By Scott Salomon
After examining the Heisman Trophy winners since the 2000 season, I took the arduous task of trying to come up with the top five. Just as some of the votes are very close, so was my decision to come up with the best of the best since 2000.
#5 Caleb Williams, University of Southern California
Williams enjoyed a great season as he connected on 66.6 percent of his passes which included 42 touchdowns against only five interceptions. He threw for over 4,000 yards in the Heisman-winning campaign.
He became the eighth Trojan to leave the stage with the trophy. Yes, I am including Reggie Bush as you will find out later.
Williams transferred to USC as a sophomore and followed his head coach Lincoln Riley, who bolted from Oklahoma. USC was a 4-8 team before Williams arrived and he led them to a magical 11-1 season in 2022.
This was a third consecutive Heisman for Coach Riley who also coached Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray who won the award while the trio was at Oklahoma.
The 6-1 Williams won by more than 600 points over Texas Christian University’s quarterback Max Duggan. CJ Stroud finished third with 539 points, while two-time national champion Stetson Bennett IV finished in fourth place with 349 total points.
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“I may be standing up here today, but y’all get to go to the College Football Playoff,” Williams said in his acceptance speech, in addressing the other signal callers in front of him. “Guess you can’t win them all.”
Duggan had a respectable season at TCU as he went 267-of-419 for 3,698 yards and 32 touchdowns. He led TCU to the National Championship game, where they proceeded to lose to the University of Georgia.
#4 Jameis Winston, Florida State University
Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy in 2013 while he led the Seminoles to a national championship victory over Auburn. His former college coach attributes Winston’s success to not only his right arm, but also his mind, which is constantly learning.
“I can’t explain how truly intelligent he is,” Florida State coach Jimbo Fisher said. “He always wanted to know why he had success or why he had failure so he could either repeat it or fix it.”
Winston did this, one season removed from FSU having to replace former quarterback E.J. Manuel who was a first-round selection in the prior season’s NFL Draft. All Winston did was throw for 3,820 yards and 38 touchdowns while being named the MVP of the Atlantic Coast Conference Championship game against Duke.
After winning the national title as only a redshirt freshman, Winston looked to become the second straight freshman to win the Heisman Trophy.
Winston was favorite to take home the Heisman, but he was staring at possible involvement in a sexual assault case that allegedly took place in 2012, his freshman season. A week before the Heisman ballots were due, the State Attorney’s office in Leon County, Florida announced that no charges would be filed.
“I’m not surprised,” Winston told Bleacher Report. “Because in the spring, we made this agreement as a team. It was our main goal to win a national championship. The Heisman thing is obviously an individual thing, but I see it as a team goal. I know my team really wants me to bring that back home.”
The rest of the finalists enjoyed superb seasons, but no one could compare to Winston, who ran away with the national vote. Winston ran away with the ballot, earning 2,205 points. Alabama quarterback AJ McCarron was second with 704 points. Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch was third with 558 points.
McCarron was no slouch and had a great season. He completed 67.3 percent of his passes for 3,063 yards and 28 touchdowns. In a Winston-less campaign, McCarron could have won the Trophy and would have been very deserving of the award.
#3 Bryce Young, University of Alabama
Young became Alabama’s fourth Heisman winner and second in a row when he won the award in 2021. This was a year in which he tossed 43 touchdowns, while only throwing four interceptions. He threw for 4,322 yards and completed 68 percent of his passes. He also ran for three more scores.
Young was named on 90% of ballots and received 83% of all possible voting points, both the seventh-best marks in history, per the Associated Press’ Ralph Russo. The 684 first-place votes he garnered was the 10th-highest total.
“Whenever you can win an award like this, it doesn’t go as an individual award but it’s a team award because I couldn’t do it without any of those guys,” Young said in his speech, referring to his Crimson Tide teammates. “I’d like to thank Coach [Nick] Saban. Thank you for believing in me. Thank you for your guidance and putting me in situations to be successful and for us as a team to be successful.”
Young threw five touchdown passes in one game, three times that season. He also set SEC Championship records with 421 passing yards and 461 yards of total offense, on his own. He earned MVP honors for his efforts.
