Texas Football: 3 players who nearly stole Heisman from Ricky Williams in 1998

Another case of a Group of Five player not getting enough respect involves the former Tulane Green Wave All-American quarterback Shaun King. Coming into the 1998 season, King was known as one of the better non-Power Five quarterbacks in the entire country. But few people would see what he did that season coming in the preseason.

King registered 3,508 passing yards, 38 passing touchdowns, and six interceptions. He completed 67.2 percent of his passing attempts, averaged a whopping 10.9 adjusted yards per passing attempt, and registered a sparkling 178.7 passer efficiency rating. For good measure, when former USC Trojans quarterback Matt Leinart won the Heisman Trophy in 2004 his passer efficiency rating was 156.5.

The efficiency that King posted as a Group of Five quarterback in 1998 should be lauded more like what former Hawaii Rainbow Warriors star Colt Brennan did in 2007 (finished third in Heisman voting).

Instead, King rounded out 10th in the final Heisman voting. It wasn’t for lack of success on the gridiron or added rushing stats either. King led Tulane to an undefeated 12-0 season in 1998, while adding 641 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground.

A season with 49 total touchdowns and just six interceptions for King, where his team finished with an undefeated record and final AP Poll placing of seventh, deserves way better than just 10th in the final Heisman voting.

If the Group of Five was getting more respect at the time, King would’ve been a much bigger challenger of Williams for the Heisman Trophy.