Louisiana State University quarterback Joe Burrow has won the most coveted individual award in all of sports: the Heisman Trophy.
Burrow beat out University of Oklahoma quarterback Jalen Hurts, Ohio State University teammates, quarterback Justin Fields and defensive lineman Chase Young. Burrow, Fields and Young aren’t on a CFL negotiation list, yet, but Hurts is property of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Canadian running back Chuba Hubbard, who is from Sherwood Park, Alberta, was somehow not invited to the prestigious ceremony even though Hubbard led the NCAA in rushing yards with 1,936 and 21 touchdowns on the ground.
Quarterbacks have won the majority of Heisman’s since the year 2000 — 17 of the last 20 stiff-armed trophies. Burrow is the second Heisman winner from LSU and first since running back Billy Cannon in 1959. The 60-year gap between Heisman winners is the longest for any school with multiple recipients.
LSU’s signal caller threw for 4,715 yards, 48 touchdowns (Southeastern Conference single-season record) against six interceptions while completing 77.9 percent of his passes. Burrow added 289 yards and three rushing touchdowns. He led the Tigers to a perfect 13-0 record and SEC Championship during his senior season.
Hurts transferred from the University of Alabama and enjoyed the most productive year of his NCAA career alongside Sooners head coach Lincoln Riley. The six-foot-two, 218-pound QB hit on 71.8 percent of his pass attempts for 3,634 yards with 32 touchdowns against seven interceptions. The dual-threat athlete recorded 1,255 yards and 18 touchdowns with his feet — 5.7 yards per carry. He even caught two balls for 25 yards and one touchdown.
After moving from the University of Georgia, Fields passed for 2,953 yards and a ridiculous 40-to-1 touchdown-interception ratio, 67.5 percent of Fields’ balls were caught. He ran for 471 yards and 10 touchdowns. The Buckeyes were undefeated (13-0) under Fields’ guidance.
Young played 11 games notching 44 tackles, 21 tackles for loss, 16.5 sacks and seven forced fumbles. The quarterback takedown total led the entire NCAA. Young is the first exclusively defensive player to be a Heisman finalist since University of Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o finished second behind Texas A&M University quarterback Johnny Manziel in 2012.
Burrow is projected to be a high first-round NFL draft pick, which is the reason no CFL franchise has put his name on a neg list.
