Three QBs and a DE finalists for Heisman
Bryce Young was disappointed for his friend.
The Alabama quarterback was thrilled to find out he was a Heisman Trophy finalist, of course, but he said he believed teammate Will Anderson Jr. de- served the honor as well.
“That one sucked a lot,” Young said. “It doesn’t make a lot of sense, if you ask me.”
Anderson, a sophomore linebacker, has been a terror this sea- son, leading the nation in sacks (15.5) and tack- les for loss (31.5), but he wasn’t able to crack the top four in the Heisman voting and that meant no trip to New York for Saturday’s presentation ceremony.
Young will be joined by fellow quarterbacks Kenny Pickett of Pittsburgh and C.J. Stroud of Ohio State along with Michigan defensive end Aidan Hutchinson.
Defensive players rarely get their due when it comes to the Heisman Trophy. The only winner to have played primarily defense was Michigan cornerback Charles Woodson in 1997, and even he dabbled in offense and returned punts. Only three other defensive players have done as well as second place in the award’s 86-year history.
“It’s tough, because this award is very quarterback dominant, offensively dominant players” Hutchinson said Friday during a media availability at a Manhattan hotel with Young and Stroud. Pickett was in Baltimore for another award ceremony.
“So to be here and to be a finalist, it’s really great to put on for all the other defensive players in the country,” Hutchinson said. “It’s really such an honor to be here.”
The Heisman Trust made a tweak this year to the way finalists are determined. In the past, three to six players would be invited to New York as finalists based on the gap in votes received.
The plan going forward is for the top four vote-getters to be invited to New York — no more, no fewer.
“I definitely feel like he deserves it,” Young said of Anderson. “And a lot of people share that same opinion,.”
While Anderson’s omission among the finalists seemed like a snub, it turns out this is already one of the best Heisman showings for defensive players .
It was revealed Anderson was fifth in the voting Thursday night, when the players who finished five through 10 were announced on ESPN. Georgia defensive tackle Jordan Davis finished ninth. Three defensive players in the top 10 matched the most since there were four in 1969.