Alabama teammates Mac Jones and DeVonta Smith, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask were announced as finalists for the Heisman Trophy on Thursday night.
Unlike 2019, when LSU quarterback Joe Burrow was the priceless favorite to win, the vote numbers were much closer without a clear front runner emerging. The winner of the Heisman Trophy will be awarded on January 5 in a virtual ceremony that starts at 7 p.m. ET on ESPN.
Select from the Alabama finalists. Smith made his case last month, hanging out with teammate Jaylen Waddle and showing off his ability to make explosive plays in space. Smith leads the country with 98 receptions and 1,511 yards receiving, while catching 17 touchdown passes.
Jones said this of his teammate: “He’s the most electric player in college football. He means the most to us here at Alabama football. You can watch the games and see what kind of person he is with how he plays.”
He hopes to become the first non-quarterback to win the Heisman since Alabama Derrick Henry walked back in 2015. The last recipient to win the Heisman was Desmond Howard of Michigan in 1991.
Jones, a red-shirted junior, started four games last season after Tua Tagovailoa was injured and had a brilliant performance in the Citrus Bowl against Michigan. But he had to beat former five-star Superintendent Bryce Young to win the runway for this season.
And then he had taken off showing his comfort in the system, traveling yards, touchdowns and points effortlessly. Jones has the best players in college football around him, and so does Waddle – an early Heisman who was hopeful until an ankle injury in late October forced him into the season.
During the last four games of the year, Jones and Smith made it clear that they were among the best players in the country and put an exclamation mark on that statement in a 52-46 victory over the Gators in the SEC championship game.
Jones threw for 418 yards and five touchdowns, and Smith had 15 catches for 184 yards and two touchdowns. In total, Jones has thrown for 3,739 yards and 32 touchdowns, with only four interceptions to lead No. 1 Alabama.
Only one school has let teammates finish 1-2 in Heisman’s history: 1945 Army (Doc Blanchard won and Glenn Davis finished second).
With teammate Najee Harris announced on Thursday that he finished in No. 5 on the ballot, Alabama is the first three-player team in the top five in the Heisman ballot since Army in 1946.
Smith and Jones are also finalists for the Maxwell Award, which is awarded to the country’s best player.
That includes Lawrence, 34-1 as a starter with the Tigers. He is only the second player in Clemson’s history to become a Heisman finalist at Deshaun Watson (2015 and 2016). While Lawrence’s stats aren’t as prolific as Jones’s, Lawrence is only winning. He also proved how valuable he is to the Tigers in their 34-10 win over Notre Dame in the ACC championship game last weekend.
Lawrence missed the first match with the Irish when he was recovering from the corona virus. Clemson lost with double overtime. In the rematch, Lawrence had 412 yards total fouls and scored a total of three touchdowns in a game that was never really close.
After the game, Clemson coach Dabo Swinney began lobbying on behalf of his quarterback. “Here’s what I’d say: It would be a great shame if the Heisman didn’t put their name on Trevor Lawrence,” Swinney said. “I know that has become a stat award, but if you watch college football and you don’t know that’s the best player in the country? I don’t know what you’re looking at. ‘
In nine games this season, Lawrence has thrown for 2,753 yards with 22 touchdowns and four interceptions, and added 211 yards of rushing and seven touchdowns to the ground.
Trask has put together one of the best seasons in Florida school history, and that’s saying something considering that three Heisman winners played quarterback there. In 11 games, Trask threw a school record of 43 touchdown passes, leading the nation with 11. Trask also leads the nation in passing yards per game (375.0), and set a school record with 4,125 passing yards – including a school-five passing games of 400 meters.
Despite throwing for 408 yards and three touchdowns against Alabama, Florida lost the game to go 8-3. Two consecutive defeats to end the season, including one against LSU, could have affected his chances of winning.
On Thursday, players were also announced who finished in the Top 10 in the Heisman vote. They are: No. 5 Harris; No. 6 Iowa State drops back to Breece Hall; No. 7 Ohio State quarterback Justin Fields; No. 8 BYU quarterback Zach Wilson; No. 9 Notre Dame strategist Ian Book; No. 10 Florida tight end Kyle Pitts.