Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask are the finalists for the 86th annual Heisman Memorial Trophy, it was announced Thursday.
Presented each year to the nation’s most outstanding college football player, the winner of the Heisman will be revealed on January 5. The announcement will take place virtually and be broadcast on ESPN. LSU quarterback Joe Burrow, who went on to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL draft, won the award last season.
Lawrence, expected to be the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL draft should he leave Clemson early, joins two-time finalist and current Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson (third in balloting in 2015, second in 2016) as the only Clemson players to be named a finalist since the Heisman Trust began officially recognizing finalists in 1982. Clemson has never had a Heisman winner.
This is the first time Alabama has had multiple finalists and the second year in a row that multiple finalists have come from the same school; Ohio State’s Justin Fields and Chase Young were finalists in 2019.
Alabama’s previous winners of the award are running backs Mark Ingram (2009) and Derrick Henry (2015). Overall, Alabama has had 10 Heisman finalists, with eight of those coming under Crimson Tide head coach Nick Saban.
Trask is the fifth Gator to be named a Heisman finalist, joining Emmitt Smith (1988), Danny Wuerffel (1995, 1996), Rex Grossman (2001) and Tim Tebow (2007, 2008, 2009). Florida has three winners of the award: Steve Spurrier in 1966, Wuerffel in 1996 and Tebow in 2007.
The rest of the top 10 finishers in the 2020 Heisman voting were announced Thursday, with Alabama’s Najee Harris in fifth, Iowa State’s Breece Hall sixth, Fields from Ohio State seventh, BYU’s Zach Wilson eighth, Ian Book of Notre Dame ninth and Florida’s Kyle Pitts in 10th.
Heisman Trophy ballots went to 927 electors: 56 living Heisman winners, one overall fan vote and 870 members of the media.
