San Francisco Chronicle - (Sunday)
Tide’s Young wins Heisman by landslide
Bryce Young didn’t just meet the standard set by the star quarterbacks who preceded him at Alabama, he exceeded it and gave the Crimson Tide a rare Heisman back-to-back.
Young became the first Tide quarterback to win the Heisman Trophy on Saturday night, making Alabama the fifth school with consecutive winners of college football’s most prestigious player of the year award.
“This is amazing,” said Young, dressed in all black with a sparkling diamond chain around his neck, as he started his acceptance speech.
He thanked his father, Craig, for being his “best friend,” his mother, Julie, for “always having my back,” and his offensive line for “protecting me.”
Young received 684 firstplace votes and 2,311 points to easily outdistance Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson (78, 954), who became the third defensive player to be Heisman runner-up and first since Notre Dame linebacker Manti Te’o in 2012.
Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett (28, 631) finished third and Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (12, 399) was fourth. Alabama linebacker Will Anderson Jr. (31, 325) was fifth, putting two defensive players in the top five for the first time since 1962.
A year after former teammate DeVonta Smith won the Heisman, Young received 83% of total points available, the seventh highest among 87 winners. He was named on 90% of all ballots, also the seventh highest in Heisman history.
Oregon hires Lanning: Oregon hired Georgia defensive coordinator Dan Lanning as its next head coach.
Oregon completed a deal with Lanning to replace Mario Cristobal, who was hired away by Miami earlier this week. The Atlanta Journal Constitution first reported on Friday that Oregon would hire Lanning.
Earlier reports from the Oregonian and ESPN had said that the Ducks wanted to bring back Chip Kelly, UCLA’s head coach, for a second stint in Eugene. But Kelly will stay at UCLA, and Lanning, 35, will be a first-time head coach with Oregon after spending the last four years at Georgia, the last three as defensive coordinator.
Lanning will stay with Georgia through its participation in the College Football Playoff.
Navy 17, Army 13: Quarterback Tai Lavatai ran for two touchdowns and Navy’s defense limited Army to 57-second-half yards and a season-low 232 overall in a game played at the Meadowlands to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. The Midshipmen finished their season 4-8, while the Black Knights (8-4) will face Missouri in the Armed Forces Bowl.
Diaz lands at Penn State: Former Miami head coach Manny Diaz was hired as defensive coordinator at Penn State less than a week after he was fired by the Hurricanes. Diaz replaces Brent Pry, who left to become Virginia Tech’s head coach.