Jared Goff Getting Lots of Love, Both Locally and Nationally

By Sean Bialaszek | Sep 17, 2015

California Golden Bears‘ quarterback Jared Goff is off to a great start for the 2015 season. In a pair of games, Goff has thrown for 630 yards and six touchdowns, all while completing more than 73 percent of his pass attempts. And that’s while sitting out about three quarters of action, because his team has had commanding leads in both ballgames. He is a big reason, probably the biggest, why the Bears are sitting with a 2-0 record. For his efforts, Goff is getting a lot of love.

On Wednesday night, USA Today’s Paul Myerberg released his Heisman Trophy watchlist entering week three of the college football season. The list was spearheaded by TCU’s senior quarterback, Trevone Boykin. Farther down the list, settling in near the bottom of the top-10 at number nine, was Goff. In Myerberg’s excerpt for Cal’s junior, he would say:

"Though it’s probably insane to extrapolate full-season numbers off of two games, Goff’s on pace to throw for 4,100 yards and 40 touchdowns for the Golden Bears in 2015 — which seems pretty much accurate, actually. That Goff would have All-America totals was expected, so his Heisman campaign hinges on California’s ability to win games in the Pac-12 Conference. The Bears have looked the part through two games."

The numbers that Myerberg puts Goff on pace for, 4,000 yards and 40 touchdowns, seem very reasonable for Goff, as in his sophomore campaign, Goff fell just 27 yards shy of 4,000 for the year, and racked up 35 touchdowns through the air. If Goff were to remain healthy (which is usually the biggest variable for any athlete chasing a milestone or award), he should shatter his totals from last year, both of which are school records.

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If Goff were to somehow continue to crawl up this list and come away with the Heisman Memorial Trophy, he would be the first Bear to take home the honor. The Bears haven’t had anyone finish in the top-10 in voting since 2004, when both J.J. Arrington (eighth), and Aaron Rodgers (ninth) cracked the list.

On a more local stage, Goff was also placed on to the list of most exciting Bay Area athletes, as ranked by the San Francisco Chronicle’s Scott Ostler. Goff is ranked at number-five, and is among some elite company.

Behind Goff, Oakland Athletics’ ace and American League Cy Young contender Sonny Gray is ranked 10th, just behind Golden State Warriors’ heartbeat Draymond Green, who is ninth. Oakland Raiders’ great young pass-rusher Khalil Mack finds himself eighth, while San Francisco 49ers’ quarterback Colin Kaepernick is seventh. Just behind Goff, one half of the Warriors’ Splash Brothers, Klay Thompson, sits.

Goff has nothing to be ashamed of being ranked fifth. Directly in front of him is the 49ers’ young superstar-in-the-making, running back Carlos Hyde. At third and second are a pair of San Francisco Giants, in Madison Bumgarner and Buster Posey. And of course, leading the pack is the reigning NBA MVP and master of excitement, Stephen Curry.

Goff is the only college athlete on that list, and is accompanied by a lot of great players. Among Goff’s nine contemporaries, there are two MVP awards, nine championship rings, and 10 All-Star appearances. So Goff is definitely in some high-quality company.

Ostler described Goff by saying he “might be the No. 1 pick in the next NFL draft”, and added that there is a “whiff of Aaron Rodgers in the air” at Strawberry Canyon. Not only is Goff ranked with some of the best athletes in sports, but he’s compared to another as well.

Goff deserves this kind of attention. He’s one of, if not the best quarterback in college football, and he’s not even at legal drinking age yet. There is still a lot of room to grow. Whichever NFL team gets him will have a very special player on their hands.

Next: Defense Leads Cal to 2-0 Record