As the 2017 season continued to play on, it became more and more apparent Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield would be winning the Heisman Trophy. On Saturday night in New York, the inevitable result became official. Mayfield was named the 2017 Heisman Trophy winner by the Heisman Trust during a ceremony in the PlayStation Theater in Times Square of New York City.
Mayfield beat out Stanford running back Bryce Love and Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner. He becomes the sixth Heisman Trophy winner in Oklahoma history, officially moving the Sooners into a tie for second-most all-time Heisman Trophy winners with USC (USC has actually had seven Heisman Trophy winners, but Reggie Bush had his Heisman Trophy officially vacated, thus reducing USC’s official count to six).
Mayfield received 2,398 total point sin the voting. Love received 1,300 points, and last year’s Heisman winner (Jackson) received 793 points. Mayfield received 732 first-place votes.
- Baker Mayfield, Oklahoma - 2,398 points (732 first-place votes)
- Bryce Love, Stanford - 1,300 points (75 first-place votes)
- Lamar Jackson, Louisville - 793 points (47 first-place votes)
- Saquon Barkley, Penn State - 304 points (15 first-place votes)
- Rashaad Penny, San Diego State - 175 points (7 first-place votes)
- Jonathan Taylor, Wisconsin - 58 points (2 first-place votes)
- Mason Rudolph, Oklahoma State - 56 points (2 first-place votes)
- McKenzie Milton, UCF - 54 points (4 first-place votes)
- Kerryon Johnson, Auburn - 45 points (0 first-place votes)
- Roquan Smith, Georgia - 38 points (3 first-place votes)
Only Ohio State and Notre Dame have more Heisman Trophy winners in the history of the award. The Buckeyes and Irish each have seven winners in Heisman Trophy history. Oklahoma fans will also take pride in knowing the Sooners now have three Heisman Trophy winners since the last Texas Longhorn player won the award (Ricky Williams in 1998).
The most recent Oklahoma player to win the Heisman Trophy before Mayfield was Sam Bradford in 2008 and Jason White in 2003. Officially, Oklahoma is the first school to have three Heisman Trophy winners in the 21st century (again, USC is also in this category if not for the Reggie Bush Heisman). Mayfield is also the first Heisman Trophy winner from the Big 12 since Robert Griffin III of Baylor won the award in 2011. Among power conferences, the Big Ten owns the longest Heisman Trophy drought; the last Big Ten Heisman Trophy winner was Troy Smith of Ohio State in 2006.
Mayfield will now attempt to become the second Heisman Trophy winner of the College Football Playoff era to lead his team to a national championship. Heisman Trophy winners are 1-1 in the national championship game in the playoff era. Oregon’s Marcus Mariota lost to Ohio State in the first playoff national championship game, but Alabama’s Derrick Henry captured a national title against Clemson in the second season of the playoff. Jackson and Louisville did not reach the playoff a year ago.