Big Ten Player of the Year Aidan Hutchinson of Michigan finished in second place. The defensive lineman was followed by Pitt’s Kenny Pickett who came in third place. I thought Pickett had a solid season and should have finished second. He put Pitt football back on the map and brought them back from being irrelevant for so many years.
#2 Joe Burrow, Louisiana State University
This was a no-brainer for me, nor was it for the voters. Burrow was The Golden Boy with the Golden Touch in 2019 and had tremendous accuracy in running away with the Trophy.
The 6-4, 216 pound Burrow, who hailed from Athens, Ohio, threw for 4,715 yards and an SEC record 48 touchdowns to become the first Heisman winner from LSU since 1959. Perhaps the most impressive statistic was that he completed an NCAA record 77.9 percent of his passes.
Burrow received 2,608 points and amassed 841 first-place votes, a record 90.7% of all the first-place votes available. He also finished with a record 93.8 percent of possible points, besting Troy Smith who captured 91.6 percent of total possible points when he won the Trophy in 2006.
LSU’s signal caller was a transfer from The Ohio State University. Burrow left Ohio State after it became clear that he would not beat Dwayne Haskins out for the starting job.
Burrow led the Tigers to their first national title after claiming the first SEC banner since 2011. Burrow was the second L.S.U. player to win the award, joining Billy Cannon.
The two other quarterbacks that accompanied Burrow to the ceremony in New York, Jalen Hurts of Oklahoma and Justin Fields of Ohio State were also transfers who would bring their new teams huge success. Cam Newton was the only other transfer quarterback to win the Trophy in 2010 following his transfer from Florida to Auburn.
Hurts was second with 762 points as he received 231 second-place and 264 third-place votes, while Fields came in third with 747 possible points. Chase Young, the other player invited to the ceremony, and the only defensive player present, finished in fourth place with 643 possible points.
#1 Reggie Bush, University of Southern California
I know that the Heisman Family Trust took away his award, actually they forced Bush to give it back. I know all about the allegations of improper benefits. To me, the Heisman is won between the lines on the gridiron and should be awarded to the best college football player in America.
Bush was the best college football player in America in 2005 and won the award after all of the votes were tabulated. Bush was later asked to return the trophy to the Heisman Trust after he was accused of receiving improper benefits from an agent.
Now he is fighting to get it back and he should. He had the finest season that I have seen a running back have since 2000.
Bush, who is also fighting the NCAA in court, is suing for defamation, while attempting on the outside to get his Heisman Trophy back and to be invited to the award ceremony like every other winner.
During the press conference that Bush had to formally announce the defamation suit, Bush said, “I’ve got dreams of coming back into this stadium and running out of that tunnel with the football team,” Bush said Wednesday. “I’ve got dreams of walking back in here and seeing my jersey and my banner right down there next to the rest of the Heisman Trophy winners. But I can’t rightfully do that without my Heisman Trophy.”
However, there is no denying what Bush did in 2005 and he deserves his recognition, his Trophy and his spoils.
During the 2005 season, Bush was simply phenomenal. He rushed for 1,740 yards on 200 carries and scored 16 touchdowns. Bush also caught 37 passes for 478 yards and another two scores.
He was better than any other football player in America and if Johnny Manziel can keep his Heisman after what he admitted to on Netflix, Bush should get his Trophy back and claim his rightful place on the Heisman stage. Manziel is a fan of Bush’s and wants to see his place in Heisman history restored.
However, The Heisman Trust mission statement says: “The Heisman Memorial Trophy annually recognizes the outstanding college football player whose performance best exhibits the pursuit of excellence with integrity.”
The rule should be applied to all winners, or it should be eradicated. Reggie Bush is a Heisman winner in my book, and the Trojan was the greatest of them all in the last 22 years.
I have covered many Heisman winners since the 1980’s. Never have I seen a more dominant player have a more powerful season like Bush had in 2005. Give him back his Heisman and while you are at it, give USC back its National Championship that it won on the field.
Johnny Manziel says Reggie Bush deserves not only to get his Heisman trophy back but to be on the stage every year with the other winners. ?
— NFL Rumors (@nflrums) August 12, 2023
Agree or Disagree ? pic.twitter.com/02pHpXTdET
