Heisman Trophy Winner Rankings: Who Had The Best Seasons?

Heisman Trophy Winners Ranking: Who were the most worthy winners among the college football legends?

What would happen if you took all 86 Heisman winners and tried to figure out who were the most worthy and who had the best seasons in their respective campaigns?


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The Heisman is supposed to go to the player who had the best year, so throwing out everything else you know about many of the greatest college football players ever, and only going by their Heisman winning years – and NOT factoring in how they did in the pros – here’s how their respective winning seasons would stack up.

This isn’t a ranking of the best players of all-time. It’s a ranking of how good each Heisman-winning season was compared to the rest of the field, and put into a historical sense.

There are several things to take into account with all-time Heisman rankings.

The information available now is night-and-day better than it was in past eras.

With the internet, ESPN, on-demand stats, better television coverage, better direct marketing campaigns, and more sophisticated sports information departments, the Heisman voting is – 2020 finish behind DeVonta Smith aside – far, far stronger than it was in the old days.

That’s why many of the older winners are further down the list – they weren’t necessarily the best candidates. However, that didn’t stop a few major mistakes in recent seasons, too.

Historically, the Heisman almost always went to junior or senior offensive skill players – underclassmen winning the thing is relatively new.

Don’t just go by statistics. Different eras meant different things to the numbers.

– Who was the signature player in each season? That’s always debatable, but a whole lot of older winners got the Heisman because it was their turn, and not necessarily because they were the biggest stars of the season or had the best campaigns.

Several players on this list had better seasons than their Heisman winning years, but they don’t count. For example, Army’s Glenn Davis would’ve probably ended up in the top three if either of the two seasons before his Heisman winning year were included. Nebraska’s Johnny Rodgers was better in 1971 than he was in 1972 when he won the Heisman. Only the Heisman winning seasons count.

And finally, all of these players were amazing, all of them are legends, and all of them are key parts of the history of college football. There’s no ripping on the players here – it’s all about the worthiness of the win in their respective seasons.

And with that …

Heisman Winner Rankings 
Top 86 | Top 75 | Top 50Top 25 | Top 20 | Top 10 | Top 5

86. 1967 Gary Beban, QB UCLA

runner-up: O.J. Simpson, RB USC

The strangest of all Heisman victories, Beban only threw for 1,359 yards with eight touchdown passes and eight interceptions. His one shining moment came on national television completing 16 of 24 passes for 301 yards with two touchdowns and an interception against USC. There was one problem … UCLA lost thanks to a scintillating performance from Trojan star RB O.J. Simpson.

Simpson led his team to the national title thanks to a historic 64-yard touchdown run against the Bruins to finish with 1,543 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns. Beban did run for 11 scores on the season, but he only gained 227 yards.

85. 1953 Johnny Lattner, HB Notre Dame

runner-up: Paul Giel, HB Minnesota

Call this one for the Notre Dame hype machine. Lattner didn’t even lead the Irish in passing, rushing, receiving or scoring. He was a great all-purpose player and a fantastic defensive back, but his close win over Minnesota’s Paul Giel is among Heisman historians’ all-time arguments.

84. 2001 Eric Crouch, QB Nebraska

runner-up: Rex Grossman, QB Florida

Had Florida’s Rex Grossman been a senior and Nebraska’s Eric Crouch been a sophomore, and not the other way around, it would’ve been a Grossman landslide. Crouch had a great year rushing, but his claim to the honor was a touchdown catch to seal a win over Oklahoma. Grossman threw for fewer than 300 yards once, 290 in the win over Florida State, and in the team’s biggest games he threw for 362 against Tennessee, 464 against LSU and 407 against Georgia.

83. 1971 Pat Sullivan, QB Auburn

runner-up: Ed Marinaro, RB Cornell

Sullivan was a fine passer, but he was known more for being a great winner and leader, getting Auburn to a 9-0 start. However, he had his worst performance in the biggest game of the year, throwing for only 121 yards with two interceptions in a 31-7 loss to Alabama. On the year, he threw for 2,262 yards and 21 touchdowns with 13 picks, and he ran for 66 yards and two scores. He won partly because he was tremendous the year before – he had a better 1970 season.

