Does a national championship validate a Heisman Trophy run?
It's always the epilogue – the Heisman Trophy is awarded before the college football postseason. Yet it's tacked on to the legacy of the player who wins that award; the next which will be added on Saturday.
It remains a separator when trying to decide the best Heisman Trophy winners of this century. Seven of those winners also won the national championship in the same season. That includes three Alabama winners in Mark Ingram (2009), Derrick Henry (2015) and DeVonta Smith (2020). Florida State's Jameis Winston (2013) and USC's Matt Leinart (2003) also won both in the same season.
That leaves two quarterbacks who top our list Auburn's Cam Newton (2010) and LSU's Joe Burrow (2019) have created a debate with a split vote by AllSportsPeople. How do you pick between Newton – who led the Tigers to an out-of-nowhere national title in 2010 – and Burrow – who was at the controls of arguably the greatest team of the 21st century?
It's a debate, all right, and the tie goes to the writer. AllSportsPeople ranks the 25 Heisman Trophy winners since 2000.
25. Jason White, QB, Oklahoma (2003)
Stats: 3,205 passing yards, 35 TDs, 9 INTs
Heisman voting: White finished ahead of Pitt's Larry Fitzgerald by 128 votes. Ole Miss' Eli Manning and Michigan's Chris Perry finished third and fourth, respectively.
Fitzgerald is a popular revisionist pick, but that does not mean White was not worthy of the award that season. He passed for 290 yards and four TDs in a 65-13 victory against No. 11 Texas on Oct. 11, 2003. He led the Sooners to a 12-0 regular season before the Sooners lost 35-7 to No. 13 Kansas State in the Big 12 championship game. That foreshadowed a 21-14 loss to LSU in the BCS championship game. He took third in the Heisman Trophy voting in 2004.
24. Eric Crouch, QB, Nebraska (2001)
Stats: 1,510 passing yards, 7 TDs, 10 INTs; 1,115 rushing yards, 18 TDs
Heisman voting: Crouch beat out Florida's Rex Grossman by 62 votes. Miami's Ken Dorsey was third in the voting.
Crouch is the last true option quarterback to win the award – and he had signature moments. A 95-yard TD run against Missouri was among his Heisman-worthy plays, and he threw a 63-yard TD pass to Mike Stuntz to seal a 20-10 victory against No. 2 Oklahoma on Oct. 27, 2001. The Huskers lost the Big 12 championship game 62-36 to No 14 Colorado, which complicated the Heisman Trophy voting. No. 1 Miami beat No. 4 Nebraska 37-14 in the BCS championship game at the Rose Bowl.
23. Chris Weinke, QB, Florida State (2000)
Stats: 4,167 passing yards, 33 TDs, 11 INTs
Heisman voting: Weinke edged out Oklahoma's Josh Heupel by 76 votes. Purdue's Drew Brees and TCU's LaDainian Tomlinson finished third and fourth, respectively.
Weinke remains the oldest Heisman Trophy winner. He won the award at 28 years old the year after leading Florida State to a national championship in 1999. Weinke had two games with more than 500 yards passing that season. He threw two fourth-quarter TD passes that nearly rallied the Seminoles in a 27-24 loss to No. 7 Miami. Florida State lost the BCS championship game 13-2 to No. 1 Oklahoma and Heupel, the Heisman runner up. That often overshadows Weinke's regular season.
22. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama (2009)
Stats: 1,658 rushing yards, 17 TDs; 282 receiving yards, 1 TD
Heisman voting: Ingram edged out Stanford's Toby Gerhart by 26 votes. Texas' Colt McCoy finished third, and Nebraska's Ndamukong Suh finished fourth.
Ingram was somewhat of an out-of-nowhere winner given Tim Tebow, Sam Bradford and Colt McCoy were heavy favorites coming into the season. Ingram showed up in the big games for the Crimson Tide during a national championship season. He had 100 or more yards in all six games against ranked opponents, a stretch where he averaged 156.8 rushing yards per game with eight TDs. Ingram sealed the Heisman Trophy with 113 yards and three TDs in a 32-13 victory against No. 1 Florida in the SEC championship game.
