Top 30 Heisman Seasons In NCAA Football History

Darren - August 26, 2020

Top 30 Heisman Seasons In NCAA Football History

Darren - August 26, 2020

13. Ricky Williams

Over the course of three years with the Texas Longhorns, Williams established himself as one of the greatest college football players of all-time. The running back still holds and shares over 20 records and he was unstoppable on the playing field. But 1998 was his defining year.

He became the second Longhorns player ever to win the Heisman Trophy after a magnificent campaign. Williams rushed for 2,427 yards and 30 touchdowns. Furthermore, he broke the 200 yards mark in five separate games on his way to glory. In sum, he was like a freight train.

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12. Desmond Howard

Howard set all kinds of records on the way to claiming the Heisman Trophy. A great wide receiver and kicker, he starred for Michigan in 1991. Furthermore, he broke the voting points record as he obtained almost 88% of the first-place votes. That’s domination.

He scored 23 touchdowns in a brilliant year but the incredible fact is that he was a late bloomer. Howard originally found it very difficult to find minutes on the playing field and credits school counselor Greg Harden with changing his life. It’s a very inspirational story.

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11. Danny Wuerffel

Wuerffel’s career path shows that college success doesn’t always translate to a majestic NFL career. He won the Heisman Trophy after his outstanding exploits with the Florida Gators but went on to become one of the worst draft busts of all-time.

The quarterback passed for 3,625 yards with 39 touchdowns in 1996. Furthermore, he didn’t just achieve individual glory because he helped lead the Gators to their first championship. Meanwhile, the college Hall of Famer broke all kinds of conference and school records throughout his NCAA career.

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10. Baker Mayfield

Mayfield is the only walk-on player in history to win the Heisman Trophy. That should tell you how good he was for the Oklahoma Sooners after arriving from Texas Tech without a scholarship. He scorched opposition teams as the Sooners won the Big 12 Conference, but lost to Georgia in the Rose Bowl.

He threw for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns in one of the best college quarterback seasons in history. One of the most notable aspects of his year was his sniper-like accuracy as he hit over 71% of his throws. Those are some outstanding numbers and he won many individual awards.

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9. Kyler Murray

There was an outstanding class of quarterbacks in 2018, but Murray stole the show with the best passing efficiency rate in college history. Nobody expected him to explode onto the scene in his Heisman-winning year after Baker Mayfield departed. But that’s exactly what he did as the Sooners went all out in the Big 12.

In the end, they lost the Orange Bowl to Alabama but Murray was outstanding all year as they won the conference championship. He threw for 4,053 yards and 40 touchdowns in the same year the Oakland Athletics tried to lure him to MLB. But football is his destiny and he’s now a rising star with the Arizona Cardinals.

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8. Tim Tebow

The New York Mets’ Tebow had a scintillating college career with the Florida Gators. First of all, he was the first quarterback to run for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 in a breathtaking Heisman year. He set all kinds of records on his way to individual glory in 2007.

This outstanding young quarterback also brought home the Davey O’Brien Award as the accolades kept coming. It wasn’t just one year of brilliance either. Tebow helped his team beat the Oklahoma Sooners in the 2008 championship game. A phenomenal talent.

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7. OJ Simpson

We’ve avoided going too far back with the entries on this list because the standard of football began to increase drastically from the 1980s onwards. But we’ve made a high-profile exception in the case of the infamous O.J Simpson. Before he became the center of controversy in the courtroom, he starred on the playing field.

Another player who came very close to winning the Heisman Trophy the year before he actually did, Simpson was brilliant in 1968. The USC Trojans star dragged his team kicking and screaming to the Rose Bowl final where they eventually lost out to Ohio State. Yet he still rushed for 1,880 yards and 232 touchdowns in a record-breaking year.

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6. Herschel Walker

Walker came very close to winning the Heisman Trophy during an outstanding 1981 season but had to wait another year to claim the individual prize. With Marcus Allen out of the picture, the legendary University of Georgia running back proved his worth to the nation.

First of all, bear in mind that Walker played most of the year with a broken thumb. Then consider that he rushed for 1,752 yards and 16 touchdowns. Those are outstanding numbers. It’s remarkable to imagine him fully healthy because he would have been even better.

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5. Cam Newton

Newton took the road to Auburn University after the Florida Gators threw him out. It was worth the journey because he delivered the Tigers’ their first-ever National Championship. Football is amazing because one player can transform a college team or NFL franchise. That’s what the future NFL MVP did.

In his single season with Auburn, Newton delivered on every front. First, he threw for 2,854 yards with 30 touchdowns. This massive on-field contribution led to him winning the Heisman Trophy. Furthermore, Newton was also the 2010 SEC Offensive Player of the Year.

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4. Marcus Allen

One of the greatest players in Raiders history, Allen spent a total of 15 years in the NFL, spending his final five seasons with the Chiefs. However, it all began at the University of Southern California, where Allen starred for the Trojans. In 1981, he won the Heisman Trophy after a superb season.

Allen proved unstoppable on the playing field as he rushed for 2,342 yards. He also contributed 22 touchdowns in an excellent individual season. USC retired the future Super Bowl winner’s number 33 jersey in recognition of his greatness and contribution to the school.

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3. Tony Dorsett

One of the University of Pittsburgh’s greatest ever players, Dorsett was excellent for the Panthers in 1976. The running back was lightning quick and opposing defenses couldn’t stop him. Overall, he rushed for 2,150 yards as he ran towards a host of individual awards like the Heisman Trophy and the Maxwell Award.

Meanwhile, he helped his school to a national title and broke the NCAA rushing record with a grand total of 6082 yards, a total that stood for 22 years. When he departed Pittsburgh, the school retired his jersey. This was a massive landmark because Dorsett was the first player from the college to receive this honor.

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2. Barry Sanders

Sanders had a magnificent Heisman Trophy season in 1988. The Oklahoma State running back was brilliant all season as he put up outstanding numbers. After sitting behind Thurman Thomas for a season, Sanders took full advantage of being the Cowboys’ main man when the opportunity came.

He rushed for 2,628 yards and 39 touchdowns throughout a glorious campaign. Furthermore, Sanders’ stat line still holds up today. There’s no doubt that his athletic qualities would have blossomed in the modern era. Finally, the Detroit Lions’ legend was a Pro Bowl selection in each of his 10 seasons in the NFL.

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1. Joe Burrow

On paper, Burrow is one of the greatest Heisman Trophy winners of all-time. The former LSU standout was phenomenal in 2019. Almost all of the voters agreed with Burrow achieving over 90% of the vote. In sum, it was no surprise after a year where he completed 4,715 passes with a record-breaking 77.9% completion rate.

Following his miraculous season, Burrow entered the 2020 draft where the Cincinnati Bengals nabbed him as the first overall pick. This young man has an exciting career ahead of him. However, if he can emulate his success at the college level in the NFL, he’ll be onto a winner.

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Top 30 Heisman Seasons In NCAA Football History