82. 1992 Gino Torretta, QB Miami

runner-up: Marshall Faulk, RB San Diego State

Torretta’s name has become unfairly become synonymous for players who win the Heisman when voters can’t decide on a candidate. He threw for a solid 3,060 yards and 19 touchdowns with seven interceptions before the Sugar Bowl loss to Alabama, but it helped that he was a senior, and San Diego State’s Marshall Faulk and Georgia’s Garrison Hearst weren’t.

81. 1956 Paul Hornung, QB Notre Dame

runner-up: Johnny Majors, RB Tennessee

Either you could say Hornung won because of the Notre Dame name, or you can just call him a victim of circumstance as he was a great player on a lousy team. The only Heisman winner from a losing team, he only ran for 420 yards and racked up 1,337 yards of total offense. However, stats don’t measure quite how good he was on an awful team.

80. 1947 Johnny Lujack, QB Notre Dame

runner-up: Bob Chappus, HB Michigan

Sort of the early version of Gino Torretta, Lujack won the Heisman as the signature player on a ridiculously talented team. Along with being one of the most accurate quarterbacks in the first half of the 20th Century, he was also known for being a top tackler.

79. 1975 Archie Griffin, RB Ohio State

runner-up: Chuck Muncie, RB California

One of the great Heisman debates, Griffin won his second straight award despite only rushing for only four touchdowns – Pete Johnson took carries and stats away rushing for 1,059 yards and 26 touchdowns. Cal’s Chuck Muncie ran for 1,460 yards averaging 6.4 yards per carry with 13 touchdowns. Worse yet, Griffin had his only non-100-yard day against Michigan with a 46-yard performance. The Buckeyes still won and went off to the Rose Bowl where they lost to UCLA – Griffin ran for 93 yards.

78. 1958 Pete Dawkins, RB Army

runner-up: Randy Duncan, QB Iowa

Dawkins was the leader of a mighty Army team that went 8-0-1. He ran for 12 touchdowns and was a decent kick returner, but he primarily won the Heisman for being the American ideal. He was smart, good-looking, and the top player for the high-powered Army team.

77. 1959 Billy Cannon, HB LSU

runner-up: Rich Lucas, QB Penn State

Cannon was the heart and soul of the 11-0 LSU team … in 1958. He was good in 1959, remembered for a legendary performance in a 7-3 win over Ole Miss, but he won the Award off the year before. Had he won it in 1958, Cannon would be much, much higher on this list.

76. 1964 John Huarte, QB Notre Dame

runner-up: Jerry Rhome, QB Tulsa

Huarte had a good season leading the Irish to a 9-1 record, but it was nothing special, only completing 57% of his passes for 2,062 yards and 16

Heisman Winner Rankings 
Top 86 | Top 75 | Top 50Top 25 | Top 20 | Top 10 | Top 5

 

NEXT: Top 75 All-Time Heisman Winners

Heisman Trophy Candidates. Can ANYONE Beat Caleb Williams?

Who are the top candidates still in the mix for the 2022 Heisman Trophy race? Are there ANY candidates worthy other than Caleb Williams?

Who’s in the hunt for the 2022 Heisman Trophy? Are there any other candidates than Caleb Williams now?


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Heisman Watch: Top Candidates, Championship Week

Week 13 Roundup
Rankings CFN 1-131 RankingsAP | Coaches
Bowl Eligible TeamsWeek 13 Scoreboard
Championship Week opening lines | CFP Top 25 Prediction
Bowl Projections, CFP Predictions | CFP Chase: 6 Teams Alive
Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Last year at this time we still didn’t really know who the Heisman finalists were, much less the possible winner.

Alabama QB Bryce Young put together a drive for the ages to get by Auburn, but whatever – his candidacy was about to run into a hard wall with Georgia coming up next.