21. Carson Palmer, QB, USC (2002)
Stats: 3,942 passing yards, 33 TDs, 10 INTs
Heisman voting: Palmer beat out Iowa's Brad Banks by 230 votes. Penn State's Larry Johnson and the Miami tandem of Willis McGahee and Ken Dorsey took the next three spots.
Palmer helped launch the Pete Carroll era at USC in earnest with a fantastic senior year – especially in the second half of the season. Palmer had 23 TDs and four interceptions in six straight victories to close the year – which included wins against No. 22 Washington, No. 14 Oregon, No. 25 UCLA and No. 7 Notre Dame. USC then routed No. 3 Iowa 38-17 in the Rose Bowl. Palmer had 303 yards and a TD. He went on to be the No. 1 pick in the 2003 NFL Draft by the Cincinnati Bengals.
20. Troy Smith, QB, Ohio State (2006)
Stats: 2,542 passing yards, 30 TDs, 6 INTs; 204 rushing yards, 1 TD
Heisman voting: Smith finished ahead of Arkansas' Darren McFadden by 1,662 votes. Notre Dame's Brady Quinn finished third in the voting.
Smith dominated in big games in the 2006 regular season. He led Ohio State past No. 2 Texas, and led a methodical offense under coach Jim Tressel. The buildup continued throughout the regular season for the No. 1 vs. No. 2 showdown with Michigan, and Smith had 316 yards, four TDs and one interception in a 42-39 victory that remains the crown jewel in the series. Ohio State lost the BCS championship game 41-14 to No. 2 Florida, which was a sour note on an otherwise legendary season in Columbus.
19. Jayden Daniels, QB, LSU (2023)
Stats: 3,812 passing yards, 40 TDs; 4 INTs; 1,134 yards, 10 TDs
Heisman voting: Daniels finished ahead of Washington's Michael Penix Jr. By 308 votes. Oregon's Bo Nix finished third.
Daniels earned attention in September when he had four games with 300 or more passing yards. He emerged as the clear Heisman front-runner in November after a prolific stretch where he put up absurd statistics in November. Daniels' best performance came in a 52-35 victory against Florida on Nov. 11, 2023. He passed for 372 yards and three TDs and rushed for 234 yards and two TDs. That 606-yard, five-TD performance tipped the Heisman race in his favor, and he became the second LSU QB in five years to win the award.
SN ARCHIVES: Jayden Daniels wins SN's Player of the Year
18. Sam Bradford, QB, Oklahoma (2008)
Stats: 4,720 passing yards, 50 TDs, 8 INTs; 47 rushing yards, 5 TDs
Heisman voting: Bradford finished ahead of Texas' Colt McCoy by 122 votes and Florida's Tim Tebow by 201 votes in a tight three-way race.
This debate was heated. Bradford edged out McCoy despite a 45-35 loss to No. 5 Texas that season. Bradford had 387 passing yards, five TDs and two interceptions in the loss. He had eight games with four TD passes or more, however, and carried Oklahoma to the BCS championship game with a five-game stretch where he had 19 TDs and one interception. The Sooners lost 24-14 to No. 1 Florida in the BCS championship game.
17. Bryce Young, QB, Alabama (2021)
Stats: 4,872 passing yards, 47 TDs, 7 INTs; 0 rushing yards, 4 TDs
Heisman voting: Young finished ahead of Michigan's Aidan Hutchinson by 1,357 votes. Pitt's Kenny Pickett finished third.
Young kept Alabama's offensive machine running in 2021 with a banner season in which the sophomore opened the season with 344 passing yards and four TDs in a 44-13 victory against No. 14 Miami on Sept. 4, 2004 and did not stop from there. He had 559 passing yards and five TDs against Arkansas and clinched the Heisman with 420 passing yards, 40 rushing yards and four total TDs in a 41-24 victory against No. 1 Georgia in the SEC championship game. The Bulldogs won the rematch in the CFP championship game, and Young took sixth in the Heisman voting in 2022.
SN ARCHIVES: Bryce Young wins SN's Player of the Year
16. Caleb Williams, QB, USC (2022)
Stats: 4,537 passing yards, 42 TDs, 5 INTs; 382 rushing yards, 10 TDs
Heisman voting: Williams finished ahead of TCU's Max Duggan by 611 votes. Ohio State's C.J. Stroud and Georgia's Stetson Bennett finished third and fourth, respectively.
