LSU football: Derrius Guice is a likely candidate for the 2017 Heisman Trophy

Tigers’ running back Derrius Guice is easily the brightest rising star in the LSU football program, if not the SEC as a whole.

Even when workhorse running back Leonard Fournette was on the field for the team, Guice still contributed greatly in 2016.

Guice has made a name for himself, earning a spot on the 2015 All-Freshman team and the title of SEC Freshman Player of the Week versus the South Carolina Gamecocks in the same year.

The sophomore athlete racked up a total of 1,387 rushing yards and 15 touchdowns last season, and will be hoping to continue his trend of success into next season. And it will be all eyes on Guice in the Baton Rouge spotlight now as Fournette enters the 2017 NFL Draft.

Though it’s still very early, one can make the bold prediction to say Guice will be in the mix for this year’s Heisman. Highly respected Sports Illustrated listed the running back as one of their “top 5 value bets” for college football’s top honors for 2017.

Many believe he will also be first-team all-conference in preseason in addition to being named SEC offensive player of the year this season as well.

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It may seem far-fetched at the moment, but if Guice plays even just a little better than he did last year, he has cemented a place for himself among college football’s most elite players.