And then he threw for 421 yards and three touchdowns in the 41-24 SEC Championship win. That made it easy, and it’s simple this year, too, unless Caleb Williams has a disastrous day against Utah in the Pac-12 Championship.

Full disclosure, I’m a Heisman voter and can’t reveal my vote, preferences, or potential ideas for my ballot under penalty of death, or something far, far worse – like being forced to watch some sort of country music holiday special. With that said …

Can anyone provide any sort of a challenge to Williams?

The USC star did what he had to against Notre Dame, taking the Carson Palmer 2002 Heisman playbook and stepping up when the world was watching. However, Palmer didn’t have to play in a Pac-12 Championship with a College Football Playoff spot on the line.

There might be an opportunity for someone other than Williams to take the cheese with one monster performance this weekend.

Here are the five top realistic candidates for the 2022 Heisman Trophy.

Player(s) of Week 13

RB Donovan Edwards & QB JJ McCarthy, Michigan
But … but … Blake Corum?

After a week of speculation about whether or not Corum could play against Ohio State, he only ran twice for six yards. Edwards stepped up behind a great day from the Michigan offensive line, running 22 times for 216 yards and two scores. McCarthy ran six times for 27 yard and a score, and he hit half his passes for 263 yards and three touchdowns without a pick in the shocking 45-23 win.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

Reality check – if you’re not playing this weekend in one of the conference championship games, you’re not winning the 2022 Heisman Trophy.

You might be a finalist, but it’s going to take something amazing just to be close to the pin if you’re not doing something Heismaney with everyone paying attention.

Next week will be the list of finalists, and again, a few of these guys could be on it. None of them will win the trophy, though.

In alphabetical order …

QB Hendon Hooker, Tennessee
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
QB Bo Nix, Oregon
RB Bijan Robinson, Texas
QB Bryce Young, Alabama

5. RB Blake Corum, Michigan

Unstoppable throughout the regular season, he wasn’t needed much in the first three games – he still managed to crank up five touchdown runs against UConn. Once the lights came on, he was fantastic averaging close to six yards per carry with 18 scores before suffering a knee injury late in the year against Illinois. He ran for 108 yards against the Illini as part of a run of eight straight 100-yard days.

Why Blake Corum Will Win the Heisman: He was the signature star for what’s turning into the signature team of the college football regular season. Seriously, Georgia was fun and all, but does it have wins as good as Michigan has over Ohio State and Penn State?

Why Blake Corum Won’t Win the Heisman: Shhhhhhh. You’re not supposed to say this out loud, but … 1) Blake Corum isn’t the best running back in college football – Bijan Robinson probably is. 2) Blake Corum isn’t the best running back in the Big Ten. He’s not even in the top two – Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim and Chase Brown of Illinois had better seasons.

All that, and he – TOTALLY unfair, but it’s part of the Heisman deal – didn’t do much against Ohio State, and he’s hardly a lock to be a big factor in the Big Ten Championship with his knee injury still a concern.

NEXT: 2022 Heisman Candidates: Top 4

Heisman Trophy Watch Top Candidates After Week 7: The Race Is On

2022 Heisman Trophy race: Who are the top candidates now that the race is on?

Who’s in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy? The top candidates, what they need to do, and who still has a realistic shot.


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Heisman Trophy Watch: Top Candidates, Week 7

College Football Week 7 Roundup
CFN 1-131 Rankings | Rankings by Conference
Bowl Projections | Week 7 Scoreboard
Week 8 Early Lines | AP Rankings | Coaches Poll
What 12-Team Playoff Would Look Like
Top 10 Hot Seat Coach Rankings
Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

And now it’s on.

The race for the Heisman Trophy hadn’t really kicked in yet.

Bryce Young was banged up, no one who goes to bed at a reasonable hour had seen Caleb Williams play a full game, CJ Stroud was rolling with too much ease – there wasn’t any intrigue.

That all changed up in a big way last weekend, and now the Heisman Trophy chase is in high gear.

Who are the five most realistic candidates in the hunt? As a Heisman voter, I’m not allowed to reveal my thoughts or ballot under penalty of death – or worse, be forced to watch the Iowa offense – but here’s the best guess at how the voting would go if the season were to end now.

