Every year, the Heisman Trophy is a showcase of college football’s most electric stars. College football’s top talent takes the stage once again, and the biggest question will be where they line up compared to past winners.
We’ve seen electric performances in the past, but who truly had the best year? We look at the Heisman winners starting in 2019, and break down who really stands above the rest.
6) Travis Hunter, 2024
Travis Hunter playing both ways is something we haven’t seen in years. He was a unicorn in college football and did a lot of great things to help his draft stock. However, his Heisman year wasn’t the most impressive.
As a receiver, he caught 96 passes for 1,258 yards and 15 touchdowns. Defensively, he recorded 36 tackles, 11 passes defended, and four interceptions. It took that much just for him to hold off a Group of Five player.
Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty put together one of the most impressive seasons ever by a running back. He led the Broncos to the College Football Playoff, something Hunter did not do, and came 214 votes short of winning. It remains one of the biggest debates in Heisman Trophy history.
5) Caleb Williams, 2022
After transferring from Oklahoma for the 2022 season, Caleb Williams put on a show to help his new school. The USC Trojans won 11 games for the first time since 2017, thanks to his performance, putting his time back on the map.
Williams threw for 4,537 yards with 42 touchdowns and ran for 382 yards and 10 more scores. USC ended the season with a dud, falling to Utah in the Pac-12 championship (their second loss to the Utes on the season), missing the playoff, and losing to Tulane in the Cotton Bowl.
4) Bryce Young, 2021
Entering the 2021 season, the Bryce Young hype grew tremendously, and he wasted little time reminding everyone why. Alabama’s quarterback threw for 4,872 yards and 47 touchdowns en route to a national championship game appearance.
The Crimson Tide lost to Georgia in the national championship, but it was the beginning of Young’s greatness. The Heisman wasn’t particularly close, with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson coming in second.
3) Devonta Smith, 2020
Similar to the Julian Sayin and Jeremiah Smith debate in 2025, Alabama’s DeVonta Smith and Mac Jones found themselves pitted against each other in the Heisman voting. Ultimately, it didn’t cost Smith the award, but it took votes away from him.
Even though COVID made the season a bit unconventional, the Tide still put up big numbers. Smith finished with 117 catches for 1,856 yards and 23 touchdowns to help Alabama go undefeated and win the national championship.
How impressive was his season? Since 2019, Smith has posted the highest PFSN WR Impact Score, finishing with a score of 99.7.
2) Jayden Daniels, 2023
LSU had a great run of offenses, and the 2023 Tigers saw Jayden Daniels live up to his potential. After transferring from Arizona State, Daniels needed to prove himself to his new school and the SEC.
Malik Nabers made life easier, but Daniels made life miserable for their opponents. He threw for 3,812 yards and 40 touchdowns while running for 1,134 yards and 10 more scores.
Daniels had a 92.7 grade according to PFSN’s QB Impact metrics, and LSU led the country in scoring by averaging 45.5 points per game.
1) Joe Burrow, 2019
This is where we found out which Heisman voters watch the games and which ones don’t. Joe Burrow put together arguably the best season by a college football quarterback in the history of the sport.
He threw for 5,671 yards and 60 touchdowns, breaking record after record on his way to winning a national championship. LSU was clearly the best team in the country, and Burrow was head and shoulders better than anyone else.
Despite that, 52 people voted for other players, including 18 who voted for Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts and Ohio State’s Justin Fields. Still, Burrow and LSU crushed their competition and will forever be in the conversation for the best team in college football history.