To the surprise of no one, Joe Burrow of LSU was this year’s Heisman winner.
While the leader of the Tigers’ offense prepares for the College Football Playoff, his biggest competition ended up finishing 10th in the Heisman voting.
Prior to a season-ending hip injury against Mississippi State, Tua Tagovailoa of Alabama was on a fast track to New York City for a second straight year.
After finishing runner-up to Kyler Murray of Oklahoma in 2018, the native Hawaiian was turning in better numbers with Steve Sarkisian calling plays.
He stands at 2,840 passing yards with 33 touchdowns, but no Heisman Trophy in two years.
Tagovailoa finished with a total of 24 votes, with 13 of them being third-place votes.
How they voted: pic.twitter.com/mTln0B6Cxu
— Hilary Scheinuk (@hscheinukphoto) December 15, 2019
The junior totaled four 300-yard passing games – including three 400-yard outings versus Southeastern Conference schools. He had six matchups where he accounted for at least four touchdowns passes, with the most coming against Ole Miss (six, a school record).
For much of the season, Tagovailoa orchestrated an offensive attack that was second nationally in scoring (48.3 ppg), third in passing (343.5 ypg) and seventh in total offense (513.3 ypg).
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A lot of speculation has been made on whether he will return for his senior year or not, but Tagovailoa has been nothing short of special for Alabama football. If he does return, a third chance to pursue the Heisman will be in his sights.
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Stephen M. Smith is the managing editor and senior writer for Touchdown Alabama Magazine. You can “like” him on Facebook or “follow” him on Twitter, via @CoachingMSmith.