Before getting going, remember the reality of this thing. To be in the hunt, you have to 1) be on a team in the mix for the national title, or at least the College Football Playoff, 2) be a quarterback, or 3) be having an otherworldly season if you’re at another position.

And you have to do stuff when everyone is watching.

To me, it’s about who the signature player is in a given season – a combination of MVP and MOP – but again, this list isn’t necessarily what I would do with my ballot.

The top five players in the Heisman Trophy race after Week 7 are …

Player of Week 7

WR Jalin Hyatt, Tennessee
There were a few other guys out there who had pretty good days, too, but Hyatt came up with something otherworldly in the 52-49 win over Alabama. He only made six grabs, but they were all big with 207 yard and a school-record five touchdowns.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

These five are in the waiting room with the potential to make it on to the set, but they all need to rise up and rock over the next several weeks, and they need the top five to stumble.

In alphabetical order …

QB Stetson Bennett, Georgia
QB Max Duggan, TCU
QB Drake Maye, North Carolina
QB Dorian Thompson-Robinson, UCLA
QB DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson

5. RB Blake Corum, Michigan

Why Blake Corum Will Win the Heisman: It’s been totally forgotten about now, but if Bryce Young doesn’t lead Alabama to that amazing game-winning drive against Auburn last year – and if Tank Bigsby had stayed in bounds – we’re talking about Michigan trying to get its second Heisman in a row.

Aidan Hutchinson proved Michigan players really can be in the mix for this thing, and now Corum is starting to build up his own Heisman resumé.

He hit the 120-yard mark in each of the four Big Ten games – and didn’t in the first three games of the season because the team didn’t need him. The 901 yards are great, the 13 touchdowns are strong, and running for 166 yards and two scores against Penn State was huge.

Rock against Michigan State, keep on winning, and then roll up Ohio State, and then look out.

Why Blake Corum Won’t Win the Heisman: It’s not wrong to think he’s not even the best back in the Big Ten, or even second.

Chase Brown of Illinois is having a monster season, but the name recognition isn’t there to be in the Heisman mix. Minnesota’s Mohamed Ibrahim is right there in the discussion of best backs in the Big Ten, Wisconsin’s Braelon Allen has to be in the mix, and the Ohio State backs are …

Corum is the star of an unbeaten Michigan team that keeps on rolling. To be in the hunt for the Heisman, though, the stats and performances have been great, but it all has to go up several notches in this beauty contest.

NEXT: 2022 Heisman Candidates: Top 4

Heisman Watch Top Candidates After Week 13: Does ANYONE Want To Win This?

Who are the top candidates still in the mix for the 2021 Heisman Trophy race? Are there ANY candidates worthy of the honor?

Who’s in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy? The top candidates, what they need to do, and who still has a realistic shot.


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Heisman Watch: Top Candidates, Championship Week

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Week 13 Roundup
Rankings CFN 1-130 RankingsAP | Coaches
Bowl Eligible TeamsWeek 13 Scoreboard
Week 14 opening lines | CFP Top 25 Prediction
Bowl Projections, CFP Predictions
Riley to USC, Napier to Florida: GAME ON
College Football Playoff Chase: 6 Teams Alive

Seriously, is anyone Heisman-worthy this year?

It’s supposed to go to the best player in college football, but realistically, it goes to the top player who’s the best combination Most Valuable Player and Most Outstanding Player.

The Heisman winner needs the stats, and it needs that moment. It needs that game when the world realized it’s seeing the signature player of the college football regular season.

Yeah, there aren’t any players who fit all of that this year. At least not yet.

So let’s give it a try. Who are the five top favorites to win the 2021 Heisman Trophy?

Player(s) of Week 13

RB Hassan Haskins & DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan
Haskins ran for 169 yards and five touchdowns in the 42-27 win over Ohio State – granted, all five Wolverine offensive linemen deserve credit here, too. On the other side, Hutchinson led a dominant performance by the defensive front, coming up with seven tackles with three sacks.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

Now. before going forward, let’s cut through all of the hoo-ha. With one notable exception on the list, you’re not winning the 2021 Heisman Trophy if you’re not playing this weekend.

