The Heisman Trophy is college football’s greatest individual honor. Fourteen players from current Southeastern Conference schools have won the award in its 81-year history.

Some won on the strength of spectacular statistics, while others were the best player on a great team. And, of course, some were the complete package and gave record-setting performances while leading their respective teams to a national championship.

Just because a player ranks at the bottom of our list doesn’t mean he was bad – he simply wasn’t as great as those ranked ahead of him during his Heisman Trophy-winning season. With that in mind, we rank the SEC Heisman Trophy winners.

Non-SEC Heisman Winners among current programs

John David Crow, HB, Texas A&M, 1957

Key Statistics: 562 rushing yards, 6 TDs; 84 passing yards, 62 receiving yards; 5 INTs on defense

Bear Bryant’s lone Heisman Trophy winner, running back John David Crow missed three games to injury in 1957. But before he was sidelined, Crow led the Texas A&M Aggies (then a member of the Southwest Conference) to an 8-0 start that earned them a No. 1 national ranking. Because of his injury-shortened campaign, which led to three straight A&M losses, Crow would likely rank at the bottom of a 14-player list.

George Rogers, RB, South Carolina, 1980

Key Statistics: 1,781 rushing yards, 14 TDs, 23 receiving yards

George Rogers played at South Carolina while the Gamecocks competed as an Independent, making him ineligible for our list. Rogers did beat out one of the toughest Heisman fields ever, which included eventual winner Herschel Walker. The Bulldogs star led Georgia to a national title as a freshman, and Pitt defensive end Hugh Green and BYU quarterback Jim McMahon also contended. The tough competition Rogers faced would likely help him rank in the middle of the pack on our list had Carolina been a member of the SEC in 1980.

12. Pat Sullivan, QB, Auburn, 1971

Key Statistics: 182-for-325 passing (56 percent), 2,262 passing yards, 21 TDs, 13 INTs; 66 rushing yards, 2 TDs

Legendary Auburn quarterback Pat Sullivan had a terrific season in 1970. Sullivan completed 59.4 percent of his passes for 2,586 yards, 17 touchdowns and 12 interceptions as a junior, and added 270 rushing yards and nine scores on the ground. The Tigers went 9-2 and finished No. 10 in the final AP Poll and Sullivan finished sixth in the Heisman voting behind a star-studded group that included senior QBs Jim Plunkett, Joe Theismann and Archie Manning.

The next season, Sullivan led Auburn to a 9-0 start and the Tigers climbed as high as No. 5 but lost two in a row to end the season ranked No. 12. Because of his strong junior campaign as well as his national title-contending team, Sullivan earned national recognition. However, his statistics were down in nearly every category from the previous season.

One could argue that record-setting Cornell running back Ed Marinaro (who finished as the runner-up in the voting to Sullivan after rushing for a then NCAA record 1,881 yards and 24 TD in just nine games) should have won the ’71 Heisman instead of Sullivan.

 

11. Mark Ingram, RB, Alabama, 2009

Key Statistics: 271 rushing attempts, 1,658 rushing yards, 17 TDs; 32 receptions, 334 receiving yards, 3 TDs

Incredibly, no Alabama football player won the Heisman Trophy prior to Mark Ingram in 2009 – and Ingram seemingly came out of nowhere to become the first player in school history to win the award.

Ingram ran for 728 yards and 12 touchdowns as a freshman in 2008, which ranked second behind Glen Coffee for the 12-2 Crimson Tide. Though he was expected to become the primary ball carrier as a junior, Ingram earned little preseason buzz and was not listed among the top 10 candidates for the Heisman by Las Vegas oddsmakers.

Ingram ranked among the top rushers in the country (he finished fourth with 1,658 yards). As Alabama marched toward a national title, Ingram became a regular in Heisman discussions along with Stanford running back Toby Gerhart. Eventually, Ingram edged Gerhart by a narrow 28-point margin that remains the closest in Heisman history.

