It may have felt like a neck-and-neck battle for the Heisman Trophy this year, but the voters apparently saw it very differently when all was said and done.
The voting results are in and LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels was voted the winner of the 2023 Heisman Trophy. He won it with 2,029 points to Washington QB Michael Penix Jr’s 1,701. But the real difference was in the first-place ballots.
Daniels took home 503 first-place votes while Penix could only secure 292. Bo Nix came in third with 51 first-place votes while Marvin Harrison Jr. collected 20.
One could argue that Nix played spoiler to Penix as the two West Coast QBs combined for over 2,500 points between them. The Far-West may have cannibalized itself on the ballots into having no Heisman Trophy winner.
Though we could also sit and wonder what might have happened to the voting if Florida State quarterback Jordan Travis hadn’t gotten injured a few weeks ago at a time when he was red hot.
Heisman voting. pic.twitter.com/xy2qjM0hXU
— Ralph D. Russo (@ralphDrussoAP) December 10, 2023
The writing may have been on the wall for Jayden Daniels earlier in the week when he was named College Football Player of the Year by the Associated Press. 18 of the 20 previous winners of the award had gone on to win the Heisman.
Now it’s off to the NFL for Jayden Daniels. And if he’s anything like the last few Heisman-winning quarterbacks, he can expect to hear his name called fairly early.
Congratulations on the big win, Jayden!