ATHENS – Is it possible that Jarvis Jones, and not Aaron Murray, is Georgia’s top Heisman candidate?

The season is only two weeks old, and defensive players don’t usually get mentioned for the Heisman. But Jones, the junior outside linebacker from Columbus, has started to draw some of that talk after his start to the season.

This week, Jones was named the Walter Camp, Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik defensive player of the week, to go along with SEC defensive player of the week. He already has 3.5 sacks, after leading the SEC with 13.5 last year, and had a dominant performance at Missouri with two sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception he nearly returned for a touchdown.

All this has led Jones to be ranked sixth in this week’s Heisman “straw poll” by CBSsports.com and Heismanpundit.com. And the ESPN.com Heisman watch has Jones at seventh.

So what does Jones think about the Heisman talk?

“That’ll be big. I never thought about that one,” Jones said on Tuesday, with a laugh. “That'll be big. I'm doing everything I can in a team form, and everything that I've got in preparation, and everything I could. ...

"Just to be in New York, man, it would be an accomplishment for me.”

LSU’s Tyrann Mathieu made it to New York last year, but finished fifth. Michigan’s Charles Woodson is the only defensive player to win the Heisman, in 1997.

“I think Honey Badger definitely opened up the doors for us in this era here,” Jones said. “The dude was a ball hawk.”