In a year with no one standing out, if you didn’t grab it by now, you’re not going to do it watching the biggest games of the season on TV.

Next week will be the list of finalists, and several of these guys will be on it. But actually winning it is another story.

In alphabetical order …

QB Matt Corral, Ole Miss
QB Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
RB Kenneth Walker, Michigan State
QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma
QB Bailey Zappe, WKU

6. DE Aidan Hutchinson, Michigan

Hassan Haskins might have been the signature star in the win over Ohio State, but Hutchinson was close behind. He has 13 sacks on the season with 54 tackles, 14,5 tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and three broken up passes.

Why Aidan Hutchinson Will Win the Heisman: America saw him dominate Washington – back when Washington was supposed to be a thing. America saw him dominate Penn State – back when beating Penn State was supposed to be a thing.

America saw him come up with three sacks and a monster performance as a catalyst for the win over Ohio State. If he destroys Iowa, he might just rise up and grab the cheese.

Why Aidan Hutchinson Won’t Win the Heisman: He’s a defensive end – it’s going to take something even more otherworldly than his Ohio State performance to do this. However, if Chase Young could be in the mix a few years ago, Hutchinson can potentially get close.

5. DT Jordan Davis, Georgia

There is no signature star on Georgia, but the main man in the middle is the one the No. 1 team in the country works around. Georgia is No. 1 in the nation in scoring defense – allowing fewer than seven points per game – and it leads the nation in total defense, Davis is the textbook definition of an anchor for the D.

Why Jordan Davis Will Win the Heisman: If Georgia pitches a shutout – or at least stuffs Alabama in the SEC Championship game – that ends the campaign of Bryce Young, and there aren’t a whole lot of other main options. Davis would be a representative as the top defensive player on the top team.

Why Jordan Davis Won’t Win the Heisman: The splashy stats aren’t there. Ndamukon Suh – full disclosure; Suh got my vote – destroyed Texas in the 2009 Big 12 Championship to cap off an amazing year, but he also did it with  12 sacks, 20.5 tackles for loss, and he led the team with 85 tackles. That’s not Davis’s game – there won’t be any tangible numbers to crank up the support.

NEXT: 2021 Heisman Candidates: Top 4

Heisman Watch Top Candidates After Week 11: Will ANYONE Rise Up?

Who are the top candidates still in the mix for the 2021 Heisman Trophy race? Will anyone step up and take over in the race?

Who’s in the hunt for the Heisman Trophy? The top candidates, what they need to do, and who still has a realistic shot.


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Heisman Watch: Top Candidates After Week 11

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Week 11 Roundup
Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-130 Rankings
Week 12 Early Line Predictions | Heisman Race
College Football Playoff Chase, Who’s Alive?
Bowl Projections | Week 11 Scoreboard, Predictions
Big Game Reactions: Baylor, Mich, Ole Miss, more
Coach Hot Seat Top 10 | Bowl Bubble: Who’s In, Out

Now that the season appears to be the Georgia Invitational, the nation desperately needs the Heisman Trophy campaigns to get rolling – and it’s really, really not.

No one has captivated a nation. No player has been able to rise up and grab the best individual award and all of sports and make it his.

But the chances are coming.

It’s Heisman time.

It’s the middle of November and the race is wide open, so it’s going to come down to who shows up with the biggest performances in the biggest games with everyone watching.

It’s the ultimate sports beauty contest, and here are the main stars still in the mix, where they stand, and what they need to do to win the thing.

Player of Week 11
(outside of the main guys on this list)

QB Jalon Daniels, Kansas
Will the young quarterback burn more playing time to take away his chance at redshirting? That was the one question everyone wanted to ask, when the real focus was this …

Kansas just hung 57 on Texas and won a Big 12 game on the road.