 

10. Billy Cannon, HB, LSU, 1959

Key Statistics: 139 rushing attempts, 598 rushing yards, 5 TDs; 11 receptions, 161 receiving yards, 20 passing yards, 2 INTs

Statistics are important when ranking Heisman Trophy winners, but because players played in different offensive eras, stats don’t translate perfectly. That’s why Billy Cannon, who ran for 1,000 fewer yards than Mark Ingram, was still a more impressive Heisman winner. One main distinction between the two is that Ingram won by the slightest of margins and Cannon beat Penn State QB Richie Lucas by 1,316 points with 422 more first place votes.

The 1958 season was arguably the greatest in LSU football history, and Cannon’s role in the Tigers winning the national championship set the stage for him to win the Heisman the following year as a senior. In 1959, Cannon led the Tigers to a 9-1 regular season record with a 14-13 loss to Tennessee as the only blemish prior to a rematch with No. 2 Ole Miss in the Sugar Bowl, which the Rebels won, 21-0.

Cannon ran for 598 yards and 5 touchdowns and added 161 receiving yards, but it was the 89-yard fourth quarter punt return touchdown Cannon scored against Ole Miss in a 7-3 victory on Halloween night that was the “Heisman Moment” of the season – and has stood the test of time as the greatest play in program history.

 

9. Steve Spurrier, QB, Florida, 1966

Key Statistics: 179-for-291 passing (61.5 percent), 2,012 passing yards, 16 TDs, 8 INTs; 66 rushing yards

Florida was a far less prestigious football program before Steve Spurrier first stepped on campus. The Gators had won nine games just once and had never been ranked in the top 10 of the AP poll.

But Spurrier led the program into the top 10 during each of his three seasons as starting quarterback. As a senior in 1966, Spurrier led the SEC and ranked No. 7 nationally with 2,012 passing yards. He helped the Gators finish 9-2 and climb as high as No. 7 in the polls, which was a school record at the time.

Spurrier took the program’s prestige to the next level as head coach. He led Florida to its first SEC football championship in 1991 (and would go on win five others), as well as its first national championship in 1996.

 

8. Frank Sinkwich, HB, Georgia, 1942

Key Statistics: 89-for-176 passing (50.6 percent), 1,456 passing yards, 10 TDs, 9 INTs; 828 rushing yards, 17 TDs

The first SEC player to win the Heisman Trophy, Frank Sinkwich was a true dual threat for the Georgia Bulldogs in 1941 and 1942, earning consensus All-American honors both seasons. As a junior in 1941, Sinkwich set an SEC rushing record with 1,103 yards, and also posted the league record for total yardage with 1,816. Sinkwich finished fourth in the Heisman voting, then racked up 382 more total yards in the Orange Bowl to stake his claim as the preseason favorite for college football’s top individual honor in 1942.

As a senior, Sinkwich shattered his total yardage record after passing for 1,456 passing yards and adding 828 on the ground. He also led the Bulldogs to a share of the national championship following an 11-1 season and a shutout victory over UCLA in the Rose Bowl. Sinkwich tossed 10 TD passes and scored 17 times on the ground during the ’42 season to boost his career totals to 30 passing touchdowns and 30 rushing TDs.

 

7. Bo Jackson, RB, Auburn, 1985

Key Statistics: 278 rushing attempts, 1,786 rushing yards, 17 TDs; 73 receiving yards

Bo Jackson is one of the greatest running backs in college football history, and when you factor in his All-Star status in Major League Baseball and his short but spectacular All-Pro football career, he’s one of the most uniquely gifted athletes of all-time. However, when comparing his 1985 Heisman Trophy-winning season to the other 11 winners from the league, Bo Jackson isn’t among the best of the best.

First of all, an underachieving squad with a lackluster final record hurts Jackson’s standing. The Auburn Tigers were ranked No. 2 in the preseason AP poll, and rose to No. 1 in Week 2, but lost the SEC opener to Tennessee. Auburn also lost to Florida and Alabama in the regular season to fall out of the top 10. After Jackson won the Heisman, the Tigers lost to Texas A&M in the Cotton Bowl and fell out of the rankings completely.