Williams followed Lincoln Riley from Oklahoma and immediately emerged as a game-changing quarterback for the Trojans with a blend of vertical passing and escapability from the pocket. He had a 168.5 passer rating. Williams had two games with at least 400 yards and five TD passes, and he led USC to an 11-2 record and appearance in the Pac-12 championship game. USC averaged 41.4 points per game that season. Williams' season was enough to beat out three quarterbacks who were in the College Football Playoff that season.
SN ARCHIVES: Caleb Williams wins SN's Player of the Year
15. Baker Mayfield, QB, Oklahoma (2017)
Stats: 4,627 passing yards, 43 TDs, 6 INTs; 311 rushing yards, 5 TDs
Heisman voting: Mayfield finished ahead of Stanford's Bryce Love by 1,098 votes. Louisville's Lamar Jackson and Penn State's Saquon Barkley finished third and fourth, respectively.
Mayfield took fourth in 2015 and third in 2016, and he finally broke through as the winner in 2017 after leading the Sooners to a Big 12 championship run. Mayfield lit up No. 2 Ohio State with 386 yards and three TDs on Sept. 9, 2017 – then planted a flag at midfield at Ohio Stadium. He had 302 yards, two TDs and an interception in a 29-24 victory against Texas on Oct. 14 and led a push to the Rose Bowl, where the Sooners lost 54-48 to No. 3 Georgia in double overtime.
14. Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor (2011)
Stats: 4,293 yards, 37 TDs, 6 INTs; 699 rushing yards, 10 TDs
Heisman voting: Griffin finished ahead of Stanford's Andrew Luck by 280 votes. Alabama's Trent Richardson finished third.
Griffin launched his campaign in a Friday night game in Week 1 where he passed for 359 yards and five TDs in a 50-48 thriller against No. 14 TCU. He continued that torrid stretch through Big 12 play and enjoyed his Heisman moment with a 34-yard TD pass to Terrance Williams with eight seconds remaining in a 45-38 victory against No. 5 Oklahoma on Nov. 19, 2011. Griffin beat out Luck – and that debate spilled into the 2012 NFL Draft where the quarterbacks were selected with the first two picks.
13. Kyler Murray, QB, Oklahoma (2018)
Stats: 4,361 passing yards, 42 TDs, 7 INTs; 1,001 passing yards, 12 TDs
Heisman voting: Murray finished ahead of Alabama's Tua Tagovailoa by 296 votes. Ohio State's Dwayne Haskins finished third.
Murray followed Baker Mayfield and had a monster season for the Sooners that included 10 games with at least 300 yards passing – and three games with at least 300 yards passing and at least 100 yards rushing. He was an exciting combination of play-making skills, and he led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff. Oklahoma lost 45-34 to No. 1 Alabama and Heisman runner up Tua Tagovailoa on Dec. 29, 2018. Murray had 417 total yards in the loss.
12. Matt Leinart, QB, USC (2004)
Stats: 3,322 passing yards, 33 TDs, 6 INTs
Heisman voting: Leinart finished ahead of Oklahoma's Adrian Peterson by 328 votes. Oklahoma's Jason White finished third, and Utah's Alex Smith finished fourth.
Leinart led an offense that averaged 38.2 points per game through an unbeaten season that included a dramatic 23-17 win against No. 7 Cal, led by Aaron Rodgers, on Oct. 9, 2004. Leinart had his signature game with 400 yards and five TDs in a 41-10 blowout against Notre Dame at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Nov. 27, 2004. Leinart led the Trojans to a 55-19 blowout victory with 332 yards and five TDs against No. 2 Oklahoma in the BCS national championship game.
11. DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama (2020)
Stats: 117 catches, 1,856 receiving yards, 23 TDs; 237 punt return yards, 1 TD
Heisman voting: Smith finished ahead of Clemson's Trevor Lawrence by 669 votes. Alabama's Mac Jones finished third.
Smith became the first receiver to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan's Desmond Howard in 1991 as part of an Alabama offense that dominated the FBS with 48.5 points per game in 2020. Smith pulled away in the voting with 203 yards and four TDs against Mississippi State on Oct. 31. He followed up with 231 receiving yards and three TDs against LSU. Smith then dominated the CFP after winning the award with 19 catches for 345 yards and six TDs in victories against No. 4 Notre Dame and No. 3 Ohio State, respectively.
