College Football

Who are the top 10 Heisman Trophy snubs of all time?

Updated Jan. 27, 2025 9:00 p.m. ET

It takes a special season to win the Heisman Trophy, and sometimes the most special season doesn't even do it.

The Heisman is supposed to go to the most outstanding college football player each year, but that isn't always how the voters cast their ballots. Some may remember the controversial pick of Reggie Bush over Vince Young during the 2005 season as one of the more recent examples.

Besides 2005, though, who are the most infamous Heisman snubs in college football history?

Here are the 10 biggest snubs of all time, courtesy of FOX Sports Research.

10. Eddie George won over Tommie Frazier (1995)

George was awesome in 1995. As a senior, the star halfback ran for a nation-leading 1,826 yards along with 23 touchdowns. Those numbers jump off the page, and George was a big reason why Ohio State went 11-2.

However, Frazier was better! He threw for 1,362 yards and 17 touchdowns with just four interceptions. He also ran for 604 yards on 6.2 yards per carry with 14 more touchdowns. If voters have taught us anything, it's that the Heisman is a team award as well as a player award. Nebraska and Frazier posted a pristine 12-0 record in 1995, were ranked No. 1 at the end of the year and and were national champions for the second straight season after their Fiesta Bowl win. Hard to go against that success.

9. Robert Griffin III won over Tyrann Mathieu (2011)

A defensive player? For the Heisman? Yeah, you read that right. RG3 put on a show in 2011, throwing for 4,293 yards and 37 touchdowns. Those are big-time numbers. He also led a Baylor team that had a history of struggling to a 10-3 mark and a 13th ranking in the final poll.

Despite that, Mathieu was special in 2011. He was all over the field for LSU, posting 76 tackles, 1.5 sacks, nine passes defended and an SEC-leading six forced fumbles. On top of that, he had two fumble return touchdowns and two punt return touchdowns. He almost literally did it all for the Tigers, who spent a good chunk of the year ranked No. 1 and put together a season that should make any defender a Heisman favorite.

8. George Rogers won over Herschel Walker (1980)

This race came down to one of the top returning backs in the country against a new, dominant freshman. In the 1980s, there was a sentiment that a freshman could never win the Heisman. That undoubtedly factored into the decision, but the numbers were very close. Rogers ran for 1,781 yards, Walker ran for 1,616 yards. Walker had 15 rushing touchdowns, and Rogers had 14. There wasn't much separating the two dominant backs.

Despite how close those numbers were, there was one thing that gave Walker what should have been a clear edge. He showed out in the biggest games, rushing for 219 yards against South Carolina and then 238 yards a week later against Florida; 457 yards over two weeks is the stuff of legends.

7. Archie Griffin won over Chuck Muncie (1975)

Grifin had a great year but struggled to find the end zone at the level he had in his previous season (also a Heisman-winning campaign). Griffin ended up with a touchdown on just four of his rushes. He was able to scamper for 1,357 yards, and normally, that would appear to be a very deserving year. Not this year, though.

Muncie came through with 1,460 rushing yards and nine more rushing touchdowns than Griffin, finishing with 13 for the season. He would also tack on two more receiving touchdowns, helping him lead the nation in scrimmage touchdowns with 15. The big difference between the two, though, was Griffin played for 11-1 Ohio State while Muncie played for 8-3 Cal.

6. Chris Weinke won over LaDainian Tomlinson (2000)

Weinke had a very good season, leading Florida State to the BCS Championship Game and leading the FBS in passing yards while being second in passing touchdowns. That seemed to tilt the scales in his favor with the narrative of carrying a top-tier team.

Tomlinson, on the other hand, was playing for a team that had no history of success. TCU eventually finished with its first 10-win season since 1938, but L.T. was, if not the sole reason, one of the top two reasons. He led the FBS in rushing for the second consecutive season and had multiple games with over 200 rushing yards to pair with multiple rushing touchdowns. In the end, Tomlinson totaled 369 rushes, more than double the total number of passes the team threw that season.

5. Reggie Bush won over Vince Young (2005)

Everyone knows USC was a powerhouse in the early 2000s. Matt Leinart won the Heisman in 2004, with Bush finishing a distant fifth. After that, Bush helped lead USC back to the title game in 2005, leading the FBS with 8.7 yards per rush attempt. Overall, he ran for 1,740 yards, third-best in the nation, while also leading the nation in scrimmage yards.

Young, though, had a magical season. He finished second in the Heisman voting behind his dominant season where he finished with 3,026 passing yards along with 26 passing touchdowns, 1,050 rushing yards and 12 rushing scores. Simply put, he was a one-man wrecking crew. The magical season, of course, was capped off with a national title for Texas against Bush and USC.

4. Gino Torretta won over Marshall Faulk (1992)

Torretta was an absolute stud in 1991, throwing for 3,095 yards to lead the country. In 1992, though, he had 3,065 passing yards but didn't lead the nation in any of the major categories. Nor did Miami (Fla.) win the title. It was a very solid season, but this felt like an award that was given due to previous success, not for what was done at that moment.

The real star of the 1992 season, and the real winner, should have been Faulk. The do-it-all back led the nation with 24 scrimmage touchdowns, combining that with an FBS-leading 300 carries and 1,530 rushing yards. The one mark that likely dinged his candidacy was the fact San Diego State went just 6-6 and thus never propelled him into the national spotlight.

3. Jason White won over Larry Fitzgerald (2003)

White had a heck of a year for Oklahoma in 2003. No one disputes how dominant he was. White tossed 40 touchdowns and had 3,846 passing yards. Those numbers are flat-out awesome, but none of those numbers led the nation. He didn't even post the best numbers at his position.

That season pales in comparison to the standout numbers Fitzgerald put up for Pitt. The future NFL Hall of Famer won the receiving triple crown in 2003, hauling in an eye-popping 92 balls to pair with 1,672 receiving yards and 22 touchdowns — or almost two touchdowns per game. White was really good, but Fitzgerald was next-level good.

2. Gary Beban won over O.J. Simpson (1967)

In 1967, Beban won the Heisman due to his success through the air. He ended the season leading the nation in completions (87), passing attempts (156), completion percentage (55.8), passing yards (1,359) and passing touchdowns (8). Those numbers don't blow you away now, but that was a different era.

Even with that, though, Simpson simply just had a better year. He led the nation with 266 rushing attempts, 1,415 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. He even led the nation with 276 plays from scrimmage, making him the most impactful player in the entire country. He would make up for the snub with a Heisman win the next season.

1. Paul Hornung won over Jim Brown, Johnny Majors or Tommy McDonald (1956)

Hornung winning the Heisman was a surprising event. He passed for under 1,000 yards and rushed for under 500 yards, while also tossing just three touchdowns to 13 interceptions. Those are hardly numbers you would expect from a Heisman winner, and that is even knowing that it was a different era offensively.

What makes it more surprising is the fact that Majors, McDonald and Brown all had really solid years. They had seven, 12 and 13 rushing touchdowns, respectively. On top of that, McDonald and Brown each nearly eclipsed 1,000 yards. Brown checked in with 986 rushing yards, while McDonald was a little behind with 853 yards. Any of those three would have been better choices for the sport's biggest award.

Honorable mentions: