The 2019 Heisman Trophy was won by LSU quarterback. Joe Burrow in a landslide, here we look at what was learned from the voting breakdown.
Joe Burrow’s Heisman Trophy victory was no shocker.
What was stunning was the extent to which he blew away the competition. Burrow collected 841 (90.7%) of the first-place votes available. He won by 1,846 points, breaking the record margin of triumph set by O.J. Simpson (1,750) in 1968.
Oklahoma’s Jalen Hurts was second, with Chase Young third and his Ohio State teammate Justin Fields fourth.
As all four turn their attention to preparing for the College Football Playoff, we look at what was learned from Burrow’s massive win.
Burrow is a slam-dunk No. 1 pick
Humble, overcome with emotion, and appreciative of his unconventional journey to the most prestigious individual honor in college football, Burrow’s acceptance speech was a joy to behold. It will have gone down very well in NFL front offices.
Keen to praise teammates and coaches at every opportunity, Burrow presented himself as a prospect worthy and capable of living up to the tag of face of the franchise.
The on-field play is what matters most, but the window into his personality Burrow provided on stage is another reason for the Cincinnati Bengals to run the card to the NFL should they hold the number one pick in April’s draft.
Chase Young is being disrespected
Though Burrow was always the heavy favorite to take home the award, stud pass rusher Young was deserving of substantially more first-place votes than he received.
To get only six first-place votes is a slap in the face for a player as dominant as Young has been for Ohio State.
His destructive play off the edge has been crucial to the Buckeyes’ unbeaten season, and Young will head into Ohio State’s Fiesta Bowl Playoff semi-final with Clemson with a point to prove after being largely snubbed by the Heisman voters.
Fields is on track to win in 2020
Burrow collected an astonishing amount of first-place votes, but it was just as stunning that Fields performed better than Hurts and Young in that regard.
Fields received 20 first-place votes, eight more than Hurts, and 14 more than Young.
That speaks to just how impressive his first season with the Buckeyes has been, but also his likelihood of being a top contender for the award in 2020.
Fields will likely be competing with Trevor Lawrence — who is still incredibly yet to win the award — for the Heisman in 2020. His performance in this year’s voting suggests that, if he leads Ohio State to a season as impressive as their 2019 campaign, he will get the nod ahead of the Clemson phenom.