QB Baker Mayfield Wins Heisman Trophy

QB Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma completed an incredible road to the Heisman Trophy award Saturday night when he earned 732 first-place votes and the most prestigious award in sports. Mayfield’s journey included walking on at Oklahoma after spending a year as a walk-on at Texas Tech. His outstanding senior season won the 83rd Heisman trophy this year in a wide margin after being a 2016 finalist.

Photo – QB Baker Mayfield – Oklahoma

Mayfield collected 732 first-place votes and 2,398 points in the voting totals. He finished ahead of Stanford running back Bryce Love (1,300 total points) and 2016 Heisman winner Lamar Jackson of Louisville (793).
The Sooners QB had the 3rd-highest % of total points in a Heisman-winning vote since 1950. His 86 percent trailed only Marcus Mariota’s 90.9 percent (Oregon, 2014) and Troy Smith’s 91.6 percent (Ohio State, 2006).

Mayfield became the first senior to win the Heisman since Smith in 2006. On Thursday night, he won the Davey O’Brien (best QB) and Maxwell (player of the year) awards. The Associated Press and Walter Camp awards also named him their player of the year.

Mayfield led #2 Oklahoma to a 12-1 record and a Big 12 championship this season. On Jan. 1, the Sooners will take on Georgia in the Rose Bowl Game in the semifinal round of the College Football Playoff.

The NCAA began allowing athletic scholarships in 1950 and yet no player ever won the Heisman Trophy who started his career as a walk-on. Mayfield, the Oklahoma quarterback whose storybook saga began with him walking on at Texas Tech, captured the 83rd Heisman in a landslide victory.

Baker Mayfield became a star quarterback at Oklahoma and led the Sooners to the College Football Playoff 2017. “It’s a dream right now,” he said.
“This is unbelievable for me, being up here among these greats,” Mayfield said upon receiving the award with past Heisman winners standing behind him. “It’s something that words can’t even describe. God has put me in this position that I’m so blessed, and a lot of times I wonder why. But it’s such an honor to be up here. It’s unbelievable.”

Go to http://www.heisman.com for extensive history and information on the Heisman Trophy

Mayfield has put together one of the most impressive individual offensive seasons in the college football history. The Sooners will open the playoff against Georgia in the Rose Bowl on New Year’s Day.

Mayfield completed 71% of his passes and thrown for 4,340 yards and 41 TDs with only five interceptions. He is averaging 11.8 yards per passing attempt, which would shatter the FBS record that he set last season.

His NFL Draft 2018 journey will begin after the College playoffs where his height will become an issues. He will create a wide range of options and will be a ‘Wild card’ prospect in one of the best QB classes over the past few decades.

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a long-time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year-round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites

QB Baker Mayfield of Oklahoma captures the Maxwell , O’Brien and Walter Camp Awards
Favorite for Heisman Trophy Trophy

Maxwell Award
Outstanding Player
2017 Baker Mayfield OKLA
2016 Lamar Jackson LOU
2015 Derrick Henry ALA

Walter Camp Award
Player of the Year Award
2017 Baker Mayfield OKLA
2016 Lamar Jackson LOU
2015 Derrick Henry ALA

The Home Depot Award
Coach of the Year
2017 Scott Frost UCF
2016 Mike MacIntyre COLO
2015 Dabo Swinney CLEM

Doak Walker Award
National Running Back Award
2017 Bryce Love STAN
2016 D’Onta Foreman TEX
2015 Derrick Henry ALA

Davey O’Brien Award
National Quarterback Award
2017 Baker Mayfield OKLA
2016 Deshaun Watson CLEM
2015 Deshaun Watson CLEM

Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award
Outstanding Sr. QB
2017 Mason Rudolph OKST
2016 Deshaun Watson CLEM
2015 Connor Cook MSU

Fred Biletnikoff Award
Outstanding Receiver
2017 James Washington OKST
2016 Dede Westbrook OKLA
2015 Corey Coleman BAY

John Mackey Award
Outstanding Tight End
2017 Mark Andrews OKLA
2016 Jake Butt MICH
2015 Hunter Henry ARK

Outland Trophy
Outstanding Interior Lineman
2017 Ed Oliver HOU
2016 Cam Robinson ALA
2015 Joshua Garnett STAN