SN ARCHIVE: DeVonta Smith named SN's Player of the Year
10. Marcus Mariota, QB, Oregon (2014)
Stats: 4,454 passing yards, 42 TDs, 4 INTs; 770 rushing yards, 15 TDs
Heisman voting: Mariota finished ahead of Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon by 1,284 votes. Alabama's Amari Cooper finished third.
Mariota emerged as one of the most efficient quarterbacks in college football history with first-year coach Mark Helfrich at Oregon. Mariota had nine games with at least 300 passing yards, and the Ducks scored 40 or more points in all but one game during the regular season. Mariota held off Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon, who rushed for 2,587 yards. After winning the Heisman Trophy, Mariota led Oregon to a 59-20 victory against No. 3 Florida State in the first four-team College Football Playoff semifinal at the Rose Bowl on Jan. 1, 2015. The Ducks lost 42-20 to No. 4 Ohio State in the CFP championship game.
9. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama (2015)
Stats: 2,219 rushing yards, 28 TDs; 91 receiving yards
Heisman voting: Henry finished ahead of Stanford's Christian McCaffrey by 293 votes. Clemson's Deshaun Watson finished third.
Henry is the last running back to win the Heisman Trophy. The campaign ramped up in SEC play – especially when he rushed for 236 yards and two TDs in a 41-23 victory against No. 9 Texas A&M on Oct. 17, 2015. He had 210 yards and three TDs against No. 4 LSU three weeks later. Henry capped that with 271 rushing yards and a TD in the Iron Bowl. He had huge games on the monumental stages, and that gave him the edge over McCaffrey in a hotly contested race. Henry closed his Alabama career with 158 yards and three TDs in a 45-40 victory against No. 1 Clemson in the CFP championship game.
8. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida (2007)
Stats: 3,286 passing yards, 32 TDs, 6 INTs; 895 rushing yards, 23 TDs
Heisman voting: Tebow finished ahead of Arkansas' Darren McFadden by 254 votes. Hawaii's Colt Brennan finished third.
Why isn't Tebow at No. 1? After all, SN ranked him No. 2 on the top 10 greatest players of all time list in 2022. This was Tebow's best statistical season – and he was just a sophomore and the Gators finished 9-4. Tebow had five games with at least five total TDs that season, including a memorable performance against South Carolina on Nov. 10, 2007; when he had 304 passing yards, 120 rushing yards and seven total TDs. Tebow would lead Florida to a national championship the following season. He finished third in the voting in 2008 and fifth in 2009.
7. Jameis Winston, QB, Florida State (2013)
Stats: 4,057 passing yards, 40 TDs, 10 INTs; 219 rushing yards, 4 TDs
Heisman voting: Winston finished ahead of Alabama's AJ McCarron by 1,501 votes. Northern Illinois quarterback Jordan Lynch finished third.
Winston, a redshirt freshman, announced his campaign by hitting 25 of 27 passes for 356 yards in a 41-13 blowout against Pitt on Labor Day. The hype didn't stop there. Winston faced allegations of sexual assault in November during that season, but he was never charged with a crime. He piloted a Florida State offense that led the FBS with 51.6 points per game, and he won the Heisman by a landslide. He capped that season with the game-winning TD pass to Kelvin Benjamin for a 34-31 victory against No. 2 Auburn in the final BCS championship game on Jan. 6, 2024. Winston took sixth in the Heisman voting in 2014.
6. Lamar Jackson, QB, Louisville (2016)
Stats: 3,543 passing yards, 30 TDs, 9 INTs; 1,601 rushing yards, 18 TDs
Heisman voting: Jackson finished ahead of Clemson's Deshaun Watson by 620 votes. Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield finished third.
Jackson took the early Heisman Trophy lead with eight total TDs in the opener against Charlotte – then confirmed his candidacy with 610 total yards and five total TDs – including a highlight-reel hurdle – in a 62-20 win against Syracuse in Week 2. The duel with No. 5 Clemson – where he passed for 295 yards and rushed for 162 yards with three total TDs in a 42-36 loss, actually helped his cause. Jackson won the Heisman Trophy over Clemson quarterback Deshaun Watson. Jackson would finish third in the Heisman voting the following season in one of the most impressive two-year runs by a QB in the CFP era.
