We are still six weeks away from the appetizer games of ‘Week 0’, but that hasn’t slowed the discussions about the upcoming season. The main topic right now is whether Florida State and Clemson will bounce to the Big 12, but there is also some discussion on who will win the Heisman Trophy in 2024.
History of the Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Trophy is known as college football’s most prestigious individual award. Technically, the award is given to the best college football player in the nation. However, history has never reflected that. Since its inception in 1935, only one defensive player has won the award (Charles Woodson – Michigan, 1997). There have also never been any linemen who have won the award. Here is a complete list by position of who has won the award:
- Quarterback – 38
- Runningback – 40
- Wide Receiver – 4
- Tight End – 2
- Corner Back – 1
In other words, historically, the award has been mostly limited to quarterbacks and running backs. But even that is starting to change.
Quarterbacks Have Dominated Recent Awards
Since 2010, Cam Newton has won the Heisman, and 12 of the 14 winners have been quarterbacks, with the exception being in 2015 when Derrick Henry (RB – Alabama) and 2020’s Devonta Smith (WR-Alabama) won the award.
Part of this recent trend has been a result of the NFL. The NFL has devalued the value of receivers and running backs, instead throwing all of their money and coverage on the quarterback position. This has bled into the college game and led to college quarterbacks getting all the attention as well.
And it isn’t even necessarily the ‘best’ quarterback that wins the award. Of these 12 quarterback winners, eight played on teams that spent a high percentage of the season ranked number one. In other words, the award seemed to favor the QB of the best team instead of the best actual QB.
That trend doesn’t seem to be changing this year.
Top 10 Early Heisman Trophy Favorites Are Quarterbacks
Last year, Ollie Gordon from Oklahoma State won the Doak Walker Award after rushing for 1,732 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 6.1 yards/rush while only being the primary running back after the third game of the season. In other words, had he been RB1 from day one, he could have been a 2,000-yard running back.
Guess where he is on the 2024 Heisman Trophy odds? Nowhere to be seen.
In fact, according to BetMGM, the first 22 players are all QBs, including a few players like Miller Moss, Jackson Arnold, Avery Johnson, and Nico Lamaleava, who have either never taken a snap in college or have taken very limited reps.
What do all these players have in common? They play for teams that have a chance of winning the National Championship.
“A fool and his money are soon parted.”
Gabriel now has top odds at ESPN to win the Heisman.https://t.co/1A2a3G5Y8o— Captain Bruisin, cruise director (@Ian_A_Boyd) July 12, 2024
Is It Time to Re-Evaluate the Award?
2024 is not expected to be an elite QB year; or at least as good as last year. This year, there aren’t a ton of huge names returning from last year, so the fact that the first 22 players favored to win the Heisman are all quarterbacks, maybe it is time to re-evaluate the award. Miller Moss, who has thrown for less than 1,000 yards in three years as a backup, is favored over Ollie Gordon, the Doak Walker Award winner and running back for one of the favorites to win the Big 12, shows how lopsided this award has gotten.
It’s time for the Heisman Trophy committee to take a long look in the mirror and decide what the award actually is. Is it the QB award for the best team in college football? Or is it the award given to the best player in college football? If it’s the QB award, it may be time to change how the statue looks, considering that Heisman trophy was modeled after Ed Smith, a running back.
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