Paul Hornung Award
Most Versatile Player
2017 Saquon Barkley PSU
2016 Jabrill Peppers MICH
2015 Christian McCaffrey STAN

Rimington Trophy
Outstanding Center
2017 Billy Price OSU
2016 Pat Elflein OSU
2015 Ryan Kelly ALA

Chuck Bednarik Award
Defensive Player of the Year
2017 Minkah Fitzpatrick ALA
2016 Jonathan Allen ALA
2015 Tyler Matakevich TEM

Bronko Nagurski Award
Defensive Player of the Year
2017 Bradley Chubb NCST
2016 Jonathan Allen ALA
2015 Tyler Matakevich TEM

Dick Butkus Award
Outstanding Linebacker
2017 Roquan Smith UGA
2016 Reuben Foster ALA
2015 Jaylon Smith ND

Jim Thorpe Award
Outstanding Defensive Back
2017 Minkah Fitzpatrick ALA
2016 Adoree’ Jackson USC
2015 Desmond King IOWA

Ted Hendricks Award
Defensive End of the Year Award
2017 Bradley Chubb NCST
2016 Jonathan Allen ALA
2015 Carl Nassib PSU

Lou Groza Award
Collegiate Place-kicker Award
2017 Matt Gay UTAH
2016 Zane Gonzalez ASU
2015 Ka’imi Fairbairn UCLA

Ray Guy Award
Outstanding Punter
2017 Michael Dickson TEX
2016 Mitch Wishnowsky UTAH
2015 Tom Hackett UTAH

Campbell Trophy
Top-scholar Athlete
2017 Micah Kiser UVA
2016 Zach Terrell WMU
2015 Ty Darlington OKLA

Wuerffel Trophy
Community Services
2017 Courtney Love UK
2016 Trevor Knight TA&M
2015 Ty Darlington OKLA

Frank Broyles Award
Assistant Coach of the Year
2017 Tony Elliott CLEM
2016 Brent Venables CLEM
2015 Lincoln Riley OKLA

Disney Spirit Award
Most Inspirational Player or Team
2017 Iowa IOWA
2016 James Conner PITT
2015 Hank Goff CON

Jackson, Love and Mayfield
Named 2017 Heisman Finalists

The 2017 Heisman Winner will be announced this Saturday on ESPN.
Heisman Trophy winners Desmond Howard (’91) and Charles Woodson (’97) this week that the finalists for the 83rd annual Heisman Memorial Trophy are Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, Stanford running back Bryce Love and Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield. The announcement of the finalists was made on ESPN’s 6:00 PM EST telecast of its Monday Night Countdown show.

The three finalists will be invited to New York City for the Heisman Trophy announcement on Saturday, December 9, which will broadcast live on ESPN starting at 8:00 PM EST, presented by Nissan North America.

Photo – QB Lamar Jackson – Louisville

Jackson, a true junior, is the reigning Heisman winner and a two-time Heisman finalist. He aims to become the first two-time Heisman winner since Archie Griffin in 1974-75. He joins Ty Detmer, Jason White, Matt Leinart, Tim Tebow and Johnny Manziel as Heisman winners who made it back to New York as a finalist. The 6-3, 218-pound Jackson, who hails from Pompano Beach, Fla., guided the Cardinals to an 8-4 record while accumulating 4,932 yards of total offense and 42 total touchdowns. He threw for 3,489 yards and 25 touchdowns through the air and racked up 1,443 yards and 17 scores on the ground to become the first player to pass for over 3,000 yards and rush for over 1,000 yards in two seasons.

Love, a true junior, is Stanford’s sixth Heisman finalist and seeks to join Jim Plunkett (’70) as his school’s second Heisman winner. The lightning-quick 5-10, 195-pound true junior from Wake Forest, NC, rushed for 1,973 yards and 17 touchdowns this fall, averaging a stellar 8.32 yards per carry. Despite missing one game due to injury and being hobbled in other games, he was second in the nation in rushing and led the nation with 10 runs of 50 yards or more. The Cardinal finished 9-4 and earned a trip to the Alamo Bowl.