Unlike past years when Kansas would come up with a shocking win, this one seemed to signify the start of something under first year head coach Lance Leipold. Daniels had a whole lot to do with that, completing 21-of-30 passes for 202 yards and three touchdowns – with a game-winning two-point conversion throw – and running 11 times for 45 yards and a score.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Watch List

At the very least, these five will receive a whole lot of votes and are still in the mix to be a finalist. In alphabetical order …

QB Matt Corral, Notre Dame
DT Jordan Davis, Georgia
QB Sam Hartman, Wake Forest
RB TreVeyon Henderson, Ohio State
QB Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

5. QB Kenny Pickett, Pitt

The numbers continue to be fantastic. He might not be cranking out Joe Burrow stats from 2019 or Kyle Trask numbers of last year, but he’s not terribly far off with 32 touchdown passes, just four picks, and with 300 yards or more in seven of his last eight games.

Why Kenny Pickett Will Win the Heisman: He’s got a nice mix of stats and buzz. The foundation has been set, and the numbers will only get more impressive over the next few weeks. He should get his shot to show off in the ACC Championship, but …

Why Kenny Pickett Won’t Win the Heisman: There just aren’t enough big games left. Virginia and at Syracuse won’t receive a whole lot of national attention, and once again, the ACC Championship will likely get swallowed up by the other conference championships.

4. QB Caleb Williams, Oklahoma

He had a rough day at the office in the 27-14 loss to Baylor, but no one has more Heisman-like moments this season. From the fourth down run against Texas to turn the year around, to the heady plays to save the say against Kansas, to the phenomenal performance against Texas Tech with six passing scores, he packed a whole lot into a half a season.

Why Caleb Williams Will Win the Heisman: No one will catch Coastal Carolina’s out-for-the-year injured star Grayson McCall in quarterback rating, but Williams is still No. 2 in the country. It’s not just about the numbers – he has Iowa State and Oklahoma State up next. If he rocks in those two games and takes OU to the Big 12 Championship, he’ll be back in the mix, but …

Why Caleb Williams Won’t Win the Heisman: 10-of-19, 146 yards, no touchdowns, two picks, one rushing score. That was his day in the loss to Baylor. It wasn’t all his fault, but he couldn’t move the offense and was eventually lifted for Spencer Rattler.

Heisman Watch 2021: Top 3 Candidates After Week 11

Heisman Trophy Finalists Prediction: Why Each Possible Candidate Should and Shouldn’t Win

Who are the likely finalists for the 2020 Heisman Trophy? Here’s the best projection along with why each should and shouldn’t win.

Who are the likely finalists for the 2020 Heisman Trophy? Here’s the best projection along with why each should and shouldn’t win.


2020 Heisman Finalist Prediction

Contact/Follow @PeteFiutak

Joe Burrow made this easy last season, and Kyler Murray was a bit of a no-brainer in 2018. This year’s Heisman race, though, is as wide-open as it gets.

There’s no obvious signature star who made the 2020 season all his.

In a perfect world we get to vote on the Heisman after the season is over – the Heisman race might be vastly different depending on who wins the national championship and how – but that’s not how this works.

Notre Dame QB Ian Book will get on a few ballots, as will Ohio State QB Justin Fields along with a few other random players, and yeah, someone will put Vanderbilt (now North Texas graduate student) PK Sarah Fuller on a ballot.

Realistically, though, the almost-certain five Heisman finalists will be …

1) I’m a Heisman voter, so the projections below are just that – predictions. It’s not my ballot, which I can’t reveal under penalty of being forced to listen to Christmas music non-stop for 24 hours. 2) in alphabetical order …

RB Najee Harris, Alabama

Resumé: 214 carries, 1,262 yards, 24 TDs, 5.9 yards per carry, 32 catches, 316 yards, 3 TDs

Why he should win the Heisman: He’s the guy. Oh sure, there might be a whole lot of gushing about Mac Jones and his amazing season, and DeVonta Smith brings the flash, but Najee Harris is the one who helps make everything go. Don’t ignore just how much he meant to the offense – everyone had to focus on him, and it opened up everything else.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: The Alabama season is about the passing game. He only ran for 43 yards against Texas A&M – but he ran for two scores – and the 5.9 yards per carry, while great, isn’t quite splashy enough.

