Heisman Trophy: Who Should Win College Football's Biggest Award in 2022?
There is not a bigger award in college football than the Heisman Trophy. The stiff-armed trophy is synonymous with the sport and each recipient will always be remembered for that accomplishment regardless of what happens after they leave college. So it also stands to reason that no other award is more discussed and debated than the Heisman Trophy.
Related: A Breakdown of College Football's Awards
This year's recipient will be announced from New York City on Saturday during a live broadcast on ESPN (8 p.m. ET). All four finalists this year are quarterbacks: Georgia's Stetson Bennett, TCU's Max Duggan, Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, and USC's Caleb Williams. Although these are the four finalists this year was more wide open than some recent ones so it will be interesting to see how the final vote totals breakdown. Will we see another runaway winner or will 2022 produce a close finish?
In the spirit of Saturday's ceremony to announce this year's recipient, Athlon Sports held its own Heisman voting with a panel made up of 20 editors, staff writers, and college football contributors. Each voter could pick their top five choices with points awarded on a sliding scale (5 points for a first-place vote, 4 for a second, etc.).
As you can see below, the panel is pretty much in agreement with who should win and on the runner-up, but after that is where things get interesting.
Athlon Sports' 2022 Heisman Trophy Voting Results
| Player | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | TOTAL |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Caleb Williams | 14 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 91 | |
Max Duggan | 3 | 9 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 62 |
C.J. Stroud | 1 | 3 | 6 | 3 | 38 | |
Hendon Hooker | 1 | 7 | 6 | 1 | 38 | |
Stetson Bennett | 1 | 4 | 4 | 17 | ||
Michael Penix Jr. | 1 | 1 | 3 | 13 | ||
Blake Corum | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
Bryce Young | 1 | 1 | 6 | |||
Will Anderson Jr. | 1 | 5 | ||||
Jalen Carter | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||
Drake Maye | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||
Bo Nix | 1 | 2 | 4 | |||
Deuce Vaughn | 1 | 1 | 4 | |||
Marvin Harrison Jr. | 1 | 3 | ||||
Todd Centeio | 1 | 2 | ||||
Chase Brown | 1 | 1 | ||||
Charlie Jones | 1 | 1 | ||||
Jordan Travis | 1 | 1 |
Takeaways
- 18 different players received at least one vote, including James Madison quarterback Todd Centeio, Purdue wide receiver Charlie Jones, and Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis.
- Caleb Williams was the only player to appear on all 20 ballots and he got no lower than a fourth-place vote.
- Williams led the way with 14 first-place votes. Max Duggan (three) was next followed by fellow finalists C.J. Stroud and Stetson Bennett with one each. The other first-place vote went to Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr.
- Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker, who many believed was the biggest snub among the finalists this year, tied for third ahead of Bennett.
- Last year's Heisman recipient, Bryce Young, tied with Michigan running back Blake Corum. Young received a second-place vote and a fourth-place vote.
Participating voters were Athlon editors and staff writers Alek Arend, Cameron Flynn, Mitchell Forde, Steven Lassan, Lauren Merola, Mark Ross, and Ben Weinrib, as well as AthlonSports.com college football contributors Brandon Cavanaugh, John Coon, Matt Josephs, Jon Kinne, John La Fleur, Chip Minnich, Gabe Salgado, J.P. Scott, Eric Sorenson, Antwan Staley, Aaron Tallent, Kane Webb, and Scott Whittum.