Mayfield, a redshirt senior, is a repeat finalist after finishing third in the vote in 2016. He has a chance to become the sixth Sooner Heisman winner and the first Heisman winner to begin his career as a “walk-on” athlete. He’s also one of seven players to finish in the top 5 of the Heisman vote three times, joining Heisman legends Glenn Davis and Doc Blanchard of Army, Doak Walker of SMU, Archie Griffin of Ohio State, Herschel Walker of Georgia and Tim Tebow of Florida. Mayfield is on pace to shatter his own NCAA record for passing efficiency with a mark of 203.76. The 6-1, 222-pounder from Austin, Texas, threw for 4,340 yards and 41 touchdowns, with another 310 yards and five scores on the ground while leading the Sooners to a 12-1 record, the Big 12 title and a berth in the College Football Playoff. He finished fourth in the 2015 Heisman balloting.

The Heisman Memorial Trophy electorate, which selects the finalists and the Heisman winner, is comprised of 929 voters, including 870 media members and 58 former Heisman winners. The public at large is granted one overall fan vote, thanks to Heisman’s Premier Partner, Nissan North America.

Go to http://www.heisman.com for extensive history and information on the Heisman Trophy

“It’s a pleasure to welcome these three outstanding players to New York for the Heisman Trophy ceremony,” said Rob Whalen, Executive Director of the Heisman Trophy Trust. “We look forward to recognizing their remarkable individual accomplishments and celebrating the winner of the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night.”

Tickets are still available for the 83rd Annual Heisman Memorial Trophy Dinner Gala on Sunday, December 10, at the New York Marriott Marquis in Times Square. The winner will be presented with his award at this event, where three former Heisman winners will also be recognized: Gary Beban (UCLA, 1967) on the 50th Anniversary of his award, Gino Torretta (Miami (Fla.), 1992) on the 25th Anniversary of his award and Tim Tebow (Florida, 2007) on the 10th anniversary of his award. The Trust will also recognize legendary pro golfer Ernie Els as the 2017 Heisman Humanitarian Award winner for his support of people with autism.

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a long-time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year-round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites

College Football Playoff schedule
Final Regular Season Top 25 Teams

Here is the 2017-18 college playoff lineup and College football playoff rankings

Jan. 1 – Semi-final Matchups

College Football Playoff at the Rose Bowl Game
#3 Georgia vs. #2 Oklahoma
5 p.m., ESPN
Rose Bowl – Pasadena, California

College Football Playoff at the Sugar Bowl
#4 Alabama vs. #1 Clemson
8:45 p.m., ESPN
Mercedes-Benz Superdome – New Orleans

Photo – QB J.T. Barrett – Ohio St

Jan. 8
College Football Playoff National Championship Presented By AT&T
Semi Final Winners
8 p.m. ESPN – Mercedes-Benz Stadium – Atlanta

College Football Playoff Rankings
Rank / Team / Record
1 Clemson 12-1
2 Oklahoma 12-1
3 Georgia 12-1
4 Alabama 11-1
5 Ohio State 11-2
6 Wisconsin 12-1
7 Auburn 10-3
8 USC 11-2
9 Penn State 10-2
10 Miami 10-2
11 Washington 10-2
12 UCF 12-0
13 Stanford 9-4
14 Notre Dame 9-3
15 TCU 10-3
16 Michigan State 9-3
17 LSU 9-3
18 Washington State 9-3
19 Oklahoma State 9-3
20 Memphis 10-2
21 Northwestern 9-3
22 Virginia Tech 9-3
23 Mississippi State 8-4
24 NC State 8-4
25 Boise State 10-3

Dropped from rankings: Fresno State 25

Frank Coyle is a long-time scout with nationwide ties with coaches, scouts and player agents. He is a long-time member of the FWAA and voter in College player awards – Heisman, Outland, Nagurski, Lombardi, Thorpe, Biletnikoff etc for the past 20 years. He writes College Football Mondays weekly during the season. He is a longtime scouting consultant for the Senior Bowl, the nation’s premier postseason All-star game. He does sports radio shows for ESPN, Fox Sports and Sporting News on a year-round basis related to College Football especially during the postseason team and All-star Bowl time. He has worked for CBS Sports, NBC Sports, Yahoo and Rivals sports publications and web sites