Heisman Trophy Winners (Full List by Year)

Archie Griffin is the only player to win the Heisman Trophy twice, taking it in 1974 and 1975 for Ohio State. In the award’s history since 1935, no one else has won it more than once, which is why Griffin’s back-to-back honors remain the sport’s most secure record.

The Heisman Trophy goes each December to the most outstanding player in college football, chosen by a nationwide vote of sportswriters and past winners. The most recent recipient is Colorado’s Travis Hunter, a two-way star who won the 2024 award. Here is the list of recent winners, the schools that lead the all-time count, and how the vote works. Figures are current through the 2024 season.

Recent Heisman Trophy winners

The table lists the Heisman winner for each of the most recent seasons, with school and position.

Year	Winner	School	Position
2024	Travis Hunter	Colorado	WR / CB
2023	Jayden Daniels	LSU	Quarterback
2022	Caleb Williams	USC	Quarterback
2021	Bryce Young	Alabama	Quarterback
2020	DeVonta Smith	Alabama	Wide receiver
2019	Joe Burrow	LSU	Quarterback
2018	Kyler Murray	Oklahoma	Quarterback
2017	Baker Mayfield	Oklahoma	Quarterback
2016	Lamar Jackson	Louisville	Quarterback
2015	Derrick Henry	Alabama	Running back
2014	Marcus Mariota	Oregon	Quarterback
2013	Jameis Winston	Florida State	Quarterback
2012	Johnny Manziel	Texas A&M	Quarterback
2011	Robert Griffin III	Baylor	Quarterback
2010	Cam Newton	Auburn	Quarterback

The 2025 Heisman Trophy is presented in December, as it is every year, at the ceremony in New York.

The record holder: Archie Griffin

Griffin ran for Ohio State in the mid-1970s and became the first, and still only, back-to-back Heisman winner in 1974 and 1975. Winning it once is already the rarest honor in the college game; winning it in consecutive years, when voters often look for a fresh face, is why his record has outlasted every great player since.

Johnny Manziel came closest to matching it. He won as a freshman in 2012 and remained a Heisman contender the following year, but no one has repeated in the half-century since Griffin. The record is not about totals like most others on this site; it is a single achievement that no one else has ever completed.

Which school has produced the most winners

Three programs sit at the top of the all-time count. Ohio State, Notre Dame and USC have each produced roughly seven or more Heisman winners across the award’s history, with Griffin’s two wins meaning Ohio State’s trophy count runs slightly ahead of its player count. USC’s list runs from Mike Garrett and O.J. Simpson through Marcus Allen, Matt Leinart and Caleb Williams, while Notre Dame’s stretches back to the leather-helmet era.

Alabama has surged up the list in recent years, producing three winners in Derrick Henry, DeVonta Smith and Bryce Young in a short span. Oklahoma also stacked two in a row with Baker Mayfield and Kyler Murray, reflecting how the modern passing game concentrates Heisman votes on high-scoring quarterbacks.

How the Heisman is decided

The Heisman Trophy is named after John Heisman, an early coach and administrator, and has been awarded since 1935. A pool of media voters split into regions, plus all living past winners, cast ballots ranking their top three players. The points system means a candidate needs broad national support, not just regional backing, which tends to reward players on winning teams with strong television exposure late in the season.

Position matters too. Quarterbacks have dominated the modern era because their statistics are the most visible, but the 2024 vote broke the pattern: Travis Hunter won as a genuine two-way player, lining up at wide receiver and cornerback, something the sport had not seen from a Heisman winner in generations.

Who could win next

Every year the race resets around a handful of quarterbacks and skill players on top-ranked teams. The recent trend favors passers, but Henry’s 2015 win and Hunter’s 2024 award show the door is still open for running backs and two-way stars when the season is dramatic enough.

For more on the award’s history, see our breakdown of the schools with the most Heisman winners, or explore where college stars land on the most valuable sports teams list at the professional level. Archie Griffin’s two Heismans have stood alone since 1975, and no active player has matched it.