Five Heisman Trophy Winners That Never Lived Up to the Hype
Winning the prestigious Heisman is undoubtedly one of the highest honors that a college football player can achieve. The trophy is awarded to the most outstanding player in NCAA football each year, and it can single-handedly elevate a player’s status in the football world. However, there are some instances where the famous old trophy comes with too much pressure, the expectation becomes too high, and the player never quite lives up to the hype. Here are five players that unfortunately fall into that category.
Johnny Manziel
Johnny Manziel won the Heisman Trophy in 2012 and became the first freshman in history to claim the coveted award in the process. But Johnny Football was much more than just a college quarterback. The upstart Texan took the entirety of American sports by storm and was frequently pictured with celebrities such as Drake as well as sports stars such as LeBron James. Following a number of disagreements with the powers that be at Texas A&M, Manziel decided to announce himself for the NFL Draft after just two years in the college game.
No one knew how he would do in the annual extravaganza. Would he go in the first ten picks or will he not end up being drafted at all? In the end, the Cleveland Browns opted to bring him to Ohio with the 22nd overall pick, much to the delight of the supporters crammed into the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. But in the end, the Brash youngster would end up being a disaster. He played for the Browns for only two seasons before being released before heading north of the border, where he was eventually banned due to violating the terms of his contract.
Jameis Winston
Jameis Winston won the Heisman Trophy in 2013 as a quarterback for Florida State University. He led the Seminoles to a national championship that year as well as passing for over 4,000 yards, but his career after college has been average at best. He was drafted first overall by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2015 and played five seasons for them before moving on to the New Orleans Saints.
Winston still features at the Mercedes-Benz Super Dome on occasion but he is very much a backup, with Derek Carr firmly holding down the starting berth. The 29-year-old has had his share of on-and-off-the-field issues, including a sexual assault allegation, while inconsistent performance plagued his reputation as a franchise quarterback.
Marcus Mariota
Marcus Mariota won the Heisman Trophy in 2014 as a quarterback for the University of Oregon. He was drafted second overall by the Tennessee Titans in 2015 and showed potential in his rookie year, but injuries and inconsistency year after year hampered his progress ever since. The Titans eventually released him in 2019, and he has since bounced between the Las Vegas Raiders, Atlanta Falcons, and Philadelphia Eagles, where he currently serves as a backup to MVP candidate Jalen Hurts.
He threw for over 10,000 yards and 105 touchdowns during his career at Oregon, en route to the Heisman however, he never could manage to bring a championship to the school. That may very well change this term, with college football betting lines currently making the Ducks a +450 third favorite for glory this season.
Baker Mayfield
Baker Mayfield was a fiery and outspoken quarterback, characteristics that led him to the Trophy in 2017 at the University of Oklahoma. He was known for his confident attitude and his ability to throw accurate passes, which helped him rack up over 4,000 yards throughout a stellar amateur career. He was drafted first overall in 2018 by the Cleveland Browns and was expected to resurrect the flailing franchise, just like Manziel four years prior. The Browns cut their losses in 2021 after a number of lacklustre campaigns and both the Carolina Panthers and Los Angeles Rams have turned to him since.
They were hoping that he could stand in for their wounded franchise quarterbacks, namely Cam Newton and Matthew Stafford, but it didn’t work out with either. He currently finds himself battling it out with Kyle Trask to take over from the recently retired Tom Brady as the undisputed first choice at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Kyler Murray
Kyler Murray won the Heisman Trophy in 2018 as a quarterback for Oklahoma University and his selection as the first overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft by the Arizona Cardinals was a shoo-in. He showed promise in his rookie year, but in the years since the franchise has fallen off a cliff. This season they have a record of 2-10, the second-worst in the entire league. If things don’t improve at State Farm Stadium, the former Oklahoma Sooner may well find himself out of the team for good.
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