NEW YORK — Southern California sophomore quarterback Caleb Williams won the Heisman Memorial Trophy as college football's most outstanding player on Saturday night, beating three other finalists, all starting quarterbacks whose teams are in the College Football Playoff.
Quarterbacks have now won 19 of the past 22 Heismans this century. Only a trio of Alabama stars – Mark Ingram (2009), Derrick Henry (2015) and DeVonta Smith (2020) – have interrupted the quarterback stranglehold on the award.
Williams is USC's first Heisman Trophy winner since Matt Leinart in 2004, tying the school with Notre Dame, Ohio State and Oklahoma with seven winners – the most all-time.