By Chris Marler
Ashton Jeanty finished runner-up to Travis Hunter for the 2024 Heisman Trophy. The Boise St. running back put up season totals that approached Barry Sanders’ historic 1988 season, but it wasn’t enough to overcome Colorado’s two-way star.
“I really felt like I should’ve walked away with the award,” Jeanty said after the announcement. “But kudos to Travis for winning.”
I personally don’t feel that way.
It felt much more like a situation of two things can be true at the same time and maybe two people deserved the award which is why the voting was so close.
That hasn’t always been the case. Here are the three biggest Heisman snubs of the last three decades.
3. Tua Tagovailoa, Alabama (2018)
Tua Tagovailoa was the overwhelming favorite to win the Heisman trophy going into Championship Saturday. His odds were -1000 to win and was coming off a five-touchdown game against Auburn.
He finished the regular season with 41 touchdowns and two interceptions. He didn’t even attempt a pass in the fourth quarter until the month of November. It was one of the most dominant seasons we had ever seen in college football history.
However, during conference championship week he was awful, completing 40 percent of his passes against No. 4 Georgia with one touchdown and two interceptions. Kyler Murray racked up 418 yards of total offense and three touchdowns against Texas in the Big 12 Championship game and that was all she wrote.
2. Peyton Manning, Tennessee (1997)
Many people think this is the biggest snub in the history of the award, and that’s fine. Manning winning would have been as much of a career award as it would have been his achievements in 1997.
Manning finished the season fourth nationally in passing yards with 3,819 and third nationally in passing touchdowns with 36. He also threw 11 interceptions. Manning was a phenomenal college player, but he also didn’t play his best when the lights were brightest.
Charles Woodson did the opposite, and when the lights were brightest he shined brighter. He had huge games against rivals Michigan State and Ohio State when the eyes of the nation were glued to those games. Manning finished the season in games against Kentucky and Vanderbilt which were far less viewed.
1. Darren McFadden, Arkansas (2006)
The 2006 Heisman vote was highway robbery in grand fashion. McFadden lost to Troy Smith of Ohio State, who won in a landslide, securing 86 percent of the first place votes.
Smith had a fine season and by the time of voting was the starting quarterback on the undefeated No. 1 team. He had 2,507 passing yards and 30 touchdowns following a dramatic win over No. 2 Michigan.
McFadden did everything for Arkansas. He finished the year with over 1,600 yards rushing and scored a touchdown rushing, receiving, on kick return, and even threw three touchdowns.
However, the 2006 Heisman was finished before McFadden was ever even on the radar for most voters. In September alone, Smith had three games against ranked opponents in nationally televised or primetime spots. He finished the month with 12 touchdowns, two interceptions, and an undefeated record including two road wins against Texas and Iowa.
Smith was mediocre for the ramained of the year until Michigan. He didn’t have a single game with over 250 yards passing and was held under 200 yards in six of his last nine games. To his credit, he was awesome against Michigan, throwing for a season high 316 yards and four touchdowns.
McFadden didn’t have that luxury and in the six games he played in from mid-October until late November, only one game was on national television and two weren’t televised at all.
McFadden might have gotten robbed in 2007 also, but 2006 was hands down the biggest travesty I’ve ever seen in SEC Heisman history.