Will he win the Heisman? No, but he’ll win the Doak Walker as the nation’s best running back.


QB Mac Jones, Alabama

Resumé: 76.5% completion, 3,739 yards, 32 TDs, 4 INTs, 11.4 yards per throw, 202.34 rating, 1 rushing TD

Why he should win the Heisman: He’s the nation’s most efficient passer, he finished as the nation’s most accurate passer among the top quarterbacks, and he was brilliant when he had to be. He threw a pick in the SEC Championship against Florida, but he also threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns, hitting 77% of his throws.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: Is he the nation’s best passer in yards per game? No. Is he even the SEC’s best passer? Not really. Is he the guy who just so happened to be driving the souped-up car that all but drives itself? Yeah. It’s not a knock to call a Heisman-caliber quarterback Gino Torretta – Torretta really was good – but he’s the comp.

Will he win the Heisman? Very, very maybe. At the very least he’s going to finish No. 2 if he doesn’t win it as the GUY who ran the TEAM of the 2020 regular season.


QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

Resumé: 69% completion, 2,753 yards, 22 TDs, 4 INTs, 9.8 yards per attempt, 172.67 rating, 211 rushing yards, 7 TDs

Why he should win the Heisman: He’s the most talented player in college football. He’s the veteran who has seen it all, done it all, and won it all. He threw an interception but also threw for 322 yards and two touchdowns in the easy win over Notre Dame in the ACC Championship. However …

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: He missed the big game before the big game. It wasn’t his fault, but he was out for the regular season game that mattered against the Irish and DJ Uiagalelei was brilliant as his replacement. It was a great year for Lawrence, but it wasn’t Heisman-special.

Will he win the Heisman? No, but in a few short months the Jacksonville Jaguars will make him very, very rich.


WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama

Resumé: 98 catches for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns, averaging 15.42 yards per catch, 8 punt returns for 199 yards and a score.

Why he should win the Heisman: Dynamic, he ripped up Georgia for 167 yards and two scores, hit LSU for 231 yards and three touchdowns, and in the SEC Championship, he caught 15 passes for 184 yards and two scores in the win over Florida. Jaylen Waddle might have gone done early, but Smith still produced no matter who focused on him.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: Wide receiver, schmide receiver. Not to be harsh, but take Smith off of Alabama and who’s the No. 1 seed in the College Football Playoff? Alabama. Did he lead the SEC in receiving yards per game? No, that was Ole Miss star. Elijah Moore. Did he lead the SEC in catches per game? No, that was Moore, who led both of those categories by a relative mile.

Will he win the Heisman? He’ll be on almost everyone’s ballot and will come really, really, really close, but he’ll likely finish a solid second or close third.


QB Kyle Trask, Florida

Resumé: 70% completion, 4,125 yards, 43 TDs, 5 INTs, 186.55 rating, 50 rushing yards, 3 TDs

Why he should win the Heisman: Who led the SEC in passing? Trask. Who led in TD passes? Trask. Who’s on the same yard and touchdown pass pace as 2019 Joe Burrow, but against an all-SEC schedule? Trask. Who carried the Gators to the brink of an SEC Championship against an Alabama team with three Heisman finalists? Trask.

Why he shouldn’t win the Heisman: Florida didn’t win the SEC Championship and isn’t in the College Football Playoff. It’s not Trask’s fault – blame the Gator defense – but it’s a factor. He only threw five interceptions, but the pick-sixes against Texas A&M and LSU weren’t killers, but they were costly.

Will he win the Heisman? No, but he could slip into the No. 2 spot depending on how voters think of Smith.

2020 Heisman Prediction

Again, not necessarily my ballot – this is a projection and prediction.

1. QB Mac Jones, Alabama
2. WR DeVonta Smith, Alabama
3. QB Kyle Trask, Florida
4. QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson
5. RB Najee Harris, Alabama

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Heisman Trophy Watch After Week 6

Who are the leaders to watch in the race for the 2020 Heisman Trophy?

