With most college football teams wrapping up their regular season schedules before the calendar flips to December, the serious Heisman Trophy candidates only have a few more weeks to impress the sportswriters.
At the moment, the debate about college football’s most outstanding player centers on Florida State University freshman Jameis Winston, the reigning Heisman Trophy winner Texas A&M sophomore Johnny Manziel and University of Alabama senior A.J. McCarron – all quarterbacks.
The better discussion might be based around how many of those players will still be relevant as NFL players a few years down the road?
The track record for former Heisman Trophy winners’ success in the pro ranks is not a strong one, particularly at the quarterback position.
Let’s look back at the NFL resumes of the past ten quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy.
2000 – Chris Weinke – lasted five years in the league and started 20 games, going 2-18.
2001 – Eric Crouch – Drafted by the Green Bay Packers, who wanted to convert him into a wide receiver. Never played a down in the league.
2002 – Carson Palmer – Currently quarterbacking for the Arizona Cardinals, two-time Pro Bowler, career 60-71 record as a starter.
2003 – Jason White – Went undrafted due to limited mobility from reconstructive knee surgeries in 2001 and 2002.
2004 – Matt Leinart – Currently a free agent looking for work. Spent six years on an NFL roster, going 8-10 in 18 career starts.
2006 – Troy Smith – Has not been on an NFL roster since 2010, 4-4 in eight career starts.
2007 – Tim Tebow – Currently a free agent hoping someone will let him throw the football, 8-6 in 14 career starts. Earned a playoff berth and a playoff victory with the Denver Broncos in 2011.
2008 – Sam Bradford – Had his 2013 campaign with the St. Louis Rams cut short with a torn ACL, 18-30-1 in 49 career starts.
2010 – Cam Newton – Current starter for the Carolina Panthers, 2011 Pro Bowler, 20-22 in 42 NFL starts, but 7-3 so far in 2013.
2011 – Robert Griffin III – Current starter for the Washington Redskins, 2012 Pro Bowler, 12-13 in 25 NFL starts, but led his team to a playoff berth last season.
So of the past six quarterback Heisman honorees, only three are currently employed by an NFL team. Even more incredible, of the past fourteen quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy and pursue NFL careers, only one, Tebow, has an NFL playoff win.
Newton and Griffin both have the potential to right the ship for the group, but those numbers are underwhelming. Take into consideration that Russell Wilson (Seattle Seahawks) and Colin Kaepernick (San Francisco 49ers) are two of the league’s best young quarterbacks and led teams to playoff wins last season, but garnered almost no Heisman attention during their college careers.
There are many reasons for this. The college game is dramatically different from the NFL: guys are bigger and stronger, offensive and defensive schemes are far more elaborate and gimmicky option offenses aren’t nearly as successful. All that said, it’s still surprising to see such a lack of success at the next level from a class of athletes deemed the most outstanding college football players in the country.
As for Winston, Manziel and McCarron, we will have to wait a few years to see whether they enjoy Newton’s success, or end up another NFL footnote.
– Dylan Lewis can be reached at [email protected]
