Rank the SEC's Heisman Trophy winners

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83. 1971 Pat Sullivan, QB Auburn

Sullivan was a fine passer, but he was known more for being a great winner and leader, getting Auburn to a 9-0 start. However, he had his worst performance in the biggest game of the year, throwing for only 121 yards with two interceptions in a 31-7 loss to Alabama. On the year, he threw for 2,262 yards and 21 touchdowns with 13 picks, and he ran for 66 yards and two scores. He won partly because he was tremendous the year before – he had a better 1970 season.

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77. 1959 Billy Cannon, HB LSU

Cannon was the heart and soul of the 11-0 LSU team … in 1958. He was good in 1959, remembered for a legendary performance in a 7-3 win over Ole Miss, but he won the Award off the year before. Had he won it in 1958, Cannon would be much, much higher on this list.

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74. 2009 Mark Ingram, RB Alabama

Ingram finished 11th in the nation in rushing with 1,658 yards and 17 scores, but he came through in the biggest games. He ran for 113 yards and three score and caught two passes for 76 yards in the SEC Championship win over Florida, and he tore off 246 yards against South Carolina and 144 yards against LSU. Call this an MVP award as he helped take Alabama to a national title.

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69. 1966 Steve Spurrier, QB Florida

The young Ball Coach actually could throw a little bit and was a better runner than most of the stars he coached. He led the Gators to a 9-2 record as an all-around yardage machine – for the era – throwing for 2,012 yards and 16 touchdowns with eight picks, and running for 66 yards.

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59. 2012 Johnny Manziel, QB Texas A&M

The first freshman to ever win the Heisman set the SEC record for total offense with 3,419 yards and 24 touchdown passes with 1,181 rushing yards and 19 scores. While he was magical in the road win over Alabama, he struggled in a loss to LSU and couldn’t come through in a loss to Florida. Only four of the wins came against bowl bound teams.

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54. 1942 Frank Sinkwich, HB Georgia

Sinkwich ran for an incredible-for-the-time 17 touchdowns and threw for ten scores leading Georgia to an 11-1 record. He ran for 828 yards on the year.

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49. 1985 Bo Jackson, RB Auburn

How can you possibly argue with a 1,786-yard, 17-touchdown season from one of college football’s most legendary players? Simple, in the biggest games, he wasn’t able play the entire game and it cost Auburn. He suffered a bruised thigh in the second quarter against Florida in a 14-10 loss and was knocked out with a knee injury in the third quarter in a 38-20 loss to Tennessee

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38. 2020 DeVonta Smith, WR Alabama

Was he the best player on his own team? QB Mac Jones (3) and RB Najee Harris (5) each finished in the top five in the Heisman race. Was he the best wide receiver on his own team? That might have been Jaylen Waddle before getting hurt. But that’s not how this is done. Smith took over the season in the second half with five 100-yard games including a 15-catch, 184-yard, two-touchdown day against Florida in the SEC Championship. After the voting, it took it up another level with 19 catches for 345 yards and six touchdowns in the two College Football Playoff games.

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26. 2015 Derrick Henry, RB Alabama

Henry wasn’t really a top candidate until halfway through the season, but he ran for close to 2,000 yards, carried the ball 90 times in the final two games to get to the SEC title game, and then won the conference title game – it was the stuff of legend. The 210-yard, three score day against LSU – when all the world was watching Leonard Fournette – was an all-timer of a performance. It wasn’t flashy, but it was special an effective. That was his Heisman season

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11. 1996 Danny Wuerffel, QB Florida

The 1996 national title team played the nation’s toughest schedule, facing No. 2 Tennessee, No. 12 Arkansas, No. 16 Auburn, No. 2 Florida State twice, and No. 11 Alabama. Even so, Wuerffel had one of the best years in college football history – at the time – leading the offense to 46.6 points per game and 76 touchdowns. He was deadly accurate, throwing for 39 scores and finishing with a pass efficiency rating of 170.6 – again, amazing for the time.

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8. 2007 Tim Tebow, QB Florida

With an all-timer of a statistical season – being the first quarterback to run for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 – the first sophomore to ever win the Heisman became the culmination of everything the spread offense could become. He finished with 838 yards and 22 touchdowns and was second in the nation in passing efficiency completing 217-of-317 passes for 3,132 yards and 29 touchdowns with six interceptions.

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6. 1982 Herschel Walker, RB Georgia

Walker actually had a better season in 1981, but there was no way he was getting past USC’s Marcus Allen. In 1982, Walker ran for 1,752 yards and 17 touchdowns carrying Georgia to an SEC title and a shot at the national title. What’s more amazing is that he amassed those totals after running for just 20 yards in the season opener against Clemson, hurt by a broken thumb. Even though he was playing in a cast, he ran for 124 yards against BYU and 143 against South Carolina. The cast came off and Walker went nuts, averaging 183 yards per game over his final eight.

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5. 2010 Cam Newton, QB Auburn

Tim Tebow won the Heisman in 2007 as the first player to ever run for 20 touchdowns and throw for 20 scores in the same season, but Florida didn’t play for the national title. Newton led the nation in passing efficiency, ran for 20 touchdowns, threw for 28 scores, with just six interceptions, and finished first in the SEC and 15th in the nation in rushing with 1,409 yards … and he took Auburn to the BCS Championship.

Beyond the stats, the size, the speed, and the cool play under fire, rallying Auburn back from a 24-0 deficit against Alabama as the signature moment cemented this among the greatest seasons in college football history. However, his all-timer of a year will always be attached to the controversy regarding his father and an alleged pay-for-play solicitation from Mississippi State. On the flip side, he performed at the highest level through the distractions.

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2. 2019 Joe Burrow, QB LSU

There’s no argument whatsoever if you think he should be No. 1.

The national championship and College Football Playoff don’t factor into the Heisman equation, but Burrow doesn’t need the extra stats.

He was the greatest landslide winner in the history of the Heisman with 91% of the votes – beating Troy Smith’s mark of 86.7% in 2006 – and it’s not like he didn’t have competition. Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa had the most efficient season in college football history before getting hurt, Oklahoma State RB Chuba Hubbard and Wisconsin RB Jonathan Taylor each ran for over 1,900 yards and 21 scores, and Ohio State’s Chase Young was the most devastating college pass rusher ever.

But Burrow led the way to the SEC Championship and the CFP hitting 78% of his passes for 4,715 yards and 48 touchdown passes with six picks against great team after great team.

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My list is guys who had more than one great season. They had great college careers.

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