Also, there was a great debate as to whether or not he even deserved the award. Jackson ranked first in the SEC and second in the country with both 1,786 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. With an elite blend of speed and strength, Jackson also averaged 6.4 yards per carry despite defenses loading up at the line of scrimmage. But, he faced stiff competition for the Heisman, and beat Iowa QB Chuck Long by just 45 points in the voting.

 

6. Danny Wuerffel, QB, Florida, 1996

Key Statistics: 207-for-360 passing (57.5 percent), 3,625 passing yards, 39 TDs, 13 INTs

Danny Wuerffel is in the conversation as the greatest quarterback in SEC history. Wuerffel, with head coach Steve Spurrier calling the plays, rewrote the Florida record book and finished his career with 114 touchdown passes – the most ever for an SEC QB at the time, which also ranked No. 2 on the all-time college football leaderboard.

As a senior in 1996, Wuerffel and Spurrier led the Florida Gators to the first national championship in school history and Wuerffel was awarded with the program’s second Heisman. Wuerffel led the SEC and ranked No. 4 in the nation with 3,625 passing yards, and led the country in passing touchdowns (39) and yards per pass attempt (10.6).

The vote for the Heisman was close with Iowa State running back Troy Davis, but Wuerffel cleaned up on the trophy circuit, also winning the Maxwell Award, the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award, the Davey O’Brien Award (for a second time) as well as the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award. He was also a consensus All-American and won SEC Player of the Year honors for a second time.

 

5. Derrick Henry, RB, Alabama, 2015

Key Statistics: 395 rushing attempts, 2,219 rushing yards, 28 TDs; 91 receiving yards

As previously stated, statistics aren’t everything. And, a 12-game regular season, an SEC Championship Game, and two playoff games inflated Derrick Henry’s 2015 statistics. But, what Henry did at Alabama last season was remarkable: He literally carried the load for the Crimson Tide all the way to a national championship.

In his only season as a starter, Henry set SEC records with 395 carries, 2,219 rushing yards and 28 rushing touchdowns. The 6-foot-3, 242-pound junior ran over, around, and past defenders all season and he got stronger and more dependable as the season wore on. Henry ran for 200 or more yards four times, including a 271-yard performance against Auburn when amassed 46 carries.

He gained 189 yards on 44 carries against Florida in the SEC Championship Game the following week, and toted the ball 36 times for 158 yards and three touchdowns against Clemson in the College Football National Championship Game. It was the fourth 3-TD performance of the year for Henry, who scored at least once in every game.

 

4. Tim Tebow, QB, Florida, 2007

Key Statistics: 234-for-350 (66.9 percent), 3,286 passing yards, 32 TDs, 6 INTs; 895 rushing yards, 23 TDs

In 2007, Tim Tebow became the first sophomore to win the Heisman Trophy. He did it with what was previously an unheard of combination of running and passing production. Tebow threw for 3,286 passing yards and 32 touchdowns, with a nation-best 9.4 yards per passing attempt and a 172.5 pass efficiency rating that ranked second in the country.

He also gained 895 yards on the ground and led the SEC with 23 rushing touchdowns (which ranked third nationally), which pushed his season total to 55 scores – the second most in FBS history. The performance made Tebow the first QB ever to throw for 30 touchdowns and score 20 on the ground, and it was just enough to beat out Arkansas running back Darren McFadden for the Heisman.

Tebow was amazing in 2007, but he and the Gators lost three SEC games in a span of four weeks, which hurts his overall status for our ranking purposes. Of course, while Tebow didn’t lead the Gators to a national title during his Heisman Trophy-winning campaign, he would the following season and would go down in history as one of the greatest college signal callers of all-time. He still holds the SEC record with 57 career rushing touchdowns.

