But even the most unselfish among us have moments of weakness, right? Every now and then, Brohm will admit, he finds himself thinking about a certain little guy forever locked in a familiar stiff-arm.

If he can stay healthy and master the new wrinkles of first-year coach Steve Kragthorpe's system, Brohm appears poised for a huge senior season. And that has people talking up his chances of winning the Heisman Trophy.

"I think you'd be lying if you said you didn't think about it," he said. "It's probably the most prestigious individual award in sports. It's a great honor to even be mentioned as a preseason candidate.

"I think every player on our team wants to be in that position. The key is to not worry about it and not think too much about it."

Brohm is focusing instead on getting ready for the season, and he is feeling stronger and healthier than ever before during summer workouts.

It's Louisville's job to worry about the campaign season. Last week the school launched a Web site - www.brianbrohm.info - that has his game highlights along with statistics, records and news articles. The school plans to update the site throughout the season to include game clips and a weekly Brohm diary.

The school also will soon send out notebooks with Brohm on the cover to football writers across the country (wide receiver Harry Douglas and linebacker Malik Jackson are on the inside and back covers).

Louisville football spokesman Rocco Gasparro, who will be running the campaign, said the school isn't planning any marketing stunts or shipping out any distinctive items such as the Dave Ragone bobblehead doll from a few years ago. Gasparro didn't even come up with a promotional slogan like last year's "Derby City Duo."

"We didn't feel like we had to do some nifty campaign to get his name out there, because his name is already out there," he said. "He's one of the top players in the country, and we're going to be on national TV as much as 10 times this season.

"If we feel we need to do something to boost his presence later in the season, we'll do whatever we have to do to keep his name out there in the forefront. But if we are in contention and winning, his name is going to be out there no matter what."

At Arkansas, where running back Darren McFadden is considered the preseason frontrunner, team officials are launching a Heisman Web site, mailing out notebooks and considering a highlight DVD package.

West Virginia, however, isn't doing anything extra to publicize its pair of candidates, quarterback Patrick White and running back Steve Slaton.

Rutgers is pumping up running back Ray Rice with a Web site called SeeRayRun.com and a video that will play at Times Square in New York City. The school also will mail a surprise Rice gift to media members later this month. For Colt Brennan, who broke the NCAA season record for touchdown passes last season, Hawaii will unveil a 43-minute highlight DVD on its Web site on July 23.

Southern California has the preseason No. 1 team, which means quarterback John David Booty will draw a lot of Heisman attention. But the Trojans are taking a "low-key approach" to promoting him, sports information director Tim Tessalone said. They'll wait to see how the season goes before deciding whether to boost their efforts.

"Voters are very sophisticated now, and they can get plenty of information about the leading candidates on their own," he said. "Highlights are available 24/7 on ESPN and on the Internet, so if a player is going to garner attention, it's going to happen naturally.

"Maybe the smaller schools that don't draw as much national interest have to do those promotional-type things. But the danger is if you spend a lot of money and manpower on that, and then a kid gets hurt or doesn't perform, then you've wasted that time and money. Even worse, you might have damaged your credibility."

For Brohm, that kind of exposure is nothing new. This is a player, after all, who appeared on the cover of Sports Illustrated magazine when he was still at Trinity High School.

"I think I'm well-prepared for it with all the past attention I've gotten, even in high school," he said.

And he knows that to reach his individual goals, his team will have to succeed, too.

"Only one guy in the country is going to get it, so it's a tough thing to win," he said. "It's really about how the team plays out and how the season plays out. A lot is in your hands, but then again, a lot isn't, either."

Trophy seekers

Five of the last six Heisman Trophy winners have been quarterbacks. Brian Brohm's notable preseason Heisman competition includes:

- Darren McFadden, Jr. RB, Arkansas.

- Steve Slaton, Jr. RB, West Virginia.

- Ray Rice, Jr. RB, Rutgers.

- John David Booty, Sr. QB, USC.

- Mike Hart, Sr. RB, Michigan.

- Colt Brennan, Sr. QB, Hawai'i.