Who are the leaders to watch in the race for the 2020 Heisman Trophy?


Top Heisman Contenders After Week 6 Are …

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The crickets you’re hearing is American not being interested in the 2020 Heisman Trophy race … yet.

There’s just no buzz – partly because the Big Ten hasn’t started up, there isn’t a Heisman-caliber signature star on Georgia or Notre Dame, and Clemson QB Trevor Lawrence is a better football player than everyone else – but it’s coming.

If the NFL can be all-in on the MVP discussion a month into its season, then it’s time to start making the 2020 Heisman a thing.

This isn’t about who the best players are. This is about who’s in the hunt to win the greatest individual trophy in all of sports.

Player of Week 6
(outside of the main guys on this list)

LB Monty Rice, Georgia
The Bulldogs held the Tennessee running game to -1 yard in the 44-21 win. Rice made a team-high eight tackles, two tackles for loss, and came up with a sack, forced fumble, and recovered fumble for a score to all but put the game away.

5 Other Players On The Heisman Trophy Watch List

In alphabetical order

QB Ian Book, Notre Dame
QB Sam Ehlinger, Texas
RB Travis Etienne, Clemson
QB Kellen Mond, Texas A&M
QB Zach Wilson, BYU

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5. QB Justin Fields, Ohio State

Of course, he hasn’t started playing yet, but because no one has been able to run away and hide with the Heisman race, he should be able to swoop in and shine once Ohio State kicks things off against Nebraska on October 24th. The talent is there, the numbers will be fantastic, and he’ll be in the spotlight each and every week for a team that will be knee-deep in the national title chase.

4. QB Kyle Trask, Florida

It’s not his fault the Gators blew it against Texas A&M. Had the defense been able to hold on in the 41-38 loss, he might be on top of this list. He’s second in the nation in touchdown passes with 14 – and with one fewer game than Sam Ehlinger of Texas, who has thrown 16 so far – on a pace that’s starting to approach 2019 Joe Burrow territory.

On the year he has completed 72% of his passes for 996 yards and those 14 scores with just one interception. Forget the A&M loss – he was brilliant in it, by the way – his chances will come to get back in this.

3. RB Najee Harris, Alabama

He doesn’t lead the nation in rushing, and his numbers probably won’t be off-the-charts compared to what the quarterbacks are doing across college football, but on Saturday night against Ole Miss he looked and played the part of the next Heisman-winning back from Bama.

He was held in relative check by Texas A&M and wasn’t needed much against Missouri, but he ran for five touchdowns in the first two games. Against the Rebels, though … 23 carries, 206 yards, five touchdowns. He couldn’t be stopped.

2. QB Mac Jones, Alabama

It helps to have an NFL receiving corps to work with, but he’s been flawless.

The numbers have been unbelievable considering the job wasn’t supposed to be his coming into the season. Super-recruit Bryce Young was going to arrive on campus, take over the gig, and that was going to be it, but Jones has completed 80% of his throws for 1,101 yards and eight touchdowns with a pick, averaging well over 13 yards per pass.

 1. QB Trevor Lawrence, Clemson

His brilliance is being taken for granted.

Of course he’s the No. 1 overall pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. Of course he’s the best quarterback in college football. Of course he’s expected to lead his team to another ACC Championship and another College Football Playoff and – yawwwwwwn – another national title appearance.

He has made the amazing appear to be routine.

There’s nothing boring about 73%, 1,140 yards, 9.8 yards per throw, ten touchdown passes, four rushing scores, no interceptions, no drama.

Best of all this year, he’ll have more national spotlight games that matter to boost his Heisman resumé.

Week 6 Roundup: 5 Things That Matter
Rankings AP | Coaches | CFN 1-127 Rankings
Week 7 Early Line Predictions
College Football Playoff Chase, Who’s Alive?
Bowl Projections | Week 6 Scoreboard, Predictions
5 Thoughts: Texas A&M – Florida | Texas – OU

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