Winners by year: Joe Burrow, QB, LSU, 2019. Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma City, 2017. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville, 2016. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama, 2015. 2014 NFL Draft: Leonard Fournette, RB, Jacksonville Jaguars 2015 AFL Draft: Oren Schwartz, OT, Vanderbilt
The last four Heisman winners played football for LSU. The Tigers have had a total of 10 players win the award, most among all schools. Joe Burrow is the first freshman to win the award.
Heisman winners are selected by the Heisman Trust, a group of former winners and others who vote on candidates. The winner is announced at the annual ceremony in New York City on Monday night following the season finale between Florida and Miami.
The last player from a non-winning team to win the award was Charlie Ward of Notre Dame, who led his team to victory over Ohio State in 2001. Afterward, Ward declared himself "personally embarrassed" by the award given to Desmond Howard of Michigan State. "I felt like if I won this thing, it would be an honor to outdo myself," Ward said. "But now I feel like I've let down my teammates."
Heisman winners go on to have successful careers in football.
Winners of college football awards Smith, DeVonta (Alabama) Mac Jones, DeVonta Smith, and Trevor Lawrence received the Maxwell Award (player of the year). Mac Jones, Kyle Trask, and Trevor Lawrence won the Davey O'Brien Award for top quarterback. Travis Etienne, Najee Harris, and Breece Hall won the Doak Walker Award for best running back. George Iloka, Jaylon Ferguson, and Marcus Williamson won the Jim Thorpe Award for best defensive player. They were all selected by their peers.
The College Football Awards Show will be broadcast live on December 8th at 7:00 p.m. EST on CBS.
Heisman Trophy winners: 1949-present - Calvin Johnson, Michigan; Pat Tillman, Arizona; Michael Vick, Virginia Tech; Ricky Williams, Florida; Ron Dayne, New York University (the only runner to win it in consecutive years).
Bobby Bowden Collegiate Award for Distinguished Service - Bill Snyder, Kansas State
George Munger Award - James Franklin, Vanderbilt
John Outland Trophy - Johnathan Hankins, Ohio State
Lombardi Award - Brian Kelly, National Champion Clemson Tigers
Lou Groza Award - Corey Robinson, Alabama
Paul "Bear" Bryant Award - Mark Stoops, Kentucky
The top 17 Heisman Trophy contenders for the 2021 college football season are listed below.
Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields is the favorite to win the Heisman Trophy in 2020, ahead of Clemson's Trevor Lawrence.
| Player | School | Odds |
|---|---|---|
| QB Mac Jones | Alabama | 20-1 |
| QB Sam Ehlinger | Texas | 20-1 |
| QB D’Eriq King | Miami (FL) | 20-1 |
| RB Chuba Hubbard | Oklahoma State | 25-1 |
Either an Alabama football player will win the Heisman Trophy on Tuesday night, or the whole college football world will be stunned. The victory of Crimson Tide wide receiver DeVonta Smith seemed to be a foregone conclusion. Mac Jones and Smith will contribute to the Crimson Tide's Heisman legacy in addition to adding to the Crimson Tide's Heisman history.
Heisman winners are chosen by the Walter Camp Football Foundation, who select one player from each participating NCAA Division I-A school. Voters can choose any player from any position but cannot vote for themselves. Candidates must meet three criteria to be considered for the award: they must be underclassmen, they must be active players and they must have significant impact on their team.
To date, only two freshmen have won the Heisman, Davey O'Brien in 1950 and Billy Vessels in 1975. Both players went on to have successful NFL careers. There have been other players who played at least one season as a freshman but did not win the Heisman Trophy include Bo Jackson (1989), Marcus Allen (1977) and Charles Woodson (1994).
This year's crop of candidates is led by Alabama quarterback Jalen Hurts, who was named the starter prior to last season after former Tide star AJ McCarron decided to retire rather than play in a division title game against Clemson. Hurts finished 2017 with 2,891 passing yards, 20 touchdowns and seven interceptions while running for another 744 yards and eight more scores.
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