It’s the most prestigious individual award in all of sports, and Athlon's Heisman Watch spotlights the top 25 candidates to hoist the trophy. Oklahoma State wide receiver Dez Bryant is next on the 2009 list, which will be released in no particular order.

A few years back, Georgia Tech receiver Calvin Johnson was widely regarded one of the elite players in college football. His name was mentioned at the beginning of the season as a Heisman contender, but despite his 1,202 yards and 15 TDs, he played on a team that didn’t contend for a conference championship and also that didn’t throw the ball enough for a receiver to take home the award.

Dez Bryant does not have either of those problems.

A year after establishing himself as the most dominant receiver in the game, Bryant, like Johnson, is being mentioned as a preseason Heisman contender. Last season, he caught 87 passes for 1,480 yards and 19 touchdowns and also returned 17 punts for 305 yards and two more scores.

Bryant’s numbers were even better than the highly regarded Michael Crabtree, who finished fifth in Heisman voting. But what Crabtree had was a “Heisman moment” by scoring that game-winning touchdown against Texas. Bryant will need a defining play of his own this year in order to claim college football’s top individual prize.

At 6-foot-2 and 215 pounds, Bryant is already a consensus All-American after just two seasons at Oklahoma State, where he has scored 27 touchdowns in 25 career games. He’s got breakaway speed and the ability to out-jump a defender. That’s the kind of ability that gives quarterback Zac Robinson the confidence to lob jump balls his way and watch him go to work.

Oklahoma State will again be a player in the Big 12 South, and with a win over Texas, Oklahoma or both, Bryant will see a significant increase in his Heisman stock.

Why he’ll be holding the hardware: Bryant’s the complete package. He’s a big, strong receiver who plays on a good team and returns kicks as well. He’ll have plenty of highlight-reel moments and the stats to back it up.

Why he’ll be left out: A wide receiver hasn’t won the Heisman since Desmond Howard struck his famous Heisman pose at Michigan in 1991 so that’s what’s working against Bryant. The Big 12 is a quarterback league, and with Bryant’s own quarterback a Heisman hopeful, he won’t be able to separate himself from Colt McCoy, Sam Bradford and Robinson.

Final analysis: Despite the odds stacked against him as a receiver, we like Bryant to finish in the top 5. He is simply one of the most exciting players to watch in college football. A 1,600-yard, 20-touchdown season is definitely within reach. Now that Crabtree is in the NFL, Bryant will be the focus of much-deserved national attention.