 

3. Johnny Manziel, QB, Texas A&M, 2012

Key Statistics: 295-for-434 passing (68.0 percent), 3,706 passing yards, 26 TDs, 9 INTs; 1.410 rushing yards, 21 TDs

Five years after Tebow, Johnny Manziel put together a strikingly similar, yet even more eye-popping performance. The first freshman to win the Heisman Trophy, Manziel was largely unknown to a national audience early in the season. But he guided Texas A&M to a 10-2 regular season record, and saved his best performance for A&M’s 29-24 victory over No. 1 Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

Manziel, who led the SEC with 1,410 rushing yards and 21 rushing TDs, eluded the Crimson Tide pass rush, bumping into his own lineman — which caused Manziel to lose control of the football briefly — then recovered to throw a touchdown pass. It was one of 2 TDs Manziel would throw that game (in which he racked up 345 total yards), and the result of a highlight-reel play that seemingly ran on a constant loop the rest of the year.

“Johnny Football” finished his redshirt freshman season with an SEC record 5,116 yards of total offense, and following a dominant 41-13 victory over Oklahoma in the Cotton Bowl, the Aggies climbed all the way to No. 5 in the final AP Top 25.

 

2. Herschel Walker, RB, Georgia, 1982

Key Statistics: 335 rushing attempts, 1,752 rushing yards, 16 TDs; 89 receiving yards, 1 TD

Arguably the greatest running back in SEC history, Herschel Walker’s 1982 Heisman Trophy-winning campaign was the crowning achievement of a three-year career that included three All-American performances, three SEC Player of the Year Awards, three top-three Heisman finishes, three SEC rushing and scoring titles, three conference titles and a national championship. Walker also set the SEC rushing record with 5,259 yards – which still stands.

When Walker was awarded the Heisman, he had gained 1,752 rushing yards and scored 17 total touchdowns for the 11-0, No. 1 ranked Georgia Bulldogs – and calling Herschel the team’s top offensive weapon would be a massive understatement. The Bulldogs attempted just 155 passes for just 978 passing yards and 9 TD all season (with 10 interceptions), and the squad’s second-leading rusher gained 390 yards on the ground.

Opponents knew Walker was getting the football 38.9 percent of the time, and as a result, stacked nine or 10 players in the box every snap. Still, Walker averaged a solid 5.2 yards per carry and nearly led the Dawgs to a second national title. Unfortunately, Walker’s 102 rushing yards weren’t enough to beat Penn State in the Sugar Bowl.

 

1. Cam Newton, QB, Auburn, 2010

Key Statistics: 185-for-280 passing (66.1 percent), 2,854 passing yards, 30 TDs, 7 INTs; 1,473 rushing yards, 20 TDs; 42 receiving yards, 1 TD

It was a very close call, but Cam Newton put together arguably the greatest single-season performance in SEC football history in 2010 – his only season with the Auburn Tigers.

Auburn was 8-5 in 2009, jumped to 14-0 and won the SEC and national championship with Newton behind center, and then fell back to 8-5 in 2011 after the massive dual-threat signal caller was selected No. 1 overall in the NFL Draft (not to mention 3-9 in 2012).

Newton came to Auburn after legal trouble forced him to leave Florida for Blinn Junior College, and proved to be a perfect fit in offensive coordinator Gus Malzahn’s hurry-up, no-huddle system. Listed at 6-foot-5 and 240 pounds, Newton had prototypical NFL size, but also had the speed and running ability to pile up 1,473 rushing yards and 20 rushing touchdowns – often as the result Newton serving as a battering ram to move the sticks for the Tigers.

A quality passer as well, Newton completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 2,854 yards and 30 touchdowns with only 7 interceptions, making him the first SEC QB to surpass 2,000 passing yards and 1,000 rushing yards in a single season. Newton also joined Tim Tebow as the only QBs in history to throw 30 TDs and run for 20 scores in the same season. Understandably, Newton won the Heisman in a landslide over a tough field that included Andrew Luck and LaMichael James.