vs. Wisconsin, November 14

Wisconsin’s got a stiff defense, but Rondale Moore has proven capable of tearing any defense apart. If the Badgers prove to be a top-10 team, as many preseason polls have them, a big game by Moore and a potential stunning upset by the Boilermakers, would be about as good an opportunity the junior receiver will have for a Heisman moment against the Big Ten West favorites. There’s no Ohio State on the schedule this year, so this game, or road contests versus Minnesota and Michigan will be Moore’s chance for a big chance. 

Game likely to trip him up

Vs. Northwestern, October 31

The Wildcats may be coming off a dismal season, but they’re a year removed from an appearance in the Big 10 Championship game,  so they are a team you don’t want to underestimate. It’s also a home game stuck between right after their road trip to Ann Arbor and prior to their contests against Minnesota and Wisconsin. When you look up the definition of a trap game…this is it. 

Ultimately, Rondale Moore faces long odds to win the Heisman as a wide receiver on a middling team, but even without Ohio State, their Big 10 schedule provides opportunities for big wins, and if Moore puts up the numbers he’s proven capable of, there’s no reason he won’t be at least in the discussion. 

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BIG 10 Basketball: Forwards/Centers To Watch

The 2019-2020 college basketball season may have abruptly ended prior to March Madness, but it’s not too early to take a look at next season – we will be looking at a few of the top players in college basketball entering next season. Today, we’re checking out the top three returning forwards and centers in the Big 10. Incoming freshman recruits were not included in these rankings – these only cover players who have already played a collegiate season (or at least, most of one season). 

#3. Trayce Jackson-Davis, Indiana

Jackson-Davis may have soared under the radar on a mediocre Indiana team next year, but even if he can’t single-handedly lift the Hoosiers back to glory, the rising sophomore forward looks ready for big things next season. Jackson-Davis’s stats were relatively modest in his freshman campaign  – 13.5 points and 8.5 rebounds per game – but he shot 57% from the field and put up some massive games in high-profile contests. After putting up solid numbers in a breezy start to Indiana’s non-conference slate, Jackson-Davis raised some eyebrows with a 15 point, 8 rebound performance against #17 Florida State. 25 points and 15 rebounds in an overtime victory over Nebraska, a double-double against #21 Iowa, and a 27-point, 16-rebound effort at Minnesota highlighted a few of his top performances in conference play. The Big 10 was one of the most wide-open conferences, so the Hoosiers have a chance to shoot back up into the mix for the top seeds, and expect Jackson-Davis to be leading the charge. 

#2. Trevion Williams, Purdue

After averaging 5.2 points per game in his freshman year, Williams upped his numbers to 11.5 points and 7.6 rebounds per contest. A 52% shooter, Williams has a clear weakness at the free throw line, but his game off the charity stripe has been on an upwards trajectory since he arrived at Purdue, and I feel like he’s ready to explode in his junior year. He showed hints at such an explosion in Big 10 play this past season, recording double-doubles in games against #13 Penn State, at Wisconsin, and versus Michigan. His true monster performance came in a brutal double-overtime loss at Michigan, where, in front of a hostile crowd in Ann Arbor, Williams posted 36 points and a whopping 20 rebounds. He’s showcased high ceiling and potential to this point, and that looks like it’s getting ready to come together, which is great news for the Purdue Boilermakers. 

#1. Luka Garza, Iowa

No chance it was going to be anyone else. This is, of course, assuming Garza comes back to the Hawkeyes for another season, which it seems likely he will do. He is currently not projected as a selection in most mock drafts, but the Iowa star was an absolute beast this past year, one of the consensus top-2 players in the country. Averaging a touch under 24 points and 10 rebounds per game, Garza scored 20+ points in his final sixteen contests of the year. Picking out his top games is to pick diamonds from piles of jewels. He put up 44 points on Michigan when they were ranked #4, 38 points against Indiana, and 34 points and 12 rebounds against a ranked Penn State squad. No contest here, Garza is the best returning player in the country, and clearly in the Big 10.