SN ARCHIVES: Lamar Jackson named SN's Player of the Year
5. Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado (2024)
Stats: 96 catches, 1,258 receiving yards, 15 TDs; 36 tackles, four interceptions
Heisman voting: Hunter finished ahead of Boise State's Ashton Jeanty by 214 votes. Oregon's Dillon Gabriel finished third.
Hunter was the first two-way player to win the Heisman Trophy since Michigan's Charles Woodson in 1997. He played 1,443 snaps between receiver and cornerback during the regular season, and he made spectacular plays at the right time for the Buffaloes in a nine-win season. He had eight games with 100 receiving yards or more, and he closed the season with 116 receiving yards, three TDs and an interception in a 52-0 blowout against Oklahoma State on Nov. 29, 2025.
SN ARCHIVE: Travis Hunter is named SN's Player of the Year
4. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M (2012)
Stats: 4,114 passing yards, 37 TDs, 13 INTs; 1,410 rushing yards, 21 TDs
Heisman voting: Manziel finished ahead of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te'o by 323 votes. Kansas State quarterback Collin Klein finished third.
"Johnny Football" became a cult phenomenon with Texas A&M in 2012 with his improvisational play-making style that was truly one of a kind. He had four games with 300 passing yards or more and seven games with 100-plus rushing yards. Manziel's Heisman campaign peaked when he led No. 15 Texas A&M to a 29-24 victory at No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 10, 2012. Manziel's moment spinning out of a Crimson Tide blitz in the first quarter then firing a 10-yard TD to Ryan Swope. Manziel finished fifth in the Heisman Trophy race in his bid to repeat in 2013.
3. Reggie Bush, RB, USC (2005)
Stats: 1,740 rushing yards, 16 TDs; 478 receiving yards, 2 TDs
Heisman voting: Bush finished ahead of Texas' Vince Young by 933 votes. USC's Matt Leinart and Notre Dame's Brady Quinn finished third and fourth, respectively.
Bush had 2,890 all-purpose yards – which still ranks eighth in FBS history. He had 513 all-purpose yards against No. 16 Fresno State on Nov. 19, 2005 – a performance highlighted by an incredible 50-yard TD run that turned the Heisman race. Bush clinched that with 260 rushing yards the following week. The Heisman Trust vacated Bush's Heisman Trophy in 2010 as a result of NCAA sanctions on the USC program, but the award was rightfully returned in 2024. Imagine those highlight-reel plays in the social media era.
2. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn (2010)
Stats: 2,854 passing yards, 30 TDs, 7 INTs; 1,473 rushing yards, 20 TDs
Heisman voting: Newton finished ahead of Stanford's Andrew Luck by 1,184 votes. Oregon's LaMichael James finished third.
Newton was briefly ruled ineligible that season and perhaps no Heisman winner on this list performed better under intense scrutiny. He had 217 rushing yards and two TDs – including a 49-yard TD run where he bolted past Patrick Peterson – in a 27-17 victory against No. 6 LSU on Oct. 23, 2010. Newton then directed Auburn back from a 24-0 deficit at Bryant-Denny Stadium for a 28-27 victory against No. 9 Alabama in a game still known in Iron Bowl lore as the "Cam-Back." The combination of clutch plays and statistics made Newton the easy choice during the Tigers' national championship season.
1. Joe Burow, QB, LSU (2019)
Stats: 5,671 passing yards, 60 TDs, 6 INTs; 369 rushing yards, 5 TDs
Heisman voting: Burrow finished ahead of Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts by 1,846 votes.
Burrow – paired with passing game coordinator Joe Brady and receivers Ja'Marr Chase and Justin Jeferson – was a cheat code in 2019. He finished with 300 passing yards or more in all but two games – a 15-0 year where the Tigers won the CFP national championship. Burrow took hold of the Heisman race in the showdown with No. 2 Alabama on Nov. 9, 2019. Burrow was 31 of 39 passing for 393 yards, three TDs and no interceptions at Bryant-Denny Stadium in a 46-41 win that still ranks as one of the greatest college football games of all time. Burrow had 6,040 yards of total offense and 65 total TDs.
SN ARCHIVE: Joe Burrow is named SN's Player of the Year