The Youngest Heisman Trophy Winners

Jameis Winston is the youngest Heisman Trophy winner in history, claiming the 2013 award for Florida State at 19 years and 342 days old. Johnny Manziel of Texas A&M is a close second, winning the 2012 trophy at 20 years and 2 days as the first freshman ever to take college football’s top individual honor.

The Heisman Trophy has been awarded since 1935, and for most of that time it went to juniors and seniors. That changed in the 2010s, when a wave of underclassmen rewrote the age records. Here is the full leaderboard of the youngest Heisman winners, and the shift in college football that produced them. All figures are as of the 2025 season.

The record holder: Jameis Winston at 19

Jameis Winston was a redshirt freshman quarterback when he led Florida State to an undefeated season and a national championship in 2013, and he capped it by winning the Heisman at just 19. His age at the December ceremony, 19 years and 342 days, makes him the only teenager to win the award.

Winston’s win came one year after Johnny Manziel broke the freshman barrier, and together they signaled that the Heisman was no longer reserved for veteran upperclassmen. The trophy has gone to a first- or second-year player many times since.

The full leaderboard of the youngest Heisman winners

The table below ranks Heisman winners by their age on the day they received the trophy.

Rank	Age at award	Player	School	Year
1	19 yr, 342 days	Jameis Winston	Florida State	2013
2	20 yr, 2 days	Johnny Manziel	Texas A&M	2012
3	20 yr, 116 days	Tim Tebow	Florida	2007
4	20 yr, 139 days	Bryce Young	Alabama	2021
5	20 yr, 276 days	Herschel Walker	Georgia	1982
6	20 yr, 283 days	Reggie Bush	USC	2005
7	21 yr, 35 days	Sam Bradford	Oklahoma	2008
8	21 yr, 44 days	Marcus Mariota	Oregon	2014
9	21 yr, 214 days	Matt Leinart	USC	2004
10	21 yr, 342 days	Derrick Henry	Alabama	2015

Ages are measured at the December ceremony. Reggie Bush’s 2005 award, later vacated, was reinstated by the Heisman Trust in 2024.

Manziel, Tebow and the underclassman era

Johnny Manziel’s 2012 win as a redshirt freshman was the breakthrough, and Tim Tebow had already become the first sophomore to win in 2007. Bryce Young continued the trend as a sophomore in 2021. The presence of four players who won at age 20 or younger, all in the modern era, reflects how quickly today’s stars arrive. For the pros these players became, see our leaderboard of the most NFL MVP awards.

The running backs and older winners

Herschel Walker and Reggie Bush show that the youngest-winner list is not only quarterbacks, both taking the trophy as electric running backs before turning 21. Further down, winners like Marcus Mariota and Matt Leinart were 21 as juniors, closer to the historical norm for the award.

Why the record matters

Winning the Heisman as a teenager, the way Jameis Winston did, means dominating college football before most players have found their footing. That is why his 19-year-old triumph, and Manziel’s freshman breakthrough a year earlier, stand out even among a list of prodigies. For the other end of the age spectrum in pro football, see our looks at the youngest NFL players and the oldest NFL players.

The short version: Jameis Winston is the youngest Heisman winner ever at 19 years and 342 days, ahead of Johnny Manziel (20 years, 2 days). As of the 2025 season, the age record still belongs to the redshirt-freshman quarterbacks who redefined the award in the 2010s.