Chapter 159 Heisman Award
The NCAA season has come to an end, and the offseason is about to enter. Preparations for the new season have begun one after another, but before that, awards selections from major leagues and across the country have begun. The release is a summary of the NCAA season and a warm-up for the upcoming NFL draft.
Among them, the Heisman Award, the NCAA's highest award, is undoubtedly the crown jewel (Note 1).
Like football's Golden Globe Award, the Heisman Award is voted on by professional journalists and previous award winners. In addition, Nissan, the sponsor of the Heisman Award, also has one vote. They will conduct a fan vote on ESPN, and the fans will complete the selection. The final vote will be counted as one to participate in the selection.
Each voter can choose three players as alternates, and they must be ranked in order. The first place is worth 3 points, the second place is worth 2 points, and the third place is worth 1 point. Finally, the statistics are superimposed, and the player with the highest score wins.
Since its establishment in 1935, the Heisman Award has entered its 81st year. As the oldest and most authoritative award in the college arena, countless college players regard the Heisman Award as their ultimate goal.
This year, of course, is no exception.
Levi, Lamar Jackson, Deshaun Watson, Baker Mayfield, Christian McCaffrey, Jack Browning and other players competed fiercely throughout the season, even attracting the attention of the NFL. Professional players have also paid attention to the development.
However, the reality is that college football and professional football are two systems, not to say "completely different" but also "far apart". Excellent performance in the college arena does not mean that one can continue to be strong in the professional arena. On the contrary, because of the Heisman Award expectations become a shackle that limits performance.
The Heisman Trophy has been becoming a curse since the turn of the millennium.
In 2000, quarterback Chris Weinke won the Heisman Award. In the following year's draft, he was selected by the Carolina Panthers in the fourth round. After leading the team to win the first starting game in his rookie season After losing seventeen games in a row and losing the opportunity to start, this person was never found again.
In 2003, quarterback Jason White won the Heisman Award, but was not selected in the 2005 draft. He was not even given a chance to try out with an NFL team. He is the only player in history to win the Heisman Award. A Heisman winner who never had a chance to win pro football --
Incidentally, he is also the third Heisman Trophy winner in history to be undrafted in the NFL draft.
Finally, the Tennessee Titans finally wanted to sign White, but a frustrated White refused and retired due to knee injuries.
In 2006, quarterback Troy Smith made history and won the Heisman Trophy undisputedly by winning 91.63% of the votes. However, his failure in the national championship game and his height of 6 feet (180 centimeters) caused the draft price to change. He plummeted and was not drafted by the Baltimore Ravens until the fifth round. He struggled back and forth between starting and coming off the bench throughout his career, and injuries caused him to bounce around to many teams.
In 2007, quarterback Tim Tebow, the winner of the Heisman Award, was once a great talent in the history of college football. Even Cam Newton served as his substitute, but he was unable to adapt to the complex environment after entering the professional arena. The tactical system and the innate passing ability have become the ceiling——
Later, he retired early and worked in commentary, baseball and other fields. He was also a very talkative figure.
In addition, Sam Bradford in 2008, Mark Ingram in 2009, and Robert Griffin III in 2011 all experienced ups and downs due to serious injuries. , Johnny Manziel in 2012 became a negative example because he could not understand tactics.
In the past fifteen years, except for the last two winners who have just entered the professional league and are still in the early stages of their careers, the only winners are Carson-Palmer in 2002 and Carson-Palmer in 2010. Cam Newton, the winner of the year, is a player worth mentioning.
Suddenly, the "Heisman Curse" became a dark cloud hanging over the football stadium.
Of course, having said that, whether it is the NCAA or the NFL, the focus is still on the selection of the Heisman Award every year, and no one wants to miss it.
Even though the "curse" statement comes every year, before the draft every year, the Heisman Award selection list still becomes an important reference for major teams.
This year is no exception——
Jackson, who led the team all season long, faltered at the last minute.
Levi, who had a perfect season, was a running back, and it was his first time on the football field as a rookie.
Watson, who earned extra points as a quarterback and had a very good season, suffered a fatal defeat in the National Championship Game.
So, who can win?
The answer is revealed. Levi!
Unexpected, but not unexpected.
The University of Alabama won the Heisman Award for the second consecutive year. This is also the third Heisman Award in the history of the Crimson Tide Storm. All three were from running backs; the running back won the Heisman Award for the second consecutive year. After the quarterback has topped the list for five consecutive years, the running back has also won the Heisman Award for consecutive years.
In a series of historical records, an Asian player won the Heisman Award for the first time. There is no doubt that it was a real breakthrough moment and made the headlines of major newspapers and magazines.
The real surprise, however, is the turnout.
Strictly speaking, Levi's winning the Heisman Award is a surprise but not an accident. As Shaban and Donald said, Levi's performance is obvious to all -
In addition to the Heisman Trophy, Levi has already collected a series of honors early on.
Maxwell Award, Associated Press Player of the Year, Walter Camp Player of the Year, CBS Sports Athlete of the Year, Southeastern Conference Rookie of the Year and Player of the Year, and was nominated for the NCAA All-American nine times on different platforms and channels. One team, showing a sweeping attitude.
From the Southeastern Conference to the entire NCAA, Levi showed absolute dominance and eliminated the suspense of the Heisman Award bit by bit.
What is truly shocking and shocking is the voting results.
93.8%, 2608 points.
Levi swept the voting with absolute strength. Neither Jackson nor Watson had any chance in front of Levi. In the end, Levi surpassed Reggie Bush and Troy Smith to create the Heisman Award. Winning the award with the highest vote share in eighty-one years.
What is dominance?
What does it mean to sweep across thousands of armies?
Originally, people speculated that there must be a battle between Levi, Jackson and Watson, and the voting results might be very close.
Result, that's it?
A crowd was stunned and dumbfounded.
After the results of the Heisman Award selection came out, Levi also officially announced for the first time that he would participate in the 2017 draft.
One stone stirs up a thousand waves!
This choice is not unexpected. People are already mentally prepared and are just waiting for Levi's announcement. After all, the dominance Levi has shown is so terrifying that he even broke a series of records set by Derrick Henry last year. Now, Entering the professional league is also a matter of course.
However, people are curious——
Can Levi break the "Heisman Curse"?
Especially for a rookie like Levi, who entered football for just one year and then entered the NFL from the NCAA. The situation is more difficult and challenging. Can Levi withstand the pressure?
The suspense slowly opens.
Note 1: The results of the Heisman Award selection are announced in early December every year. The results are slightly adjusted here according to the needs of the plot.
Today’s third update.
(End of this chapter)