Transfer quarterbacks have become the past three Heisman Trophy winners. Jamie Newman fits the bill as he will play 2020 as his new school, Georgia. Here are two props available to wager at Mybookie on Newman’s Heisman Trophy chances and Georgia’s 2020 college football season – assuming there is one – and an overview.
Jamie Newman Heisman Trophy Odds & Analysis For 2020 Season
- Heisman Trophy odds: Newman is +800
- Odds to win national title: Georgia is +800 fourth-favorite
No player from Wake Forest has ever come close to winning the Heisman Trophy – so at least Jamie Newman gave himself a chance at the award in 2020 by transferring from Wake to UGA.
Newman attended Graham High School in Graham, North Carolina. He was a four-year starter at quarterback and picked Wake Forest over Syracuse. The 6-foot-3, 220-pound Newman was rated three stars by most major recruiting services and also had offers from Vanderbilt, Duke, West Virginia, North Carolina State and Boston College.
Newman redshirted his true freshman season at Wake Forest and then played just 22 snaps as a redshirt freshman in 2017. The next season, Newman began the year as the backup to Sam Hartman, but he broke his leg in an early September game vs. Syracuse and Newman would go 3-1 as a starter.
In his first career start at No. 14 NC State on Nov. 8, 2018, Newman led the Deacons to come-from-behind 27-23 win with game-winning 2-minute drill. He hit Jack Freudenthal with a 32-yard pass with 30 seconds left. Newman would finish 22-for-33 passing for 297 yard and three scores. He became the third QB in school history to throw three TD passes in first career start, joining Keith West vs Vanderbilt (1990) and Norm Snead vs. Maryland (1958). Newman had the second-most passing yards ever by a Wake Forest QB in first career start, trailing only Sam Hartman (378 vs. Tulane, 2018).
Last year, Newman was the clear-cut starter as Wake finished 8-5 following a loss to Michigan State in the Pinstripe Bowl. Newman completed 12-of-27 passes for 175 yards and three touchdowns with one interception in what would prove to be his final game at Wake Forest. Newman, who had to leave the game late in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury, was also Wake Forest’s rushing leader as he accounted for 87 yards on 17 carries.
For the season, Newman completed 60.9 percent of his passes, throwing for 2,868 yards and 26 touchdowns with 11 interceptions. Newman also rushed for 574 yards and six touchdowns. He finished second in the ACC in total offense yards per game at 286.8, was fifth in the ACC in passing yards per game at 239.0 and fourth in passing efficiency with a 145.3 rating.
Newman’s 227.9 career total offense yards per game is school record and 19th in ACC history and 286.8 season total offense yards per game is second-best. His 142.7 career passing efficiency is 18th in ACC history. Newman set a Wake Forest record by throwing a touchdown pass in 12 consecutive games including the final four games of 2018 and the first eight games of 2019. His 2,868 passing yards were fourth-most in a season and his 26 touchdown passes tied for the second-most in a season. Newman’s 35 career TD passes are fifth-most in school history.
For whatever reason, Newman then decided to transfer and Georgia beat out Oregon, Washington, Maryland and Miami. Newman announced his decision two days after 2019 Dawgs starter Jake Fromm declared for the 2020 NFL draft. The Bulldogs other scholarship quarterbacks are former walk-on Stetson Bennett, redshirt freshman D’Wan Mathis and early enrollee freshman Carson Beck.
“I am excited about joining such a great football program under the leadership of Coach [Kirby] Smart and offensive coordinator Coach [James] Coley,” Newman said. “I believe in UGA’s amazing staff, great football program, and the passionate fans supporting this team.”
Newman has spent part of the offseason working out with former UGA quarterback and current Ohio State star Justin Fields, among others. Even with the exit of Fromm, star running back D’Andre Swift and most of the offensive line, Georgia enters the 2019 season as the favorite to repeat in the SEC East.
Georgia does have a new offensive coordinator this season in Todd Monken. He was on the same role last year with the Cleveland Browns, and new Cleveland coach Kevin Stefanski didn’t retain him. UGA was fifth in the SEC in scoring (30.8 points per game), total offense (408.1 yards), passing (223.0) and rushing (185.1) last year.
The Dawgs open the season Sept. 7 in Atlanta vs. Virginia in the Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game.
