The finalists for the Heisman 2020 Trophy were revealed on Thursday, with four players still vying for the most prestigious award in college football.
The finalists are Alabama quarterback Mac Jones, Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence, Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith and Florida quarterback Kyle Trask.
With Jones and Smith as finalists, it marks the second consecutive season in which the teammates will finish in the top four. Last year, Ohio State teammates Justin Fields and Chase Young finished third and fourth, respectively.
It was also revealed on Thursday that Alabama’s running back Najee Harris finished fifth in the vote, making the Alabama team this year just the second team to have three players finishing in the top five in the same Heisman vote. The other was the 1946 Army squadron, which included Glenn Davis (first), Doc Blanchard (fourth) and Arnold Tucker (fifth).
Former Heisman winners and hundreds of media members vote for the prize by selecting three players on their ballot. A vote for first place is worth three points, a vote for second place is worth two points and a vote for third place is worth one point. The vote was due on Monday at 5 pm Eastern Time.
Instead of the usual New York City event, this season’s Heisman ceremony will take place at ESPN headquarters in Briston, Connecticut, on January 5 at 7 pm due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Heisman finalists “will appear via satellite from their homes or schools,” ESPN said last month.
The 2019 Heisman Trophy ceremony was held on December 14 and was won by LSU quarterback Joe Burrow.
Here’s more about each of this year’s finalists:
Mac Jones, QB, Alabama
In early 2020, some wondered if Mac Jones would just be Alabama’s replacement as a quarterback until award-winning freshman Bryce Young was ready to take over. Instead, Jones began to have a monstrous season and helped Alabama win the SEC title and return to the crucial game of College Football.
Jones enters the CFP semifinals with 3,739 yards (No. 2 nationally), 32 touchdowns (No. 3) and just four interceptions, while leading the country with a 76.5 completion percentage over 11 games. Along the way, Jones compiled seven 300-yard games, four 400-yard games and six games with at least four touchdown passes. In Crimson Tide’s victory over Florida in the SEC title game, Jones shot for 418 yards and five touchdowns.
BetMGM Odds: +175
Trevor Lawrence, QB, Clemson
Choice # 1 projected in the 2020 draft of the NFL is Heisman’s finalist for the first time. Trevor Lawrence has been a star since the first day he stepped onto the field for Clemson as a freshman in 2018. He took the Tigers to the national title that season and then had Clemson back in the national championship game last fall.
This year, Lawrence overcame a two-game absence caused by a positive COVID-19 test to bring Clemson back to the College Football game. Lawrence, who finished seventh in last year’s vote, missed Clemson’s regular season reunion with Notre Dame, but was available for the ACC title game rematch. Lawrence was the best player on the field, shooting for 322 yards and two touchdowns while also running for 90 yards and a score.
In nine games this season, Lawrence shot for 2,753 yards, 22 touchdowns and four interceptions, completing 69.2 percent of his passes. Lawrence also added 211 yards and seven leg touchdowns.
BetMGM Odds: +700
DeVonta Smith, WR, Alabama
DeVonta Smith made his name when he received the touchdown pass for the game’s national championship victory as a real freshman. Now he is the favorite in the bets to win the Heisman Trophy as a senior.
Smith is having an incredible season for Crimson Tide. Entering the CFP, Smith compiled 98 receptions for 1,511 yards and 17 touchdowns. It also has a running touchdown and another as a punt return. Smith averages 8.9 receptions and 137.4 yards per game. He has seven games with at least 100 receiving yards, four games with more than 10 receptions and six games with multiple touchdown receptions. His most recent performance, against Florida in the SEC title game, was one of his best: 15 receptions, 184 yards and two TDs.
If Smith wins Heisman, he will only be the fourth recipient to win the prize. The most recent was Desmond Howard, of Michigan, in 1991.
Odds on BetMGM: -165
Kyle Trask, QB, Florida
Kyle Trask, the national leader in yards and touchdowns, is the first Heisman finalist at the University of Florida since Tim Tebow. Trask led Florida to a SEC East title while displaying ridiculous numbers: 4,125 yards and 43 touchdowns with a 69.7 percent completion rate.
Along the way, Trask averaged 375 passes per game, surpassing the 400 yard mark five times. He also made four or more touchdowns in seven of Florida’s 11 games, including twice throwing six touchdown passes in one game.
Although his candidacy is likely to be affected by Florida’s defeat in the last two games, it was a notable rise for Trask. Trask started his first game since he was a high school freshman in 2019 after Feleipe Franks (now in Arkansas) was injured. He took the opportunity and is considered one of the best players in the sport.
BetMGM Odds: +4000
Heisman’s other top 10 revealed
In addition to revealing the remaining eligible candidates to win the award, ESPN revealed the players who completed the top 10 in Heisman votes.
5. Najee Harris, RB, Alabama
Najee Harris has become one of the elite players in his position for the past two years. In 11 games this year, Harris leads the country with 24 run touchdowns to go with his 1,262 yards (the third longest in the country) and an average of 5.9 yards. The senior also has 32 receptions for 316 yards and three hits.
All three of Harris’ touchdowns in 2020 came in the SEC title game victory over Florida. Harris had a monstrous performance, putting 178 yards and two touchdowns running while picking up five passes for 67 yards and those three scores.
With Harris finishing 5th, the Alabama 2020 team became the second team with three Heisman finalists in the top five.
6. Breece Hall, RB, Iowa
Iowa state running back Breece Hall leads the country with 1,436 running yards and helped the Cyclones to reach the big 12 title game for the first time. Hall, who also has 19 touchdown races, has passed 100 yards in eight of Iowa’s 11 games. Hall also scored at least two touchdowns in eight of Iowa’s games. Entering the bowling game, Hall averages 5.9 yards per load.
7. Justin Fields, QB, Ohio State
Justin Fields finished in the Heisman top 10 by voting for a second consecutive season. Fields finished third in 2019, his first season in Columbus after moving from Georgia to OSU. Fields thrived under Ryan Day with the Buckeyes and led OSU to a Big Ten title and a place in the college football playoff in both seasons with the program. In six games in 2020, Fields launched 1,521 yards, 15 touchdowns and five interceptions, completing 72.6 percent of his passes.
8. Zach Wilson, QB, BYU
Zach Wilson dazzled in his third season as a starting quarterback for BYU and helped the Cougars to go 11-1. Along the way, Wilson launched 3,699 yards and 33 touchdowns with just three interceptions, completing 73.4% of his passes. Wilson also ended the year with 254 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground. Now Wilson is designed to be one of the best quarterbacks selected in the 2020 NFL draft, should he choose to leave school.
9. Ian Book, QB, Notre Dame
Ian Book has more wins as a starting quarterback (30) than any other in the history of Notre Dame and now he finished in the top 10 in Heisman. In 2020, the fifth-year veteran has Fighting Irish back at the College Football Playoff for the second time in three seasons. Book led the way for an undefeated regular season, pitching for 2,600 yards, running for 430 yards and matching for 23 touchdowns.
10. Kyle Pitts, TE, Florida
Kyle Pitts emerged as the country’s best tight end in 2020. Pitts made his name in 2019 when he took 54 passes for 649 yards, but it was clear in early 2020 that he took his game to a new level. Pitts went 170 yards and four touchdowns in eight receptions in Florida’s opening season win over Ole Miss. That set the tone for a year in which Pitts took 43 passes for 770 yards and 12 touchdowns in just eight games. That’s an average of 17.9 meters per reception.
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