USC QB Cody Kessler Will Win 2015 Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award

There is no denying that USC‘s Cody Kessler is the Pac-12’s best quarterback. And sure, in terms of the nation’s top QBs, Connor Cook and Vernon Adams offer plenty of skill and big-play ability, but nobody is better at stepping back in the pocket and delivering an accurate strike down the field than Kessler.

A four-star recruit, Kessler choose USC after offers from rival UCLA, Nebraska, Alabama and six more Pac-12 teams. After redshirting his freshman season, he got his time to shine in 2013 in the first week of the season and did decently well, throwing for 10-of-19 for 95 yards with a TD and an interception while playing through the first series of the second half. For the rest of 2013, Kessler was the full-time starter, finishing the season with 236-of-361 passing (65.4 percent) for 2,968 yards with 20 TDs and seven interceptions with one rushing TD.

In 2014, his junior season, Kessler had a completion percentage of 69.7 to cement an exemplary campaign, completing 315-of-452 passes for 3,826 yards with 39 TDs and just five interceptions. He also has two rushing TDs and averaged 33.0 yards on seven pooch punts.

This season, though, Kessler is back and is a favorite among many to win the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award (awarded to the best senior quarterback) and even the 2015 Heisman Memorial Trophy — and for good reason, too. Kessler lost Nelson Agholor to the NFL, but he will see familiar sophomore JuJu Smith as well as Darreus Rogers this season. And sure all of the other best QBs in the nation have elite receiving corps, rushing ability and overall talent, but Kessler has something that all of the nation’s QBs don’t have: precision passing, excellent footwork and an underrated football IQ.

This ultimate combination of natural ability and football technique are what truly set Kessler apart from most college QB. He may have anxious moments against top-25 opponents such as UCLA, Arizona and Arizona State, but I believe that he has learned from his mistakes in 2014 and will translate that into his play in 2015.

Last season Kessler was very dominant at times, but in comparison to deserving Heisman winner Marcus Mariota, he was only slightly above average. He has easy opponents in Arkansas State, Idaho and Colorado on the schedule, and I expect huge statistical performances of perhaps 400 yards or more against these opposing secondaries. USC averaged an unbelievable 35.8 points a game last season, and I don’t see that number going down in 2015.