5 Heisman winners who got the most votes in college football history ft. Joe Burrow
Travis Hunter and Ashton Jeanty figure to be in a close race for the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Whoever gets the award is not expected to win by a landslide.
Yet the race for the most prestigious individual award in college football is not always as close as this year. There are seasons when the trophy presentation is little more than a formality.
Whether it was OJ Simpson running away with the award in 7968 or Joe Burrow dominating the college football world, these are the five Heisman winners who have collected the most votes.
5 Heisman winners who got the most votes
The number of voters has changed throughout the history of the Heisman Trophy. Even though there are players who won by a wider margin or had more points, these are the ones who got the most first-place votes.
#5. Reggie Bush, USC Trojans running back (2005)
Bush won the Heisman Trophy over Texas quarterback Vince Young and teammate Matt Leinert with 784 first-place votes. After it was forfeited because Bush received impermissible benefits during his time at USC, it was reinstated in April.
Bush was electric on the field in 2005. The running back ran for 1,740 yards and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 37 passes for 478 yards. USC went undefeated but lost an epic national championship game to Young and the Texas Longhorns.
#4. Marcus Mariota, Oregon Ducks quarterback (2014)
Just like Bush, Mariota would lead his team to the national championship game but ended up losing the game. The Ducks quarterback got 788 votes after accounting for 53 total touchdowns (38 passing, 14 rushing, and one receiving).
At the time, Mariota had the second-largest margin of victory earning 90.9% of the votes. Mariota's Ducks went 12-1 and beat Florida State in the Rose Bowl before losing to Ohio State in the championship game.
#3. Troy Smith, Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback (2006)
Before 2009, Smith had the largest margin of victory of any Heisman Trophy winner as he got 801 first-place votes. The Buckeyes quarterback threw for 2,542 yards, 30 touchdowns, and only 6 interceptions as the team finished the season undefeated.
In the final game of the regular season, the Buckeyes defeated the Michigan Wolverines in a No. 1 vs No. 2 matchup. As has been common in this list, Ohio State lost the national championship game, this time to the Florida Gators.
#2. Joe Burrow, LSU Tigers quarterback (2019)
Burrow had the largest margin of victory for a Heisman Trophy winner and got 841 of a possible 927 first-place votes.
Burrow's 2019 season is considered one of the most dominant ever. The Tigers quarterback passed for 5,671 yards, 60 touchdowns, and only six interceptions in leading the school to an undefeated season and a National Title.
LSU only won three games by single digits and combined to score 105 points versus Oklahoma and Clemson in the national semifinal and title games.
#1. OJ Simpson, USC running back (1968)
OJ Simpson has the record for the most votes in a single Heisman Trophy voting with 855. However, the Southern Cal running back benefitted from a larger voting panel.
In 1968, 1,065 ballots were turned in compared to 893 in 2019. So while Simpson accounted for the most votes, he garnered around 88.8% of the total votes.
The 1968 season was still spectacular for the running back. He totaled 1,709 yards and 22 touchdowns for the 9-0-1 Trojans. The team would finish second in the polls.