The Heisman Trophy: A Symbol of Excellence in College Football
Every year, a select group of Heisman Trophy voters go rogue, defying the conventional wisdom and awarding the top spot to a player who nobody else is talking about. Out of nearly a thousand ballots, a few decide that a player who flew under the radar deserves the top prize. In this article, we’ll delve into the 10 most bizarre Heisman Trophy votes ever cast, highlighting the players who somehow managed to sneak their way onto the top 10 list with just a single first-place vote.
Since 2000, 24 players have made the Heisman top 10 while receiving exactly one first-place vote. Below are the 10 with the lowest final point totals of that group, showcasing the players who were overlooked by the majority of voters.
1. DeAngelo Williams, Memphis
The 2005 Heisman vote is remembered as one of the most lopsided in Heisman history, with Reggie Bush earning the second-highest percentage of possible points (91.8%) and the fifth-highest first-place votes (784) ever. Yet, one ballot skipped past all three finalists and put Memphis running back DeAngelo Williams at the top. He led the FBS with 1,964 rushing yards and ranked fourth with 18 rushing touchdowns, but his 6.3 yards per touch paled next to Bush’s absurd 9.4.
2. Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin
In 2018, the top six finishers in Heisman voting were all quarterbacks, something that had only happened once before in award history, in 2001 (it would happen again in 2022). Jonathan Taylor gets more love in most other years, but in 2018, the conversation belonged entirely to eventual winner Kyler Murray, runner-up Tua Tagovailoa, and the late Dwayne Haskins. Somebody, though, wasn’t ready to let a season that good go unrewarded.
3. Ken Simonton, Oregon State
West Coast bias is the easiest explanation for whoever put Ken Simonton at the top of their ballot in 2000. Oregon State had a special year, with Simonton powering the Beavers to an 11-1 record and a Fiesta Bowl blowout of Notre Dame. But he wasn’t even the best back that season. Finalist LaDainian Tomlinson led the FBS in rushing yards, and Simonton didn’t crack the national top five in any major rushing category.
4. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama
The year is an important context here. Tua Tagovailoa was the Heisman runner-up in 2018, and there was a real argument he’d have contended for the trophy outright had he played a full season in 2019. However, he missed three games because of injury. He was on pace to blow past his 2018 numbers, so there’s a case there perhaps, until you consider who actually won in 2019.
5. J.J. McCarthy, Michigan
Three players in the top 10 of the 2023 Heisman vote received just one first-place vote, so there were a handful of throwaway picks. Ollie Gordon II and Cody Schrader were two of them, while J.J. McCarthy was the third, squeaking into 10th place. The difference is that Gordon and Schrader were viewed as two of the best running backs in the country that year, while McCarthy ranked as just the sixth-best quarterback on the final tally.
6. Drew Olson, UCLA
We hinted there would be more from the 2005 Heisman vote at the top of this list. Drew Olson put together one of the best single seasons by a UCLA quarterback that year, throwing a school-record 34 touchdowns against just six interceptions while leading the Bruins to a 10-2 record. But UCLA did get blown out 66-19 by a USC team led by Heisman winner Reggie Bush and finalist Matt Leinart.
7. Chris Long, Virginia
It’s extremely rare for a defensive player to win the Heisman Trophy. Only Charles Woodson and Travis Hunter have pulled it off, and both also contributed significantly on offense or special teams. There have been plenty of outstanding pure defenders over the years, but it usually takes a truly Herculean effort for one to be seriously in the Heisman conversation. Not to knock Chris Long, who tied for third nationally in sacks (14.0) and tied for 10th in tackles for loss (19.0) in 2007.
8. Bryce Petty, Baylor
Now we’re at a point where few voters had these players on their ballot at all, let alone at the top. Bryce Petty appeared on just eight ballots total. His numbers were far less productive than Oregon’s Marcus Mariota, who ran away with the award and finished with the fourth-highest first-place vote total (788) ever.
9. Trevone Boykin, TCU
Trevone Boykin entered the 2015 season as the preseason Heisman favorite, coming off a fourth-place finish the year before. He still put up a strong season for TCU, throwing for 3,575 yards and 31 touchdowns, but the race ran away from him — literally. Five running backs finished with a higher final voting total than Boykin, with winner Derrick Henry ahead of runner-up Christian McCaffrey.
10. Javon Ringer, Michigan State
Javon Ringer has the lowest Heisman voting point total (8) of any player to make the top 10 since 2000, and the breakdown shows just how thin his support was. Five third-place votes, no second-place votes, and one lone first-place vote from someone who saw something nobody else did.
