A cautionary note to young football players:
If you dream of winning the Heisman Trophy one day, become a quarterback.
The Heisman Trophy is supposed to be awarded to the “outstanding college football player in the United States,” as stated on the trophy’s website.
Running backs and receivers (and the occasional defensive player — remember cornerback Charles Woodson way back in 1997) used to be considered true Heisman Hopefuls, but no longer.
“Player” now should be subbed with “quarterback.”
The Heisman club, once open to the best college football players in the land, has become even more exclusive.
If you’re not a QB, keep out.
Quarterbacks have won 11 of the past 12 Heismans, a trend that likely won’t change this year.
All the focus is on them.
They’re the guys who trigger college football’s fast and furious offenses, the guys who need accountants to tally their stats.
They control the action, determining in nanoseconds whether to pass or run, hand off or keep the ball. They thrive or don’t survive in a frenetic world where spastic hand signals have replaced calming huddles, and play clocks are obsolete.
Quarterbacks are so visible, are so athletic and are so vital, other players often are out of consideration before the season begins.
Which presents another problem that has befallen the Heisman.
There are so many weekly rankings and polls and sample ballots, it rubs the shine off the little bronze guy when he’s finally awarded.
We can almost guess who will win before the big announcement.
I’m as guilty as other sportswriters by writing about candidates and judging them by their most recent performances instead of their completed body of work. That eliminates potentially worthy players from the Heisman pool.
Alabama’s Mark Ingram is the only running back to win the Heisman since Ron Dayne in 1999, a workhorse on a workmanlike team. Manti Te’o finished a close second to Johnny Manziel last year, but that had more to do with him playing for Notre Dame than being an outstanding linebacker.
Even this year, when there’s a 2,000-yard rusher (Boston College’s Andre Williams), he’s barely mentioned. QBs have received most of the PR.
The Heisman belongs to quarterbacks, and they’re not about to throw him away.
About the Author
