Winning the Heisman Trophy exemplifies dominance at the college football level. It determines the nation’s most impactful player each season and rewards them with one of football’s most coveted recognitions. A number of past and present NFL stars won a Heisman in college, including Earl Campbell, Barry Sanders, Carson Palmer, and Cam Newton. But sometimes we’re unaware of how these standouts performed one level below the high-profile college game. Here we take a look at the high school careers of the last 10 Heisman Trophy winners.
2021 – Bryce Young (Alabama)
The nation’s latest Heisman-winning quarterback played at Mater Dei (CA) for the last two years of his high school career. He thrived there, passing for 4,528 yards and 58 touchdowns in a record-setting senior campaign. Young originally committed in-state to USC, but flipped to Alabama, where he would become a sensation as just a sophomore.
2020 – DeVonta Smith (Alabama)
Young’s Heisman marked back-to-back award winners for the Crimson Tide. Smith, the Heisman’s first recipient as a pure receiver since 1991, starred at Amite in Louisiana, where he led the Warriors to an 11-3 record as a senior. His frame was questioned throughout the recruitment process, and those concerns carried into college. However, Smith erased any doubts with a 1,856-yard receiving season in 2020.
2019 – Joe Burrow (LSU)
Burrow put together one of college football’s greatest seasons in 2019. His dominance, though, began at Athens High School in Ohio, where he totaled over 13,000 yards and 184 touchdowns. He was also awarded Gatorade Player of the Year as a senior. Burrow started his collegiate career at Ohio State, but broke through massively as a senior Tiger and was the most dominant of Heisman Trophy winners, claiming the most votes in award history.
2018 – Kyler Murray (Oklahoma)
The spotlight on Murray was present before he ever stepped onto a college campus. At Allen (TX), he won 42 consecutive games as a starting quarterback and scored a whopping 79 total touchdowns his senior year. Murray was the nation’s best dual-threat quarterback and passed up a potential professional baseball career to play football at Texas A&M. One transfer to Oklahoma later, he tore up the Big 12.
2017 – Baker Mayfield (Oklahoma)
Mayfield was the first of two Sooner play-callers to win the Heisman last decade. The eventual NFL No. 1 Draft pick started his career at Lake Travis (TX) as a three-star prospect. He passed for a respectable 22 scores in his senior year, but flourished as a freshman under Texas Tech’s system in college. He then played three consistently strong seasons at Oklahoma and capped his career with a well-deserved Heisman.
2016 – Lamar Jackson (Louisville)
Jackson’s play at Louisville was electric. At Boynton Beach (FL), he developed much of those skills while running a read option-style offense, where he rushed almost as often as he passed. Several colleges saw Jackson as a threat at positions other than quarterback, but Louisville assured him the QB spot if he committed. He burst on the college scene as a sophomore, routing #2 Florida State, 63-20, en route to a Heisman-worthy season.
2015 – Derrick Henry (Alabama)
Henry was simply impossible to tackle in high school. His senior year at Yulee (FL), he carried the ball for an astonishing 4,261 yards and 55 touchdowns in only 13 games. Henry once rushed for 510 yards in a single game against Jackson (FL). The 5-star recruit originally chose Georgia, but later switched to Alabama, where he similarly steamrolled opposing defenses.
2014 – Marcus Mariota (Oregon)
Mariota was given only three stars as a high school quarterback at Saint Louis in Hawaii. The standout track-and-field athlete started just one year in high school and earned scholarship offers from two schools: Memphis and Oregon. Despite losing in the 2014 National Championship to Ohio State, Mariota had a prolific season with the Ducks, enough to earn him a runaway Heisman.
2013 – Jameis Winston (Florida State)
Winston is only one of two players to ever win the Heisman as a freshman. At Hueytown (AL), he was immediately recognized as the nation’s best dual-threat quarterback, due in large part to his performance at Elite 11’s annual camp, where he was named MVP. Despite being drafted by the Texas Rangers to play baseball, Winston stuck with football at Florida State. He redshirted his 2012 season before dominating the college football landscape in 2013.
2012 – Johnny Manziel (Texas A&M)
Many consider Manziel to be the most electrifying college player in this century. He was the first freshman to ever among Heisman Trophy winners, but his career started humbly at Tivy in Texas. Manziel mostly focused on rushing from the quarterback position early in his high school career, but a drastic improvement as a passer led to an explosive 75-touchdown senior campaign. His improvisational skills became legendary at Texas A&M, where he defeated top-ranked Alabama and won the Davey O’Brien Award along with the Heisman.
